The Basics of Self-Inflating Tires
Your car’s most important safety feature takes a beating every time you drive. They support the weight of your vehicle, connect you to and provide traction on the road, and help absorb vibration and shocks from the terrain for a smooth driving experience. To do all of that safely and efficiently, tires need to be inflated properly, free from damage, bulges, or tears, and have adequate tread.
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Keeping tires inflated at their recommended psi requires regular monitoring. Some cars with tire pressure monitoring systems do the work for you, alerting you when a tire has lost too much air pressure. Tires that self-inflate not only monitor air pressure, but also alert you to the issue, and then increase the pressure automatically.
“Self-inflating tires, on the other hand, are designed to constantly maintain tire pressure at the proper level. Self-inflating systems are designed more for slow leaks and for optimizing performance and safety than for keeping a vehicle moving on a tire that will no longer hold air,” according to How Stuff Works writer Lee Ann Obringer.
Keeping proper air pressure in your car’s tires is vital to your safety on the road. If one of your tires is underinflated, not only does your car’s engine have to work harder, you’re also at risk for a flat tire or worse, a tire blowout. Plus, you’re losing money as underinflated tires can negatively impact your gas mileage.
Self-inflating tire systems may look different depending on the maker, but they generally have the same components including individual tire valves, central sensors used to convey messages to you, an air source, a way to funnel air to the tires, and a pressure relief vent, Obringer says.
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Make sure your tires are always in good health before you hit the road.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.