Continental Tire the Americas has introduced its first product that directly addresses underinflation, which has been estimated by the Technology and Maintenance Council to cause nine out of 10 tire failures, as well as faster tire wear and reduced fuel economy.

ContiPressureCheck, a new, advanced tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) specifically designed for commercial vehicles, constantly monitors the pressure and temperature of each tire on the vehicle in order to provide real-time, on-demand tire status information and to warn the driver of tire-related problems before they become a critical concern, said Clif Armstrong, CTA’s director of commercial vehicle tire marketing for the Americas.

ContiPressureCheck integrates its sensors, communication system and data processor into a single module that is housed inside a rubber container and glued to the inner surface of the tire. The sensors continuously monitor both air pressure and the tire’s temperature, and send data wirelessly to the truck’s electronic control unit (ECU). This processes the data, saves warnings and sends them directly to a display in the driver’s cab. The driver can immediately take corrective action and avoid a breakdown before it happens.

ContiPressureCheck has two major advantages for commercial truck drivers over other systems, Armstrong said. First, it is the only system on the market to account for the tire’s temperature at its most optimal point inside the tire, which eliminates interference from other outside elements. The system then compensates for the temperature in the inflation data.

ContiPressureCheck’s construction takes into account years of research into tire pressure monitoring systems, and provides a robust and reliable system – the second advantage of the product, Armstrong added.