Don’t thump’em, measure that psi

A tire pressure monitoring system lowers repair and maintenance costs

By Jim Samocki

Above: The Doran 360HD™ TPMS monitors tire pressure and temperature data through wireless sensors mounted in place of the valve stem caps on each tire. An indicator light mounted on the dash provides at-a-glance psi assurance.

The dangers of buses and motorcoaches rolling on under-inflated tires are no secret. Tires lose air pressure over time and proper gauging is time consuming, dirty, and often error-filled and sometimes painful, especially on inside duals. Getting the same psi on the tire gauge at different intervals does not always happen. All this has led to the all too common practice of “thumping’em” to feel if tires are filled enough — a very poor substitute for proper psi gauging.

Despite their best intentions to manage tire pressures through preventive maintenance programs and tire programs, keeping the air pressure at or near the manufacturer recommended levels continues to be a significant challenge. Fleet managers struggle to implement a reliable, cost effective solution.

The solution lies with the installation of a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) to help fleet owners lower their tire-related tire repair and maintenance costs as a result of tire replacement and tire-related road calls.

Doran launched its 360HD™ TPMS in 2008. It continuously monitors tire pressure and temperature data received through radio frequency signals transmitted from wireless sensors mounted in place of the valve stem caps on each tire. An indicator light mounted on the dash provides at-a-glance assurance to the driver the tires are running at proper air pressure. When the psi in all tires is within the specified range, the system gives a Green Means Good™ signal. Highlighting with the directional arrow on the pad checks the pressure in each tire.

Doran recently completed an integration project with SafetyTrax to help fleets track vehicles and monitor tire pressure at the same time. The integration between Doran and SafetyTrax allows the monitoring of all vehicles through a website that shows real-time alerts when tire pressure and temperature problems develop.  BR

Jim Samocki is general manager at Doran Manufacturing.