A tyre pressure maintenance system is a value added improvement for your trailers and business, helping operators save money and remain competitive.
The transport industry is extremely competitive and costly to run. Costs come in two styles: Actual costs, like fuel and registration; and indirect costs, which need to be controlled and remain much harder to fix however have increased value. So, while you can get a fuel card with a discount or fit aerodynamic aids and learn to be an economical driver and monitor the outcomes, tyres still remain about the third highest expense.
Tyres last longer if you match the tyre pressures to the load carried and terrain travelled, as all tyre manufacturers recommend. All that power driving through super hard tyres increases the loads on the entire drive train, causing accelerated wear and breakage. Every bump, corrugation or pothole is hammering your suspension, axles and truck to death. It’s also hammering the driver, hurting their health and wellbeing via whole of body vibrations.
Maybe you are dragging a trailer, any trailer. To pull that trailer up and down and around takes horsepower. All that horsepower is going through those very hard tyres, simply ripping them apart. When empty, you may throw away every second tyre. Can anyone afford that?
An interesting fact is that when the wrong tyre pressures are used, dual tyres are not pressure ‘balanced’. Dual tyres with slightly different tyre pressures fight each other. Bridgestone writes that a 5 psi difference in tyre pressures causes a 5/16th (8mm) difference in rolling resistance. This rips rubber off, but also causes drag – and drag uses fuel.
The cure is an easy to use asset or tool that is an investment in your future. When you fit out your vehicle with AIR CTI (Central Tyre Inflation), a world of savings commence and are yours to be had.
AIR CTI is an extremely practical method to optimise tyre life, service and improved benefits for the vehicle and driver(s). AIR CTI trailer systems are an easy option offering intuitive and user friendly solutions. AIR CTI has a dual-zone display controller system with a Single Tyre Zone (drive wheels only) or Dual Zone (drive wheels and trailer wheels). Tyre zones may be configured to be locked together so that a single touch affects both rear and trailer pressures, or unlocked so that the driver can set pressures for each zone separately.
AIR CTI is an intuitive system allowing you to adjust tyre pressure ‘on the fly’.
Drive and trailer blow-outs and delamination are less of a risk problem for the driver, but create serious risk to other drivers, both at the time of the blow-out and from the large rubber pieces. Almost all blow-outs can be prevented by tyre pressure maintenance systems.
Jack knifes happen when the drive tyres lose traction and the trailer pushes them off line. Trailer swing happens when the trailer tyres lose traction and slide outwards. Both conditions happen when the truck is braking heavily, or when the traction level is low. Loss of traction of one set of tyres is the underlying cause.
The main causes of jack-knifing are bad brake balance that over brakes one or the other set of tyres and/or poor loading. Over inflated tyres increase the risk.
An example of poor loading is a tip or dump truck towing a plant trailer with an excavator. A heavy trailer, with no weight on the over inflated truck drive tyres, is a common site on most roads, and is a recipe for disaster. Similar problems happen to trucks with other style trailers, like dog, pig or road trains. Almost all cases happen on empty trucks, where braking is over powering, on severely over inflated tyres, that provide minimal grip or traction.
Because of the heavy weight and long lengths of semi trailer rigs, the potential damage is enormous. Modern electronic braking systems virtually eliminate these accidents, although stopping distances increase considerably. Optimal tyre pressure would substantially improve both cases, while reducing stopping distances.
AIR CTI is a family business. Its systems are Australian made and manufactured from local manufacturing experts. We have been doing CTI for a long time. At AIR CTI we guarantee the whole system, not just the odd parts here and there. We back what we sell at AIR CTI because our system works. The AIR CTI system remains very advanced in terms of performance, quality and reliability with user friendly features. At AIR CTI we remain the best investment you can make for your business and vehicle for a healthier outcome and business.
AIR CTI, the only real choice in Australia for central tyre inflation. For more information, visit aircti.com.