TPMS (Tire-Pressure Monitoring System) - By: Mykalanne Gutierrez

The TPMS technology is specially designed to keep track of the air pressure on your tires. It comes on some airplane undercarriages, forklifts, & other vehicles.

There are two types of TPMS: Direct & Indirect:
-Direct TPMSs have actual pressure sensors within each individual tire to let the driver know of under-inflation whenever they are driving. They then transfer the data of the tire using a special wireless transmitter to the main receiver. The small chip in each tire is intended to forward a warning signal as soon as the tire’s pressure goes below average.

-Indirect TPMS has a whole different way of functioning when it comes to determining the air pressure. It’s pretty complicated so prepare yourself. There are sensors placed on the ABS (Antilock Brake System) to mark every rotation on all four tires. Since under-inflated tires tend to have a smaller radius, this causes for the tire to rotate more than a regular inflated tire. The Indirect TPMS is supposed to recognize this change immediately to make the driver aware; but this is not always the case.

So I guess you can say that going with Direct TPMS instead of Indirect is the safer bet; but that’s totally up to you. Still wondering? Well here’s how it all started:

It was first introduced on Porsche 959 Wheels in 1986; but due to the economy at that time, they were only offered in Europe with the luxury cars. Starting in 2000, Renault released the Laguna II with the TPMS as an ordinary feature. When Firestone had their recall in the late 1990’s, it was due to wheels coming off of the vehicle because of under-inflation. This lead to the TREAD Act which says that TPM are not only better for the environment, but also safer the the driver himself/herself. Thanks to that, we are all safe whenever we go on long trips, or even short trips to the grocery store.

TPMSs are included on Ford Expedition Wheels , Lincoln Navigator Rims , and even Hyundai Elantra Wheels . Whatever vehicle or OEM rim you choose to buy, ask about the TPMS.. it can save your life! Even if it does sound overly-dramatic.

Visit us at http://www.originalwheels.com for all of your wheel needs (:

About the Author

1. Tejas Desai. Ken Chance. Takashi “Ted” Ozawa. 1 June 2004. “Steering safer wheel’s for America’s motorists”. Mobile Dev&Design. 3 March 2010. http://mobiledevdesign.com/standards_regulations/radio_steering_safer_wheels/
2. 3 March 2010. “Tire-pressure monitoring system”. Wikipedia. 3 March 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_pressure_monitoring_system

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