Autoblog

Nissan's Easy Fill idiot-proofs tire inflation *UPDATE

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Technology, Videos, Nissan

Nissan is moving to make its Easy Fill Tire Alert system standard equipment on its 2013 model year vehicles. Taking the federally mandated tire pressure monitoring system to the next logical step, the Nissan system honks the car's horn when you've inflated your tires to the correct pressure. No more reading the tire pressure placard on the door jamb and hunting around in the glovebox for a pressure gauge.

While Nissan actually introduced this feature beginning with the 2011 Quest minivan, its proliferation throughout the lineup makes sense. After all, it's a good idea, and most motorists can't be bothered to care about tire pressure, despite its importance for both fuel economy and on-road safety. If Nissan's system can actually encourage a few of those disinterested drivers to maintain proper tire inflation pressures, it's a win for all.

Scroll down to watch a Nissan-produced video demonstrating the feature on the company's 2013 Altima and read the press release.

UPDATE: Nissan has contacted Autoblog to clarify that only the Altima and Quest will have Easy Fill for the new model year. The new technology will roll out to additional models in the future, but it will not be available in all 2013 Nissans as originally indicated in an earlier press release.

Continue reading Nissan's Easy Fill idiot-proofs tire inflation *UPDATE

Nissan's Easy Fill idiot-proofs tire inflation *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 May 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain recalled over tire pressure monitors

Zach Bowman — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

General Motors is recalling nearly 34,000 2012 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers over improperly calibrated tire pressure monitoring sensors.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the monitors are required to be calibrated to illuminate a warning light any time a tire is inflated to 25 percent below the recommended level. The sensors in 2012 Equinox and Terrain models may not illuminate until the tire is much further below that threshold. NHTSA says that improperly inflated tires could lead to an accident due to premature wear and excess heat.

In addition, improperly inflated tires can reduce fuel economy and result in poor handling as well. GM will update the body control module on affected vehicles free of charge once the recall gets under way this month.

Of course, this is as good of a time as any to remind drivers to always check their tire pressure at regular intervals, regardless of what the light on the dash says. Hit the jump to see the full recall notice for yourself.

Continue reading 2012 Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain recalled over tire pressure monitors

2012 Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain recalled over tire pressure monitors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goodyear developing self-inflating tires

Michael Harley — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology

Say goodbye to loud compressors, leaky hoses and inaccurate tire gauges. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, one of the world's largest tire maufacturers, has developed a system which will allow tires to self-inflate automatically. Goodyear's so-called Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) is completely self-contained, without any need for external pumps or electronics, says the tire maker. "While the technology is complex, the idea behind the AMT system is relatively simple and powered by the tire itself as it rolls down the road," said Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear senior vice president and chief technical officer.

Tires kept at optimal operating pressure deliver lower emissions, longer tire life, enhanced safety and improved vehicle performance, says Goodyear. Government research indicates that underinflated tires result in a 2.5 percent to 3.3 percent decrease in fuel mileage - that's about 12 cents per gallon at the pump.

Goodyear has not provided any costs or an estimate when the technology will become available to the public, but it has received grants from the United States Department of Energy's Office of Vehicle Technology to help further development.

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Goodyear developing self-inflating tires originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Female drivers avoid touching dipsticks

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, UK

In a study conducted by UK used car website Autoquake.com, it seems that women are less likely to to perform basic maintenance compared to men.

According to the study, women are far more likely to avoid checking their vehicles' oil level, with 12 percent of survey respondents admitting they never even look at it. This compares to just eight percent of men claiming the same. Additionally, 14 percent of women responded that they never check tire pressure, while only seven percent of men admit they don't, either.

On the positive side, a good portion of women do perform basic car maintenance, including 22 percent claiming they check their tire pressure every month and another 27 percent saying they check their oil with the same frequency. Twenty-one percent of females surveyed even say they check their brake fluid level once a month. However, all those figures are still below the percentages for male respondents. See for yourself after the jump.

[Source: Autoquake.com | Image: Getty]

Continue reading Study: Female drivers avoid touching dipsticks

Study: Female drivers avoid touching dipsticks originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Michelin uses truly disturbing puppets to talk about importance of tire pressure

Steven J. Ewing — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Safety, Videos

Michelin uses puppets to explain tire pressure - Click above to watch the video after the jump

We're all about supporting PSAs that spread the good word about proper automobile maintenance, but this is just creepy. Michelin UK has tapped the Puppet Broadcasting Company to create a video that addresses many of the important know-hows of tire pressure, including how often you should check your rubber and the negative effects of having tires that are too low.

These are important facts that every driver should know, but when it comes to this video, we just can't get past the puppets. They're just... creepy. See what we mean by watching the video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via Michelin]

Continue reading Video: Michelin uses truly disturbing puppets to talk about importance of tire pressure

Video: Michelin uses truly disturbing puppets to talk about importance of tire pressure originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: One-third of drivers don't know what this dashboard light means

Chris Shunk — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Ford

Remember the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire debacle from a decade ago? Thousands of the 'utes rolled-over and much of the blame fell on insufficiently inflated tires, costing the Blue Oval billions of dollars to replace the tires on just about every Explorer still left on the road. The other fallout from Explorer-gate (or Firestone-gate) was institution of the Tire Pressure Monitoring System that's now a legal standard on every car and truck built since 2008.

TPMS sensors constantly measure the pressure in all four tires, and when one or more tires is more than 25 percent below the recommended amount, a light illuminates on the gauge cluster. Most of us know the light (on right) and if you do, you're among the 54 percent of drivers who know what it means. But more importantly, less than half of the population doesn't.

TPMS maker Schrader recently surveyed drivers to see if there were knowledgeable about all things TPMS, and the results had to be a bit disappointing. First, the good news: 96 percent of all drivers surveyed felt that under-inflated tires were a serious safety problem. Now the bad news: Only 44 percent of drivers polled regularly check their tire pressure. Furthermore, one third of drivers surveyed didn't know what TPMS was or what it was used for. Another 44 percent were unaware what the symbol was supposed to represent, while still another 14 percent thought the symbol identified a problem of the non-tire variety.

In order to combat some of the ignorance among motorists about one of its main products, Schrader has introduced its TPMS Made Simple website. While it's not exactly riveting stuff, the site is chock full of information about TPMS, including what to do when that (apparently) inscrutable warning light in your gauge cluster illuminates (Hint: check your tires) and the economic benefit of properly inflated rubber, including improved fuel economy and longer lasting tires. Head over to the site to become a TPMS expert.

[Sources: USA Today | TPMS Made Simple]

Study: One-third of drivers don't know what this dashboard light means originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA 2009: The geekiest thing we've found so far

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports

Tire pressure monitoring systems. Not the sexiest thing here at SEMA, but bear with us for a few minutes to geek out on one of the coolest things we've seen at the show that doesn't involve a whole vehicle.

Autometer - which recently bought Stack and its line of competition gauges - has developed a new tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that ditches the batteries employed on traditional setups and uses... wait for it... crystals.

First, the problem: Not only are batteries prone to dying, particularly when they're being cycled for information hundreds of times in a minute in motorsport applications, they're also heavy. Although a few ounces on the wheel isn't going to make a massive difference on your Honda Accord Crosstour, it's an issue in Formula One and other top-tier racing series.

Autometer's system uses an FM transmitter which pings the three crystals mounted inside the wheel. The frequency at which they respond is relayed back to their little black box (CAN-Bus) and onto the Stack display. We think it's awesome, and apparently so does F1. They'll be testing the system ahead of next year's season.

SEMA 2009: The geekiest thing we've found so far originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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California to require mandatory tire-pressure checks at automotive businesses

Chris Shunk — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Maintenance, Government/Legal, Green, Safety

Keeping your tires properly inflated is a very good idea. An under-inflated radial can increase wear while also decreasing performance and fuel economy. But if the state of California can help it, under-inflated tires may soon be a thing of the past.

California has passed a new law requiring most auto servicing sites to check tire pressure at each visit and add air when necessary. The law will affect 40,000 businesses in the state, although the mandate does not effect body shops, car washes, glass repair shops, or parts stores. The state's government will let the service stations, smog-check stations, oil change places, and so on determine how much to charge for the check, and they must have a high-accuracy pressure gauge on hand. The tire pressure monitoring law will go into effect in July 1, 2010.

California's Air Resources Board says the state-wide law will save 75 million gallons of fuel per year, while also eliminating 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses. That sounds mighty impressive, but if the Sacramento Bee is to believed, that's less than 0.5 percent of what California's greenhouse-gas reduction goals for 2020. Better is the CARB estimate that optimized tire pressure will save drivers about $12 per year (about six gallons of gas at today's prices), along with added safety and tire longevity benefits.

Those figures are based off statistics which show that vehicles lose 1% efficiency for every 3 psi a tire is low. Testing by Consumer Reports showed little or no impact on fuel economy when tire pressure is off by 10%, though most agree that low tire pressure will shorten the life of tires. Fewer tires in state landfills figures to be a good thing, too.

Check out CARB's official press release by clicking here, and find more information at the link below. Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Source: Consumer Reports | Image: Einstein/Getty]

California to require mandatory tire-pressure checks at automotive businesses originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New self-inflating tire constantly under pressure

Chris Tutor — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:27:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Maintenance, Safety

We all know that keeping your tires properly inflated will prolong their tread life, help you burn less fuel and increase your safety. But finding a working air hose when you're away from your garage is like trying to find a working clock in an early-80's Buick.

This is probably what led Coda Development, a Czech Republic company, to invent a new self-inflating tire. Sure, self-inflating tires aren't new, they've been around for years on commercial vehicles and even a few passenger vehicles . But most of those systems use compressed air to keep the tires inflated.

Coda's new system uses a peristaltic pump built into the tire to constantly maintain air pressure. You may have seen a peristaltic pump used in hospitals to deliver intravenous drugs to patients. It's basically a spinning wheel pressed against a liquid-filled tube. As the wheel turns, it pushes the tube's contents through one end and pulls more in the other. In our case, your car's wheel is the wheel and your air-filled tire the tube. A valve ensures that your tire's pressure is always constant. Theoretically, the peristaltic pump is much simpler and therefore more reliable than a compressor-based system. It's also potentially lighter, cheaper and doesn't require a power source. Sounds like a darn smart idea to us. Coda plans to display its system at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit on April 14th through the 17th, so we'll see if it makes a splash there with auto industry engineers.

[Source: Coda]

Continue reading New self-inflating tire constantly under pressure

New self-inflating tire constantly under pressure originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mr. Toad goes down in flames... a reminder to check tire pressure?

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:29:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Videos

The feds are so intent on having you check your tire pressure that they're willing to sacrifice toads in the process. Well, not really, but the new NHTSA ad campaign takes a strange tack to inform consumers that summer weather is Hell on tires.

The PSA, posted after the jump, portrays a number of frogs bursting into thin air as the ~~Aussie~~ British voice of God explains the perils of high temps, overloaded vehicles and underinflated tires on the safety of your vehicle. It's a strange, mildly awkward and somewhat insulting attempt to gain our attention, and if we had to guess, NHTSA might be receiving a letter from PETA in the near future.

[Source: NHTSA/Safercar.gov via InsideLine]

Continue reading Mr. Toad goes down in flames... a reminder to check tire pressure?

Mr. Toad goes down in flames... a reminder to check tire pressure? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consumer Reports puts cheap tire monitor under pressure

Chris Tutor — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Maintenance, Safety

In September, all new cars sold in the U.S. will be required to have tire pressure monitoring systems. But for all those cars built without them, owners must rely either on their trusty gauge, or one of the new valve-stem monitors. If you've been wondering how well these things work, Consumer Reports has an answer for you.

They bought a set of Air Alert Valve Caps for $25 and put 'em to the test. These caps indicate a four pound drop in pressure by lighting up an LED, a pretty good idea.

You can read for yourself all the pros and cons, but the overall verdict was that they worked, but CR was concerned about durability and accuracy due to temperature-related fluctuations in tire pressure.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Consumer Reports puts cheap tire monitor under pressure originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April is National Car Care Month

Joel Arellano — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 13:34:00 EST

Filed under: Maintenance

"Whether you do it yourself or take your car to a professional service technician," says Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council, "National Car Care Month is the perfect time to focus on your vehicle's maintenance needs to make sure it is ready for the upcoming spring and summer travel season."

The Car Care Council has teamed up with various organizations, business, groups and the media, in sponsoring free safety and vehicle checks. Called 'Vehicle Check Ups', volunteers check a vehicle's tire pressure, lights, fluids, and other components.

The Council provides the following tips for the coming spring:

Check all fluids.
Check hoses and belts.
Check the tires.
Check the brakes.
Check wiper blades.

Detailed explanations of the above list can be found at the link. Locations of Vehicle Check Ups can also be found at the Council's website.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

April is National Car Care Month originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Apr 2006 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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