Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Scanners embedded in road to result in fines for those driving on worn tires?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/30/scanners-embedded-in-road-to-result-in-fines-for-those-driving-o/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/30/scanners-embedded-in-road-to-result-in-fines-for-those-driving-o/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/30/scanners-embedded-in-road-to-result-in-fines-for-those-driving-o/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Tire tread depth gauge

Here's a new one. According to AutoExpress, police in the UK are looking into scanners embedded into roadways that can detect the depth of a vehicle's tire tread. If your rubber doesn't meet a set of pre-determined parameters, you could eventually expect to see a fine show up in the mail. Currently, law enforcement says that the technology will only be used in checkpoint scenarios to alert drivers of a potentially dangerous situation, but given that the system costs somewhere around €50,000, or $67,500 at current conversion rates, critics are concerned that the depth-measuring device will be used as a cudgel to drum up revenue.

That concern is bolstered by the fact that Trevor Hall, a major proponent of speed cameras in the UK, is also behind the measure.

We're all for improving road safety in any way possible, but if this new technology results in fines for motorists, we have concerns. After all, measures like the one proposed here would almost certainly target low-income drivers and unfairly position revenue generation on their shoulders. After all, if you can afford new tires, chances are better that you'll buy them.

Scanners embedded in road to result in fines for those driving on worn tires? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>road scannerscannerspeed cameratire safetytire treadtirestreadtread depthtrevor hallukFri, 30 Sep 2011 14:32:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20070654/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/09/30/scanners-embedded-in-road-to-result-in-fines-for-those-driving-o/20070654/article-detail.xml 20070654 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/09/tire-tread-depth-gauge_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/09/tire-tread-depth-gauge.jpg <![CDATA[This is what a tire looks like exploding in slow-motion]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/08/this-is-what-a-tire-looks-like-exploding-in-slow-motion/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/08/this-is-what-a-tire-looks-like-exploding-in-slow-motion/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/08/this-is-what-a-tire-looks-like-exploding-in-slow-motion/#commentsFiled under: ,

Exploding Tire
The dangers of an exploding tire - Click above to watch video after the jump

As anyone who's been near a big rig that's lost a tire on the interstate will tell you, rubber under pressure can cause some serious damage. In an effort to promote shop safety, the crew from Branick Nitrogen put together a quick video showing just what kind of havoc overinflating a tire can cause inside of a garage. Apparently, this kind of scenario causes more than its share of accidental deaths around the world. After watching the footage, we can certainly believe it. In this case, it looks as if the bead lock separates from the rim itself, creating two large metal projectiles in addition to plenty of rubber shrapnel.

Fortunately, the tire in question was housed in a protective cage designed to handle this exact sort of situation. The force of the failure actually causes the cage to be ripped from its anchors and the metal structure suffers dearly at the hands of physics. Hit the jump to see the chaos for yourself.

Continue reading This is what a tire looks like exploding in slow-motion

This is what a tire looks like exploding in slow-motion originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>branickbranick nitrogenslow motionslow-motion tiretiretire blowouttire explosiontire failuretire safetyvideoFri, 08 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19986926/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/07/08/this-is-what-a-tire-looks-like-exploding-in-slow-motion/19986926/article-detail.xml 19986926 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/07/exploding-tire-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/07/exploding-tire-630.jpg <![CDATA[Video: Michelin uses truly disturbing puppets to talk about importance of tire pressure]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/video-michelin-uses-truly-disturbing-puppets-to-talk-about-impo/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/video-michelin-uses-truly-disturbing-puppets-to-talk-about-impo/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/24/video-michelin-uses-truly-disturbing-puppets-to-talk-about-impo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Creepy puppet Michelin tire pressure video
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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car maintenancecar tiresCarMaintenanceCarTiresmichelinpsapsastire pressuretire safetytiresTireSafetyvideovideosFri, 24 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19647480/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/09/24/video-michelin-uses-truly-disturbing-puppets-to-talk-about-impo/19647480/article-detail.xml 19647480 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/michelinvideo630opt-1_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/michelinvideo630opt-1.jpg <![CDATA[Another automated fine - thanks, HAL]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/another-automated-fine-thanks-hal/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/another-automated-fine-thanks-hal/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/another-automated-fine-thanks-hal/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Sure, they'll say it's for safety, driving on excessively worn tires is dangerous, but something more sinister is afoot. German firm ProContour has developed a tire tread depth measuring system that beams a laser at the wheels of passing vehicles and takes 430 million measurements per second to develop a three-dimensional profile of that tire. Tread depth and pattern are then calculated, and if there's less than .06 inches of tread or the pattern is clearly inappropriate (studded snows in the summer, for example), a citation is automagically issued. While we're admittedly being cynical, the safety aspect of what ProContour has developed is pretty impressive. The ability to scan the tires of vehicles as they pass at speeds in excess of 50 km/h takes some doing, and we've seen horrid things posing as tires, so kudos, but a fine strikes us as a bit hardcore. Of course, financial pain might have a Pavlovian effect and cause those bitten by the Tire Ticket Fairy to keep a closer eye on their tires. It'd be a joke to assume that everyone already inspects their tires for condition and inflation on a regular basis, but that's how it should be, but then, there'd be no business model for ProContour. None of ProContour's big-brother rigs have been installed yet, but the company is shopping it around to local governments eager for yet another way to stick it to the citizens. The safety idea is laudable, but we're skeptical how a challenge to the seemingly infallible computer might go, should the system go all HAL9000 on us. Thanks for the tip, Rod! Video after the jump (in German).

[Source: thenewspaper.com]

Continue reading Another automated fine - thanks, HAL

Another automated fine - thanks, HAL originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>automated citationautomated fineautomated ticketAutomatedCitationAutomatedFineAutomatedTicketbald tireBaldTirepro contourprocontoursafetytire citationtire finetire safetytire ticketTireCitationTireFineTireSafetyTireTicketMon, 14 Jul 2008 11:34:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1254625/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/07/14/another-automated-fine-thanks-hal/1254625/article-detail.xml 1254625 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/07/procontourmeasure_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/07/procontourmeasure.jpg <![CDATA[New self-inflating tire constantly under pressure]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/27/new-self-inflating-tire-constantly-under-pressure/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/27/new-self-inflating-tire-constantly-under-pressure/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/27/new-self-inflating-tire-constantly-under-pressure/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Codacoda self-inflating tireCodaSelf-inflatingTireself-inflating tireSelf-inflatingTiretire air pressuretire inflationtire inflation systemtire maintenancetire pressuretire safetyTireAirPressureTireInflationTireInflationSystemTireMaintenanceTirePressuretiresTireSafetyWed, 27 Feb 2008 16:27:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1123568/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/02/27/new-self-inflating-tire-constantly-under-pressure/1123568/article-detail.xml 1123568 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/sit_215b_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/sit_215b.jpg <![CDATA[Consumer Reports puts cheap tire monitor under pressure]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/18/consumer-reports-puts-cheap-tire-monitor-under-pressure/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/18/consumer-reports-puts-cheap-tire-monitor-under-pressure/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/18/consumer-reports-puts-cheap-tire-monitor-under-pressure/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>air alert valve capsAirAlertValveCapsconsumer reportsConsumerReportspressure monitorsPressureMonitorsproper tire pressureProperTirePressuretire pressuretire pressure monitortire safetyTirePressureTirePressureMonitortiresTireSafetyvalve capsValveCapsMon, 18 Jun 2007 10:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/920190/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/06/18/consumer-reports-puts-cheap-tire-monitor-under-pressure/920190/article-detail.xml 920190 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/airvalve_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/airvalve.jpg -1 2