Over the past year, researchers at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company have been working on a new Air Maintenance Technology application that can aid in fuel savings and CO2 reductions while potentially improving performance and eliminating need for external inflation pressure intervention. The commercial application of Goodyear’s Air Maintenance Technology made its debut recently at the 2012 IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Germany.

Goodyear’s Air Maintenance Technology mechanism allows tires to maintain constant, optimum pressure without the use of external pumps, electronics and driver intervention. Proper tire inflation can result in improved fuel economy, prolonged tread life and improved tire performance. Customers should receive the following key benefits from Air Maintenance Technology-enabled tires:

Improved Fuel Economy
Proper tire inflation is key in the commercial market. It is estimated that for every 0.5 bar (50 kPa) lost in tire inflation, there is a 1 percent loss in km per liter.
While 1 percent may seem insignificant, it could cost a truck owner over 735 € in fuel, based on a vehicle that has a fuel consumption of 35 l/100 km, runs 150,000 km a year with a fuel price of € 1.402.

Prolonged Tread Life
AMT is expected to play a major role in prolonging tread life in the commercial tire market. Tires which are 10 percent under-inflated decrease tread life by 9-16 percent3. By utilizing Goodyear’s Air Maintenance Technology, commercial vehicle fleet operators will be able to realize the full mileage potential of their tires.

Optimized Performance
Tire-related costs are the single largest maintenance item for commercial vehicle fleet operators with nearly 50 percent of all truck and trailer breakdowns involving a tire in some way4.

Properly inflated tires are also necessary to keep a vehicle’s handling performance at optimal levels. Under-inflation means less evenly distributed pressure on the road. It also reduces the tread area that is in direct contact with the road and can impact the integrity of the tire casing, which is key to the retreading process.