SmarTire Information Needed?

[Leo Everett]

The May 2000 issue of FMCA magazine Newell article stated you were using SmarTire monitoring on the front tires and would be looking to all other tires as the technology became available. What is status of tire monitoring technology and use at present time ? Will you be required or meet the new Federal law passsed after the Firestone episode ?

[TechTalk]

SmarTire - SmarTire has advised us that they will "soon" introduce an upgraded monitoring system with two improvements very relevant to our use. First, new pressure sensors will have a maximum pressure read-out to about 180 psi. Currently, the maximum is 127 psi, which will alert to any major loss of pressure, but will not show accurate front tire pressures, reading the maximum of 127 virtually all of the time. The second improvement promised is a longer range for the transmitters, so that we can monitor drive axle, tag axle, and tow vehicle tires from the driver's seat.

The only change to the Federal law we can recall being considered had something to do with corporate executives being held criminally responsible for safety issues under certain circumstances. We are not sure whether this was passed and signed into law, and if so, how it is going to be applied. In the case of Newell, we are fast to act when we encounter a recall situation, and the few recalls we have conducted have been handled quickly.

[Leo Everett]

The law I was referring to is the one that mandates tire monitoring on "vehicles" by 2003. I wondered if it applies to motorhomes as well as automobiles.