Kenworth will offer SmarTire Tire Pressure Monitoring System from Bendix Commerical Vehicle Systemsas an option on select Class 8 trucks.

SmarTire will be available as a factory-installed option on the Kenworth T660 and Kenworth T700 later this year, with plans to offer it on other Kenworth Class 8 trucks soon after.

The technology monitors the pressure and temperature of each tire on a commercial vehicle to provide real-time tire status information to the driver. The technology warns the driver of tire-related problems, such as low pressure and high temperatures, before they become serious issues. The system reads pressure and temperature information from inside the tire and communicates wirelessly to an on-board receiver.

SmarTire's in-vehicle display will be incorporated as a gauge in the Kenworth truck dash. It will provide information including actual tire pressure tire and temperature for each wheel location, along with a deviation value, which shows the amount of over or under-inflation from the tires' cold inflation pressure. This deviation value provides a deviation from target pressure, regardless of tire temperature, an important gauge because tire pressure rises when a tire's temperature increases from use or outside conditions.

"Truck fleets and operators can no longer afford to ignore the importance of monitoring tire pressures, particularly with closer scrutinty under CSA and recent increases in tire prices," says Erik Johnson, on-highway marketing manager. "SmarTire certainly makes it easier for truck fleets and operators to accomplish that task."

According to Bendix, a tire that is underinflated by as little as 10% can result in a 1.5% drop in fuel economy, which may increase fuel spending by up to $1,000 per year for a single truck. Underinflation by 20% results in a 30% reduction in tire life.