What is ADAS? We break it down for tire dealers

You pull up to your favorite downtown restaurant and find the perfect parking spot right out front. It looks like a tight squeeze, but with the help of your vehicle's parking assistance feature, you get it on your first attempt.

Later, as you're driving home, you reach out to adjust the volume on your radio and hear a warning beep, letting you know you're drifting out of your lane. You quickly correct and make it home safely.

Both of these features, along with numerous others, are ADAS, and they've become commonplace in new vehicles.

But what is ADAS?

It stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and "it commonly refers to vehicle functions that increase driver safety," explained Tire Business Editor Don Detore in a recent livestream on the topic.

ADAS encompasses a range of vehicle features including backup cameras, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, automatic braking, blind spot recognition and autonomous driving.

Detore broke down ADAS and why it matters to tire dealers with automotive service expert and former dealer Pam Oakes ahead of the launch of Tire Business' new Aligning with ADAS newsletter which launched in April.

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Out of the 280 million light trucks and cars on the road, about 45% are ADAS equipped, Oakes said.

"Everything coming off the factory floor right now has at least one piece of ADAS on it. It's not going away," Oakes said.

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ADAS and its technologies — stereoscopic cameras, RADAR, LIDAR, infared sensors — may seem new, but really go back decades, Oakes said.

"What (the technology) is doing is it it's working together. And with it working together, its going to make our driving experience much more satisfying but most of all, safer," she said.

ADAS is part of the journey to fully autonomous driving and can be broken down into five different levels, with zero being fully driver-controlled — think of the time before cruise control or automatic breaking systems — to driverless vehicles at level five.

Though vehicles today may seem advanced, they're really at at heavy level two (partial automation), she said, which means that though systems are starting to work together — for example, cruise control working with lane assist and stability control — the driver is still in control and monitoring the environment.

Even Teslas are at a heavy level two, though some vehicles with automatic parking are moving into level three, she said.

Though some auto markers seem eager to jump ahead, it will take decades before we move to level four or five, Oakes added.

To advance, vehicles need to talk to each other (V2V) and to infrastructure (V2X), which requires machine learning that will take quite awhile, she said.

The aftermarket version of V2V and V2X systems are launching in pilot programs. These systems can do things such as warn a driver that a vehicle ahead has slammed on their brakes, she said.

Tires are the backbone to anything ADAS.

"If we don't have good sneakers on that car, ADAS isn't going to work," Oakes said.

For ADAS to work, the vehicle has to track properly. Even being off by one degree can create a mess and send a vehicle off in the wrong direction, she said.

For example, a vehicle hitting a pot hole and disrupting the belt in the tire will effect lane departure.

"We need to have good tread and the proper tread on the tires," Oakes said.

Alignment is vital. Before you can do any ADAS calibration or recalibration, the vehicle must be in alignment and tread must be sufficient and even all the way around, she said.

Service providers who perform alignments on ADAS equipped vehicles should keep before and after data for their records.

Then, there's dynamic or static calibration. Dynamic calibration requires two technicians, one to drive and another to push buttons. Static calibration comes with actual dealer targets. Technicians will go through step-by-step instruction.

Though fully autonomous vehicles are decades away, it's important for dealers to be ready, Oakes said.

More vehicles are equipped with newer technology, such as forward-facing cameras and RADAR.

Dealers need to know exactly what's on a vehicle. They can use tools such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration VIN decoder — vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder — to do so.

So how do you get your technicians up to speed?

"If you're a tire shop and you're doing alignments — perfect, because you're right there, you're right in the mix of it," Oakes said.

Even dealerships using an outside shop for ADAS work has to ensure that perfect base is there, she said.

Dealers should reach out to local parts suppliers to see what equipment is available for ADAS calibration.

Shops also need a dedicated space with certain specifications for ADAS work, Oakes said, adding that she troubleshoots for shops who are having difficulties with ADAS calibration.

For example, you could lease out warehouse space just for this work, she said.

"Don't just look at your shop and say, 'This is it. I'm stuck.' Think outside of the box. there's a lot of money to be made, especially on the ground level, when it comes to ADAS," Oakes said.

Different vehicles require different sized spaces, depending on the work that needs done, she said.

ADAS calibration also cannot be done outside, as the work requires specific lighting. Oakes pointed to how light reflects in her eye glasses as an example of the trouble dealers can run into working on a forward-facing camera.

Investment

Getting that correct space and equipment is a worthwhile investment, Oakes said.

"(ADAS) is here to stay. I recommend definitely investigating this," she said. "If you follow directions... you have the right environment, you can do this."

ADAS service is a pass through to the customer. Dealers will be able to recoup those expenses quickly.

Dealers can get contracts with insurance companies, which pay "quite well, not only for just one calibration but multiple on a vehicle," she said.

"I don't know why any shop wouldn't want to go into this area. This is coming," she said.

If you aren't making money on this, another shop will be, she added.