FORT MILL, S.C. — Continental Tire the Americas Inc. has added a valve-cap sensor to its lineup of digital truck-tire-monitoring products and services.
The sensor works with all of Continental's digital tire-monitoring solutions products, including ContiConnect Live Truck and Trailer, ContiConnect Yard and ContiPressureCheck.
Installation for the sensor requires minimal downtime on the vehicle as there is no requirement to dismount and remount tires, the company said.
The valve-cap sensor was planned and rolled out by Continental to provide an easy path toward integration of more robust tire-mounted sensors, the company said.
The valve-cap sensor is an external sensor that replaces the valve cap; the sensor relays tire-pressure readings for all Continental digital tire-monitoring solutions.
The valve-cap sensor features a low-battery indication on the ContiConnect platform and has a lifespan of 2.5 years.
If a tire needs to be replaced on the road, the valve-cap sensor allows fleets to continue monitoring their new tires' status before installing the tire-mounted sensor again when convenient, Conti said.
Conti also offers tire-mounted sensors attached directly to the inside of the tire that provide additional data, such as temperature and individual tire mileage.
Tire-mounted sensors have a four-year lifespan and a battery indicator on the ContiConnect platform that can relay to a fleet when the battery is low and also provides a percentage value to the fleet owner.
Commercial vehicle fleets can reduce costs by monitoring their tires. Though tires account for about 5% of fleet equipment, they can influence up to 53% of a fleet's overall operating costs, Conti said.