Innovations that change how we drive
Goodyear is inventing some technology that would keep a passenger car or commercial truck’s tires rolling at optimum levels of pressure, eliminating the need for handheld gauges or stops at air pumps. The feature, called Air Maintenance Technology, would be contained within the tire and would require no external monitoring systems the technology is complex, the idea behind the A.M.T. system is relatively simple and powered by the tire itself as it rolls down the road. Self-regulating tire-pressure systems are not new. Such systems are common sights on the undersides of tractor-trailers, but they depend on the harmonious operation of various devices, including air pumps, filters and pressure valves. The Goodyear concept houses the tire-pressure regulation equipment, including a small pump mechanism, inside the tire itself. How it works. Air enters the straw-size tube through a small intake/outlet valve, just above the tire's bead. The vehicle's weight pinches the tube shut. As the tire rolls, air is forced toward an internal regulator valve. If tire pressure is low, the valve opens and air is pumped in. Once pressure equalizes, the regulator valve closes and excess air escapes through the intake/outlet valve. Once this cycle is complete, there would be no more flat tires.

There are so many advantages to this technology because optimal tire inflation contributes to a vehicle’s overall fuel efficiency and can prolong the life of the