Why Do You Need A Tire Pressure Monitoring System?

Many vehicles—trucks, RVs, fifth wheels, motorcycles—have significantly under-inflated tires, primarily because drivers have very few visual cues to check their vehicles' tire pressure until the pressure is very low. All tires lose air pressure due to natural leakage and seasonal climatic changes. Driving with under-inflated tires could increase your risks. The primary dangers and consequences of under-inflated tires are:

Reduced Vehicle Safety
Tire Failures
Increased Stopping Distance
Reduced Tread Life
Reduced Fuel Economy

Doran 360 Tire Pressure Monitoring System Brochures

Doran 360RV™ Doran 360M™ Doran 360HD™

What is a Tire Pressure Monitoring System?

Tire pressure monitoring systems are of two styles: direct and indirect. Both give indications of when a tire is underinflated but they go about it in two very different ways.

Indirect tire pressure monitoring systems

Indirect tire pressure monitoring systems, such as the ones in most new automobiles. do not measure tire pressure. They monitor individual wheel speeds and other signals available in the vehicle then compare tire rotations—an under-inflated tire has a slightly smaller diameter than a correctly inflated tire and therefore rotates more times to cover a specific distance. These "tire pressure monitoring systems" rely on the factory setting the system initially for the correct tire pressure and the user resetting the system by pushing a "Calibration Button" when the tires are changed or re-inflated—failing to perform the initialization or reset leads to potentially dangerous false or missing alerts. If the Calibration Reset Button is pressed when one or more tires are under-inflated then the system accepts this under-inflation as normal and the driver will be unaware of potentially dangerous tire pressures.

Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems

Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), such as the Doran 360™ series of tire pressure monitors, use pressure sensors located on each wheel's valve stems to directly measure the pressure in each tire. These sensors broadcast pressure data via a wireless radio frequency transmitter to a central receiver. The data is analyzed and the results sent to a display mounted inside the vehicle.

Since a direct tire pressure monitoring system actually measures the pressure in each tire, it is able to detect when any tire or when each tire in any combination is under-inflated, including when all four of the vehicle's tires are equally under-inflated. A direct TPMS can also detect small pressure losses. Some systems can detect a drop in pressure as small as 1 psi.

The Doran 360™ Series Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring System

A Doran 360™ series tire pressure monitoring system is a compact system that delivers powerful results and protection. The Sensors are continually reading pressure and sending signals to the monitor about the air pressure in each tire around the clock. Each tire pressure monitoring system from the Doran tire pressure monitor product line consists of two basic components:

Component 1: Sensor

The Sensors apply internally or on top of valve stems as endcaps (1.01"H x 1.11" Diam.) They wirelessly send a signal containing tire pressure data to the portable dashboard monitor.

Component 2: Monitor

Morotcycle Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems

This device, about the size of a dollar bill (6.5" W x 3.0" H x .5" D), that receives actual tire pressure data and gives visual and audible signals if pressure is low.

The monitor receives this signal from the sensors and instantly compares the current tire pressure reading with the automatically set pressure level. The Doran tire pressure monitor sensors send a signal to the monitor detecting a 12.5% drop in tire pressure, both a visual and an audible signal are transmitted. If the tire pressure drops to 25% below the automatically set pressure level, the operator will receive a rapid audible 'beeping' sound and a faster visual 'flashing' on the monitor.

Did you know?

20% under-inflation can reduce tire life by 30%
20% under-inflation can increase tire wear by 25%
20% under-inflation can reduce fuel economy by 3%
36% of passenger cars have one tire 20% under-inflated
85%-90% of tire failures are directly attributable to under-inflation