Beru TSS Claims Fuel Savings

Beru AG claims its technology is good for drivers’ wallets in addition to ensuring increasing levels of safety. According to the pressure monitoring equipment manufacturer, experts have calculated that roughly a third of all drivers are on the road with 0.2 to 0.7 bar negative pressure. And this means that they are also paying more than they should in fuel consumption. For example, if the tyres have 0.6 bar too little pressure, the fuel consumption rises by around four per cent.

In Germany alone this could save as much as 200 million litres of gasoline each year. If the tyre pressure is 0.2 bar too low over a longer period, wear on the tyres is also increased. Consequently, the service life of a tyre can be reduced by around 10 per cent. When pressure is 0.4 bar under tyre life expectancy drops by 25 per cent, while 0.6 bar slashes it by almost 50 per cent. And, of course, according to the company, all this is a good reason to buy a vehicle which features Beru TSS technology, which is only available factory fitted.

The Beru TSS is designed to alert the driver of a potential tyre failure with a “hard” warning as soon as the pressure loss hits 0.2 bar per minute. If pressure loss is any greater, there is a serious risk of a blowout. Drivers are given a so-called “soft” warning if the pressure loss takes place over a longer period and are instructed by the Tire Safety System to increase the tire pressure at the next opportunity.

A glance at the accident statistics reveals how important the correct tyre pressure is. According to the German Federal Office of Statistics in Wiesbaden, 1,316 accidents with personal injury in 2004 were directly due to technical malfunctions relating to the tyres. Comparative figures published by the British Ministry of Transport are even higher, recording around 2,600 accidents per year.

A survey by the General German Automobile Club (ADAC) and the British Ministry of Transport show that roughly seven per cent of all accidents are due to defects in the tyres and the wheels. These numbers correspond with the results of a current survey by the federal German Association of Tire Retailers and the Vulcanization Trade (BRV) that indicates that roughly 75 per cent of all car drivers are not at all concerned with their tyres.