Czech Developer Declares Self-Inflating Tire System Ready For Production

Prague-based CODA Development S.r.o. is offering its patented self-inflating tire technology for licensed use by tiremakers in the U.S. and eastern European countries.

The Czech company says it is still working on patents in the European Union and 12 other countries, including China, India, Japan and South Korea. CODA announced in 2012 that it had licensed the technology for production by an unnamed tiremaker, but the status of that deal is unclear.

The system requires a special tire fitted with a tiny pressure valve that connects the tire's interior to the outside atmosphere through a small hollow tube placed between the tire wall and wheel rim.

Normal compression at the bottom of the tire pinches the tube shut. As the tire rotates, the pinch points moves around the circumference of the tube. This produces a pumping action similar to pinching a straw and drawing the pinched area to the opposite end.

If the automatic pressure regulator detects low tire pressure, it opens to the outside and allows air to be drawn into the tube. Air pumped through the tube is then directed into the tire. When normal tire pressure is restored, the valve closes.

CODA says its system can replace a tire's typical 2%-3% monthly air leakage in only one kilometer of driving. The company notes that constantly maintaining proper tire pressure lowers emissions and improves vehicle performance, fuel economy and tire life.

Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. showed a similar system in 2012, envisioning it being built into commercial tires when they are retreaded. Goodyear estimates that its system could cut a commercial truck's annual fuel cost by $627 and extend tread life by as much as 16%.