[ACCESSORIES REVIEW] Warning of Gotech GS8 Tire Pressure Monitor: “Small but mighty.”

The role of tires in cars: important but undervalued

In today’s four-wheeled life, many car owners want to upgrade their vehicles from a cool exterior to a more exciting performance; by affecting the intake system, exhaust system, engine, suspension system or frame connections…

However, there is one element that directly affects the car’s performance but is often overlooked by many drivers, which is the tire set. It is important to emphasize that this is the only part that is responsible for the “communication” between the car and the road surface: all processes from acceleration, deceleration, and changing direction are performed by the tires.

Next to the direct factors mentioned above, the tires also indirectly affect many other operating factors of the car such as: the hardness/softness of the suspension system, cabin noise (the level of sound insulation inside the car); or fuel consumption and may cause problems for the suspension system, steering system, powertrain system (engine – gearbox)… if not in standard technical conditions.

Each tire in the market today has signs according to the standard and users should know how to “read” these signs. For example, in this article, the Bridgestone Dueler tire is clearly labeled on the body: “255/60R18”. In which 255 is the width of the tire (the part in contact with the road surface) in inches. Next, 60 is the height of the tire sidewall as a percentage of the width of the tire – meaning that this tire has a sidewall height of 255 x 60% = 153 inches. And finally, R18 represents the size of the rim of this tire is 18 inches.

For a tire, the most important thing is to know the replacement time. If the tire is punctured by a large puncture (more than 6mm), it should not be patched (because the patch is not durable and may be pierced or cause leaks that are dangerous) but a new tire should be replaced. Or when there are cracks, bulges or when the tire tread has worn out (tire tread height is less than 1.6mm compared to the main tread groove).

However, many drivers have a subjective mindset: if the car is not used frequently and the tire is not worn, there is no need to replace the tires. This is a misconception because the tire is mainly made of rubber and also has a period of use: as soon as it leaves the production line, the tire surface begins to face environmental factors such as sun, rain, temperature, humidity… causing material aging and degradation over time, no longer ensure technical factors.

Therefore, even if not used or used less, a tire should be replaced and should not be used after 5 years from the date of manufacture.

To know the time the tire leaves the production line, drivers can immediately find a series of 4 digits written on the sidewall of the tire. For example, the tire in this article is “0519” – meaning it was produced in the 5th week (around February) of 2019.

Next to the durability of the tires, tire pressure is also a very important issue that should be paid attention to because it directly affects the vehicle’s operating condition. For example, when driving with “under-inflated tires” (tire pressure is lower than the standard level), the car will be “unstable” (vibrating steering wheel, off-center steering) and in the long run, it will consume more fuel and a higher tire tread wear, affecting durability.

When driving with “overinflated tires” (tire pressure is higher than the standard level), the car will be “too stiff” – when crossing speed bumps or rough roads, it will bounce and make more noise than usual. At this time, the effectiveness of braking will also decrease due to the reduced contact area between the tire and the road surface.

The standard tire pressure for each vehicle is usually posted on the driver’s side door position, with units in Bar, KPa, PSI, or kg/cm2 (1 kg/cm2 = 14.2 PSI; 1 KPa = 0.01 Bar and 1 PSI = 6,895 KPa). But if you are not a technician and do not have a pressure gauge, how do you know if the 4 tires of your vehicle are at the correct pressure? This is when products like the Gotech GS8 come in handy.

Gotech GS8 tire pressure warning accessory: Small but mighty

Nowadays, many new generation models have the tire pressure monitoring feature (TPMS – Tire Pressure Monitor System) integrated into the vehicle at the factory. However, many older models or low-end versions of vehicle models may not be equipped and users will have to buy and install them separately.

There are currently two types of basic tire pressure warning accessories on the market, which are built-in and external valve – based on the position of the sensor valve. With the external valve type, the advantage is easy installation without removing the tires. However, each time the tire is pumped, the valve must be removed; at the same time, because it is mounted on the outside of the tire, it may affect aesthetics, cause interference or can be stolen.