Automated Tire Tread Tickets!!!!1!!111!!!!!!??????

[Eye of the Tiger]

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2463.asp

New Camera Issues Tire Tread Tickets
Tire tread measuring system promises to mail tickets to motorists for tire tread that is a fraction of an inch too short.

Now that speed cameras use is established in Europe and parts of the US, the concept of automated ticketing is beginning to expand far beyond moving violations. Already, automated ticketing machines are deployed in the US to hit vehicles that overstay in a parking spot by a minute or that have excessive tailpipe emissions. The newest addition to this growing list is camera that scans the tires of passing cars and mails tickets if the depth of the tire tread is deficient by a fraction of an inch. Although not currently deployed, the German company ProContour hopes to sell this system to state and local governments looking for a way out of tight budget situations with a positive, pro-safety message.

"Car tires are technically, the number one cause of car accidents in Germany," ProContour states on its website. "An average of four car accidents occur daily with personal injuries as the result of smooth or defective tires."

The company claims its combination of a laser and high-speed camera is capable of taking measurements at 430 million points on a tire each second. As the tire moves, the distance between the camera and the object changes allowing the system to create a three-dimensional profile of the tire. The software can then calculate not just the depth of the tread, but also whether the tire itself was designed for summer or winter use. The manufacturer has tested measurement accuracy at speeds of up to 75 MPH, but it believes the technology should work at even higher speeds.

European Union regulations authorize the imposition of a 100 Euro (US $160) ticket whenever the tread depth of one of a vehicle's four tires measures less than 1.6mm (0.06 inches). In Germany, drivers can also be ticketed for using tires that are "unsuitable." This means using a summer tire during the winter season carries a stiff fine -- ProContour hopes that fine will be automated.

Depending on its construction, a balding tire with low tread depth can actually have more grip in dry conditions and is not a safety hazard. That can change if it rains, however. The primary purpose of tire tread is to channel water away from the tire so that it maintains contact with the road. The combination of high water and low tread depth can lead to aquaplaning and loss of vehicle control.

ProContour's system can be used in both fixed and mobile locations and is available in an easy-to-hide configuration.

[Soup DeVille]

Yeah, I seriously doubt that system could be at all reliable.

[Cookie Monster]

How can it calculate exactly how much tread all 4 of your tires have as you zoom by it? Especially if there are many cars on the road?

And how does it know where you live?

[MX793]

"Tire tread measuring system promises to mail tickets to motorists for tire tread that is a fraction of an inch too short"

Who the hell writes this stuff?  I don't know of many passenger tires which have a tread depth of more than 12/32 of an inch to begin with.  Even deep-treaded tractor trailer drive tires don't usually exceed an inch of tread depth.  Seeing as that is a fraction of an inch to begin with, tread that is too short would have to be a fraction of an inch by default.

[MX793]

And how does it know where you live?

Um, license plate number kind of tells who owns the vehicle and where they live?

[Soup DeVille]

Why are all tire tread measurements listed in 32nds anyways? They all say things like 12/32 or 10/32. Umm, what happened to 3/8ths and 5/16ths?

[MX793]

Why are all tire tread measurements listed in 32nds anyways? They all say things like 12/32 or 10/32. Umm, what happened to 3/8ths and 5/16ths?

Because it would confuse people looking at tires if one tire said they had 5/16s of tread and another said 11/32s and a third said 3/8s.  The less math-savvy would have to do some head scratching to figure out which had more tread.  Americans aren't known for their math skills to boot.  Put all of the fractions with the same denominator and then folks know that the one with the bigger number on top has the most tread.  No need to convert fractions.

The better question would be why tire sizes list the section width in millimeters, but the rim diameter is in given in inches.

[Soup DeVille]

Heck man, they used to use letters!

[Eye of the Tiger]

Hay thar, I got sum new DOT-legal tires. Gimme a tikit plz!

[280Z Turbo]

Hay thar, I got sum new DOT-legal tires. Gimme a tikit plz!

Those are not intended for highway use.

[Soup DeVille]

Those are not intended for highway use.

No, but they are DOT-approved.

[280Z Turbo]

Is this really necessary? If you want more taxes, just take more from income/property taxes.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Is this really necessary? If you want more taxes, just take more from income/property taxes.

I think we should be taxed on how many revolutions our crankshafts make.

[Soup DeVille]

I think we should be taxed on how many revolutions our crankshafts make.

I'm buying an RX8 then.

[GoCougs]

Is this really necessary? If you want more taxes, just take more from income/property taxes.

I would really not want to subsidize people driving on bad tires.

If this works well, I'd be all for it.

[rohan]

No, but they are DOT-approved.

The tire has to have a minumum of 2/32's of tread for it to be legal.  Whether or not the DOT approves it is besides the point- gotta have the proper amount of tread to be streetable.

Is this really necessary? If you want more taxes, just take more from income/property taxes.

Seriously- if they're doing this for safety purposes then fine but otherwise it's pretty stupid.  I can't believe a company would say they're hoping to sell it to governments who want to make money- that just means it;s only a revenue generator and not a safety issue.  If that's the case- it shouldn't be allwoed.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I'm buying an RX8 then.

I'm getting a TDI.

[r0tor]

I'm getting a TDI.

an RX8 has an eccentric shaft... not a crankshaft... so i'm crankshaft tax free 

[ChrisV]

The tire has to have a minumum of 2/32's of tread for it to be legal.  Whether or not the DOT approves it is besides the point- gotta have the proper amount of tread to be streetable.

Then those are streetable, because they have the recommended depth of tread, in the legally required tread grooves. I drove quite a bit on tires very similar to those (made by Yokahama) and they worked better in the rain than my all season tires with a lot of "regular" tread. Why? because rubber compound is as or more important for grip, even in the rain. Soft rubber wears out faster, but it warms up and sticks and acts like a squeegee in the wet, whereas harder rubber tends to slide around on wet surfaces, even if there's good siping to evacuate the water.

I can't believe a company would say they're hoping to sell it to governments who want to make money- that just means it;s only a revenue generator and not a safety issue.  If that's the case- it shouldn't be allwoed.

Agreed.

[Danish]

Already, automated ticketing machines are deployed in the US to hit vehicles that overstay in a parking spot by a minute or that have excessive tailpipe emissions.

How the hell would they know this?!

[NomisR]

Then those are streetable, because they have the recommended depth of tread, in the legally required tread grooves. I drove quite a bit on tires very similar to those (made by Yokahama) and they worked better in the rain than my all season tires with a lot of "regular" tread. Why? because rubber compound is as or more important for grip, even in the rain. Soft rubber wears out faster, but it warms up and sticks and acts like a squeegee in the wet, whereas harder rubber tends to slide around on wet surfaces, even if there's good siping to evacuate the water.

But wouldn't it be more difficult to warm up those tires more sufficiently to receive anywhere close to optimal performance on the streets?

[ChrisV]

But wouldn't it be more difficult to warm up those tires more sufficiently to receive anywhere close to optimal performance on the streets?

That's the point. With soft rubber compound, they heat up faster. In fact, the A008RSiis and Hoosier Autocrossers HAVE to heat up very rapidly and at relatively low speeds. they dont' have 5 laps to get up to temperature. But even DOT road race tires stick better by far at road speed than the average performance street tire or all season tire. It's why they don't last for 20-30-50k miles.

[Champ]

I have this feeling that the people they are targeting who actually have "bad tires" probably don't have the money to pay for the ticket then replace the tires right after.

[rohan]

How the hell would they know this?!

The same kind of gas detectors that NASA and the military use to tell if something has specific gases or not.  Man- if I know the answer to a question like that then EVERYONE should know it!

[Eye of the Tiger]

an RX8 has an eccentric shaft... not a crankshaft... so i'm crankshaft tax free 

I obviously didn't catch that one. Damn loopholes. Who writes these stupid laws?

[r0tor]

I obviously didn't catch that one. Damn loopholes. Who writes these stupid laws?

a clueless politician governing over something he doesnt have expertise in of course!

[NomisR]

a clueless politician governing over something he doesnt have expertise in of course!

Isn't that all of them?

[Rupert]

That's pretty cool technology. Bald tires are a safety hazard, so I would support this kind of thing over automated parking or speeding tickets, but automated tickets are pretty stupid anyhow.

[Soup DeVille]

The tire has to have a minumum of 2/32's of tread for it to be legal.  Whether or not the DOT approves it is besides the point- gotta have the proper amount of tread to be streetable.

Umm, the DOT won't approve the tire unless it has 1/8th inch of tread when its new. That's "4/32nds" in "stupid tire terminology speak."

I could run a beadlock off-road tire with over an inch of tread on it, but still be technically illegal because beadlocks are not DOT approved.

[hotrodalex]

Sooner or later we won't have traffic cops, just stupid cameras every 2 feet.