project description

Project Description What’s worse than a flat tire? The sinking realization that you have no way to fix it. That’s the situation more American motorists may find themselves in as 36 percent of 2015 models are sold without a spare tire or jack. (1) The objective of this report is to design a tire mobility kit (TMK) which is a combination of a spare tire, automatic jack and a lug wrench. In the United States, approximately 7 tire punctures occur every second, resulting in 220 million flat tires per year. Also, statistics show that every driver will experience on average up to 5 flat tires in their life time. (3) So the likelihood of running into such a roadside emergency is very high. In the past, approximately 70% of the old model cars come with a spare tire and a jack, but that number decreased …. based on the consumer-affairs website there 200+ reviews from customers with bad experiences from AAA ranging from long wait time to the representatives not showing at all. One of the customers on the website, Caren of Mcmurray, who had been a member for 19 years said ”I called for a change of tire. After 90 minutes called back. Nobody came. They assured me 40 minutes that someone would be there. I am sitting here for close to 3 hours.” (4) In case of a flat tire, no spare tire and no cellphone signal to call AAA, how would you handle a situation whereby the motorist has a flat tire with no spare tire or cellphone signal in the location! By looking at the graph below the dead zones across the country can be found. The green color means the signal is strong, the red means there is a weak signal and the area with no color means no data collected. (7) Coverage maps showing ATT, SPRINT, T-MOBILE AND VERIZON

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About 12 percent of new vehicles come with run-flat tires. Vehicles equipped with "run flat" tires "have no spare at all." These tires are meant to be driven after puncture for 50 miles at speeds under 50 mph and allow a driver to get to a safe place. (9) However, their prices are much expensive than standard tires and many run-flat tires aren't repairable. Tire repair kits consisting of an air compressor and an integrated bottle of a thick, viscous sealant.