Press Releases

Increases safety and comfort, reduces downtime and operating costs

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – 17 January 2008 – WABCO, one of the world's leading providers of electronic braking, stability, suspension and transmission control systems for the commercial vehicle industry, today launched WABCO Tire Premium Seal, a unique first-aid kit for leaking commercial vehicles tires. WABCO Tire Premium Seal offers increased safety and significant cost savings for truck and bus fleets worldwide.

In the event of a leaking tire, WABCO Tire Premium Seal makes the repair process simpler, quicker and safer than changing a wheel and reduces vehicle downtime. Using WABCO Tire Premium Seal, a tire can be temporarily repaired and inflated in about ten minutes – compared to an average 45 minutes to change a wheel in often very dangerous roadside conditions. Puncture holes caused by a nail or a bolt up to 10mm in diameter can be reliably sealed and the tire re-used instantly. In some cases, the use of WABCO Tire Premium Seal can remove the need for spare tires, helping reduce vehicle weight by up to 300 kg/660lbs and leading to lower operating costs and increased payload.

“WABCO Tire Premium Seal is a unique and unrivaled solution for trucks, buses and trailers. The safety benefits for drivers and passengers and the cost savings for the fleet owners are significant,” said Jean-Francois Barth, WABCO Vice President Aftermarket. “Fleet owners can benefit even more if they combine the new WABCO Tire Premium Seal with our Integrated Vehicle Tire Pressure Monitoring System (IVTM). Once IVTM has detected a leak, WABCO Tire Premium Seal enables the driver to seal the tire within a few minutes, reducing downtime and the risk of accidents to a minimum.”

WABCO Tire Premium Seal is based on latex-free sealant technology that uses micro-fiber particles with outstanding sealing properties. After application, tires can be repaired and/or re-treaded to conform to regional standards and requirements. The sealant can be wiped away with a cloth and any residue washed off with water and disposed into the sewage system, according to regional environmental regulations.

The sealant has safety certifications from major industry bodies like DEKRA. The repair kit is standard original equipment on various commercial vehicles and has been tested and approved by leading international vehicle manufacturers.

Fast, reliable, compact and long-life
Each WABCO Tire Premium Seal kit comes packaged in a rugged case that includes a sealant bottle, a unique valve extractor, a 10m long hose and a tire pressure gauge. The kit can be stored on the truck for up to eight years.

The valve extractor allows for easy and quick removal of the valve before filling the tire with WABCO Tire Premium Seal through a valve stem. This enables a closed circuit between the tire, the sealant container and the vehicle‘s air reservoir which injects the sealant into the leaking tire while inflating it. After sealing, the tire can be used at a maximum speed of 80 km/h for up to 1,000 km or 14 days.

WABCO IVTM and Tire Premium Seal for longer tire runtime
WABCO IVTM was jointly developed with Michelin to permanently monitor tire pressure and detect under- or over-inflation and slow leaks. As a result, fleet operators and drivers benefit from higher safety and mobility, lower fuel costs because of decreased rolling resistance, longer tire life and reduced service and maintenance downtime. The wireless monitoring system combines simple design and easy installation with extremely robust components, and is available for medium and heavy weight commercial vehicles, trailers and buses. The easy to retrofit system reports deviations from the desired tire pressure in real time, helping to maintain a vehicle’s tire pressures at the optimum levels.

The new WABCO Tire Premium Seal and WABCO IVTM are available through the WABCO sales and service teams worldwide and authorized WABCO dealers.

Editors Notes
WABCO is one of the world's leading providers of electronic braking, stability, suspension and transmission control systems for heavy duty commercial vehicles. Customers include the world's leading commercial truck, trailer and bus manufacturers. Founded in the U.S. in 1869 as Westinghouse Air Brake Company, WABCO was acquired by American Standard in 1968 and spun off in 2007.  Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, WABCO employs more than 7,000 people in 34 offices and production facilities worldwide.  In 2006, WABCO's total sales were $2 billion.  WABCO is a publicly traded company and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol WBC.  Web site: www.wabco-auto.com.

Media contact:
Tobias Mueller, +49-69-719168-34, mailto:tobias.mueller@klenkhoursch.de