A Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS) is a system to provide control over the air pressure in each tire of a vehicle as a way to improve performance on different surfaces. For example, lowering the air pressure in a tire creates a larger area of contact between the tire and the ground and makes driving on softer ground much easier. It also does less damage to the surface. This is important on work sites and in agricultural fields. By giving the driver direct control over the air pressure in each tire, maneuverability is greatly improved.

Another function of the CTIS is to maintain pressure in the tires if there is a slow leak or puncture. In this case, the system controls inflation automatically based on the selected pressure the driver has set.

Use

The Czech

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 heavy military 8x8 truck Tatra T813

Tatra T813

Tatra T813 was a truck produced in Czechoslovakia by the Tatra company.-History:The first prototype already built in 1960 utilized existing Tatra T138 assemblies in 4x4 full time all wheel drive, which was also another first for Tatra. After the initial trials however the designers decided to...

's central inflation and deflation system was designed to maintain pressure even after multiple bullet punctures (1960). Military Tatra trucks are equipped with CTIS as standard.

From 1984 the GM

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

offered CTIS for blazers and pick-ups. Most military HMMWV (or Humvee, not to be confused with Hummers which are civilian vehicles designed to look like HMMWV's) also have CTIS. It is also common in Soviet and Russian military trucks.