Posted on Jan 11, 2018
Is it time to get rid of the combat tire inflation system (CTIS), once and for all?
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As the Army is looking at FMTV 2, one thing that keeps knowing at me is the use of CTIS and more and more systems being put into vehicles. I have yet to hear of CTIS getting anyone off the battlefield, which was its intended purpose. I think we can all agree when a large explosive device goes off there is not enough tire left to inflate. Why keep using this system if it is so prone to failure, and does not do what we thought it would?
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Diesel Trucks
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
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It’s actually the Central Tire Inflation System. Its primary purpose is to allow tire pressure changes to suit whatever terrain you’re driving on, as well as to counter slow leaks. When it works, it works fine. That “when it works” bit, though, still needs work (along with operator headspace and timing, but that’s a different set of problems). System always seems to go wonky right when you need to switch it to mud.
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1LT William Clardy
Glad to see somebody remembers what CTIS was originally meant for, CW4 Guy Butler. Mud, snow, soft sand...
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MAJ Michael Roe
Where did they think that it was for post mine/IED? Some drivers trainer failed explaining what it was for.
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CW4 Guy Butler
MAJ Michael Roe I think it’s a bit of confusion on what the “emergency” setting actually does (which leads back to operator headspace/timing issues...)
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PFC Bradley Campbell
any noob with a Jeep will quickly find what airing up or down can do for mobility. and the Army has to have a whole training course on it. after adding all the armor and weapons it makes the whole idea useless
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CW3 Kevin Storm I like the run flat in the ole HUMVEE. You can get on down the road IMHO with a run flat.
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) SGT Philip Roncari SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Michael Rathbun SSG Diane R. CW5 Jack Cardwell]] Cynthia Croft SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] SFC Dave Beran
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) SGT Philip Roncari SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Michael Rathbun SSG Diane R. CW5 Jack Cardwell]] Cynthia Croft SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] SFC Dave Beran
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CW3 Kevin Storm
Run flat really wasn't that, it was for minor problems. I always had an issue with HUMVEES not having a spare tire.
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SSG Ralph Watkins
The early run-flat system used a magnesium based ring in there to keep the tire from going flat. I got a flat on my Humvee shortly after the Army got them & our smart mechanics pointed out it could be an issue. If people tried to run the flat tire on the highway, that magnesium ring could heat up & catch fire. The original grease packs did not help much with the friction. Sounds like there is still an evolutionary process going n to find a good working system.
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i don't know if its relay issues air valve problems or gremlins in the wiring but but i personally think that it could be a better system if it was looked over more closely and maybe something can be improved upon (i unfortunately hit the wrong button but it is a great non-combat asset to the wheeled vics when it work)
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SSG William Jones
At least when you hit the wrong button, Hawaiian residents didn't panic and crawl into sewers.
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Actually, it was (when started) the Central Tire Inflation System, and we had one on the 5T wrecker at Blacksheep, in Hohenfels, and that thing NEVER would inflate itself, it was locked in snow/mud setting until we finally shipped it off and just went with 2 HEMMT's I remember when they came in for the Humvees as well and we were always having problems with them, fortunatly the only one that we had belonged to LORAL, one of the system support companies on base and civilian, so it was not on our books at least, but we still had to work on it all the time. Same thing, it was still down when I PCS'ed out.
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Chief, CTIS was a pain in the butt in the old 939 series 5TN Dumps. I liked the run flat on the old HMMWV as it actually worked pretty close to what was advertised. The vehicles in the pictures and my experience both found that no amount of run flat or CTIS is much help if you get thumped by an IED, or run over by a wayward Stryker at night..
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SFC Kenneth Withers
The original M939 did not have it. It came with the A1/A2 series Piece of junk system!
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CSM Richard StCyr
SFC Kenneth Withers - We had a truck B238 that constantly would get low tires. It was so bad that we would run the truck all afternoon and hand refuel it on Fridays so it would have inflated tires for close out formation. It was the only point of friction with the BMO and we'd write it up on the 2404 daily. The other four dump trucks were not as bad but still had issues with it on and off.
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This system is good in theory, however in practicality it was built to break and has proven to be s another money grabbing scheme on the military. The failure rate of the seals is high; especially in cold climates. Not only does the CTIS fail but it wipes out the inner hub seal which douse the brake shoes down in gear oil and cause spindle damage if not caught in time. Those 2 seals create an expensive headache. It's tough to keep readiness up when you got trucks going down for the same thing over and over again.
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