Central Tire Inflation System from Dana Holding Corporation Enhances Mobility for Vocational, Defense Vehicles

HANNOVER, Germany, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Holding Corporation (NYSE: DAN) announced today that it has introduced an all-new mechatronics upgrade to its industry-leading Spicer® CTIS™ (Central Tire Inflation System) technology, enhancing mobility for vocational and government defense vehicles.

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Dana's patented CTIS technology product line now incorporates an industry-first integrated assembly of sensors, connectors, electronic control unit, and pneumatic control unit that can accommodate a variety of additional channels of control.  The new modular, lighter-weight, and smaller unit also results in significantly less wiring and enhances ease of installation.

With a press of a button from inside the cab, Spicer CTIS technology maximizes vehicle mobility by adjusting tire pressure to the optimum footprint on any terrain.  Whether in the desert or at a construction site, Spicer CTIS technology allows maneuverability in soft, sandy soil and other unpaved surfaces.

Available factory-installed, Spicer CTIS technology uses a series of electro-pneumatic controls to feed air supplying the brakes and other on-board systems to the wheel ends as required to regulate tire pressure.  Available on a wide range of heavy-truck models and configurations, the system can regulate tire pressures on steer, drive, and trailer axles.

Accommodating both load and terrain selections, Spicer CTIS technology enables vehicles to operate effectively across a wide variety of conditions.  The highway settings allow for high-speed travel on paved surfaces, the off-highway settings permit operation on unpaved surfaces, and the emergency settings provide extremely low tire pressure to help free a stuck vehicle or take on grades and other extreme conditions that previously were impossible to negotiate without assistance.

"Reliability and flexibility were the key factors in designing the Spicer CTIS technology.  Whatever the operating environment, this system offers improved mobility, enhanced efficiency, and reliable performance," said Jim Beverly, Dana chief engineer of advanced chassis control systems.  "What's more, this new innovation features reduced weight, size, and complexity."

The Spicer CTIS technology can be used as an alternative to all-wheel drive (AWD) in many vocational truck applications, delivering reduced life-cycle costs and increased payload through the elimination of 450 kilograms (1,000 pounds) of weight.

See this innovative commercial-vehicle application, and other technologies from Dana, at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Expo (Hall 17, Booth B27) in Hannover, Germany, through Sept. 30, 2010.

About the 63rd IAA Commercial Vehicles Expo

The IAA Commercial Vehicles Expo is the most established and longest running commercial vehicle trade fair for mobility, transportation, and logistics around the world.  Held bi-annually in Hannover, Germany by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the theme for this year's conference is "Commercial vehicles: efficient, flexible, future-proof."

About Dana Holding Corporation

Dana is a world leader in the supply of driveline products (axles and driveshafts), power technologies (sealing and thermal-management products), and genuine service parts for light and heavy manufacturers.  The company's customer base includes virtually every major vehicle manufacturer in the global automotive, commercial vehicle, and off-highway markets.  Based in Maumee, Ohio, the company employs approximately 22,000 people in 26 countries and reported 2009 sales of $5.2 billion.  For more information, please visit www.dana.com.

SOURCE Dana Holding Corporation