Poor TPMS advice from Consumer Reports!

[Traction]

Latest Consumer Reports Jan 2015 issue page 59. "Getting a TPMS warning light on a chilly morning doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. Once you drive a few miles and the tires warm up the light should turn off. if it doesn't check the pressure with a gauge and add air" REALLY? So drive down the road a few miles on a flat tire, and hope the light goes off? Huge problems with the TPMS law. For example using load/inflation charts on a 225/60-16 at 35 psi versus 26 psi when the light comes on. If you use CR advice you could have 4 low tires and give up over 900 pounds of load capacity. According to their advice, that is not necessarily a problem??? The government needs to recall there own law and fix it, and standardize the hardware. On a side note, I like CR but when they test snow blowers using sawdust instead of snow, I wonder why?

 

[Roadkingnc]

I had an expedition and the low tire light would come on when it was cold at times, tire pressure would be 32 psi. Spec was 35, far from flat.
Most tires on the road are underinflated anyway as people don't check them, more so with tpms.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Traction
Latest Consumer Reports Jan 2015 issue page 59. "Getting a TPMS warning light on a chilly morning doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. Once you drive a few miles and the tires warm up the light should turn off. if it doesn't check the pressure with a gauge and add air" REALLY? So drive down the road a few miles on a flat tire, and hope the light goes off? Huge problems with the TPMS law. For example using load/inflation charts on a 225/60-16 at 35 psi versus 26 psi when the light comes on. If you use CR advice you could have 4 low tires and give up over 900 pounds of load capacity. According to their advice, that is not necessarily a problem??? The government needs to recall there own law and fix it, and standardize the hardware. On a side note, I like CR but when they test snow blowers using sawdust instead of snow, I wonder why?


I think one needs to take the advice from CR with a bit of sense. If you come out and see you have a flat and start the car and the TPMS light comes on you should not ignore it.

 

[Dominic]

If the spec is 35, that means 35 cold. I generally run my tires 10% over the spec on the door placard and have no issues with TPMS. I agree with Traction - Consumer Reports is giving terrible advice.

Here is a better article for you:
http://jalopnik.com/here-s-why-the-check-engine-light-is-a-horrible-terrib-1662743563

 

[SteveSRT8]

CR is puppy raising material as far as cars go for us, everyone can tout them all they want but they are pretty far off the mark IMO.

TPMS really should be standardized, the variances are amazing from mfgr to mfgr...

 

[Roadkingnc]

A temp drop would cause the pressure to drop enough to cause the light to come on, if it was very cold here everyday I would have set the pressure higher to compensate.
The light would go off after a very short time of driving.
The systems don't seem to be as sensitive no as that was a 2004 model.

 

[WANG]

Consumer Reports may be a good source of information if one is shopping for a coffee maker or something.

I like the direct reading TPMS. It answers your next question after the warning indicator comes on, "Which tire, how low?", before you have to get out of the driver"s seat.

 

[HerrStig]

I'm a long time subscribe to CR, of late there seems to be an irrational LOVE of anything "government" and "regulation" within their ranks. They are starting to sound a lot like other so called "objective" media outlets. The bad news about a certain healthcare law just keeps on coming, but you couldn't tell it by anything THEY say about it.
On another media subject, there USED to be a difference between Car and Driver and Road and Track, now you can't tell their slick journalism for 20 year olds apart. If I wanted Car and Driver, I'd BUY Car and Driver...I don't need the same "too clever by half" scholk in R&T.

 

[pbm]

IMO, TPMS are a solution in search of a problem.

More government regulations to protect us from ourselves.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Dominic
If the spec is 35, that means 35 cold. I generally run my tires 10% over the spec on the door placard and have no issues with TPMS. I agree with Traction - Consumer Reports is giving terrible advice.

Here is a better article for you:
http://jalopnik.com/here-s-why-the-check-engine-light-is-a-horrible-terrib-1662743563


Good article. I always thought that error codes should have been able to read out on the typical oversized LCD on most factory radios; seems like now the dash LCD is finally doing just that.

You have to admit that most people have no idea what an evap code is. If you were to explain that it was an issue with the gasoline vapors they would then assume they are now driving a bomb. Some people are likely better off with less info.

 

[Volv04Life]

Originally Posted By: Dominic
If the spec is 35, that means 35 cold. I generally run my tires 10% over the spec on the door placard and have no issues with TPMS. I agree with Traction - Consumer Reports is giving terrible advice.

Here is a better article for you:
http://jalopnik.com/here-s-why-the-check-engine-light-is-a-horrible-terrib-1662743563


Same here.

 

[edyvw]

I think article is on point, but they had to be more specific.
For example, Costco inflated my wife's tires to 38psi which is recommended by manufacturer. However, when we were skiing in Breckenridge, TPMS turned on. So I visually inspected tires, then checked pressure with pencil gauge, and pressure was 34. I inflated them to 40 once I got to Colorado Springs. I think that CR suppose to say: visually inspect tires before going on the road (preferably have small pressure gauge always in the car).

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I have subscribed to CR for over forty years. The latest issue looks like CU is trying to do things on the cheap. I am not going to renew my subscription when it expires. Might look at the April issue in our library. Also going to drop Motor Trend. I can't find anything in MT anymore that I can relate to.

 

[Mr_Joe]

I'd be fine with no TPMS, I know we're going the other direction though. I don't count on the warning for anything. With my Winter tires I don't spring for the TPMS valve stem, just ignore the light.

Soon some will wonder how we ever got along without a tire pressure monitoring system?

 

[Pablo]

When I change over to my snows (today) on the WRX, my TPMS will light up in a few miles. I'm NOT paying the dealer $35 (only place!!) to reset the blooming light. This year light will stay on until summer tires are on......I will watch my tires the correct way.

 

[sciphi]

Lowest common denominator. They have to balance concise advice with all the different TPMS systems out there.

Instead of complaining, how would you word that article? And, how many dealers would check the tire pressures and tell the customer the exact same thing? I think almost all of them.

Lastly, TPMS has saved me and the Mrs. from getting flat tires, and potentially ruining a $$$$ tire/wheel. Needing a $30 patch instead of a $150 tire and hours by the side of the interstate waiting for a tow truck counts as a win in my book. Blasted roofing nails. While we would have noticed by other means, being able to react while the tire was still intact and safe to patch did save us time and money.

 

[Warstud]

I believe there referring to some places around the country where tempertures wildly flucuate. Like in the Desert. The tire isn't flat but it's below spec because of the cold morning.

 

[stockrex]

CR is on crack, I have few $1k plus boat anchors thanks to them.
Their experts are experts in smoking cheap grass,

 

[Jarlaxle]

The TPMS in my Magnum didn't trip the light until about 24psi...spec was, IIRC, 33. At 24, the tire was (visually and obviously) low. Totally worthless and unnecessary expense.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
CR is puppy raising material as far as cars go for us, everyone can tout them all they want but they are pretty far off the mark IMO.

TPMS really should be standardized, the variances are amazing from mfgr to mfgr...


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