TPMS-Mine Paid for Itself Today

[ekpolk]

Well, it was a beautiful day, wife was off with friends, offspring are now all old enough to care for selves. So I was going to go cruise some of the local back roads and trails (yes, in a hybrid Camry!). Sixty seconds from the house, the Low Tire light comes on. Sure enough, the LR is down to 20 psi (would have liked a warning earlier, but I'll take that on a slow leaker close to home). Went home, soap checked it -- no bubbles. Found an open tire place on Sunday p.m., and 18 bux later, the little nail was out, the patch in, and I was on my way for some back country exploring.

Anyway, I'd just like to point out that while TPMS comes with some drawbacks, one or two valid "saves" and your system will have paid for itself and any inconvenience and expense it brings with it.

 

[ekpolk]

Oh yeah, I should add that on a pre-TPMS car, I'd probably have found myself in the middle of nowhere, having ground my slow leaker down to useless trash rubber.

 

[rpn453]

If the total cost of the TPMS system is $20, I would consider it paid for by avoiding the minor hassle of having to install the spare on a nice day!

I'm surprised it took so long to turn on the warning light, but maybe it's a good thing that it's not overly sensitive.

The last time I was driving a car with a slow leak in the back, I noticed it by the time it hit 20 psi anyway because of how strangely it handled. I'm sure I would have noticed it earlier on my own car, but I didn't drive that car much and the tall sidewalls made it a little mushy in the corners to begin with, despite the car having a good, communicative chassis (MX-6).

 

[Trajan]

Mine has paid for itself twice. Good thing to have.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I didn't have any flat the last 10 or so years. But I would be able to know when a tire is de-flat slowly down to about 20-22 PSI while driving, because the car would not ride/performance as with full pressure that I normally have at 35-36 PSI or higher.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I didn't have any flat the last 10 or so years. But I would be able to know when a tire is de-flat slowly down to about 20-22 PSI while driving, because the car would not ride/performance as with full pressure that I normally have at 35-36 PSI or higher.

If you were driving something as cushy and soft as a Camry, you wouldn't be able to tell!

 

[HTSS_TR]

My '94 LS400 is fairly soft and cushy, I would be able to tell is 1 or more tires was below 25 PSI, given that other tires were more than 35 PSI.

 

[rpn453]

I'll add that I'm not really against TPMS. I do think it has value as a safety feature and I would be willing to pay something for it - not sure how much - but it just wouldn't have saved me anything on the two occasions where I've had unexpectedly leaky tires. I do like it for the idea of making sure I have proper air pressure in the event of hard cornering or an emergency maneuver.

 

[Shannow]

ekpolk, if you were running nitrogen, the monitoring system would be twice as expensive, to avoid a dangerous overpressurisation as the nitrogen countered the effects of the nail.

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
ekpolk, if you were running nitrogen, the monitoring system would be twice as expensive, to avoid a dangerous overpressurisation as the nitrogen countered the effects of the nail.



Whaaat?

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: George7941
Originally Posted By: Shannow
ekpolk, if you were running nitrogen, the monitoring system would be twice as expensive, to avoid a dangerous overpressurisation as the nitrogen countered the effects of the nail.



Whaaat?


I think it's a joke, but I don't get it, either

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Anyway, I'd just like to point out that while TPMS comes with some drawbacks, one or two valid "saves" and your system will have paid for itself and any inconvenience and expense it brings with it.


I'm surprised you didn't get the "if you checked your tires like you were supposed to, you wouldn't need that silly TPMS thingy" comment. The TPMS on our van has alerted us to a low tire as well. Regarding why it took it a minute (literally) to register, the system usually waits for a short duration before reporting anything. Our Chrysler's owner's manual says that it's supposed to be a few minutes/miles, but it's reported a low tire after about a minute of driving in the neighborhood.

Originally Posted By: ekpolk
So I was going to go cruise some of the local back roads and trails (yes, in a hybrid Camry!).


I don't blame you a bit. I'm a "car guy", but everyone asks where my fast cars are. I didn't say I'm a "speed guy", but a "car guy". I appreciate the engineering of a good vehicle so much more than how fast its pistons (or rotor, or motor!) can make it go. My old Cadillac buddies wonder how I can have any driving satisfaction from a lowly Corolla (when in fact, my Corolla is so much more gratifying to me than my former Cadillac).

So enjoy those drives in your TCH. And let the crotch rockets and Mustangs pass you as they please. You're on a different plane!

 

[Papa Bear]

Luckily my '07 Uplander doesn't have TPMS.
Every time I go to get in the van I do a visual on the tires as I approach it. I do carry one of those 12V air compressors ($4.95 at TSC) and a pencil pressure gauge to comfirm/correct a pressure problem.
As I was walking past the neighbor's house the other day I saw that he had a soft left front tire. He was mowing his lawn and I mentioned it to him.. he thanked me.

I try to mind my own business, look out for my neighbor, and I hope they don't over-complicate my vehicles. (in response to TPMS in general)

 

[KrisZ]

I think TPMS is a fairly good feature, but for me it would be a major hassle, as I have winter tire set and summer tire set, and it would add greatly to the cost of winter tires for the limitted benefits it provides. My tires are 195/65/R15, and I can easily spot a tire that is low on pressuree, I guess low profile tires are much harder to diagnose and TPMS in those cases provides more benefit.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Jason Adcock
I'm surprised you didn't get the "if you checked your tires like you were supposed to, you wouldn't need that silly TPMS thingy" comment.


See, I knew they were coming. I spoke too soon.

 

[Samilcar]

I did a test of the TPMS system in our van. After putting on the (non-TPMS) winter wheels, I put the TPMS wheels in the back of the van and went out for a drive. While driving, I had my daughter go in the back and start deflating one of the tires. After 15 seconds, when the tire had gone from 35 psi down to 27 psi, the dash warning light lit up. I was impressed, as I wasn't expecting the system to catch that fast of a leaker.

 

[kkreit01]

I agree. I had the same thing happen 2 wks ago. Actually, in the past 6 years, the only time a light has gone off for me, was when it needed it to. I'd much rather change the tire in my garage vs. alongside the road.

I agree it's a pain and extra cost if swapping to aftermarket wheels, etc.

 

[gizzsdad]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I think TPMS is a fairly good feature, but for me it would be a major hassle, as I have winter tire set and summer tire set, and it would add greatly to the cost of winter tires for the limitted benefits it provides. My tires are 195/65/R15, and I can easily spot a tire that is low on pressuree, I guess low profile tires are much harder to diagnose and TPMS in those cases provides more benefit.


I have winter/summer tires as well. After doing a bunch of research on how much it would cost to put sensors in the winter set, and then get them re-registered twice a year, I decided to look at the warning icon all winter. Every time I started the car, it would flash for about 30 seconds and then stay lit.

When it re-installed the summer tires a few weeks ago - the icon was gone on the first drive. So far I'm happy with my decision.

 

[kkreit01]

^ I agree. I would probably do the same if I have a winter set.

 

[Samilcar]

gizzsdad, I did the same thing, as I didn't want to spend the $400 to put sensors in wheels I only use 3 months out of the year.