Can someone educate me on TPS sensors?

mostly most good tire shops will be able to setup your new TPMS to your car. also if you plan on using 2 sets of wheels then TPMS would have to be configured for each set. the car can only remember 5 (i think) TPMS. so its much better to use your original TPMS in your new wheels.

but i can be wrong. i have never played with TPMS on the C

 

They are not a complete waste.
They CAN alert you if a tire is going down on the freeway......BEFORE it gets so low that you lose control at 80 MPH.
Assuming, of course, that you pay attention to the "useless" light when it comes on.

 

I usually notice when a tire is that low that I will lose control... if it's a sudden loss of pressure in the tire, the light will not really do any good anyhow.

 

TPM's are just some device a Washington bureaucrat decided to require in order to justify his/her position. These same people are dreaming up new requirements for our cars that cost too much money, allow and encourage people to ignore common sense safety checks of their their cars, and don't or marginally improve safety. TPM's are a waste and the next federal govt. required safety device will also be a waste, regardless of what it is !!!!

 

Well I ran over a screw and the tire developed a slow leak. The TPMS light came on while driving home from work. I walked around the car and could not tell which tire was low. After checking with tire gauge determined it was the front right. The normal pressure of 40 psi was down to about 30 psi. Now I could tell it was slightly low but not as obvious as I would have thought.

I had to drive the car slowly forward until finding the screw head. I was able to pump the tire up and check it again in the morning and determine it was a really slow leak. So I carried a portable 12V compressor and was able to drive until weekend.

Made a believer out of me.

 

I'm with you. This giant boondoggle was mandated by the federal government who is always looking out for our welfare.

 

The car recognizes four pressure sensors at a time.

The spare is not equipped with a sensor.

I believe the system to be a good thing.

 

As an investment in the long haul I had sensors put in my winter wheels as well and bought a device to allow me to reprogram the car for each changeover.

To be sure, there are other TPMS systems that don't make you go thru as much hassle.

I can program my Chevrolet's sensors in using just a ring magnet trigger and it will tell me the tire pressure for each wheel.

 

On my Corolla, the airbag light turned on. It was way out of warranty and the light annoyed me. I unscrewed the instrument gauge and removed the bulb. When the TPMS sensor runs out of battery, I hope the bulb is as easy to get out of my Prius, although I doubt it.

 

You are obviously either a meek little weenie with no taste for adventure or are completely incompetent, not being able to detect a 2 pound pressure drop by the seat of your pants.
(Joking man, just joking).

MOST tires do not fail by blowing out; most of them fail in pretty much exactly the manner that you described. They have saved my nice person on more than one occasion.

The simple fact of the matter IS that most people won't know until it's running on the rim and don't check their tires every morning.......if ever.

It is a good device for the masses.
Those of you who (think you) don't need it should just buck it up for the benefit of the rest of us who are not as "good" as you guys are. And that statement is NOT a joke.

 

Walking around used to work with non-radial tires. (I remember a computer game, Leisure Suit Larry, where you were a police officer and if you didn't walk around the police car before you got in and drove off, you'd get a flat tire.) Radial tires do not show low pressure as well as the older style tires, was it bias ply? (Kind of before my time.) Anyways, runflats are even worse! (Ask me how I know.)

Someone mentioned they bought a programmer. Here's a relatively cheap one: ATEQ Quickest. Designed especially for those wanting a winter and summer set of tires/wheels.

I actually saw this thread on my phone yesterday, but got logged out and couldn't log in for a while. Then I couldn't find the thread on my phone. I haven't bought a Quickset yet because I haven't found a budget to change my wheels, but it sounds like a great deal!

 

We have no choice but to buck up as the government gives us no choice. A tire gauge used every once in a while works and is a lot cheaper. It's also good to check your oil and other fluids once in a while. I just object to the govt. telling me I have to have some device on my car when I can perform the check myself for a lot cheaper. Also, I don't consider myself better than the "rest of you" that see a need for TPM's. I'll not comment on this subject again, guess we'll agree to disagree.

 

One thing I really miss about my SUV is it would give digital pressure readings for each tire independently, so I always knew how much pressure was in each tire at all times. Now I have to use the gauge every few weeks and "guess" each day I use my hybrid. I don't want to use the gauge every day because then I lose about 0.5 psi just to check the pressure readings.
(It's early on a Sunday, I'm rambling)

 

I pretty much just don't get it:
We accept all of the other "technical advances" that mostly solve problems that don't exist in the first place.......
but then crab about things that really are useful, like being able to monitor tire pressures without having
to check them manually.

Maybe we don't need a warning light or gauge for water temp. either.
Steam pouring out should be a good enough clue........right ??