Can someone educate me on TPS sensors?

So.....why is the radiator slowly losing water as you drive down the road any different than a tire slowly losing air as you drive ?? Both can be disastrous, only in different ways.

I think that anyone who believes that they can absolutely, positively always know that a tire is going down when they are cruising down the highway........before the tread starts flying off.......is just kidding themselves.

 

Not a true statement. I had no drivability indication that I had a slow leak on the tire with the screw puncture.

 

I just find that cars are so complicated anyway I just depend on dealers since I assume they know what they're doing better than I do.

 

No.
What has happened to you in your limited years of experience is not representative of what will happen EVERY time.
At higher speeds and with a slow leak in the rear, you might not notice it at all......until it is too late.

 

Seriously Dude ???

Have you had a tire go down on your "new" Prius yet....front.....back.....gradual loss while cruising ??

Even if you have, other cars might react differently and certainly every driver doesn't have the same sensibilities.

You proposed that the TPS was a worthless pain in the butt and I am saying that you are wrong.
Across the spectrum of the entire driving public and all the different vehicles, they are a very useful tool.

From your picture, you look to be mid-20s. If so, there is a LOT out there that you have yet to learn.......IF you live long enough.

 

Must be why Nascar drivers are able to tell that they have a tire going down... those fancy sensors. It's all about knowing how your car "feels". I can tell when my tires are low in the winter because it drives differently. You may just not have enough miles on your car yet. But if you pay attention to how it drives you can tell that one is lower than the rest, it just feels sluggish on lane changes or turning. I knew my tires were low before my fancy sensor told me that it was... I'd rather know that my water is getting hot than know my tire is getting low. I can recover from a flat tire on the highway much easier than I can recover from an overheating engine that I didn't know about until it's too late.

 

This is a true statement... it may not squirm, but it does feel different. Much more resistance in the steering pull.

 

Until what is too late? These cars aren't Ford Explorers (even then it was over hyped with only a small percentage actually flipping.), they will just get a flat tire and you will slow down and pull off...

 

But as with everything else on this forum... YMMV.

 

I have been driving this car for 5 years and I felt no difference prior to the TPMS light coming on.

 

As I mentioned in my last post. YMMV, but to me it's very noticeable.

 

Before I had this happen to me I probably would be agreeing with you right now. I think part of the issue is not only the new tire construction but also the higher psi that we run in these LRR tires. So when the psi drops it will usually be well above what was normal in the past. At least for me anyway.

 

In my experience it's almost always a rear tire (for a nail or screw).

Can't imagine there's a lot of steering wheel pull when the right rear drops 10 psi

 

The car becomes sluggish to change lanes, which can be felt in the wheel... but as I said, if you guys don't feel it, cool. YMMV, I did feel it and that was just a drop from 42 psi to somewhere before it hit factory specs (I didn't reset my TPSM so the fancy light hadn't come on yet.) on my right rear tire.

 

You really want an old grandmother to come crashing into you because she isn't the next Michael Schumacher don't you....

People don't really "push" a Prius, so probably in driving straight and not on a windy road you might not feel the difference between, since you like to use examples, 51 PSI and 41 PSI. They are both over the recommended pressure and can handle the load of the car easily. You'd get a notice from your sensor before the feeling would start to be an issue with control....