Swapping gen 2 Prius wheels Tpms tool question

There are various and sundry TPMS tools that can read your sensors but most of the time with the Toyota sensors you will manually enter them thenumbers into a software program . They're not auto programming capable . Unless you replace with that type. 28 dollars vs 100 a piece . Or similar type costs . Then you need that mfgrs tool

 

Pretty sure If they are stock wheels then the existing TPMS in them are already compatible and they will work automatically as long as the batteries in the sensors still have a charge.

 

They will work but they have to be entered in to new vehicle with ap 200 or some software. They just won't be recognized being installed on the car

 

If you have a working copy of Techstream installed on a pc and the mini-vci obd2 interface you can write the replacement tpms ids into the car's tire pressure warning (tpms) ecu. You would need to manually read the replacement sensors ids written on the sensors by breaking the beads of each tire.

If you already have the Techstream setup this is the lowest cost method but may be more work to break down the replacement wheels to access the sensor ids.

An Autel TS408S tool for $189 on Amazon (less elsewhere) can read sensor ids ("activate" eg force transmission) through a mounted tire and then connect to the obd2 port to directly write ("position relearn") the tire pressure ecu.

The Autel TS408s has to be registered through a pc usb connection and free updates in the same way. After registration it is standalone.

The cheaper TS408 does not include the OBD2 Cable relearn option of the TS408s.

It can also work on almost any car with sensors.

The Autel tool can optionally "program" universal Autel MX sensors to any id including the ids already stored in the ecu. While you don't need this capability for your current needs, it is the route a lot of tire shops and Costco use to have sensors on hand that work on most any car. The ability of the Autel tool and their MX sensors to "clone" an existing sensor by "programming" a MX sensor also allows someone to have two sets of tires (winter/summer) that can be swapped with no tpms setup at all down the road.




Below is a similar slightly older Autel tool on ebay. This one costs more than the TS408S if bought new on Amazon. The initial registration is standalone with built in wifi which is an advantage over the TS408s.



Finally, newer Toyotas (maybe 2019 up) have tpms ecu relearn options built into their system accessed through the mfd. On those cars, oem or aftermarket sensors with preset ids (normal for all years) can be automatically read and stored in the tpms ecu. No Techstream or Autel tool needed.

As a side note, most Hondas do not use tpms sensors and simply use the abs wheel speed pickups to detect rolling speed differences which represent low air pressure. That system can not read actual pressures.

 

Nothing can "program" oem or aftermarket oem compatible sensors. They already have unique ids. You can obviously use them, read their ids wirelessly and then "relearn" those ids into the ecu with the TS408s or the TS508wf. From a full retail standpoint the 408s is less cost than the 508wf. Sale prices change the equation.

The TS508wf is better primarily because it can be registered and updated directly through built in wifi. Its a little older but it still msrp retails for more than a TS408s. If I were buying today, the new TS508wf on ebay is the better deal.

You don't want the older TS408.

I will say Autel's language is confusing and its made worse by other's loose use of "programming" as related to tpms systems. In Autel speak "programming" only applies to their universal MX sensors which can be configured (programmed) to any id.

In a similar manner their documentation is not crystal clear, primarily because different tpms systems "relearn" their tpms ecus in various ways.

Techstream can read live data from the tpms ecu and has a utility to write new ids to that ecu. Autel would either read the new (or old) sensors directly (wireless "activate") or use "copy from ecu" the old ids already in the ecu. It can then "relearn" the ecu with one new id, 4 new ids or 5 new ids (w spare).

Autel's optional party trick is "programming" their special MX sensor to your old id(s). They made the MX sensor universally compatible such that it could be setup for your old or new Toyota, your wife's Fiat or your son's Mustang. It can operate at 325 mhz or European 433 mhz using different protocols. Which is why many tire dealers use it and the Autel tool.