More TPMS (tire pressure monitor sensors) info

[07navi]

I stuck my large pressurized tube with 4 sensors in it under the gas entry pipe and zip tied it in but when one of the used sensors batteries goes bad I will get about a foot long piece of abs pipe that is just big enough for the sensors to fit. Next time I will put a sensor on top of each tire and program them to the computer like that and then stick them in the foot long pipe. I didn't separate them enough when I programed them with the $15 little tool and they don't need to be under pressure to do it. Find the part # for your truck sensors which fit many vehicles to be safe. Most Fords take a 315 MHZ one and some later ones need to spin to work (mostly G.M.) so won't work here, and some have advanced features so just go by the part number. The pressurizing can be an issue also if you try to go with too small of a plastic pipe. The 2007 through 2011 Expeditions take the rectangular blue or black sensors that go in the bands that go around the wheel and not the type attached to the valve stem.

 

[762mm]

Thank you for the info, very useful!

 

[LokiWolf]

Why?


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[07navi]

Why?


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Because a lot of people hate the tire icon light and the text in the info box and a lot more people can't afford $400+ when a little battery goes dead inside a tire. I just hate the whole monitor idea and probably won't bother to re-program my summer wheels next year.

 

[LokiWolf]

I personally like knowing my pressures anytime I want to...so yeah, just don’t get it.

$400? The TPMS sensor is like $40, and the tool to reset it is about the same.

TPMS is a good thing. It has saved many a people from a flat tire. Even helped me catch a slow leak in my previous truck. Eventually found a very small screw imbedded in a groove. Plugged and all good.


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[762mm]

I personally like knowing my pressures anytime I want to...so yeah, just don’t get it.

$400? The TPMS sensor is like $40, and the tool to reset it is about the same.

TPMS is a good thing. It has saved many a people from a flat tire. Even helped me catch a slow leak in my previous truck. Eventually found a very small screw imbedded in a groove. Plugged and all good.


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Maybe I am behind the times and belong in the 1990's, but I just look at the damn tires like once a week, to make sure none look (or are getting) flat. I know it's excruciating work in the 21st century, but I do it nevertheless. If I catch a flat while driving, I'll know right away too by the way the truck handles, without the idiot light. Call me old school...

The OP's experience is interesting, as I'll be doing the same if the Forscan solution to deactivate TPMS permanently doesn't work. I don't know where you live to get Motorcraft TPMS sensors for $40 a pop, but up here they are more money. Plus you need to remove the tire to change them, which will typically mean re-balancing.

Finally, in their infinite wisdom, Ford decided to make the batteries non-replaceable, even though they are just CR2032 (they sealed the battery compartment). Their greed alone is a reason to junk the stupid thing for good. No more nanny TPMS for my truck as soon as the weather lets me play with the module.

 

[LokiWolf]

Maybe I am behind the times and belong in the 1990's, but I just look at the damn tires like once a week, to make sure none look (or are getting) flat. I know it's excruciating work in the 21st century, but I do it nevertheless. If I catch a flat while driving, I'll know right away too by the way the truck handles, without the idiot light. Call me old school...

The OP's experience is interesting, as I'll be doing the same if the Forscan solution to deactivate TPMS permanently doesn't work. I don't know where you live to get Motorcraft TPMS sensors for $40 a pop, but up here they are more money. Plus you need to remove the tire to change them, which will typically mean re-balancing.

Finally, in their infinite wisdom, Ford decided to make the batteries non-replaceable, even though they are just CR2032 (they sealed the battery compartment). Their greed alone is a reason to junk the stupid thing fro good.

I completely agree that yes, visual inspection is great, but it will not show a slow leak.

I am talking I caught it because I looked at the pressure using the Torque app at the time. I caught the tire that had deviated about 5 PSI on my 250 that regularly had 60 PSI in them when towing a race car and at temp. Way before it was visually noticeable and became a handling issue in my multiple hour tow. I stopped, found the leak, and plugged it. Added air back, and put 30K more on that tire.

While our dash does not show the actual pressure, with a BT connected OBDII adapter I can see the actual pressure on my 17 Expedition. Did the same on my 15, and my 250 before that.

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[762mm]

Great. You still won't get them for that price up here. But even if you could :

4 x 50 (with tax + ship) = $200 + $50 for programming tool = $250

Add another $100 to $200 for installation and tire balancing and you'll be walking out of the tire shop (or dealership, lol) with four bills out of pocket EASY.

For what? So that your Expy's dash doesn't break your balls anymore with a yellow idiot light? Then one or more of those cheap Chinese sensors will fail within 2 years and you have to do it all over again. Awesome...

 

[LokiWolf]

Great. You still won't get them for that price up here. But even if you could :

4 x 50 (with tax + ship) = $200 + $50 for programming tool = $250

Add another $100 to $200 for installation and tire balancing and you'll be walking out of the tire shop (or dealership, lol) with four bills out of pocket EASY.

For what? So that your Expy's dash doesn't break your balls anymore with a yellow idiot light? Then one or more of those cheap Chinese sensors will fail within 2 years and you have to do it all over again. Awesome...

I just don’t get it. I use it to constantly monitor pressures when towing and traveling while going down the road. I don’t see it as a nanny thing, I see it as a great feature. I can monitor even more and see this data real time. I can make sure I am getting to the same pressure at temp in both front tires and both rear tires to improve tire wear.

Most of the time they don’t go at the same time. If a shop is doing it, you don’t need the reset tool. Any dealer or large chain shop will have that.

I typically need tires about every 3 years in my large vehicle(Expy/Truck). I always have them replace the sensors when they put the new tires on. Normally I get a deal that way, and no cost other than the sensors themselves.

Again, I don’t see it as a detriment, I see it as a plus. I want to see my pressures virtually real time, not sure why anybody wouldn’t want that option.

If you aren’t happy with the set point, use FORSCAN to change it.


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[762mm]

I just don’t get it. I use it to constantly monitor pressures when towing and traveling while going down the road. I don’t see it as a nanny thing, I see it as a great feature. I can monitor even more and see this data real time. I can make sure I am getting to the same pressure at temp in both front tires and both rear tires to improve tire wear.

Most of the time they don’t go at the same time. If a shop is doing it, you don’t need the reset tool. Any dealer or large chain shop will have that.

I typically need tires about every 3 years in my large vehicle(Expy/Truck). I always have them replace the sensors when they put the new tires on. Normally I get a deal that way, and no cost other than the sensors themselves.

Again, I don’t see it as a detriment, I see it as a plus. I want to see my pressures virtually real time, not sure why anybody wouldn’t want that option.

If you aren’t happy with the set point, use FORSCAN to change it.


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On my previous Ford (99 Explorer) I had two sets of wheels : one set of four seasons mounted on original mags, the other set of winter tires mounted on OEM steel rims (Motorcraft brand).

I would literally not lose 1 PSI of pressure over years of daily driving. I sold the truck after 16 years with those mags / rims (I've used 2 sets of winter / 4 seasons throughout its lifetime) and the tires / rims would still keep pressure as if they were new.

This whole modern tire pressure paranoia is absurd. Buy quality tires and use original equipment mags or rims and you will NEVER need to worry about tire pressure, unless you run over a nail or a screw or have a blow out. The TPMS will be of little use under these circumstances, though.... Personally, I keep a tire plug kit and an electric air pump in my truck instead, as it's 100 times more useful. I've used a few times already when a screw or nail got lodged in a tire. When it happens, you will hear it (tick, tick, tick, tick sound while driving). No need for TPMS, even an idiot will know something isn't right...


On a final note, unlike Chrysler and GM, the Ford OEM mags and rims are extremely well made (good alloys / steel) and will last for a very long time before they start losing pressure. The delayed pressure loss typically occurs because of corrosion on the rim, where the tire is seated. Cheap rims are notorious for that, as they will corrode prematurely due to cheap-ass Chinese alloys or steel. As such, you're far better off buying a used OEM mag or rim from a junk yard than a brand new Walmart or Costco special, which will develop leaks much sooner.

The above is what I've learned from my mechanic friends, as well as the owner of a tire shop who explained it to me years ago.

 

[07navi]

I personally like knowing my pressures anytime I want to...so yeah, just don’t get it.

$400? The TPMS sensor is like $40, and the tool to reset it is about the same.

TPMS is a good thing. It has saved many a people from a flat tire. Even helped me catch a slow leak in my previous truck. Eventually found a very small screw imbedded in a groove. Plugged and all good.


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It sounds like you are obsessed with tire pressures. I had my Excursion for 12 years and checked the tire pressures once a month at the most and they were always very close to what I had put in them and never posed any kind a problem. I could easily tell if one ever got low by looking at it also. These sensors are for lazy careless people that are oblivious to everything around them and let their tires go half flat which is a danger to them and others on the highway. These people are the minority not the majority but the bulk of society pays for them. Also, the average person living check to check it not going to attempt to find super deals on sensors and learn to use a reset tool. It will cost them at least $400 or up to $1000 if they take it to the dealer and it will probably be when their tires are only half worn.

 

[LokiWolf]

On my previous Ford (99 Explorer) I had two sets of wheels : one set of four seasons mounted on original mags, the other set of winter tires mounted on OEM steel rims (Motorcraft brand).

I would literally not lose 1 PSI of pressure over years of daily driving. I sold the truck after 16 years with those mags / rims (I've used 2 sets of winter / 4 seasons throughout its lifetime) and the tires / rims would still keep pressure as if they were new.

This whole modern tire pressure paranoia is absurd. Buy quality tires and use original equipment mags or rims and you will NEVER need to worry about tire pressure, unless you run over a nail or a screw or have a blow out. The TPMS will be of little use under these circumstances, though.... Personally, I keep a tire plug kit and an electric air pump in my truck instead, as it's 100 times more useful. I've used a few times already when a screw or nail got lodged in a tire. When it happens, you will hear it (tick, tick, tick, tick sound while driving). No need for TPMS, even an idiot will know something isn't right...


On a final note, unlike Chrysler and GM, the Ford OEM mags and rims are extremely well made (good alloys / steel) and will last for a very long time before they start losing pressure. The delayed pressure loss typically occurs because of corrosion on the rim, where the tire is seated. Cheap rims are notorious for that, as they will corrode prematurely due to cheap-ass Chinese alloys or steel. As such, you're far better off buying a used OEM mag or rim from a junk yard than a brand new Walmart or Costco special, which will develop leaks much sooner.

The above is what I've learned from my mechanic friends, as well as the owner of a tire shop who explained it to me years ago.

[emoji23][emoji1787][emoji23][emoji1787][emoji23][emoji1787]

I think you are living in the good old days.

ALL tires, and I mean ALL tires lose air over time, just sitting, and it has ZERO to do with the seal, quality of the tire, or who the Rim is made by.

It is just basic Chemistry and physics. Sorry, but science beats your paranoia any day.

The molecules of the various elements that make up air seep through the rubber via osmosis. Some molecules faster than others.

The average tire loses between 1-3 psi a month just sitting. Heat cycles can make that faster. In cooler environments that seepage can be even faster. Your claim of 1psi over years is physically impossible. It defies basic laws of science...sorry but it is just BS.

I also carry a plug kit in what ever vehicle I am towing with. Hence why I was able to repair my tire and continue down the road in my story above.

Just for information purposes, I have a degree in chemistry, use to have a CDL, and been around racing most of my life.

Your “good ole days” BS just won’t fly with me, or anybody who actually understands science.



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[LokiWolf]

It sounds like you are obsessed with tire pressures. I had my Excursion for 12 years and checked the tire pressures once a month at the most and they were always very close to what I had put in them and never posed any kind a problem. I could easily tell if one ever got low by looking at it also. These sensors are for lazy careless people that are oblivious to everything around them and let their tires go half flat which is a danger to them and others on the highway. These people are the minority not the majority but the bulk of society pays for them. Also, the average person living check to check it not going to attempt to find super deals on sensors and learn to use a reset tool. It will cost them at least $400 or up to $1000 if they take it to the dealer and it will probably be when their tires are only half worn.

No super deals...I literally checked ONE site, Tire Rack. That is all.

Ya’ll are entertaining!!!


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[07navi]

No super deals...I literally checked ONE site, Tire Rack. That is all.

Ya’ll are entertaining!!!


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No, just realistic and the sensor ad what probably for the cheapest one they had and on sale.

 

[LokiWolf]

No, just realistic.

I drive an SUV that retailed for 60K+. Sorry, I don’t see an issue in replacing $160 in TPMS sensors. Even if I had to replace all 4 at once out of cycle for $400. Just don’t see the issue.

Again. I have seen the value.

I monitor many things regularly, the pressures are just one.

Again, I like data.


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[07navi]

[emoji23][emoji1787][emoji23][emoji1787][emoji23][emoji1787]

I think you are living in the good old days.

ALL tires, and I mean ALL tires lose air over time, just sitting, and it has ZERO to do with the seal, quality of the tire, or who the Rim is made by.

It is just basic Chemistry and physics. Sorry, but science beats your paranoia any day.

The molecules of the various elements that make up air seep through the rubber via osmosis. Some molecules faster than others.

The average tire loses between 1-3 psi a month just sitting. Heat cycles can make that faster. In cooler environments that seepage can be even faster. Your claim of 1psi over years is physically impossible. It defies basic laws of science...sorry but it is just BS.

I also carry a plug kit in what ever vehicle I am towing with. Hence why I was able to repair my tire and continue down the road in my story above.

Just for information purposes, I have a degree in chemistry, use to have a CDL, and been around racing most of my life.

Your “good ole days” BS just won’t fly with me, or anybody who actually understands science.



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Not impressed and I know they all lose a tiny but. I was a mechanic probably before you were born and drag raced for many years. Everybody knows they lose a bit and the old days card doesn't work here.

 

[LokiWolf]

Not impressed and I know they all lose a tiny but. I was a mechanic probably before you were born and drag raced for many years. Everybody knows they lose a bit and the old days card doesn't work here.

Yes, you are 76, and I am 43. I learned how to do alignments using string the old school way from somebody older than you. I respect your experience.

Sorry, but the BS that was typed above by 762mm is just crap. The I only lost 1PSI in years is not possible.

Average tire will lose about 12 PSI a year. Most people go to the dealer or get an oil change in that time. The XX point inspection most places do includes checking tire pressures and topping them off...so they never see that loss, but it is constant and Science.




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[07navi]

Yes, you are 76, and I am 43. I learned how to do alignments using string the old school way from somebody older than you. I respect your experience.

Sorry, but the BS that was typed above by 762mm is just crap. The I only lost 1PSI in years is not possible.

Average tire will lose about 12 PSI a year. Most people go to the dealer or get an oil change in that time. The XX point inspection most places do includes checking tire pressures and topping them off...so they never see that loss, but it is constant and Science.




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Lol, I was a mechanic and drag raced starting 17 years before you were born. I agree with possibly 12 psi a year max but that's why I check mine once a month or so. When I get my winter wheels out of storage they are only down a couple pounds at the most and sometimes none.

 

[LokiWolf]

Lol, I was a mechanic and drag raced starting 17 years before you were born. Not seeing 12 psi a year but that why I check mine once a month. When I get my winter wheels out of storage they aren't down much at all.

[emoji1360][emoji41]

Most of my experience is Road Racing, and little Late Model. My Dad who is 68 still runs Spec Miata in SCCA. I haven’t driven in several years. Too many other things going on!

No weight on them, and no heat cycles also helps.


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[762mm]

Yes, you are 76, and I am 43. I learned how to do alignments using string the old school way from somebody older than you. I respect your experience.

Sorry, but the BS that was typed above by 762mm is just crap. The I only lost 1PSI in years is not possible.

Average tire will lose about 12 PSI a year. Most people go to the dealer or get an oil change in that time. The XX point inspection most places do includes checking tire pressures and topping them off...so they never see that loss, but it is constant and Science.




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I don't know what degree in "science" you have and from what safe space university, but I literally had a rock-solid 32 PSI in my Explorer's tires for YEARS. All 8 of them.

I very seldom added any air into them. Maybe once every 4-5 years, when they would go down to 29-30 PSI. That held true for both my summer and winter set. Plus our Canadian winters are quite severe. Your "1-3 PSI per month loss" claim is ridiculous! (stop buying your tires on sale at Walmart, lol!)

I really don't care what you *think* you know about physics, I'm just saying it like it was, from experience. Unlike you, I never asked Stephen Hawking to explain it to me. I just drove the f**king thing and only added air when needed, lol.


Anyway, TPMS is for people who can't figure out how to start a lawn mower if it doesn't have an electric start and an iPhone app, IMHO. I'll pass on this "great innovation" any day of the week!