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Useless TPMS?

24K views 109 replies 41 participants last post by  Lscman 
#1 ·
TPMS Sensors for new wheels

I have a set of wheels off my 91 Thunderbird that I want to put snow tires on for this coming winter. I know the wheels fit. What I dont know is what sensors do I need for the stupid TPMS system. Can I use the tire valve ones or do they have to be the more expensive band types?

Also, anyone know where I can order some OEM or aftermarket one cheap? I checked Rock Auto and it looks like the senesors and the bands are 2 separate part numbers and end up being $80+ total per wheel.
 
#51 ·
Well the other day I was on a 2 1/2 road trip to see the inlaws [?|]. On the highway had the cruise set at 100 km/h and noticed that the fuel mileage wasn't what it normally is when set at that speed. Out of curiosity I decided to check the tire pressure about half way through the trip at a gas station that had air, and behold, I had 23 psi in all four. [mad]

I was kinda upset cause I thought this damn car was supposed to have TPMS, I checked the manual and it stated that it does, even though it appeared to not be working. Of course I filled all of them to the recommended 35 psi and went on my way.

The next day at work I decided to check and see if and when they would ever come on, so i started the car and proceeded to deflate my drivers side front tire, turns out that the light will only kick in at about 20 psi???? What good is that!?!

But....... it will only go back out when the tire gets back to 35 psi. [screwy]

Just wondering if anyone else has tested theirs to make sure they are working correctly.
 
#53 ·
I would have to say that TPMS is more of a federally mandated cya device then an actually useful tool for owners. As you have just proven, it is no substitute for checking on your own at least monthly. TPMS is just a response to the Firestone/Explorer fiasco of a few years back.

OASN, I had a blowout at 70mph in my 2012 Subaru due to hitting road debris. TPMS never told me that the tire went down, of course I was only driving on it for less then a minute after the incident. It really is only useful to tell you of a slow leak that could affect handling if left uncorrected.
 
#55 ·
I know of lots of other car that freak out at you on a cold morning until the tires warm up from driving them. Almost over sensitive. Just seems kind of dumb to have them if they are only going to tell you when they are pretty much flat.

I know I'm bitching, just seems kind of useless to have paid for it (in the price of the car) and have it not really do anything for you.
 
#57 ·
There definitely is no substitute for the reliability of checking them yourself, but having for instance one front tire 14 pounds less than the other will cause some messed up handling. Yet no light to inform you. If they installed these things for our safety, the margin of error shouldn't be so large.
 
#58 ·
I think the system would be a much more useful tool if Ford reprogrammed the onboard monitor to show us the actual pressure for each tire. I mean, I know its very easy to do, its just a programming change for the 4" display in the dash...some Euro versions already have this. I was in a rental Dodge last year, and it showed the pressures for all four corners of the car, so, you knew exactly what each tire had... now, that is useful.
 
#61 ·
I got a low tire pressure warning light few months back, too. Pulled over just in case something was terribly wrong. Nothing, not even the slightest looking "flat" tire. When I got home and checked all 4 tires....they all had psi readings of 29-ish. [scratch]
 
#70 ·
My low pressure warning came on at about 27 psi when I was driving down the freeway. I'm actually pretty glad that I had the TPMS because it was a slow leak that I wouldn't have seen until it was too late. With the low profile PS3s, I couldn't see a visual difference between 40 and 27 psi; when I got out to check, I thought it was a false alarm. But when I got home and checked with my digital gauge, the TPMS was right.
 
#76 ·
Well, Ford is correct, you do NOT need to "retrain" new sensors to your car.. They do "auto train" or whatever you want to call it. All three of our Fords have the TPMS system (all, including our F150 use the valve stem style), and we have seperate winter rims and tires for all (we live in a heavy snow belt area, winter tires are a must). We bought our winter rim/sensor combo from the dealer, but, I assure you, in the last three seasons, I've switched over my own rims each season in my garage and the dash display resets within 500m of driving (less than a minute). No visit to the dealer needed, ever. I don't know where this rumor started about having to "train" new sensors, etc. I will say that my neighbor has a couple of Honda's and a Dodge truck, and he says that he has to have the sensors trained, so, they must use a different system. I know his CRV uses the "band style" sensors which are expensive and a pain to install.
Also, another thing to note, since some have brought it up here, the trick of just putting a summer rim/tire in the back of your car, etc. To turn out the warning in your dash, that will only work if you keep the wheel moving once and a while, since, the sensors will go to "sleep" after so many minutes of not moving (preserves battery life). Just saying.
 
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#77 ·
Looking at the NHTSA there seems to be conflicting info. One spot it states that the system should indicate when any tire including all four drops 25%. In another spot on the site it seems to be referencing a table that states 20 psi is the safety floor. Although it does state

"Overall, we feel that the 25 percent threshold adequately captures the circumstances at which low tire pressure becomes a safety issue. We also believe that this level would be acceptable to most drivers and would not be considered a nuisance to the point that it would be ignored by large numbers of drivers. We also believe there is no reason to examine higher thresholds (e.g.,� a 30 percent threshold), which would provide fewer benefits for similar costs"

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/TPMS_FMVSS_No138/part1-2.html#1
 
#91 ·
Looking at the NHTSA there seems to be conflicting info. One spot it states that the system should indicate when any tire including all four drops 25%. In another spot on the site it seems to be referencing a table that states 20 psi is the safety floor.
The federal safety standard uses both in an overall determination. Whichever value is higher is what is applied to the vehicle.

The lowest placard for any car at the time of the ruling was 26psi.

26psi x 75% ~ 20psi. Hence no vehicle following the 25% rule should ever fall below the 20psi safety floor.
 
#80 ·
Tell me this, if you have a tire sensor telling you that there's low pressure in a tire, you're going to keep driving without physically getting out to look at it? I know I'd get out and make a judgement call on it and inspect the other tires to make sure it's only one. It's a good idea to have the reset tool, but ford also does it for free. Meh
 
#81 ·
OK, if I have a tire sensor telling me that there is low pressure I'm going to keep driving without physically getting out to look at it. There, you said to tell you that so I told you that.

In reality I pulled into the next service area (that was only a couple of miles up the Thruway) and checked them all out (and filled up my tank since I was there). Visually appeared fine. To be sure, when I got to my brother-in-law's house I checked my pressure, which was fine. Just got them put on the day before and they filled them all to specs when putting them on. Just apparently forgot the reset the sensors when they were done.

I still can't find any printed evidence, from Ford or otherwise, that suggests they are self-training.
 
#93 ·
Silly the thread was merged but whatever.

Well I'm up to 1500 miles on my winter tires/wheels. Had sensors included on from tire rack and have yet to had to reprogram. Still no warning light. I park 40 yards from where my summer wheels are stored. Pretty sold on the fact new sensors auto program.
 
#95 ·
As discussed earlier, the new sensors will be picked up by the cars BCM, and your warning light will go out. However, if you want the BCM to know which sensor is at which corner if the car, they have to be trained. The only reason that would be truly useful was if we had the ability to monitor each sensor individually, which presently in NA, we can't.
 
#94 ·
Well, I'm 7 days in and still hearing the warning tone and seeing the dash lights every startup. I park a little further than 40 yards from my summers but not much further. I'm taking it in tomorrow. I'll talk to the tech and see exactly what he had to do and talk to the service manager to see how much he knows about these. I'll report back if I find out anything interesting either way.

Who knows, maybe it is an issue of manufacturer and that is why some seem to auto-trigger and some do not (mine came from Tire Rack but I don't know the manufacturer). Either way, hopefully I'll know more tomorrow afternoon.
 
#96 ·
Well, it sure does work! I got a low tire pressure warning yesterday. This was the third nail I've driven over that required repair since I bought my car. Thank you, Baby Jesus for Discount Tire.

My buddy was like, "AGAIN!? Get a new car! This one is a lemon." hahaha
 
#98 ·
Hi SaToX,

Did the Service Adviser ever get you an answer? You can always reach out to Ford Canada to get assistance, especially if you're having any concerns at your dealership. They can be reached at 1-800-565-3673.

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Crystal [thumb]
 
#100 ·
I'll chime in here too...

I bought a set of OEM sensors with reset tool from an online Ford parts dealer, and had them installed when I had my new winter tires mounted on rims last month. I put on the winters Saturday and still have not had a tire warning/light. I've driven the car about 4 times since and have put on 100 kms in that time.

My 3 season wheels/tires are stored 4 floors away in the storage room of my condo.
 
#101 ·
I recently picked up a set of 17" titanium wheels/tires without tpms. I read through the thread but it seems most purchase new ones. Can I swap my tpms from the 16" wheels onto the new ones? The 16" wheels would then be sold without tpms.
 
#104 ·
I want to chime in with my experience. I recently got a set of 15" steelies with winter tires mounted and balanced from tire rack. I also included the sensors in all 4 wheels, but did NOT purchase the reset tool that some people say you need. Thus far, after 100+ miles on the new wheels, I have not seen any warnings and have not reset anything. I have a 2012 5mt. If anything changes I will update.
 
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