Tire pressure monitoring systems

[Greg A]

This is the system one of my trucker friends let me try.
507 Starter System Kit - Starter Systems, Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems - Truck System Technologies
They have internal or external and price is good.

Drove me nuts, so took it off, but when we start traversing the country in retirement will probably put one back on.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Greg A

This is the system one of my trucker friends let me try.
507 Starter System Kit - Starter Systems, Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems - Truck System Technologies
They have internal or external and price is good.

Drove me nuts, so took it off, but when we start traversing the country in retirement will probably put one back on.

Gregg what part drove you nuts ? I am being serious . What do you have external or internal system ? Pat

[Greg A]

Pat,
The set my bud gave me to try was an external. Reception was great and everything worked flawlessly, but I just personally found the monitor was too distracting for me. Maybe that would wear off, but seems like modern cars already have a lot of distracting items and adding another wasn't working for me.
I think now being familiar with it, I would get it all set up and put it somewhere in the back seat where I don't see it. The audible alarm would let me know if there were any issues and that would be all one needs.
Like you, I check hub and tire temps at every stop so really only need failure alarm from this type of system.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Greg A

Pat,
The set my bud gave me to try was an external. Reception was great and everything worked flawlessly, but I just personally found the monitor was too distracting for me. Maybe that would wear off, but seems like modern cars already have a lot of distracting items and adding another wasn't working for me.
I think now being familiar with it, I would get it all set up and put it somewhere in the back seat where I don't see it. The audible alarm would let me know if there were any issues and that would be all one needs.
Like you, I check hub and tire temps at every stop so really only need failure alarm from this type of system.

Thanks Gregg . Good information .Know what you mean with all the stuff on new vehicles . Luckily right now just have my old Ford without all that . But besides checking I think this would be prudent for some kind of warning . Pat

[Greg A]

I can say they really do work well, Pat. Probably worth every penny if something occurs to have some warning. I definitely will put one on again at some point.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Greg A

I can say they really do work well, Pat. Probably worth every penny if something occurs to have some warning. I definitely will put one on again at some point.

Thanks Gregg . Pat

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Art M.

I just realized that the internal pressure sensors for four tires don't include the spare (some of us think glacially slowly!). So if I ever have to use the spare, I give up continuous pressure monitoring with an internal system, unless I buy an extra one or two sensors. With external sensors, I'd just move one to the former spare.

If you have all five sensors - with either internal or external mounting - and a monitoring system which is bright enough to keep track of all five - then you know whether you have a usable spare or not. Of course, if the spare just slowly leaks down and you carry an air pump, then pressure in the spare is no big deal.

[skiman]

Originally Posted by padlin

I saw that you get about 2 years out of the battery on at least some of the external sensors, some batteries are user replaceable, some not. Any idea if the internal ones are similar?

I've yet to have one of the factory internals go dead on the car or truck.

They say 5-7 years.

[tractors1]

I mounted the monitor/receiver for my TPMS on the rear window of my Taco over on the passengers corner with VHB tape. Been there 6 years with no problem.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by skiman

They say 5-7 years.

Thanks Carl
Took a look at the TST site, says when they expire you have to send them back to the factory for "rework".

[bdornbush]

Originally Posted by Greg A

Pat,
Like you, I check hub and tire temps at every stop so really only need failure alarm from this type of system.

I wondered about this. I have the steel wheels and there is a plastic cover over the hubs. Do I need to remove the plastic cover to check the hub temps, or would I feel it was running hot it I checked it with the plastic cover in place?

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by bdornbush

I wondered about this. I have the steel wheels and there is a plastic cover over the hubs. Do I need to remove the plastic cover to check the hub temps, or would I feel it was running hot it I checked it with the plastic cover in place?

Bill when you touch the hubs even with the plastic caps on , you will feel if it is hot . Also feel your tires and you don't want them to be real hot . Pat

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by bdornbush

I have the steel wheels and there is a plastic cover over the hubs. Do I need to remove the plastic cover to check the hub temps, or would I feel it was running hot it I checked it with the plastic cover in place?

Not very accurately.

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Bill when you touch the hubs even with the plastic caps on , you will feel if it is hot . Also feel your tires and you don't want them to be real hot . Pat

How about the wheels - the temperature of the wheel around the centre cap will be much closer to the hub and bearing temperature than the surface of any cap, especially a plastic one.

Separately, I agree that you don't want the tires to be hot... which is likely to be due to underinflation or overloading, rather than bearing issues.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Not very accurately.


How about the wheels - the temperature of the wheel around the centre cap will be much closer to the hub and bearing temperature than the surface of any cap, especially a plastic one.

Separately, I agree that you don't want the tires to be hot... which is likely to be due to underinflation or overloading, rather than bearing issues.

I know sometimes what I want to say comes out differently . If the whole wheel is hot , touching in different places not good . He was focusing on the plastic cap so that is why I went there . Pat

[Art M.]

I just called TST and talked with Beverly. [This company appears to make good products, as apparently do many of their competitors.]

With their 507 internal system, when due for battery replacement around 7 years, you order replacements at about $30/sensor vs $80/sensor new, have your tire shop swap them (maybe at the same time you need new tires?) then ship back the old. That should work smoothly, much better than if you had to return yours, then some weeks later receive the rebuilt units and have them installed in a second visit to a tire shop.

According to Beverly, the internal sensors are no longer mounted to valve stems as shown on their website, but are attached to the wheel by a band encircling it. She said most car manufacturers use the same type mounting.

They recommend metal valve stems for their Flow Thru 507 sensors (you don't need to remove the sensor to add air to a tire), but the standard 507 sensors are lighter and are ok with rubber valve stems. So I ordered the standard 4-sensor set at $259. When I replace tires, I'll ask for metal valve stems – if I can remember that long.

The standard 507 Sensors use a special wrench for theft resistance. The Flow Thru twist on, then use an Allen set screw for security – which would allow a determined thief to destroy the valve stem threads in removing the sensor. TST receives few notices of sensor theft, and that also doesn't seem to be much of a problem according to this forum.

The external 507 sensors have user replaceable CR1632 batteries, claimed to last 10-12 months, and longer if you remove them from the tire when in storage. I plan to do this for battery life and added theft resistance. [First use a silver craft pen to write the tire position on each sensor so I don't have to reprogram the monitor. Beverly said these remain legible for a long time.]

[Rossue]

Thanks for that tip to mark each sensor to it's tire. Haven't gotten around to installing mine yet, but have been thinking of not bothering with the locking cap which can be removed. Good to know they have few reported instances of theft.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Art M.

I just called TST and talked with Beverly. [This company appears to make good products, as apparently do many of their competitors.]

With their 507 internal system, when due for battery replacement around 7 years, you order replacements at about $30/sensor vs $80/sensor new, have your tire shop swap them (maybe at the same time you need new tires?) then ship back the old. That should work smoothly, much better than if you had to return yours, then some weeks later receive the rebuilt units and have them installed in a second visit to a tire shop.

According to Beverly, the internal sensors are no longer mounted to valve stems as shown on their website, but are attached to the wheel by a band encircling it. She said most car manufacturers use the same type mounting.

They recommend metal valve stems for their Flow Thru 507 sensors (you don't need to remove the sensor to add air to a tire), but the standard 507 sensors are lighter and are ok with rubber valve stems. So I ordered the standard 4-sensor set at $259. When I replace tires, I'll ask for metal valve stems – if I can remember that long.

The standard 507 Sensors use a special wrench for theft resistance. The Flow Thru twist on, then use an Allen set screw for security – which would allow a determined thief to destroy the valve stem threads in removing the sensor. TST receives few notices of sensor theft, and that also doesn't seem to be much of a problem according to this forum.

The external 507 sensors have user replaceable CR1632 batteries, claimed to last 10-12 months, and longer if you remove them from the tire when in storage. I plan to do this for battery life and added theft resistance. [First use a silver craft pen to write the tire position on each sensor so I don't have to reprogram the monitor. Beverly said these remain legible for a long time.]

Good information . Looks like I will get the standard sensors . One question would the wireless frig moniters cause any problems do you know ? Pat

[Art M.]

One question would the wireless frig moniters cause any problems do you know ? Pat

I don't know, but we have the fridge monitors so we will find out.
Art

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Art M.

One question would the wireless frig moniters cause any problems do you know ? Pat

I don't know, but we have the fridge monitors so we will find out.
Art

OK you go first . Pat

[Kountrykamper]

TST is the system many people were using over on the Casita forum several years ago. Many people seemed happy with it so I tried it. I had problems with losing the signal and having false alarms. It may have been because of the distance between the sensors and my receiver because if the length of my truck. I ended up returning it and purchasing the Dill that has a external antenna. Also the sensor on the end of the valve stem stuck out pass the wheel a little and just looked like it could be hit. Its more work to install the Dill but from my experience I found it more reliable.

They may have made improvements in the sensors since I tried it about 6 years ago.