Tire pressure monitoring system purchase advice?

rv_safetyman · February 08, 2011, 06:43:21 AM

Joe, that is a slick device. It must be fairly new, as I have not seen it at any of the trade shows we have attended.

It is a sophisticated version of the old method - long antenna mounted sideways on the bumper of the toad/trailer with a tennis ball on the end. This is electronic version is much more reliable.

The technology is very straight forward and should work just fine. The $498 price is not all that bad and if it saves any damage to the toad, it would pay for itself.

I had to laugh thinking about towing on I-10 on the FL-NM route (or many other interstate) and having to listen to the receiver beep. Looks like you can adjust the sensitivity and it apparently looks for a repetitive signal.

Jim

Update: Joe, I just noticed that you are a dealer. Kind of a sneaky way to advertise

luvrbus · February 08, 2011, 06:53:46 AM

He is pretty slick Jim I wasn't going to say anything lol I knew you would catch that one

good luck

gus · February 08, 2011, 04:46:53 PM

Jack,

I can't hear mine but it has a red or yellow light which blinks.

Too many hours in noisy airplanes has eliminated my high frequency hearing completely!!

Lin · February 08, 2011, 06:37:02 PM

The PP works. I'm sure that there are others that do too. Also, I would expect that, as time goes on, there are likely to be various new features added. Although being able to air up without removing the sensor may be a benefit, I am not sure that it is. I did not see the link so do not know how it works, but removing the sensor takes barely more effort than removing a valve stem cap. If the sensor has its own Schrader valve, then it might not be that much of a savings in effort. Also, if the valve stem points inward, the sensor would be extending the fill point away from you possibly making it less convenient. I would guess that my hands are smaller than many here, but reaching into the wheels is always a drag. I have even enlarged the holes in my front wheel covers to make it easier. Again, I emphasize that I am just speculating.

By the way, the PP does not reset each time the sensor is removed. The monitor retains the original setting until you manually reset it.

rv_safetyman · February 09, 2011, 05:47:45 AM

Lin, need to correct your last statement. If you remove the sensor for more than one minute (my experience is about 30 seconds), the system will reset the system to the new pressure as the base pressure.

That is a neat feature if you move the sensors between two different toads. I used to tow my Jeep Commando with big tires that I ran at 24 PSI. I now tow my service truck which has 19.5 tires and takes 70 PSI. All I have to do is move the sensors to the same location on the other toad, and the system automatically baselines the TPMS system for the different tire systems.

Jim

Lin · February 09, 2011, 09:26:36 AM

Thanks for the correction. I had thought it saved the setting along with the tire position. So, if I understand, when reattaching the sensor for my next trip the pressure in the tire at that time is the new baseline? Thanks

rv_safetyman · February 09, 2011, 09:41:19 AM

Lin, the confusion might come about in that the monitor *does* remember the code for each sensor and where it is located. Thus you need to make sure you get the sensor back on the same wheel. It also remembers the baseline for that sensor. However, it re-sets the baseline if it does not see the sensor for perhaps a minute. You do not need to do any manual baseline setting in the monitor.

You are correct, when you put the sensor back on the same wheel, the pressure that it reads will become the new baseline. From that baseline, you will get the first alarm at 12.5% below that base and the big alarm at 25%. Thus, you will need to make sure that your tires are inflated properly before you put the sensor on. If by chance you install the sensors and find out that the tires are not inflated correctly, all you have to do it take the sensor off, adjust the pressure and put the sensor back on. Then you will have a new baseline.

Recall that temperature can affect the pressure by quite a bit. I have noted a 5-10% swing with a big swing in ambient temperature - not considering the temperature increase when running. That is the reason folks tell you to shut off the monitor at night if it gets real cold outside - false alarm.

Jim

technomadia · June 24, 2011, 11:55:07 AM

Quote from: rv_safetyman on February 07, 2011, 09:16:22 AMYou mention the inside the tire system (Smart Tire http://www.smartire.com/rv ). that is a great system, but most folks do not like the idea of dis-mounting their tires. Also kind of expensive.

I like the idea of a TPMS that can report temperature as well, so I've been researching options in case we want to have a system installed at the same time we get our new wheels and tires.

I checked out Smart Tire, but it seems that they have explicitly pulled out of supporting RV uses of their system:
http://www.smartire.com/rv

They don't even provide an easy list of dealers anymore - seems they are focusing only on fleet and major commercial applications now. I wonder why? Does anyone know anything about their pulling back from the market? Are they still something worth pursuing? I know Sean loves his setup.

I did find this Hawkshead system that supports temperature as well, and doesn't need to be mounted inside the wheel:
http://www.tpms.ca/PTHD.html

I found this Pressure Plus system on Amazon - seems to do temperature too:
http://www.amazon.com/PressurePlus-6-Sensor-Pressure-Monitoring-System/dp/B003GCLJZO/ref=dp_cp_ob_auto_title_1

A few more details: http://www.pacific-dualies.com/products/tpms/

I found lots of people selling the Pressure Pro system, all claiming to be the cheapest with the best support. But if there is a better system out there, I'd like to know about it.

Another system, no temperature, seems like a Pressure Pro clone:
http://www.doranmfg.com/tirepressuremonitorproducts.htm

Any thoughts on the options? Does anyone have any experience with Hawkshead or Pressure Plus?

It seems like most are valve-cap style user installable, so unless I want to track down a Smart Tire installer I should be able to get by without picking a TPMS immediately. I was worried that I would need to decide the TPMS system before we bought tires and wheels.

Thanks!

- Chris

luvrbus · June 24, 2011, 12:36:57 PM

The temperature feature is not all that great we have that on our S&S the PP does the same the temperature goes up on a low tire and the PP sets the alarm off with low pressure,I cannot see the benefit myself unless I missing something lol

good luck

Sean · June 24, 2011, 12:53:42 PM

Quote from: technomadia on June 24, 2011, 11:55:07 AM
... I checked out Smart Tire, but it seems that they have explicitly pulled out of supporting RV uses of their system:
http://www.smartire.com/rv

They don't even provide an easy list of dealers anymore - seems they are focusing only on fleet and major commercial applications now. I wonder why? Does anyone know anything about their pulling back from the market?
...

Wow, this is bad news for us (as if I needed any more right at the moment). We are end-of-life on the (non-replaceable) sensor batteries, and it looks like we will have trouble getting sensors. Hopefully the sensors are identical on the bus units (I know when we bought the system that the sensors were the same for the heavy trucks) and we can just buy them through that channel.

I'll let you know what I find out.

If you decide on a non-temperature model, I will put in a good word for Jim Shepherd. But I still like our temperature reporting, for all the reasons I listed on the phone. If I have a dragging brake or a bad wheel bearing I'll know it right from the driver seat.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

luvrbus · June 24, 2011, 01:11:19 PM

Major truck lines just use the CrossFire system on the duals and that is a equalization system that is all I ever had on my trucks never saw a system like PP or smart tire on Swift's trucks and Jerry has over 5000 units with 18 wheels lol just the Crossfire systems

good luck

John316 · June 24, 2011, 01:30:28 PM

I will say that we have Jim's (rvsafetysystems) system on our bus. We ordered it, as a result of this thread.

My thoughts....we were considering this, vs the smart tire. We opted for this one, for ease of installation. Overall we have been very happy with it.

We have gotten a few codes on hot days. The pressure expands over the 20% upper threshold, and we get an alarm. I simply set the upper limit a little hire, and no problems.

Otherwise, thank you Jim. We like it, and it gives us a great sense of security.

John

rv_safetyman · June 24, 2011, 06:49:51 PM

John, thanks for the kind words. I have sold sets to many of the regulars on this board and I think they are all happy.

Sean, Smarttire sold their company to Bendix and they are still in business:

http://www.smartire.com/rv

In my opinion, they are the only TPMS that can truly measure tire temperature since the sensor is inside the tire. All the others that claim to measure temperature are stem mounted systems and I think it is a huge stretch to say that they measure tire temperature accurately.

There are a lot of system available with a pretty good spread in price. In the last few years, there have been several off-shore manufacturers move into the market. Some have done well, and others have had some significant problems.

Many folks just bite the bullet and buy the tried and true products such as Pressure Pro, Doran 360 and Smarttire. They are the well know vendors and have good track records.

Jim

luvrbus · June 24, 2011, 06:56:55 PM

Mine are inside the tire and checking the tire with the IR gun they are not close and I have checked the gun

good luck

rv_safetyman · June 24, 2011, 08:45:07 PM

Clifford, you are the first person I have heard of the looked at the calibration of the Smarttire system. Which way was the tire exterior temperature?

I have had folks tell me that they pick up a lot of brake temperature on long down hill sections.

I always make the point, that tire temperature is not a good measurement of potential tire problems -at least from a preventative point of view. By the time the tire gets too hot, the damage is done.

In my seminars, I talk about using your hand to check tire temperature. Most folks can leave their hand on something that is 140*. Anything hotter, and you quickly remove your hand. Folks who do welding can handle a bit higher temperature. In any case, if the tire feels comfortable to the touch, it is less than 140*. On a hot day, you are good to go. Rule of thumb, but it seems to be pretty universal.

Jim