4 ms·

I'd encourage you not to rate low over the TPMS sensor light - it's far from a guarantee of actually low tire pressure. On many cars, TPMS sensor problems caus

I'd encourage you not to rate low over the TPMS sensor light - it's far from a guarantee of actually low tire pressure. On many cars, TPMS sensor problems cause the light to blink at startup, then stay on steadily just like you had a low tire. That includes "the tire doesn't have a sensor", which can save about $200 on each valve stem. Given how quickly an Uber driver can rack up mileage, I wouldn't be surprised if many of them are just saving money on tires by getting sensor-less ones. (Admittedly you can't tell if they're checking the pressure manually; I would think so to save on tire lifespan, but it's obviously not guaranteed. Of course, not seeing the light isn't a guarantee either.)

antisthenes 7y ago
Tires are just pieces of rubber. The sensor is attached to the wheel and stays in place after tires get changed.
- rhinoceraptor 7y ago
  If you buy a set of wheels dedicated to winter tires, then you can swap between summer and winter in thirty minutes at home. Otherwise, you need to put your dirty tires in the back seat, drive to a shop, pay $100 and wait for an hour or two to get them swapped and balanced.
  - Bartweiss 7y ago
    Yep, that. I guess TPMS for the winter rims would be a one-time cost that should outlast the tires, but it's still pretty common to not get it. An extra ~$800 up front, last time I had a tire replaced the sensor ended up damaged anyway, and if your winter tire pressure is different it'll just complain uselessly anyway.
    - rhinoceraptor 7y ago
      Plus, if you're already spending >$1000 for winter tires/wheels, it's hard to justify TPMS on top of that. And if you're paying that much for the added safety/performance, you're not the kind of person who needs TPMS to nag them into inflating to the proper pressure.
      - mywittyname 7y ago
        If you're spending >$1000 on tires, how is a $80 set of TPMS hard to justify? Presumably you're buying snow tires for safety reasons. Proper tire pressure is important for traction, thus safety. And winter is the time when tire pressure fluctuates the most.
        leetcrew 7y ago
        > And winter is the time when tire pressure fluctuates the most genuinely curious, why? I thought tire pressure fluctuations were linearly related to air temperature fluctuations. does the temperature vary more in the winter than in the summer?
        Bartweiss 7y ago
        At least in some of the US, quite a bit more. Winter might be swings of >50F, especially night to day, while summer variation is likely to be <40F. I'm not what all weather patterns factor into that, but a major part is that winter air is dryer, and water vapor does a lot to 'buffer' brief temperature changes. That said, I mostly end up checking my tires more in the winter because I care more; if a tire is only a few pounds low I'd still prefer to handle it before I have to go drive on snow during a cold snap.
        rhinoceraptor 7y ago
        Sure, but if you’re the kind of person who buys winter tires (which IME is pretty rare in the widwest USA), you probably know that and check your pressure every couple weeks. And it probably only fluctuates a couple PSI which is well within safe bounds.
- vonmoltke 7y ago
  Sensors are frequently and unavoidably damaged during unmounting. Many shops just replace the sensors as a matter of course when replacing the tire, since there is no way to test the sensor until the new tire is mounted and inflated.
jhayward 7y ago
> which can save about $200 on each valve stem. What kind of car requires $200 TPMS sensors? Most are in the $35-$55 range, even on very high end cars.
- snuxoll 7y ago
  Hell, even my dealership "only" charges $80 per wheel. Though we quickly learned the local tire shop does them for $40 a pop with a much quicker service. I generally just let the dealer service our car since there's not many mechanics in the area qualified to service hybrids anyway, but hell if I'm letting them rip us off on anything related to the tires again (even though their prices for Toyota factory tires are quite fair, I'm not paying an extra $40 a tire for the sensors when we buy a new set).
Shivetya 7y ago
my favorite was the TPMS on my spare was alerting, unfortunately my car while it had TPMS did not state which wheel it was on.

antisthenes 7y ago

Tires are just pieces of rubber. The sensor is attached to the wheel and stays in place after tires get changed.

rhinoceraptor 7y ago
If you buy a set of wheels dedicated to winter tires, then you can swap between summer and winter in thirty minutes at home. Otherwise, you need to put your dirty tires in the back seat, drive to a shop, pay $100 and wait for an hour or two to get them swapped and balanced.
- Bartweiss 7y ago
  Yep, that. I guess TPMS for the winter rims would be a one-time cost that should outlast the tires, but it's still pretty common to not get it. An extra ~$800 up front, last time I had a tire replaced the sensor ended up damaged anyway, and if your winter tire pressure is different it'll just complain uselessly anyway.
  - rhinoceraptor 7y ago
    Plus, if you're already spending >$1000 for winter tires/wheels, it's hard to justify TPMS on top of that. And if you're paying that much for the added safety/performance, you're not the kind of person who needs TPMS to nag them into inflating to the proper pressure.
    - mywittyname 7y ago
      If you're spending >$1000 on tires, how is a $80 set of TPMS hard to justify? Presumably you're buying snow tires for safety reasons. Proper tire pressure is important for traction, thus safety. And winter is the time when tire pressure fluctuates the most.
      - leetcrew 7y ago
        > And winter is the time when tire pressure fluctuates the most genuinely curious, why? I thought tire pressure fluctuations were linearly related to air temperature fluctuations. does the temperature vary more in the winter than in the summer?
        Bartweiss 7y ago
        At least in some of the US, quite a bit more. Winter might be swings of >50F, especially night to day, while summer variation is likely to be <40F. I'm not what all weather patterns factor into that, but a major part is that winter air is dryer, and water vapor does a lot to 'buffer' brief temperature changes. That said, I mostly end up checking my tires more in the winter because I care more; if a tire is only a few pounds low I'd still prefer to handle it before I have to go drive on snow during a cold snap.
      - rhinoceraptor 7y ago
        Sure, but if you’re the kind of person who buys winter tires (which IME is pretty rare in the widwest USA), you probably know that and check your pressure every couple weeks. And it probably only fluctuates a couple PSI which is well within safe bounds.
vonmoltke 7y ago
Sensors are frequently and unavoidably damaged during unmounting. Many shops just replace the sensors as a matter of course when replacing the tire, since there is no way to test the sensor until the new tire is mounted and inflated.

jhayward 7y ago

> which can save about $200 on each valve stem. What kind of car requires $200 TPMS sensors? Most are in the $35-$55 range, even on very high end cars.

snuxoll 7y ago
Hell, even my dealership "only" charges $80 per wheel. Though we quickly learned the local tire shop does them for $40 a pop with a much quicker service. I generally just let the dealer service our car since there's not many mechanics in the area qualified to service hybrids anyway, but hell if I'm letting them rip us off on anything related to the tires again (even though their prices for Toyota factory tires are quite fair, I'm not paying an extra $40 a tire for the sensors when we buy a new set).

Shivetya 7y ago

my favorite was the TPMS on my spare was alerting, unfortunately my car while it had TPMS did not state which wheel it was on.