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My 2 year old car doesn't have TPMS sensors, it just uses the ABS system to give a vague "low tire pressure" warning, with no indication of which tire or how lo
by Johnny555 4y ago
My 2 year old car doesn't have TPMS sensors, it just uses the ABS system to give a vague "low tire pressure" warning, with no indication of which tire or how low it is.
I prefer the real TPMS sensors despite the higher cost since then when the light comes on, I know which wheel it is, and what the actual pressure is -- if it dropped from 35psi to 25psi, I can make it a few miles to the next exit, but if it's 10psi, I probably need to stop now.
- NullPrefix 4y agoHow does a TPMS mandate existence or inexistence prevent you from getting that option when buying the car or installing the aftermarket version?
- Johnny555 4y agoI didn't advocate for or against a TPMS mandate, but I don't want a third party system because a factory TPMS display will be built-into the car's instrument paenl, I don't need to velcro a separate TPMS display to my dashboard and either hardwire it or keep it charged. Plus I know that the OEM system is engineered for that car, I don't have to worry about installing repeaters because there's too much metal between the sensors and the receiver. But that said, I do believe that the TPMS mandate is worthwhile, I've been alerted a couple times already to a nearly flat tire. (both times due to damage while driving, so I wouldn't have noticed it even if I checked my tire pressure every time I drive the car, which I doubt many people do)
- NullPrefix 4y agoOK, so you're saying that aftermarket TPMS might not be convenient, however, like I said in the original comment, you still have the option to buy the option when buying the car.
- Johnny555 4y agoWould a pressure reading TPMS system be offered by manufacturers if they already implemented the cheaper passive ABS based system?
- NullPrefix 4y agoAs you said previously, TPMS gives a more verbose output than ABS based system. That's a pretty obvious selling point
- Johnny555 4y agoIs it? My car doesn't offer it as an option, it only offers the ABS based system. Does any car offer the more granular TPMS system if they already offer the ABS based system to fulfill the legal requirement?
- NullPrefix 4y agoWould you be willing to share the make and model of your car?
- Johnny555 4y ago2021 Honda Accord. From the owner's manual: Instead of directly measuring the pressure in each tire, the TPMS on this vehicle monitors and compares the rolling radius and rotational characteristics of each wheel and tire while you are driving to determine if one or more tires are significantly under-inflated. There's no other TPMS option available for that generation (10th Generation) car at any trim level, not sure about the new 11th Gen coming out this year.
- NullPrefix 4y agoI was kinda in the wrong, that appears to be correct. Honda is advertising the ABS based system as TPMS and is not offering any "upgrades".
- 4y ago
- mastax 4y agoHah, my car does have real TPMS sensors but the dashboard display is such that the only thing it can say is a vague "low tire pressure" warning, with no indication of which tire or how low it is. I should get an OBD adapter one of these days.
- el_benhameen 4y agoSpeaking from experience, OBD will not necessarily help you here. Something has to put the TPMS data out on the CAN bus. The rudimentary system in my old Corolla does not do this, so the only way to debug a malfunctioning TPMS system is via sdr (or an expensive tool, or a trip to the tire store).
- kube-system 4y agoNot just "the" CAN bus, but the one you're sniffing. Many cars have multiple busses that carry different traffic.
- tedmid 4y agoYeah that’s really frustrating. Different manufacturers have different offerings here. My Toyota has nothing more than the lame “low pressure” warning, but my wife’s company Chevrolet actually shows numeric values for all 4 tires. Give us the data!!!
- jakear 4y agoA basic mechanical pressure sensor is the much cheaper and more reliable system.
- Johnny555 4y agoHow does a mechanical pressure sensor work? I've only seen electronic ones, how does the mechanical system warn the driver about low tire pressure while driving?
- loeg 4y ago> I prefer the real TPMS sensors despite the higher cost since then when the light comes on, I know which wheel it is, and what the actual pressure is What car do you have that reports this level of detail? It's much more common for cars to pop a generic "low pressure" icon with zero other details.
- Johnny555 4y agoMy Ford Transit van shows the numerical pressure of all 6 tires. Haven't had a low pressure warning yet so I'm not sure what level of detail it gives, but with a few clicks I can pull up the pressures on the instrument panel display. It also sends the data to Ford so I can see the last read tire pressure on the FordPass app.
- loeg 4y agoThat’s really cool.
- protomyth 4y agoKia Niro also has numerical pressure for four tires. It really helped when I noticed one tire dropped a couple of pounds before the actual TPMS warning on the dash. Took it in and they patched the slow leak. I am now inclined not to buy a car without a numeric display of the pressure in individual tires. It is way too useful a feature.
- _yb2s 4y agoLots of higher end cars will show a diagram with the pressure of each tire labeled.
- slaw 4y ago2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2015 Jeep Cherokee show tire pressure in each tire.
- pkaye 4y agoMy Toyota Camry reports the pressure reported on each TPMS sensor. Only drawback is I don't know when one matches which tire so when refilling the air, I have to guess a bit.
- phkahler 4y agoThat sounds like a preference, which I can respect. It does not IMHO warrant a government mandate for the equipment.