Digital Tire Pressure System - Worth It?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZAIKLMY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought them on March 22, 2017 and they've been working great. The only issue I had was with signal from some of the rear tires while having the unit mounted inside the area where people normally keep their CBs. I mount it on the upper left of the windshield now and it reads all of the tractor tires. I have not tested them on a trailer, since I only have 10. I just changed the batteries on all of them last month, since they were starting to go out one by one. You can set the threshold for high and low pressure alerts, as well as high temperature. The screen will show pressure and temperature for one tire at a time, but you can cycle through them manually or let it automatically cycle.

 

I'm planning to set up crossfires on the truck and trailer and 10 sensor TPMS that will give me ability to check both truck and trailer.

 

I use the Bendix system on many of the trucks, I refuse to use the one where you screw it on the valve stem.

The system I decided on puts the sensor inside the tire, it monitors both the heat and pressure accurately with little failure. The valve stem sensors don't monitor the temps accurately.

 

What is the benefit of heat measurement -- in real life? Heat seems to correlate with pressure pretty perfectly...........

 

Why? Unnecessarily increases the purchase price of the vehicle, as well as adds to the maintenance expenses if you want to keep the system functional. Hell, the tires on my POV outlast the expected life span of the batteries in those sensors by nearly 100%...which means unnecessarily breaking down the tire half way through its life to replace the sensors despite no issues with the tire. It's just 1 more thing making it more difficult and frustrating for those who like to wrench on their own stuff.

If you want it on your vehicles, feel free to install it at your own expense or select it as an option from the factory. For people who DON'T need that crap on their vehicles, we shouldn't be forced to have to pay for it...and certainly shouldn't be stuck with a car that has the dash lit up like a Christmas tree because of all the unnecessary "mandatory" systems we were forced to buy that we have since chose to either not maintain or that we willfully disabled because we have no use for them and never wanted them on the vehicle in the 1st place.

 

Not if you are losing air and the tire has some weight to it, the tire heats up.

 

Why is real simple. Not everyone properly maintains their vehicles anymore, actually most never have. There has been a marked increase in tire failure on large commercial vehicles resulting in catastrophic loss of life.

Too bad if it inconveniences you to properly service a tire pressure sensor, which should have a battery life that outlasts the service life of a tire if it is replaced by date code even if tread is still sufficient.

If tire pressure sensors on every vehicle only prevents a handful of fatal accidents due to blowout then that is a price I am willing to pay and I do not mind imposing it on the stubborn or ignorant that will only service something if there is a blaring alarm in their face.

Now, that last statement is not directed at you -I know you maintain your equipment, however you know as well as I do that many do not. Nor am I calling you personally stubborn or ignorant. That said, wouldn't you be more comfortable knowing the truck coming head on at you has proper tire inflation and is not a blow out waiting for a place to happen? And be realistic, the average motorist or even modern truck driver is not going to take the time to check their tire pressure daily, most won't ever check tire pressure until it is visibly low and by then the damage is already done.

 

Stubborn would be an understatement...especially where principals are involved.

To answer your question, no, I would NOT be more comfortable. Why? Because comfort encourages complacency, which leads to inattentiveness...which creates situations more dangerous than the one you're trying to avoid through a flawed technology. Are you 100% certain that the vehicle coming at you has a properly maintained TPMS installed and that it isn't throwing any faults? If not, what would be your reasoning for relaxing under a false assumption that there are no issues with the car coming at you?

OEM's say the sensors and their non-replaceable batteries are supposed to last "up to" 7 years. Extreme temperatures, vibration, etc., will all shorten that lifespan, so realistically you're looking at 4-5 years. Tires are good for 8. If the sensors can't outlast the tires, they'll either be non-functional for the last few years (when tire failures are more likely to occur) or cause money to be spent breaking down the tires to replace sensors that will have to be replaced yet again when the tires are eventually replaced because they'll be once again be nearing the end of their lifespan. Tires being expensive enough for most people, what do you think the likelihood of ANY vehicle (even those equipped with it from the factory) still having a functional TPMS 5 years down the road? 7 years? 10 years? I'd be willing to bet once the original owner sells or trades the vehicle, the TPMS won't be functional on a majority of vehicles that once had them. Even if it is working at the time of the sale, when it goes out, most won't spend the money to fix.

 

I agree with you regarding complacency although I don't know how to fix it today. We already have drivers ignoring the most basic maintenance items and this seems like a reasonable solution. I have not seen the same failure rate you are seeing with TPMS, rarely do we have to replace a sensor at our garage. I'm not talking about a private fleet garage, we run a public auto repair facility and Pennsylvania state inspection station so we see dozens of cars weekly.

As for the second and third owners not maintaining the system, valid point although the system could be designed in a manner to compel maintenance. Really, most vehicle systems could compel proper upkeep with some basic go/no-go self diagnostics built in.

In an ideal world all motorists, professional as well as amateur would appreciate the responsibility of operating a motor vehicle and we would need very little regulation to keep us behaving appropriately.

 

You have people driving around on bald tires now...and buying used tires when their slicks are too far gone...because they can't afford new tires. Add the cost of the TPMS sensors to the price of the tires, and making it compulsary on the service garage end will only make people less likely to replace their worn out tires until they simply fail. And if the car is "hard wired" not to run if the TPMS isn't fully functional and fault free, once word gets out about that, people will avoid buying those cars as long as possible, even if that means running a slightly older vehicle with other more dangerous mechanical defects...or the aftermarket will come through with a solution (much like with deleting emissions, and other work-arounds to "mandated" crap people don't want).

Rather than regulating to the lowest common denominator, I'd rather leave the option there for those who want it without mandating it for those who don't...you know, freedom. If you want it, pay for it. I don't. It's just another reason for me to avoid buying a new vehicle...because if I DID buy new, I'd have too much work I'd have to do in order to get it up to my standards.

Then again, I can't even buy a crate engine or transmission without voiding the warranty prior to installing it in a vehicle...