TPMS? a must have?
08-17-2010, 06:15 PM
#19
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No, TPMS is not a "must have", its a luxury like what was said before.
And "$3-400" to have them installed??? Why not just transfer from your stockies? Don't buy another set, thats nuts.
I've gone through 2 pairs of wheels and transfered both times, it was maybe another $25 to do that.
Me personally, I forget to check tire pressures. And here's a pro-TPMS story for you:
I got my latest wheels installed by a reputable place, the TPMS was swapped into this new set. The wheels were pumped up and for about 3 months everything was fine. I would eyeball my tires to see if they looked out of the ordinary almost every morning.
One morning I go to my car, look around the tires and everything looks just fine, these are 20's with 35/30 profile. They don't look low at all. About 4 hours later (after standing in 90F weather) I get in my car and start driving. I see the tire-pressure light is on and think "There's no way my pressures are low, so something must be broken or bad". So I get out of the car, check and everything again LOOKS ok. I finally get home and check my pressures... they were between 27 and 28 PSI on ALL FOUR TIRES. Yet they didn't look "low" (because of low profile).
Moral: either check your tire pressures constantly or stick with TPMS. It works and it saved my ***. (Yeah, I know I'm supposed to check the tire pressure all the time...)
And "$3-400" to have them installed??? Why not just transfer from your stockies? Don't buy another set, thats nuts.
I've gone through 2 pairs of wheels and transfered both times, it was maybe another $25 to do that.
Me personally, I forget to check tire pressures. And here's a pro-TPMS story for you:
I got my latest wheels installed by a reputable place, the TPMS was swapped into this new set. The wheels were pumped up and for about 3 months everything was fine. I would eyeball my tires to see if they looked out of the ordinary almost every morning.
One morning I go to my car, look around the tires and everything looks just fine, these are 20's with 35/30 profile. They don't look low at all. About 4 hours later (after standing in 90F weather) I get in my car and start driving. I see the tire-pressure light is on and think "There's no way my pressures are low, so something must be broken or bad". So I get out of the car, check and everything again LOOKS ok. I finally get home and check my pressures... they were between 27 and 28 PSI on ALL FOUR TIRES. Yet they didn't look "low" (because of low profile).
Moral: either check your tire pressures constantly or stick with TPMS. It works and it saved my ***. (Yeah, I know I'm supposed to check the tire pressure all the time...)
09-26-2010, 11:38 PM
#20
09-27-2010, 06:23 AM
#21
09-30-2010, 05:33 PM
#24
09-30-2010, 05:50 PM
#25
Senior Citizen
You guys don’t seem to realize that the system was specifically designed to irritate those who disable it by making sure that light stays on. You really have only two choices: put a sledge hammer through your dashboard, or reinstall TPMS. 
09-30-2010, 06:37 PM
#27
Senior Citizen
If you do that the car won’t start, all four tires will go flat, and the radio will only play a loud message over and over again saying, “DANGER, YOUR TPMS LIGHT IS OUT.” 
Seriously, and for what it’s worth around here, it is permitted to remove a vehicle’s TPMS sensors, but illegal to extinguish the light if the system is disabled.
I know, I know, no cop is going to pull you over and say, “Sir the reason I stopped you today is because I noticed you have neither TPMS sensors nor the light on. Pleases step out of the car……………….”
Seriously, and for what it’s worth around here, it is permitted to remove a vehicle’s TPMS sensors, but illegal to extinguish the light if the system is disabled.
I know, I know, no cop is going to pull you over and say, “Sir the reason I stopped you today is because I noticed you have neither TPMS sensors nor the light on. Pleases step out of the car……………….”
09-30-2010, 07:03 PM
#28
Actually, it's not at all illegal. I'm not sure where you're getting your info, but I can assure you that it's not illegal in any state.
09-30-2010, 07:33 PM
#29
Senior Citizen
49 CFR Parts 571 and 585
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards;
Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems;
Controls and Displays; Final Rule
http://www.tireindustry.org/pdf/TPMS_FinalRule_v3.pdf
Making Time for TPMS | Tire Industry Association
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards;
Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems;
Controls and Displays; Final Rule
http://www.tireindustry.org/pdf/TPMS_FinalRule_v3.pdf
Making Time for TPMS | Tire Industry Association
09-30-2010, 08:30 PM
#30
Wow, that's an interesting article. But I still don't believe that a consumer can't disable his TPMS. A mechanic? Sure, I can see how it could be illegal in the future. Either way, I think the author of that article is basically making an assumption. He offers nothing but an opinion as far as I can tell
Just like the passenger airbag fiasco years ago, it was illegal for a mechanic to disable it at the customer's request, but there was nothing illegal about the car owner doing it himself. So I can see something like that coming in the future for TPMS. But that's only if legislation is passed. As for right now, I haven't found anything to support that.
I also think the whole idea of failing an inspection because of a non-functioning TPMS is silly. Do any states even have that as an inspection item? Here in NY, it's not even on the list (I'm a licensed DMV inspector in NY) and I haven't heard anything about that changing. At least not yet...
Even if it were against the law, would it be a state law or a federal law? And who would enforce it? And how would they know? I've disabled the TPMS in my 4Runner (the batteries just died in two of the sensors--they are 7 years old now) and since the light is out, you'd never know it was disabled unless you looked for it for the two seconds it lights up during start-up.
Just like the passenger airbag fiasco years ago, it was illegal for a mechanic to disable it at the customer's request, but there was nothing illegal about the car owner doing it himself. So I can see something like that coming in the future for TPMS. But that's only if legislation is passed. As for right now, I haven't found anything to support that.
I also think the whole idea of failing an inspection because of a non-functioning TPMS is silly. Do any states even have that as an inspection item? Here in NY, it's not even on the list (I'm a licensed DMV inspector in NY) and I haven't heard anything about that changing. At least not yet...
Even if it were against the law, would it be a state law or a federal law? And who would enforce it? And how would they know? I've disabled the TPMS in my 4Runner (the batteries just died in two of the sensors--they are 7 years old now) and since the light is out, you'd never know it was disabled unless you looked for it for the two seconds it lights up during start-up.
Last edited by MSCA; 09-30-2010 at 08:38 PM.