tire sensors 2WD tacoma 08,15 inch rims

Hello,

I have a Toyota Tacoma 08 2wd. I bought this years winter tires and rims. I had the bad surprise even if you stay the 15 inch rims and same size of tires. the tire sensor will not reset because rims are not oem toyota wheels. The tire lights sensor will always stay on the dashboard.

My questions 1 :

Is anyway the dealer with his computer can reach your computer in your truck and turn the tire sensor in off mode? I do not want the engine to check the tire sensors.

The Toyota dealer said you have to buy new sensors for your wheels at 80$ each. That is a lot of money and I am not convince it is the only solutions.

The book suggest to contact the toyota dealer, but I the best solution is to turn off that sensor from the computer ,but I don't know how the garage will do it.


My question 2, is a specific fuse assign to the tire sensor that I can pull out without turning off something else.?


Can anyone assist? Please

Thank you.
Sylvain Cyr

 

Sensors that are in the stock wheels have to be transplated into the new wheels........

 

No...There is no "off" mode on the TPMS. It is a federally mandated system...so there will be no shutting it off option. I don't believe there are any fuses specifically for it either.

Your only option is to transplant the sensors you have, get a new set and have them programmed into the truck, or find an alternative way to store your sensors (like not in the tires, but under pressure...in an piece of PVC pipe or in a small yard trailer tire hidden in the truck somewhere)

 

I know that the Hypertech type programmers for Jeeps have programming to change or even turn off your TPMS...is there not anything like that for Tacomas?

 

Interesting. I run two sets of rims/tires. When the stock tpms sensors with tires and rims are stored in my garage, I do not get a light unless out of range (=/- 40 miles). When a light does trigger out of range, it resets once back home overnight.

The system did trigger once this fall when the pressure was low in the stored tire set. Filled it up in storage and light reset.

Maybe the 15" wheels are different?

 

The sensors don't have a 40 mile range. More like 40 feet at best.

The TPMS computer might check for the sensors at start-up in your garage, and not illuminate the light for some period of time...but there's no way that the computer is reading the sensors in your garage after you leave your driveway.

 

Sorry, I disagree, and have been doing this for 5 winter seasons, both on a Tundra and now my Tacoma. Two sets of tires and rims and only one set of stock sensors. Others have done it too. Have you done this?

My last trip the Maine, the sensors triggered at mile marker 47 and actually documented it. I can post pics of pre and post light trigger if you so desire.

 

Be aware that there are 2 types of sensors (different degrees) to fit different wheel configurations. If you have summer and winter tires/wheels and don't want to feed the stealership more money, the pvc pipe idea might be an alternative to keep the light off the dash. Either that or just put a piece of tape over the light during the winter. These sensors in my opinion are just another way for the dealerships to completely take advantage of you when they need to be replaced and re-calibrated. I've allready made a pvc pipe up with a valve stem in the end, and when I've had enough of the tpms bullshit I'm throwing them in and strapping it to the bottom of the truck...just hope some cop doesn't think it's a pipe bomb.

 

lol I think the computer does a system check every certain amount of time/miles, TPMS sensor dont have a 40 mile range lol, I live on a 100X30 island I'm always at less than 20 miles from my house and the light comes on after a while.


Heck lets do an experiment go 30 miles away from your tpms sensors and try to reset the computer by pressing the button under the dash. LMK if the TMPS light goes away lol.

 

I have done a ton of research on this subject and have even asked several Toyota servicemen about how to deal with this. I have also researched the manufacturer that produces the system for Toyota.

The sensors verify the pressure in your tires at start up and then about every 45 minutes to an hour after that. They verify any sensor with the serial number stored in its computer within a 100 foot radius of the computer. The computer will do a verify search about every 45 minutes to an hour of the intial search. That is unless there is a drastic change of pressure caused by a blow out or a puncture. When you drive away from the TPMS's in your garage there is no drastic change of pressure but it is a gradual change, and wont trip the brain until it does its times diagnostic.

There are is no way to reset the system or to reprogram the system to think that the TPMS is working. There are several MODs on out there on different ways to do this.

There is the pipe bomb which puts the sensors in a sealed length of PVC pipe and pressurize it.

You can turn the sensor 180 degrees on the rim but you risk it getting ripped off when you mount or unmount the tire plus if it goes flat you are screwed.

I ordered a set of clamps that hold the sensor in the middle of the rim. It worked really well and didnt have to many problems with installing them.

http://www.tpmssource.com/strapkit.aspx

But there is NO fancy tool to reprogram or change anything. You can remove the light in the dash or place a piece of black tape over it but other then that you are kind of screwed.

 

The TPMS sensor transmits at about 400 mhz. Based on the battery size and type, it transmits a milliwatt or less. For comparison, your cell phone operates at a higher frequency and, for handheld phones, at 200-300 milliwatts. Cell phone towers are a lot closer together than 40 miles--in fact, you need to be within a few miles of the very tall towers to have any signal at all.

To achieve a 40 mile range using amateur radio at a frequency near the operating frequency of the TPMS system, I have to use a 50 watt transmitter and a very efficient antenna. My amateur radio is at least 50,000 times more powerful than a TPMS transmitter.

It is not physically possible for your TPMS sensors to have a 40 mile range.

What is most likely happening is that your TPMS computer listens for a signal from the TPMS transmitters, and if it hears NO signal for a period of time (or a length of travel) then it will set the TPMS light. The sensors don't transmit all the time, and the system has to be built to allow for some 'missed data' due to interference and signal strength issues. So it takes a while for the TPMS computer to conclude that there are no sensors.

 

It has nothing to do with distance traveled. It is the amount of time that it takes for the computer to realize that it is not near the TPMS. Of course it is going to set it off at exactly the same distance since it is the exact same time.

 

Thanks guys.

All I know is that for the last 5 years, on two different trucks, I have one set of oem sensors in a set of tires and another set without sensors for winter & summer.

I can drive all around town for a couple of hours and get no light. I can park and go hiking/skiing/shopping/work away from home and get back to the truck 6-9 hours later and no light. If it was time wouldn't it go off in the parking lot?

Honestly, whatever criteria is responsible for not making the light trigger is good news to me. I have only invested in one set of sensors, no extra programming, no pipe bomb, no splicing into the harness behind the glove box (a 2006 only mod btw), taking apart the gauge cluster etc, etc. This makes it easy to swap my tires from winter to summer & I do nothing special. Something the OP is trying to do.

 

Who told you that your TPMS would only work on OEM Toyota wheels?? That is not correct.

I have TPMS from Toyota 16" steel wheels put into aftermarket 17" alloy wheels and I've had no problems at all.

 

am I the only one with this problem with new tires ???
when I go to the mountains, the light stays on - when I get back, the light stays on for two days then shuts off - I know altitude changes pressure, yadda, yadda,
but -
did not start until I got the new tires

 

Did you have to mount the TPMS at 180 degrees as others on TW have mentioned? I currently have the 16" steel base wheels and have purchased 17" Centerline Turbine wheels. Thought about selling my unused Centerlines to buy FJ Cruiser TRD wheels but will I be in the same situation? Having to buy new sensors or use the mounting strap?

 

Did you reset the pressure after the new tires?? Because if the sensor is set to trigger at a certain % of the old tire pressure...and you have your new tires set at a lower pressure and the pressure drops more going up in altitude-it might trigger??

 

yes they did reset them ( or so they say) -
I've played with the pressures and we'll see if I have a problem the next time I'm up -
thanks