TPMS for Off-Road - Keep or Delete?

I am about to get new tires for my new wheels, to go on the truck as soon as I lift it. As the title says, keep or delete TPMS.

To those that go off-road, lowering (and raising) your tire pressure - is TPMS worth the hassle? Is it resettable once you air down to 20 or 15 PSI? Or should I just delete the system.

I am leaning towards deleting it. I always check and adjust my air pressure - it seems TPMS will just be another thing that has to be done to no additional value. Also, it will save the cost of sensors.

Thoughts?

 

After you air down just press the TPMS button under the steering wheel to set the system for the new pressure. Takes just a second. Do the same when you air up again.

That said, you can certainly delete the system. As far as I know the options are:

• Learn to ignore the TPMS light
• Put tape over the TPMS light
• Put the TPMS sensors in a pipe, pressurize the pipe, keep the pipe under your seat
• Remove the TPMS receiver unit (location varies a bit I think, but usually above the headliner near the rear of the cab

There are a lot of threads on deleting the TPMS if that is the route you choose. But as far as airing up and down goes that isn't a problem, just use the recalibration button.

 

Just know you can't take your truck to a shop to have work done on the tires. Fed law says they can't touch it. You will need to mount and repair the tires yourself or take them off and drive them to the shop. Even then you may need to convince them they are for offroad use only.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/tpmsfinalrule.6/tpmsfinalrule.6.html

 

Keep the TPMS.Just use the reset button below the steering wheel.

 

Keep the TPMS and ignore the little red light while aired down. Amazingly enough, it will go out when you air up again.

 

If your oem tpms sensors are compatible with your new wheels definitely keep them. If they can't swap in then it will cost a little more for aftermarket sensors. If you air down your tires below factory spec the reset button will not reset to any psi lower than that.

 

I have ignored my little red light for days on end with no ill effects

 

Big chains won't but I've never had a mom and pop tire shop give me any hassle about not having my TPMS sensors installed.

 

My tire shop (big chain) told me that if the light is on when it comes in (or sensors gone even) then it can leave in the same condition, but if the light is off when it comes in (sensors present) then it needs to leave in that condition. They include free seasonal switches of winter/ summer tires as part of their service. My summer wheels/tires have sensors, but my winter set does not. I have to put the winter set on myself, but they will switch me to the ones with sensors for free. They have done work on both sets without issue.

 

Actually the law only says that the installer is not allowed to "make inoperative" any part of the TPMS system. If the system is already inoperative when the customer brings it in to the shop then the shop can work on the vehicle/tires and return the vehicle still inoperative to the customer. Thus a tire shop can not remove the working TPMS sensors from your wheels for you. However, you can bring a vehicle missing TPMS sensors to them and they can work on it and return it to you without TPMS sensors.

In fact, you can break all four of your TPMS sensors and then take the vehicle to the shop and have them replace the broken TPMS sensors with normal valve stems. They can't replace working TPMS sensors with normal valve stems though. This example is in fact taken directly from a letter of clarification from the NHTSA to the TIA.

Yep, that's exactly correct.

For reference here are some articles on the "make inoperative" rule and how exactly it is applied to TPMS sensors and indicators:

http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/20111123/NEWS/311239995

http://www.tirereview.com/tpms-nhtsa-and-you/

And the actual NHTSA letter to the TIA:

https://lesschwab.com/content_files/TPMS_letter.pdf

 

I did the TPMS wire mod on my truck about a month after I bought it and sold the sensors. I have no regrets.

As DVexile said above, the tire shops don't care if you have the sensors or not. They just can't be remove the sensors from your vehicle or disable any part of the system. Ironically, the tire shop removed my sensors for me so I could sell them. However, I brought the stock wheels/tires to them in the bed of my truck. They explained they can remove sensors from loose wheels, but not if they were mounted on my truck.

I've had no problems getting new tires mounted, rotations, balancing, etc. without sensors or without the TPMS light on. I just tell them there are no sensors and that's the end of the conversation. Makes it simple.

 

I deleted my tpms. but then again the dealership sold me the truck sans sensors. The stupid light drove me crazy. That being said I'm in BC where there is no law against deleting tpms sensors and tire shops don't care, If you do or don't have them

 

I'm going to skip the sensors. My new wheels did not come with any, and since I am not ready to install the new wheels (and am getting tires tomorrow) I am not going to break down my current wheels to get the sensors.

I did find new ones for $70 each.

I check my air pressure regularly, so I am going to do the TPMS wire mod and call it good.

Thanks for the feedback.