TPMS trick after removing spare

I have had a much different experience with my TPMS system. On a road trip to Utah my TPMS light came on so I stopped and refilled the indicated tire. When the light came on 15 minutes later, I suspected a nail or screw in the tire. That forced me to check the tires and sure enough I found a screw in my tire. I got the tire repaired and off I went. Since I was traveling on highways with 80 mph speed limits a tire failure could have been life threatening.

On another occasion, I was preparing to go on an off grid camping trip with friends (Joshua Tree NP) and the TPMS light came on. I was able to get the tire repaired prior to the trip and potentially saved myself the trouble of getting stranded in the desert and needing to change a tire in soft sand.

Based on these two experiences, I strongly believe TPMS is very helpful and is a safety feature.

 

Interesting. My 06 spare is so rusty, I doubt if it would even mount. I may try the tire jack pressure trick. I would like to use the spare location for a pancake air tank, and probably throw the spare in the bed in the winter, for extra weight.
However, I use the tpms to find a slow leaker. I set all 5 to an exact psi, then check psi periodically as usual. Easy to spot a leaker. Usually a valve stem, but could be a puncture, seasonal temperature swing, etc. Much easier to fix in the driveway. If I have to take a tire off, I would rather R/R it myself and save my lug nuts from air tool damage.

 

I just put Sema wheels on my 2006 and used regular valve stems. My TPMS light has been on for years, and with Techstream I could see which sensors were dead. But I was not going to spend the money and then have to chase the light with the new wheels. I'll just ground the light to make it go off. Worst thing about the truck.

 

Observation by careful reasoning human> blinking light in about 99% of cases. That 1% of cases seems to describe those people who prefer not to observe, as well as the very rare instance where your car knows something you don't before you could have otherwise known it had you been paying attention. I also hate the TPMS light and would prefer not to have it unless it is smart enough to display individual tire pressures. Even then, it would behoove you to observe...

 

They can display individual tire pressures, you just need something that'll do it.

I get individual tire pressure on my aftermarket stereo using the factory TPMS sensors.

 

I saw that in someones previous post and meant to ask. I have a pioneer deck with wired car play- is there an app? Do I need one of the bluetooth enabled obd2 readers?

 

You need Maestro Rr and T01 adapter that is if your head unit has the I-datalink port and can display vehicle information. Some of the older (2015) Pioneer systems have the port but can't display the vehicle info. Call Crutchfield for help with compatibility.
I'm not aware of any OBD2 Bluetooth adapters that display TPMS on our trucks.

 

I have an OBDLink MX with the optional Toyota software. It can connect to and give me a per-tire reading.. I had it set for inches of mercury but, it was working.

 

On a side note, I love Audi's solution to TPMS. They use the indirect method since model year 2011, using the ABS module. No individual sensors in the wheels to die and replace. 3 Audis currently in the family, another 3 I have sold, none with a TPMS light - ever. A few other makes use this method as well (Honda maybe?)

 

"This is how I use my TPMS light and it works great for me."

"People who are lazy and don't check their tire pressure every 60 seconds and instead depend on an idiot light...".

Too funny. That's like complaining a wrench can't be used to change spark plugs because it won't reach the plug down the hole. A TPMS light isn't designed to find a rapid loss of tire pressure in real time so the fact that it won't find rapid air loss quickly is a mute point because it's not designed to.

 

I'm squeezing but it's not going away. Where exactly is the spot?

 

The squeezing gimmick didn't work.

I just stuck the TPMS stem through the straw hole of a thermos lid and screwed the lid on tight. Pumped it up to 35PSI and the light is gone.

Stuck it under the back seat to avoid shrapnel.

 

How'd you do that?

 

What irks me about TPMS is that the batteries in them are not replaceable. Now that all my TPMS sensors are dead, I have to buy new sensors. I see no reason why they couldn't be designed with replaceable batteries.

 

Technically they are replaceable, it's just a lot of work that isn't worth it with how cheap you can get a new set on Amazon.

Removing them from the wheel and replacing them is a much bigger deal.

 

Cool. I ended up getting the tool so I can program at will. I share it with my brother in law.

 

The tpms is a cash cow for the dealerships... it's the gift that keeps on giving! Just get a $5 tire gauge and never look back. My sensors batteries died around 5 years ago... RIP!!

 

I make like a pipe bomb out of pvc pipe with the spare sensor in there with the stem sticking out like the fuse. then stick it in jack cubby or wire tire under truck. Pressure stays good for about 2 years

 

Im too late for a timely reply, but I just took a photo of my sensor - you can see the imprint the quarter left behind so it was squeezed fairly hard.

 

It also warns you of when you are starting to get a flat tire due to a nail going through your tire while driving down the road. Almost got into a car accident once because of that since the previous owner of my truck disabled the system.