TPMS

Sorry - didn't mean to sound touchy. Yes, the knowledge of which have TPMS and which don't is not something everyone knows.

I have used the new flow-thru TPMS on two fivers for almost 2 years. They have the user replaceable batteries. I never take them off my fiver and I have never replaced the batteries yet, not sure where the information comes from that states these batteries have to be replaced every year with continuous use.

I don't add or take out pressure every often, but I also have new tires and only tow about 6,000 to 7,000 miles a year. It would not be as easy just to take non-flow-thru on and off to add air since there is a small set screw in the side of them that secures them to your existing valve stem. And remember, your trailer tires might show 85psi when the temperature is 30 degrees out, then on a 75 degree day they will measure 92-93psi. Drastic temperature changes will effect your tire pressure by 10-15%. I have never heard of it effecting tire pressure up to 40%. Maybe it would be possible if you were going from 40 below zero temps to 120 degrees, but I doubt it.

While towing the display shows each of my tires (one at a time) with the exact tire pressure and temperature. So in other words it updates and gives me that updated information for each tire every minute or so. If my temperature or pressure goes past, or under a certain limit that I have set, then the alarm goes off.

I see where Dutch states the batteries need to be changed yearly. Either he got bad batteries or the brand he has uses them up faster, but the batteries in my Tiretraker unit went three years before change was required and mine are installed year round. I highly recommend Tiretraker. Lawrence provides great customer service.

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
Yes, I know the difference between a 2500 and a 3500. Just saying why I didn't comment on using the Tire Minder for the TV.

Ummm, it never entered my mind that you didn't know the difference between a 2500 and 3500. I was merely explaining to those who are unaware why one might need a TPMS for a 1-ton truck but not for a 3/4 ton. Sorry if it touched a nerve.....

Rusty

Yes, I know the difference between a 2500 and a 3500. Just saying why I didn't comment on using the Tire Minder for the TV.

Same argument about TPMS for motorhomes applies to 3500 and other 1 ton trucks. Frankly, one reason I got the 2500 vice a 3500 was the lack of a factory TPMS for the heavier truck. I think it is stupid it wasn't even an option when I bought mine.

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
(PS - my 2012 RAM truck has factory installed TPMS and provides pressure readings to my dash - so I don't use the Tire Minder for the TV).

That's because your truck is a 2500. The 3500s did not have TPMS as it wasn't required by the Feds for trucks over 10K GVWR.

Rusty

I've used a Tire Minder (screw on) for over two years and am very happy. Customer service is exceptional from the company. They even know from my billing address that we are Escapees.

But do understand a couple things about TPMS systems. They will sense changes in air pressure and heat buildup in a tire.

They are mainly to warn of slow leaks and heat buildup caused by low pressures. Which are the cause of most blowouts/ tire failures.

Blowouts from heat buildup from running too fast or at low pressure are cumulative. The tire might be running at good speeds and pressure and still blowout - because of damage caused by running too fast speeds and too low pressure hundreds of miles before. You have to watch the pressures and temps and take action to correct them quickly.

No TPMS will warn before a sudden catastrophic failure caused by running over a piece of debris which makes a major cut in the tire. Those are a very small percentage of blowouts.

A TPMS will usually warn of a failure shortly before the tire blows if an axle is overloaded. Most common cause of this is trailers which do not tow level - especially nose high 5ers. Which overloads the rear axle and tires. Also improper side to side loading of a TT can cause overload failures. When someone complains about the tire in position X failing twice or more - the cause is the loading, not the tire manufacturer. I've seen over a dozen rigs with these issues in 2014 while camp hosting.

A TPMS may not sense tread separation. A tire can lose a tread, or have a section come lose and beat the trailer up and the TMPS may not alarm. Because the tire will not lose air pressure. Damage which causes this type failure can be a manufacturer defect, or be cause by excessive heat or low pressure. You have to listen to strange noises and always stop at any sign of smoke from the trailer tires / or what looks like possible debris you see in the mirror.

No TMPS transmits pressure data 100% of the time. If they did that, the batteries would not last a month. They transmit pressures and temps when changes occur and on a schedule. They are very low power transmitters - again to save battery power. A booster is always a good idea.

They transmit on a frequency band which includes a lot of other devices - outdoor/indoor weather stations, some personal radios, some remotes, etc. They can be impacted by nearby strong CBs, cell phones, etc.

Sounds like a lot of limitations and negatives. Not really.

I find them essential to my towing with piece of mind.

I've had two tire issues without TPMS. For one - I had to brake very hard and a trailer brake locked up. The tire went flat when the tread was worn completely through. Only got lucky to find that because we were stopping for fuel. Tire was completely gone. Another time the tire leaked while towing and I only caught visible tread wear/damage during my check before departure from the CG.

With a TPMS - I caught a problem where some thin cactus spines had poked clean through the inside sidewall on three places. My pressures would drop 40% on a cold night - but never vary after bringing the tire up to pressure during the day or while towing. Heat of towing would keep the hole closed as the rubber swelled a bit. Even when I had the tire off at the tire shop it took almost a hour to find the leaks. Only by cooling the tire in water into the mid-40s would the leaks appear. Without a TPMS I would never have been able to pin down when the leak was happening.

(PS - my 2012 RAM truck has factory installed TPMS and provides pressure readings to my dash - so I don't use the Tire Minder for the TV).

And why the heck don't Class A and Class C builders include a TPMS as part of their vehicle standard equipment. They are becoming standard on automobiles and light trucks. What makes motorhomes so 'unique' that they don't need a TPMS ?

I have the TST flow through system on my dually and the 5er. Yes it's a pain to add air because it's slow going. I don't need the repeater for my set up. I had a sensor stop working while out west last summer. I emailed TST and they sent me a new sensor when I got home. I sent the defective one back to them. I did find out last winter that you shouldn't use chrome valve caps on them as the two different metals of the cap and the stem of the sensor will react with each other and they will be very, very hard to remove. I took them off for the winter this year.

I have the TST 507 system on the truck & RV and am quite pleased with it. Because of the distance from the trailer wheels to the receiver/display unit, I did need the trailer repeater - YMMV.

I routinely air the trailer tires up to 120 PSIG without any problems. The big advantage of the flow-through sensors to me is the ability to air up the inner and outer rear tires on the truck without removing anything.

Rusty

Be aware that pass-through sensors are much larger and heavier than standard sensors and you still have to have a valve cap. There is no difference removing a sensor to removing a valve cap so, in my opinion, pass-through sensors provide no benefit whatsoever.

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