TPMS. Necessary or just peace of mind?

True Story.. Two forum members both bought a Dorian Pressure Pro..

I installed mine promptly and while on my first trip pulling the towed got an alarm.. Pulled off, aired up the low tire, got to the campground, aired up the low tire, and spent the rest of the weekend airing up the tire every time I moved the towed (I also have an air compressor)

Finally got to the tire store (After airing it up) and found I'd been screwed, so they removed the screw and patched the tire properly (NO CHARGE, road hazard warranty).

The other member was too busy to install right then so he towed without it, about 15 miles before folks were honking and pointing to what was left of his towed.. Seems the tire was shreadded and had done over 2,000 in damage to the car on top of the ruined tire and rim.


2,000 v/s nothing

You decide if it's necessary.

dodge guy wrote:
A TPMS will not help you in a blowout! Once it has blown it is to late for the system to help you.

Agreed, nothing will protect from an instant blowout - HOWEVER, if that blowout is preceded by a drop in pressure or very high temperatures, then a TPMS CAN give you advance warning and perhaps enable you to stop in time to avoid the blowout in the first place.

Do you HAVE to have one - NO! But I do and it gives me a degree of peace of mind.

I bought it after a blowout that was preceded by low pressure. My travelling buddy was driving behind and was calling me to tell me a tire looked low just as it blew. My tire pressures were correct before I started that trip a couple of hours earlier.
A TPMS would have alerted me BEFORE it was low enough to be obvious.

Each to his own, but IMHO a TPMS is another tool to help drive safer.

dodge guy wrote:
If you watch your setup and check your tires routinely during a trip it is not necessary.

I strongly disagree - see my comments above.

dodge guy wrote:
The problem nowadays is none actually knows how to drive. They just get in turn the key and go. That's why those of us that know how to operate a vehicle are upset when we are stuck/forced to have these idiot proofed systems in our cars/trucks!

I call BS on this comment!
What does a tire failing while under way have to do with how well you can drive?
This all to do with risk mitigation. Nothing will eliminate ALL risk but I support anything that will help.

jeffcarp wrote:
To me, it isn't so much a question of how likely is a blow out to happen. For me, the question is the potential for catastrophic results if it does. I am not referring to the damage to our RV. That is why I have insurance. I can replace it. I am referring to the life of me and my family.

As I understand it, prior to a full blow out, a tire will almost certainly loose air. If a TPMS has the ability to warn me of a sudden loss of pressure during that short time before the actual blow out then hopefully I can brake somewhat, firmly handle the steering wheel at the least but hopefully bring the coach to an organized stop or slower speed before the blow out inevitably happens then it is worth every penny I spent.

Without TPMS your first sign of a blow out is a blow out. I see enough rubber laying around the freeways to know that I'd never consider driving an RV without one.

my thoughts exactly. I've had two nail punctures in trailers w/o TPMS, and luckily caught the low tire at a rest stop and avoided a blowout. PURE LUCK. Since then a TPMS. no punctures yet, but I firmly believe than many of the "blowouts" on TT tires are a result of a slow leak that isn't caught and then overheating and a blowout.

In fact, on another board a member had a "blowout" of a sidewall after my comments on nails, he found a big nail in the center of the tread...... more than likely a TPMS would have caught the problem. Will it eliminate ALL blowouts, probably not, some are catastrophic failures. But past experience says it's virtually impossible to feel a tire going down in pressure on a tandem axle trailer, so you get no advanced warning.

Francesca Knowles wrote:
TPMS's are for people that can't/won't check the air pressure in their vehicles' tires on a routine basis, as used to be the norm.

Unfortunately, those are the same people that won't pay any attention to the TPMS either, so one has to wonder what the heck the point is.

once you get a nail, you can go from full pressure to low enough for a blowout in 30 miles or less. to me checking pressure every 30 miles is NOT routine. that's what a TPMS will do for you.

A good friend of mine has a TPMS .He rides his motorcycle around with no helmet while chain smokin cigarets, but he does not want a flat on his trailer . Smart guy , high school graduate . I say , " If you ain't got it , then it can't break .

We fulltmed for over 40 yrs in every type of rv. In all those years, I never had a blow out. What is tst? anyway.

TST is Truck Systems Technology. It is a brand of TPMS. I've never had a blowout either but it is worth it to me to spend $500 to help prevent the first one I have from killing me or my family. We didn't need or use seat belts for decades either. It doesn't mean I don't wear one now whether a police officer is around or not. People are going to justify themselves on either side of this issue. To each their own. If you want more piece of mind, spend the money. The consensus seems to be the technology works. That doesn't make it the right purchasing decision for everyone however.

wanderingbob wrote:
A good friend of mine has a TPMS .He rides his motorcycle around with no helmet while chain smokin cigarets, but he does not want a flat on his trailer . Smart guy , high school graduate . I say , " If you ain't got it , then it can't break .

We all make choices in life for things we should or should not do and have or have not done.


Regarding the question What is TST. Truck System Technologies
http://www.tsttruck.com/ I dont NEED a TPMS, but it sure is convenient.

Insurance is insurance. Were I keeping my TT for the long haul, I'd have a TPMS installed. Sure beats rolling your truck and trailer if you have a catastrophic blowout. Same reason why I paid the price premium for the backup camera. Better have it and not need it than vice versa.

I got enough to worry about on the road. My TireMinder helps reduce the stress a bit. Plus... It can't hurt. I would get one again.