Forum Discussion

MPI_Mallard's avatar
MPI_Mallard
Explorer
Apr 24, 2014

Let's hear it for Tire Minder!

Last month I decided to replace the tires on my fiver with Goodyear 614 RST (235/85 R16)'s and I was recommended to a local tire shop who gave me a fair price and what I considered very good service, they agreed to mount/balance the new tires if I brought them in so I didn't have to up-root our fiver, I re-installed the new tires and went on with what was left of my winter vacation. Yesterday as per my usual pre-return home trip list of things-to-do I went about checking the air pressure in all the tires on the Dodge and the fiver, change the batteries and O-rings on my Tire Minder sensors (they provide me free batteries and O-rings every winter,,how friggin' cool is that!) and today the Tire Minder's alarm is going off telling me both driver's side trailer tires are at 79 and 80lbs after I topped them off at 110lbs 24 hours before! I got out my bottle of dish-soapy water to find both the steel valve-stems are leaking from the base, I called the shop and was told get here first thing and they'll take care of it right away which from what I've seen of these guy's so far I know they'll fix me up but had I not had Tire Minder on the job I would have assumed the tires are OK (having attended to them the previous day) and headed down the highway into god-knows-what!

I'll never pull a trailer without my Tire Minders.

Red Green:
They say necessity is the mother of invention.
Don't know who the father is;
probably remorse.
  • MPI_Mallard's avatar
    MPI_Mallard
    Explorer
    May 03, 2014
    With all the gadgets thrown at us RV'ers I think a tire monitoring system is a definite must and as the car makers are putting them in now just re-enforces my opinion!
  • powderman426's avatar
    powderman426
    Explorer
    Apr 30, 2014
    RCMAN46 wrote:
    milo wrote:
    From all the threads & posts I've read over the years, tire monitor systems are the cats meow. But! ... We've been RVing pertnear 40 years now & have never used a "tire monitor system" and have never had a blowout with all the china bombs that have been on our RV's. Checking the air pressure of each tire is part of my "must do" every morning before the vehicles move. Just saying.


    If you pick up a nail or screw off the highway as I did a couple years ago without the TPMS you will have a tire go and possibly do some major damage to the trailer.

    My Pressure Pro warned me of a pressure loss and I had time to find a safe place to pull over and put the spare tire on. The system paid for its self that day.

    I also use seat belts but in 40 years and possibly 500,000 plus miles have not had a reason to have them on. But I still wear a seat belt.

    Just saying


    Great answer.
  • RCMAN46's avatar
    RCMAN46
    Explorer
    Apr 26, 2014
    milo wrote:
    From all the threads & posts I've read over the years, tire monitor systems are the cats meow. But! ... We've been RVing pertnear 40 years now & have never used a "tire monitor system" and have never had a blowout with all the china bombs that have been on our RV's. Checking the air pressure of each tire is part of my "must do" every morning before the vehicles move. Just saying.


    If you pick up a nail or screw off the highway as I did a couple years ago without the TPMS you will have a tire go and possibly do some major damage to the trailer.

    My Pressure Pro warned me of a pressure loss and I had time to find a safe place to pull over and put the spare tire on. The system paid for its self that day.

    I also use seat belts but in 40 years and possibly 500,000 plus miles have not had a reason to have them on. But I still wear a seat belt.

    Just saying
  • milo's avatar
    milo
    Explorer II
    Apr 26, 2014
    From all the threads & posts I've read over the years, tire monitor systems are the cats meow. But! ... We've been RVing pertnear 40 years now & have never used a "tire monitor system" and have never had a blowout with all the china bombs that have been on our RV's. Checking the air pressure of each tire is part of my "must do" every morning before the vehicles move. Just saying.
  • GMandJM's avatar
    GMandJM
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    Glad you had a TPMS! Might have paid for itself by the potential damage you've avoided.
  • NHIrish's avatar
    NHIrish
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    Those steel valve stems actually have torque specs....but no one ever does. They also loosen easily and depending on the wheels can be tough to get a wrench on. I would suggest either loctite or a lock nut over the existing nut.
  • powderman426's avatar
    powderman426
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    So from the above accounts, it seems the Mastercard ad applies. No matter which TPMS you choose, Don't leave home without it.
  • Ed9824v's avatar
    Ed9824v
    Explorer
    Apr 24, 2014
    I purchase a new to me trailer, and on my first trip had a blow out, changed the tire and repaired the plastic that got pulled away from the trailer, I then purchased tst tire monitors, I checked the monitor and it showed that the tire that had the blow out that now had a brand new tire in the rim was low again. filled it up to just be safe and a few day later I had a low tire reading on the monitor. removed tire and wheel and put it in a tank of water to find that the tire had a leak from the center of the rim. I then removed the tire and found a small pin hole in a weld from the manufacturer. I silver soldered the weld area and remounted the tire and have not had a problem since, with out the tire monitor system I probably would have has another blow out. They now have nearly paid for them self in one occasions.

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