What Tire Monitoring System to get?

Never mind.

Five2o wrote:
Just check pressures from time to time...replace tires after 5 years. TPM is pretty worthless and just another distraction. jmo after 9 years.

Over the past 8 years, our TST system has alerted us to sticking brake calipers on both our toad and motorhome, a failed wheel bearing on our toad, and a couple of tire air leaks on both the toad and motorhome. Any of those events could have been much more costly if not caught quickly. There's valid safety reasons why all cars and trucks under 10,000 lbs built in the past 10 years have been required by the NHTSA to have a TPMS installed. There's nothing distracting about a TPMS until it alerts on a potentially dangerous condition. And that's when you want it to attract your attention...

Just check pressures from time to time...replace tires after 5 years. TPM is pretty worthless and just another distraction. jmo after 9 years.

I've had the TST system with flow-through stems now for two years. I have had more issues with them than I care to think.
Several of the stems worked intermittently and were sent back under warranty. The flow through stems are very hard to fill. Can take a long time. Installation can be tricky. You have to screw the stems on "just until the air stops leaking out the threads". If you over tighten then, they won't work.
Another issue that disturbs me more than anything was me hitting a curb and knocking off the complete valve stem. Everything broke off and fell to the ground. Not knowing that I had hit the curb, I kept driving. The monitor never went off! I noticed a handling issue and pulled to the side of the road and discovered a flat tire. The monitor never indicated a loss of pressure to the tire. TST's answer to this was that it only reads an active monitor. A lost sensor won't tell the monitor that it is gone.
Their sensors also do not play well with valve stem extenders. You may need to replace your extenders with valve stems that will allow proper fitment.

FWIW
Bill

Monkeyman_and_Lady wrote:
TST. I still want to hack the frequency and make a more real time monitor though. I am not a real fan of the cycling through the tires even though I know it's keeping an eye on the tires at all times.

433.2 MHz if you want to try yourself.

The TST system instantly displays the affected wheel when an alarm trips. That works well enough for me. I'd rather keep my eyes on the road than on the TPMS... ;)

TST. I still want to hack the frequency and make a more real time monitor though. I am not a real fan of the cycling through the tires even though I know it's keeping an eye on the tires at all times.

433.2 MHz if you want to try yourself.

TST, 40 ft coach and toad pressures read without a repeater. Just changed out one of the batteries, took 10 minutes because I have the outer covering.

Whatever you choose, get a system where the sensors have user-replaceable batteries. My system is not, and it's a pain to have to send the sensors back and purchase a replacement, discounted or not.

I have been using the TST 507 for about 18 months. It is very reliable and I have had no problems with it. I use the repeater and even with a 42 foot coach, it reads my toad tires without problems.

The advantages in my opinion are:

• Replaceable batteries
• flow thru sensors
• senses temperature
• easily programmable limits and alarms for pressure and temperature
• Automatically disables toad tires when out of range (i.e. using toad)
• monitors sensor battery levels
• clear and easy to read display

I bought my system with flow-thru sensors (12) which works great. If I was going to do it again, I would stay with the flow-thru sensors for the coach, but use the smaller and lighter sensor caps for the toad.

VMSpc is working to integrate the TST system into their program.

P.S. I read a few times where people have said the flow-thru sensors are slow to fill, but personally, I have not observed this to be true. Certainly for the few times I have needed to adjust air pressures, it has not been the case.

Not sure how accurate the temperatures are, but they seem realistic. I use a hand held thermometer to check them when stopped.

bobkatmsu wrote:

ncrowley wrote:
TireMinder is my favorite. Great customer service.

+1

+2

I have it on the coach and the toad.