TPMS and winter wheels?

[Johnnyph]

My 2007 Sienna LE comes with TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems). I am going to get winter tires with steel rims, but don't want to spend extra on the sensors and programming cost done by the dealers when swapping wheels each year.

Any serious problem with the car if I leave the TPMS light on for about 4 months? ... Then 4 months later I put the original wheels back on, would the TPMS light automatically goes away?

Please share your experience if you have gone through similar scenarios.

I have other cars without this TPMS and manage the tire pressure just fine without the need of this warning systems.

Thanks.

[alexb2]

I have an 09, and I have driven 2 winters with steel wheels and no TPMS. No issue whatsoever, and no change in car's behaviour. Once you put the TPMS wheels back on, the light goes away after you reach a certain speed (I think 10 minutes at above 30km/h?)
Either way, you don't have to touch anything.

As for the light, I tape the place on the dash bezel with black electrical tape for the winter. Blinking does get to be annoying otherwise.

[alexb2]

Can post a pic of the taped dash, if you want.

[Johnnyph]

Thank you Alex. Good to know I can go without TPMS sensors on the winter wheels.

For the taped dash, that's a good idea. Don't worry about the picture, I can imagine what it looks like. I'll do the same too.

I'll check to see if there is a fuse dedicated for TPMS, if yes I'll pull it to keep the bulb's life longer because blinking for months may kill the bulb quicker. I used to have the second gen Camry, and it had 2 died bulb in the dash; was a tedious job to replace them.

Too bad there isn't a company that makes fake sensor module that has configurable frequency, sensor serial number and pressure data to bypass TPMS. If time permits, I'll research a little bit to home-make this circuitry.

[alexb2]

We live in North America, and, Sienna being designed in NA, would likely not have an easy way to disable one of these "nannies". Having said that, if you find the fuse, I would love to know.

The "patch" looks like a triangle, with the longer side along the "crome" ring on the large dial. Make sure you don't mask the other two lights nearby - one is a CEL!

[Johnnyph]

Sure do, will post up here if there is such fuse and I find it.

I see that light. It looks like a horse shoe (cross section of the tire) with the exclamnation character inside.

[alexb2]

Yup, that's the one.

One of the reasons I didn't get TPMS into the winter wheels, was that the dealer told me that the older crop Toyotas (the sienna is an older design by that definition) only have 4 memory locations to store the S/N of the TPMS, so you end up having to teach the ECU the new sensors every spring AND every fall. AND you need their SW and the OBDII cable to do it. Unlike a Lexus, where you have 8 locations.

I looked into the other solutions, such as taking all the sensors, putting them into a wheelbarrow wheel and pumping it to 32PSI, then carrying it in the trunk, but in the end decided to just tape the bulb. I check my tire pressure myself anyway.

Glad to help!

[Johnnyph]

I thought about carrying all 4 original wheels in the back during winter time, but then that's like 100 lbs of extra load.

Your idea is better. I can build a metal box to contain all 4 and pump to 32 psi.

Just don't know where the sensors get power from? Button battery or self-powered during wheel spin?

Lexus with 8 memory slots is a good idea. Toyota should have option that allows people to manually program the serial numbers themselves.