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TPMS issues answered here

184K views 483 replies 134 participants last post by  ukrkoz 
#1 ·
Winter tires and TPWS

I am researching winter tires and would like to buy steel wheels and permanently mount my snows on them instead of having to mount and dismount twice a year. Can I simply disable the system as the manual suggests by putting on tires not equipped with a TPWS or am i missing something. I don't want to spend the $300 to outfit my winter wheels with a warning system. I am diligent about checking pressure so I am comfortable with not having the monitoring for the winter. Thanks for any input.
 
#67 ·
OK, thanks guys. I found the button inside the glove box. had me fooled because there is an empty square hole also inside the glove box on the left side.

So if I understand it. I can use aftermarket wheels if I decide I want too; just have to use the toyota valve stems.
 
#69 ·
TCH 2012 aftermarket TPMS supported?

OK, I finaly made the jump to TCH 2012, signed, sealed but NOT YET delivered (should have it tuesday or wednesday nite :rolleyes: )

It is a TCH XLE Groupe B (Canada accessory package with sunroof and other toys), but it does not come with TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) but I think the on board display (with navigation and rear backup camera (not the JBL!)) might have the possibility to display TPMS data?

Did anyone add TPMS to TCH XLE Group B out there...

can anyone suggest a good (cheap ;)) TPMS aftermarket supplier that would be compatible with my onboard display...

I am HOPING to be able to display individual tire pressure directly on my display :facepalm:... hoping!

thanks for the help...

Richard ve2dx
 
#70 ·
Low pressure monitor

When test driving a 2012 XLE, I thought I saw all four tire pressures displayed. I know of the display that tells you have a low tire, but this was one of all four tires.

I have checked the books and can't find it and I have tried the displays and can't find it!

Did I just dream this or is there a way to get to a screen like that?

I did buy a 2012 XLE, just don't drive it often enough to have found all the little things about it.

Thanks

Jim
 
#71 ·
On mine with the Display Audio with Entune, all I have to do is click the "Car" button on the right side of the touchscreen (physical button, not a touchscreen button), and then there are 2 buttons: "Fuel Consumption" and "Tire Pressure". Press "Tire Pressure" and that brings me to the screen I think you are referring to.
 
#72 · (Edited)
Just got my new XLE hybrid a few days ago. I got the 7" navigation. When I press the tire pressure if the engine is started it gives the actual pressures per tire. Can't tell which tire due to each tire sensor being moved front to rear during tire balance and rotation. In time we may be able to tell which is right from left side tires.

Now we can look for any low tires that could overheat and puts lots of wear on a tire. Easy to tell if the tire is low up front, but hard to tell a low rear tire other than the car slows a lot more when coasting. Their is a also the same low tire alert in the instrument cluster. (!)
 
#76 ·
My light is still on. This is what I did: 1) turned on the ignition (light immediately began to blink), 2) held reset button for at least 3 blinks.
Do I need to push and hold the reset button before turning on the ignition? Is there a way to disengage and then re-engage the sensor?
Thanks.
 
#77 · (Edited)
No, the book says, do this with the car stopped, your tires should be cool, turn on the power button (no-brake), then press and hold the button reset switch (glove box) until the tire pressure warning light blinks slowly 3 times. If this don't work I would take the car to your dealer.

You might recheck each of your tire pressures when they are cold just to make sure they are similar. The toyota dealer should have the device that test the sensors to make sure they are ok. TPMS senders can be damaged by tire shops or can have a low battery if the car is 5 years or older. The newer cars, sender batteries last more like 8 years or longer.
 
#84 · (Edited)
Yes, you can do this yourself. You would have to break down the one tire that had the bad sensor. Do all four tires to replace all 4 sensors. The sensors come with the battery already attached. They are made as one unit.

I would think the new replacement sensors would last twice as long as the old ones. A independent or chain tire shop should be cheaper at replacing a single or all your tire sensors if they are suspect.
 
#92 ·
TPMS shows 40 PSI while my manual tire gauge shows 70 on 2 of the tires.

Also on one of my tires, I feel a little water coming out as I press the valve.

Tomorrow, I will go buy another tire gauge to see what it says.
Not sure what the moisture in that one tire can do. This is another reason for using nitrogen as it resist any moisture getting into the tires. If your using air you might have a tire shop let it down then air it up with a quality dry air compressor. A good chance the tire with the moisture could mess up any tire gauge. Walmart automotive/tire shop is pretty low priced working with a single tire problem. Discount Tire Store if one is nearby may not even charge.
 
#87 ·
Many cheap gauges are far from accurate. I tossed two recently after I tested them on a known 50 psi source. One said 38 psi (a Discount tire chrome nice looking gauge) and one said 60 (Autozone cheapie).

I'd bet your TPMS is at least close to right.
 
#91 · (Edited)
I bought a 3 digit Accutire digital gauge MS-4021B for $9.95 from Amazon about 6 months ago. Joes Racing dial gauge is another that Consumer Reports rates really high.

I set my tires to 40 psi 'cold' using this same gauge and the tire pressure screen matches. doznI4SE, it took me two nights to get mine inside the 0.5 reading. Not easy as I was letting them down from 44 psi nitrogen.
 
#97 ·
Nitrogen does not resist water vapor. It just doesn't contain humidity when a clean source is used.

Race teams (of all kinds) use nitrogen because it is more stable pressure-wise as it heats. It has nothing to do with corrosion.

So many myths about the wonders of nitrogen...
 
#98 ·
Yea, right..

This article is not about the nitrogen. It's really about reducing oxygen and water vapor in your tires. The air in our tires is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and about 1% water vapor and other gases. When pure dry nitrogen is used to replace the air in your tires it improves fuel efficiency, handling and it will extend the life of steel rims or custom wheels and tires. By reducing oxygen and water vapor in your tires from 22% to less than 7%, your tires will maintain pressure three to four times longer. Plus it will keep you safer on the highway.

How does oxygen and water damage my rims and tires? Oxygen, especially at high temperatures and pressures, corrodes aluminum, steel wheels and rubber. This process is called oxidation. When oxidation occurs small particles of rust and aluminum oxidization in your steel or aluminum wheels can clog valve stems, causing them to leak. The oxidation can cause the surfaces of your wheel flange and tire beads not to seal properly causing another leak point.

Oxygen can also age the thin layer of rubber called the inner liner or radial ply. As the inner liner ages, more and more air migrates through the rubber, causing additional pressure losses. As oxygen migrates through rubber it can come in contact with steel belts and the steel bead causing them to rust.

While both nitrogen and oxygen can migrate through rubber, nitrogen does it much slower. It might take six months to lose a couple of pounds of nitrogen, compared to less than a month with wet compressed air. Dry nitrogen does not cause rust and corrosion on steel rims or aluminum custom wheels, and it does not degrade rubber like wet compressed air.
 
#99 ·
I'll agree with most of that. The fuel economy and handling claims are pretty much wishful thinking, but it does make sense to use a less caustic and more stable fill for your tires where possible. Problem is... most places don't have a way to pull a vacuum and remove the air that's already in the tire. They just fill them with nitrogen. Partially effective at least I guess.
 
#100 ·
I rented a tank of nitrogen from a welding supplier here in town years ago to do my '07 TCH tires. When I bought the '12 XLE TCH the dealer had already put nitrogen in them. The hybrid tech told me this new nitrogen generator they use has the ability to somehow pulse the tires eliminating almost all the air, then fills them to normal pressure with nitrogen. It was like $35 added to the cost of my new car.

My favorite thing about using nitrogen is you only have to add a pound ever 6 months. I like to run a consistent tire pressure and this sure helps. I have the dealer add to max 44 psi with nitrogen. In late October when it's cold at night I let the tires down to the desired pressure. This way when I drive off and is 30F degrees outside, I know my tires are at 40 psi. I would run 35 psi if I lived in a icy/snowy area for safety. I also read that nitrogen can help the tires last longer.
 
#101 · (Edited)
Dunno where water could come from but the gas station where I had put in air in my tires.

Will be using my home compressor from now on.

Might have to buy me another air compressor soon, the one I have sucks, seem to take 2 minutes to do 1 PSI alone.

On Nitrogen, we'll have to agree to disagree. I'm with Whitesands on its benefits.
 
#103 · (Edited)
You may need to find a different air source. Some stations just don't have good or any moisture filter. You saw above my luck with the small electric air pumps. I wanted a nice one with a tank, but the wife said, no way, to expensive. I remember at the stations I always used a car key or screwdriver to depress the center of the air nozzle to test for any moisture. One night at a old shell station here in town I needed a little air. I tested the air hose, you would think it was more a water hose instead of air supply. I left and went to another station.
 
#102 · (Edited)
Back around 2002 I bought a low priced air compressor that plugged into the cars cigarette lighter. It smoked the motor on the first try of using it. I bought a little nicer one about a week later also a 12 volt model. That one also smoked after a few minutes of airing up a low tire. Evidently neither one could not take the hot summer desert heat. After that I depended on the few gas station air pump/ hoses around town, that were still for free.
 
#112 ·
http://home.comcast.net/~prestondrake/N2_FAQ_Q11.htm:

[FONT=verdana, Arial, Helvetica]So, for the average car/bike owner…nitrogen or air?


If you’re a slacker when it comes to checking tire pressures (or using valve stem caps), then nitrogen may be just the thing for you; decide for yourself whether the time you save in pressure-checking justifies the extra cost of using nitrogen. But if you’re as vigilant as you ought to be about vehicle maintenance/inspection, then here’s what you can expect:

fuel economy: no difference.
Pressure-versus-temperature behavior: no difference, unless the air you’re using came straight from the atmosphere on an extremely humid day.
Tire operating temperature: no difference.
Tire oxidation/aging/failure: no difference.
Leaky valves: no difference.
Rim oxidation/corrosion: no difference.

In fact, according to this article, “Michelin officials recommend nitrogen only for tires used ‘in a high risk environment and/or when the user wants to reduce the consequences of a potential abnormal overheating of the tire-wheel assembly (for example in some aircraft applications),’ according to a company statement.” IOW, the average Joe should save his hard-earned money and just inflate his tires with air.
[/FONT]
 
#113 ·
I like the website you listed which I expanded below. Looks like many sites are for and others are against the nitrogen idea. I like knowing my tires will stay up for a 'year' before needing a couple pounds more nitrogen. I proved that to myself starting 4 years ago with a new set of michelin energy saver tires on my '07 TCH. The tire with nitrogen, holding air up to a year is why the claim of improved mpg.

I remember years ago when I used to take my car to discount tires to get my tires rotated and balance every 5000 miles. I would drive off and could feel the sporty feeling in the steering due to them airing up my tires. That would only last for a about 3 weeks. Now with nitrogen I can have that same crisp steering all year long.

Nitrogen in your tires: an inflated idea?

Advocates say filling your tires with the gas instead of air will help keep correct pressure and better gas mileage.

By TOM ZUCCO
Published September 28, 2005

Gassing up your car is about to take on a new meaning.

Fill your tires with pure nitrogen and you'll get better gas mileage, advocates of the practice say. Your tires will be safer, and they'll last longer.

A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that makes up about 78 percent of the Earth's atmosphere, nitrogen could cost you as much as $10 a tire. But what you save on gas, tire replacement and peace of mind will make up the difference, according to the pitch.

Already, retailers like Costco and Olin Mott stores offer nitrogen, and Pep Boys has test-marketed it.

Starting Saturday, buyers of all new cars sold at select Crown dealerships in the Tampa Bay area will find their tires filled with nitrogen. Eventually, all 13 dealerships will offer it.

The thinking is that nitrogen's larger molecules prevent it from seeping out of a tire as quickly as air. So inflating tires with nearly pure nitrogen - which has been done for years in race cars, commercial airliners and long-distance trucks - allows them to retain correct pressure longer.

Pressure is vital because a properly inflated tire is a safer, more efficient tire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says most drivers can improve gas mileage by nearly 3 percent by keeping their vehicle tires within the recommended pressure range. The government also estimates the nation loses more than 2 million gallons of gas every day due to underinflated tires.

Enter nitrogen. Chemical No. 7 on your periodic chart of the elements. At anywhere from $2 to $10 per tire.

Besides attracting customers and addressing safety concerns, it's a way to fight inflation. Or rather, the lack of it, said Jim Myers, Crown's chief operating officer.

"The whole theory is that air bleeds through the tire slowly," Myers said. "And if someone isn't diligent, any tire will lose air over time. But because of nitrogen's properties, that doesn't happen as quickly."

Myers said Crown will also offer to replace air with nitrogen on any vehicle for $39.

What happens if tire pressure drops and the driver is not near a garage or tire store that sells nitrogen?

Topping off with compressed air won't hurt, tire experts say, and the tire can be purged and refilled with nitrogen later.

So should motorists feel ... pressured to put nitrogen in their tires?

"It sounds like it has mostly positive points," said Randy Bly, director of community relations for AAA Auto Club South in Tampa. "Nitrogen helps keep tires cooler under open highway conditions, and it's less likely to leak out, so that would help with fuel mileage.

"The only negative would be the cost. But it may well be worth it."

Nitrogen-filled tires stay inflated about three times as long as than air-filled tires, advocates say, and while a typical tire inflated with compressed air might lose 2.7 pounds of pressure monthly, one filled with nitrogen loses 0.7 pound.

But Jim Davis, public relations manager for Goodyear Tire and Rubber, says replacing air with nitrogen is "a tough call."

"The objective is to have the correct air pressure," Davis said. "And over time, minute amounts of air do leak out.

"There is no harm to the tire from using regular air. But we urge people to check their tires monthly."

What happens, Davis said, is that decreased air pressure flattens a tire, creating more surface area between the tire and the road. That added friction can make the engine work harder and cause tires to overheat, possibly leading to a blowout.

"More tire surface means it takes more power to roll that tire," Davis said. "A correctly inflated tire is going to roll more easily."

Checking tires for correct pressure also has a side benefit.

"When you're down there, look at the tires," Davis said. "You may notice a nail or tread that is wearing abnormally, and you can catch it before the problem becomes worse."

At least one tire manufacturer is even more skeptical about the advantages of nitrogen in the family car.

Michelin officials recommend nitrogen only for tires used "in a high risk environment and/or when the user wants to reduce the consequences of a potential abnormal overheating of the tire-wheel assembly (for example in some aircraft applications)," according to a company statement.

But for all other tires in normal use, nitrogen "is not required and does not necessarily bring the expected benefit.

"It is true that the physical properties of nitrogen reduce the pressure loss due to the natural permeability of the materials of the tire and thus the broad use of nitrogen will in general assist motorists with pressure maintenance.

"Nevertheless, the existence of several other possible sources of leaks (tire/rim interface, valve, valve/rim interface and the wheel) prevents the guarantee of better pressure maintenance for individuals using nitrogen inflation."

So we can save the expense if we just check our tires regularly.

The trouble is, we don't.

As recently as two years ago, government and tire industry surveys showed close to 30 percent of cars, vans, pickups and SUVs on the road had at least one tire that was substantially underinflated, at least 8 psi below the recommended minimum pressure.

But high gas prices and consumer education may be cutting into that number. According to a survey by Uniroyal Tire in mid August, nearly 50 percent of Americans said they are now checking the air pressure in their tires once a month.

Still, that leaves millions of unchecked tires.

"Most people don't take care of their tires on a regular basis," said Dave Zielasko, editor and publisher of Tire Business , an Akron, Ohio, trade publication. "Tires are one of the most underappreciated part of the vehicle. People take them for granted. But the reality is they do need to be checked.

"Remember, it's the only part of the vehicle that touches the road."
 
#114 ·
I proved that to myself starting 4 years ago with a new set of michelin energy saver tires on my '07 TCH. The tire with nitrogen, holding air up to a year is why the claim of improved mpg.
"So if your buddy notices his new nitrogen-filled tires are hardly losing pressure at all, ask him if they're the same brand as his old tires. There may also be a difference in leakage rates between brand new tires and tires that have racked up thousands of miles."

http://home.comcast.net/~prestondrake/N2_FAQ_Q04.htm
 
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