Things we didn't need -- Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems in our cars

How did drivers survive the 20th century without the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)?

Firestone sold some defective tires a few years back, and they most likely caused several vehicle rollovers, some of which resulted in death. There were headlines. There were breathless TV reporters. And there were lawmakers who saw this as a calling for more laws. The result was the TREAD Act which mandates TPMS in cars which Bill Clinton signed into law adding yet another reason to remember him.

Apparently there are two types of TPMS. The "direct" type monitors the air pressure with a sensor inside each tire. The "indirect" method monitors each tire rotation speed in relation to the others in the theory that rotation will be slowed in a low tire. Source.

So do they work? Yes, but flat tires have their own very low tech way of getting the driver's attention. And the dashboard alert is redundant in that situation. As for low tires, both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers recommend actual physical tire pressure checks once a month anyway. So what's the point?

The reason for this rant today is that I've had two flats in the past two weeks -- puncture wounds both times -- in a car with the direct version TPMS. Contrast this with my old SUV which has tires with sealant in them. They've had lots of puncture wounds, but not once has a tire containing the sealant gone flat. But here's the problem. Sealant will damage the direct version of TPMS. What a development.

I would like to think that changing a tire is a small price to pay for a life saved. But that's baloney. The problem that caused all of this was a tire manufacturing defect which was found and fixed. The TPMS requirement was an overly complicated government solution to a problem that was easily cured by the marketplace.

It wasn't the first time that has happened. And as long as lawmakers' primary concern is making their marks on history, it will happen again.

Comments

[Les]

Well, I gotta disagree with you, George. I think the TPMS is great. Especially on cars like my wife's car which has no spare tire - not even a donut. In my experience, the typical nail/screw puncture will leak slowly enough that a tire fixing place can be found before one finds themself in the middle of nowhere. Sure, checking tire pressure with a guage every day (or at every town you pass through on a road trip) would do the same thing as TPMS but who does that? And with low-profile tires one can't just eyeball the tires to detect a soft one anymore. The TPMS has proved to me that it works. Well, so far at least.

[lisa thomas]

I had to laugh! We bought a new car in 2009 and the tire pressure monitor has been on almost from day one!

[Geo]

-- Les, your wife's car must have run-flat tires. If so, when they deflate there's a limit to how much farther they can travel, then you buy new ones. As for the others, a very effective low-tech flat tire prevention system is to inject a sealant. Unfortunately, it will clog the TPMS. Good point about the low profile tires, but what exactly is the purpose of those, anyway? I've got them, but so far I've yet to see their virtue.

-- Lisa, the monitor on your car certainly doesn't seem to be doing you any favors, but at least you are in good spirits about it. If your tires are properly inflated and the monitor is still on then it may be time to revisit the dealer. Good luck and keep smiling.

P.S. Last year I had a chat with a man who works at a car rental maintenance center at a large airport, and he mentioned that TPMS has caused them big headaches. On one model the tires have to be inflated in a certain order to keep the alert from coming on.

[Les]

No run-flats on the car... just a tiny air compressor and a can of goop in the trunk. And goop can get you out of a bind, but only if you find the leaky tire before it gets so low it's ruined. As for low-profile tires, well I suppose they're supposed to look good but in my opinion they just cost more and ride worse. I guess they do handle well, though. Run-flats ride even worse still and they handle poorly.

I do agree that TPMS systems can be a headache when faulty. But I still think the idea is a good one. So, there.

(Free tip: Pick up a Dyna-Plug kit at Harbor Freight. I've had good experience repairing minor punctures with the kit.)

[Geo]

I'm putting Dyna-Plug on my shopping list right now!

[Geo]

Whoa whoa! Is goop a sealant? Sealants will clog a TPMS transmitter. That was the whole point of this post, however rambling it was.

If goop is a sealant and someone is claiming that it won't damage the TPMS I would like to hear more about it.

[Les]

All I know is, Mazda supplies the goop, the compressor and the TPMS sensors. And, in the owner's manual it states "A tire that has been temporarily repaired with the tire sealant cannot be reused." So, obviously I don't want to use the goop except as a last resort.

The manual makes no mention of how the goop might affect the TMPS sensor but you'd certainly think it would not be good for it, huh?

What's the "low tech way of getting the driver's attention"? Is it something you notice before the tire goes so flat that you have to stop immediately? I bet my wife wouldn't. (But don't tell her I said that.)

[Geo]

The low tech attention getter is the "blup, blup, blup" noise a flat tire makes when someone tries to drive on it. Unfortunately, it's a simultaneous warning, not an early warning.

Here's a thought: buy a spare tire and join AAA so someone else can some change it.

[MSigler]

My SUV has TPMS. It took a little while for me to get used to it b/c every time the weather changed my car would beep at me constantly. I get it, cold air changes tire pressure, etc. but it's a PITA ([email protected]$$) here in West Texas when it's not unlikely for the day to start out in the 20's and end in the 60's. Of the dozen or so times my monitor has gone off ONE of them has been an actual problem. I had a nail in my tire pressumably thanks to all of the roofing going on around town. I was glad that I had it checked out but honestly, it goes off so often that I don't bother to check all of the time.

[Geo]

MSigler -- yeah, PITA exactly!

My gripe is that store bought sealant can't be used in tires with TPMS. A sealant will close a puncture wound. So TPMS was a high tech solution for a problem that already had a low tech solution which worked better.

[fat bbw]

Thanks for this wonderful blog. It really aroused my interest to go over and read it again. Your article conveys to the knowledgeable minds of the readers.

[garage equipment]

You should also check your tire tread for uneven wear. Irregular wear shortens the life of your tires, if you think you have uneven wear you should take you vehicle to your tire dealer.

[John D]

I asked my dealer wither or not that can of sealant that came with my wife's Cruze would hurt sensor and he said no..I told him to put that in writing and he refused..