Tire Pressure Monitors

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KerryT

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Joined
Jun 3, 2016
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Location
Dallas, TX
I am fairly new in the RV world and am concerned about blow-outs after having had one last year.  Been doing a bit of research on Tire Pressure Monitors and there are so many different kinds with different functions and different prices.  Any advice on which ones really work and are they worth the money?
 
A TPMS system is something of an insurance policy. A tire that loses air can overheat and blow, which can cause loss of control if on the front axle of a motorhome, or significant damage to the underside of the RV if a rear axle of a motorhome or axle of a trailer or towed vehicle. Having experienced the latter scenario (before I became a convert), and having seen damage to motorhomes, I'm a definite believer.

As you found out, there are numerous brands and models on the market. The basic technology is the same, and variations exist in the method of mounting (on the valve stems or inside the tires), parameters monitored (pressure &/or temperature), and the monitor display (simple lights or a graphical display). Some sensors allow batteries to be replaced, while others require purchasing new or refurbished sensors when the batteries go bad.

We recently changed TPMS brands to EezTire (EezRV) after reading reviews and talking with the company on the phone (excellent tech support). Made the change because our old system had sensors with non-replaceable batteries. We're about to head out on our first trip with the new system, so I don't yet have on-the-road experience with it, but I like the newer monitor display.
 
We really recommend a tire pressure monitoring system for all RVs.  We also had a blow out.  It was scary and we felt lucky that there was no damage.  We looked into all of the options.  The system needs to read pressure and temperature in real time so you always know what is going on with your tires.  We found a system by Bellacorp on Amazon that was 100s of dollars less than the system mentioned above but had all of the same functions.  There are lots of options on the market, just make sure the maximum tire pressure reading is suitable for an RV.  Some systems only read tire pressure up to 75 lbs. and are made for cars, not RVs.
 
Tom said:
We recently changed TPMS brands to EezTire (EezRV) after reading reviews and talking with the company on the phone (excellent tech support). Made the change because our old system had sensors with non-replaceable batteries.
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We use EezTire as well and have been happy with the results so far. The one time I called tech support they were excellent as Tom mentioned.
 
I went with the TST 507 set this year. Other than being annoying when tire pressure would drop a bit over night...especially when it was COLD at night in Yellowstone...it works pretty well.
My one big issue with it was when I had a front flat while driving on the way home. All of a sudden, we could hear the sound of a tire going flat....so I pulled over on the shoulder...and sure enough...flat as a pancake...at least on the bottom. :p Not a peep out of the TPMS system. Still showed 95 lbs on the monitor... :eek:

So...I got out and looked again, this time a bit more carefully...the TPMS sensor and part of the valve stem were gone... ::) It was windy and one of the orange barrels in the construction job where I was driving "jumped" into me...(it's my story, I'm sticking to it!) and broke off the sensor and stem.  :mad:

Sounds like defective equipment to me...I ought to contact TST and complain!!    :p


Good product, does what it claims...well...MOST of the time, anyway!  ;D
 
I bought the tireminder a1a and found it to be really easy to setup and install. I like the large screen and the fact you can reset the monitor and have your current tire pressure readings before heading out on the road. I have test it a couple of times by removing the sensor to simulate a tire blowout and it has pick it up within seconds. We have had one problem where the first unit that was sent had a defective movement sensor and was powering off every 15 minutes. One quick call to tireminder and they sent out a new unit and I had it by the end of the week. TPMS is defiantly worth the money, it could save you and your RV. We were heading out camping and I check all the tires before leave the house. I stop for gas on my way to the campsite at about a 150 km away from the house. While filling up I could smell burning rubber so I check all my tires and the left rear inner was flat and the rubber was melted and coming off in chunks. That tire was close to catching on fire and could have burnt the RV down. If I had the tire pressure monitor I would have known and could have save the tire and reduce the risk to me my family and my RV.
 
BoomerD said:
I went with the TST 507 set this year. Other than being annoying when tire pressure would drop a bit over night...especially when it was COLD at night in Yellowstone...it works pretty well.
My one big issue with it was when I had a front flat while driving on the way home. All of a sudden, we could hear the sound of a tire going flat....so I pulled over on the shoulder...and sure enough...flat as a pancake...at least on the bottom. :p Not a peep out of the TPMS system. Still showed 95 lbs on the monitor... :eek:

So...I got out and looked again, this time a bit more carefully...the TPMS sensor and part of the valve stem were gone... ::) It was windy and one of the orange barrels in the construction job where I was driving "jumped" into me...(it's my story, I'm sticking to it!) and broke off the sensor and stem.  :mad:

Sounds like defective equipment to me...I ought to contact TST and complain!!    :p


Good product, does what it claims...well...MOST of the time, anyway!  ;D
Click to expand...

Similar situation.  Pulled into campground and found outside right rear dual flat.  Turns out bracket holding valve stem extension had come unriveted and let the extension flail around.  The monitor attached to the end partially unscrewed letting the air out of the tire but never got any alarm.  Found that the monitor was broken internally (solder joint broke) but the main monitor on the dash still read 90 lbs.  Only warnings I have received are temp warning (after I stop at a rest stop) and low battery.  The tire pressures read out and vary with temp but it bothers me that I got no alarm when that one extension came loose.  Still I recommend them.
 
We use EezTire as well.  So far so good, piece of mind goes a long way.
 
We've had Pressure Pro for a number of years and it's worked as advertised both times we had flats.  The second time a piece of metal punctured a toad tire and the audible signal immediately started beeping.  It took almost a half-mile to be able to pull off to the side of the interstate safely and the tire was almost totally flat.  Had we not had the PP it could have done serious damage because we would not have known we had a flat.  You can't see toad tires in the rear view camera so the tire pressure monitoring system is the only way to know you have a flat unless you see smoke in the rear view mirror and by then it's too late.  I definitely agree that you need a real-time monitoring system.

Also BoomerD is right about the cold affecting the readout.  When it's really cold we sometimes have either a motorhome or toad tire not registering until we're on the road and it has a chance to warm up.  We usually check it just to be on the safe side but the pressure is always good - just at the edge of the parameters we set - and it fixes itself.  We also have the "booster" in the rear bedroom so the signals reach from the toad to the front of the motorhome.  It depends on overall length as to whether you'll need the booster.  We're about 41 feet + tow bar + Jeep Grand Cherokee and decided we need the booster because the signals weren't always reaching the unit in the front dashboard.

ArdraF
 
Ardra, the problem with PPro is that the sensor batteries are not replaceable, and you have to buy replacement/refurbished sensors. I'm done with PPro.
 
I found this on Amazon.  Looks exactly like the EEZRV with the exception that they do not sell flow thru sensors.  I talked to them about it and they said the FF sensors fail too often so they don't trust them.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZAIKLMY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3UICDSM1H12ZZ&coliid=I98493VMOCHIG&psc=1
 
I've been using the EEZRV TPMS system for over 2 years. The Motorhome has 6 flowthrus and 2 regular sensors. The inside duals have straight extensions and there wasn't room for the flowthrus. EEZRV exchanged the Flowthrus for the regular senors at no cost. 12 sensors and only one issue: one sensor failed after 3 months and was promptly replaced by EEZRV. I haven't even changed a battery yet. I gave up on PP because of the cost of replacing them after the batteries go bad and PP refused to warranty a sensor that had ballooned (bulged out on one side).

That said, any of the systems out there are better than not having a TPMS.

ken
 
We shied away from the flow through sensors because of the danger of leakage.  We like knowing that the sensor 'caps' off the tire stem.  The Bellacorp product seems to be very sensitive to low pressure, though we have not had and tire failure or leakages.  We monitor our after market air bags with the Bellacorp TPMS.  When I have the pressure in the air bags low, the alarm actually goes off when we hit a bump and momentarily depressurizes the air bags.  (By the way.  We like knowing the pressure in our air bags while going down the road because we depend on them to stiffen our 2003 Excursion suspension).  I've not used any other products, but the Bellacorp TPMS seems to be very sensitive to pressure changes and the alarm is not shy about going off.
 
Something that wasn't mentioned and is valid for any of the externally mounted systems: you need to make sure all of the valve stems are metal, no rubber ones. The weight, even though very small, of the sensor mounted on a rubber stem will eventually cause failure of the stem due to the vibration of the sensor from the rotation. If you have the metal reinforced flexible ones, make sure they are securely mounted to rims/wheel covers.
 
Thanks for all the input.  Seems  like there are lots of choices out there.  I think I am planning to go with the one by Bellacorp that 8Muddypaws referenced.  Looks like a quality product and the price is good.  I'll report back in a couple of weeks after I have a chance to try it out.
 
KerryT said:
Thanks for all the input.  Seems  like there are lots of choices out there.  I think I am planning to go with the one by Bellacorp that 8Muddypaws referenced.  Looks like a quality product and the price is good.  I'll report back in a couple of weeks after I have a chance to try it out.
Click to expand...

I have my eye on that one too so  I'm interested in your feedback KerryT, specially for the ease of programming and the reach of the transmitters. I was thinking of a 10 tires version, 6 for the coach and 4 for the toad.
 
Ok DutchEagle.  I've placed my order.  I'll let you know as soon as I get them installed and test them out. 
 
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