Any TPMS Recommendations?

[dpherod]

Hi - we're planning our first big cross country trip this summer. It seems like a Tire Pressure Monitoring System would be a good idea, especially since some of our travel will be through the hotter southern part of the country.

Any input on one brand or style versus another? The prices vary quite a bit and I'm clueless.

2018 Cougar 24' double axle TT

Thanks!

Dan

[Canonman]

We bought the TST 507 with the Flow Through Sensors. No repeater necessary. Monitors pressure as well as heat. They have worked really well with no issues whatsoever. Saved our vacation on the first trip.

[dpherod]

Thank you, Canonman - that's exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for. I really appreciate it. Stay healthy!

[GHen]

TST507, flow through sensors.

Metal valve stems are recommended and inexpensive to install.

[dpherod]

Thank you,GHen. I was just researching flow through vs. cap. I appreciate the advice.

[MarkEHansen]

This is the article I used to help me decide:
https://www.rvweb.net/best-rv-tire-pressure-monitoring-systems-reviewed/

I ended up going with the EEzTire TPMS. It fits our need nicely and has worked very well.

[dpherod]

Thank you, Mark. That's a great link! :)

[travelin texans]

TST 507 also!
With a dually the flow thru caps aren't too handy to use. I had 10 of the regular caps, 6 on the truck & 4 on the RV, would highly recommend
Regardless of brand, adding a TPMS is one of the best, smartest add-ons every rver should invest in.
They won't prevent a blow out, but will let you know immediately you've had one rather than driving for hours with one, BTDT.

[FlyingAroundRV]

I did the same thing you're doing. I asked here for that advice and IMO the consensus seemed to be the TST 507. We went for that with the flow through sensors. Our rims will not accept metal valve stems, but we haven't had any issues with the larger flow through sensors in two seasons and nearly 20,000 miles of towing.
Our unit came with a repeater but we haven't had to use it. We have a 27' trailer and a CC 250. The sensors also supposedly measure the tire temperatures, but I haven't found those measurements to be very accurate in absolute terms. I use those temps as relative measurements. For absolute temp mesurements, I have a laser thermal gun which was quite cheap from harbor freight.

[notanlines]

We also have the TST 507 and found it satisfactory. It does lose continuity on occasion but over all it is fine. We have nothing to compare it to so I can't say it is the best.

[dpherod]

Thanks for all the great replies. I really appreciate the insight & advice. I'll definitely settle on one and install it before our trip.

[TG10894]

Have TST non-flow thru. Works great, going on three years now. No battery issues so far, and they are very accurate. I have rubber valve stems, and that also has been a non-issue. Temperature sensor actually caught a dragging brake on one trip that heated up the hub. I was impressed.

[dpherod]

Thank you, TG10894. I appreciate the advice. Now we're hoping things open up soon enough for us to make our trip!

[faturner]

I bought the Tire Minder caps with the repeater. So far they work great. Interesting when I’m going down the highway and the Sun is primarily shining on one side of the trailer, the temperature difference between sides.

[thefulminator]

There is one question that I don't ever see anyone ask when it comes to TPS systems. Is it required to have the tires rebalanced with the sensors installed? I know they don't weigh much and that since they are fairly close to the center of the wheel the effect is less than tire tread irregularities.

[Tireman9]

I bought TireTraker system back in 2008. Been using ever since. I like their current lifetime warrantee and the ability to program the warning levels.


One observation. You might be able to buy TPMS on eBay or Amazon but I have to wonder if the sellers have RV experience and knowledge or are just selling a product.


Re Repeater. The need kind of depends on distance and how much material (metal or wood) between the sensors and monitor. I see the new TT6o0 includes a signal booster as standard but if you don't need it with your RV setup you don't have to use it.

[bfisher003]

We’ve been using the EEZTire system on a 2016 Bullet and now a 2019 Montana for about three years and have been very happy with it. It definitely saved us from a probable blowout after having a complete new set of tires installed on the Bullet we had in 2017 in Whitehorse on our way back from Alaska. The tech installing the tires said we were good to go, but after putting the sensors back on and before moving a foot I let the system cycle through all four tires. When it got to the driver side tire on the rear axle it immediately alarmed with a low pressure fault reading 32 psi. I’m pretty sure that without the TPMS we would have gone merrily on our way and probably had a blowout somewhere down the road. I’m definitely a big supporter of using TPMS.

[MarkEHansen]

There is one question that I don't ever see anyone ask when it comes to TPS systems. Is it required to have the tires rebalanced with the sensors installed? I know they don't weigh much and that since they are fairly close to the center of the wheel the effect is less than tire tread irregularities.


The weight of the sensors is not enough to interfere with the balance.

[MarkEHansen]

We’ve been using the EEZTire system on a 2016 Bullet and now a 2019 Montana for about three years and have been very happy with it. It definitely saved us from a probable blowout after having a complete new set of tires installed on the Bullet we had in 2017 in Whitehorse on our way back from Alaska. The tech installing the tires said we were good to go, but after putting the sensors back on and before moving a foot I let the system cycle through all four tires. When it got to the driver side tire on the rear axle it immediately alarmed with a low pressure fault reading 32 psi. I’m pretty sure that without the TPMS we would have gone merrily on our way and probably had a blowout somewhere down the road. I’m definitely a big supporter of using TPMS.


We use the same system and really love it. As far as the tire stores go, you definitely want to check the tire pressure after having work done. We had metal valve stems installed by a local Les Schwab tire center (normally, a very good place) but the tech doing the work inflated our trailer tires to around 40psi. When I questioned him, he insisted this was required. I had to inflate the tires to the proper PSI myself.

[akita2255]

I Bought a BELLACORP system for ten wheel monitoring.. you can get as high as 20 tire monitoring at one time also this system handles up to 175 psi need for the 95 psi on trailer tire.. had mine for over two years and never a problem added four sensors to a tamdam trailer that i haul a sxs on..

[JRTJH]

There is one question that I don't ever see anyone ask when it comes to TPS systems. Is it required to have the tires rebalanced with the sensors installed? I know they don't weigh much and that since they are fairly close to the center of the wheel the effect is less than tire tread irregularities.

Considering that most people don't even balance trailer tires (a topic for another thread), then I'd say you don't need to have the tires rebalanced...

That said, if I were buying new tires or having them rebalanced for some other reason than "installing a TPMS cap on the valve stem" then I'd ask the tire center to please balance them with the TPMS cap on the tire. I don't think it really makes much difference. You probably won't hurt or even affect tire balance enough to harm anything, but if rebalancing does occur at some later date, you might as well get the most precise rebalance you can (with the TPMS cap on the valve stem)....

[McRod]

Eezytire. It's EZ!

[LV_Tom]

I bought a Tire Minder system for my trailer and I liked the way I could check my tire pressure via the TM before we hit the road. Also lowering pressure and rising tire temps while driving usually indicates a problem. I have stopped using the TM product as it only warned me of two tire blowouts (China Bomb tires) after I came to a complete stop on the side of the road. I don't know if the newer versions have an early warning system, but most systems can't pre-warn you of a pending blowout.

2011 Cougar 27' RLSWE
2017 F-250 6.2 Gas

[MarkEHansen]

Really? What's the reason for most blow-outs? Low pressure causes excessive heat resulting in a blow out. The system I use (EEZTire) has immediate alerts for leaking pressure (among other things). These systems are pretty smart these days.

Even if you have a failure of the tire that no system can warn of, you'll still know the instant the event occurs - something not always possible on trailer tires without such a system.

I wouldn't want to be on the road without some type of TPMS - the risk is just too high.

[cliff]

We like TireMinder. You can monitor up to 22 tires and can break between the towed and the tow vehicle. We monitor 5 tires on the truck and five on the fiver. That includes the spare.

[LewisB]

Here's a couple of important questions:

Do the sensors need to be in motion to "turn on" or will they transmit when not in motion. Some systems "shut off" their sensors to save battery life. The only way to turn them on is to have the wheel in motion. So if your trailer has been sitting for a couple of weeks, your TPMS is useless until you pull out and put the sensors in motion. Only then will you discover the low tire.
Do you want to remove the sensors in order to add air? If you do this, when you reinstall the sensor you will lose some air - how much?
We chose the TST 507 due to the display screen and flow through sensors that are always on. I figured replacing the batteries every 12-18 months was worth having the sensors ready at all times. With this system, you can check for low tires even when your trailer has been sitting. This has already saved us once - tire went flat while we were camped. The TPMS warned me of this BEFORE I got ready to leave for home.

Seemed best for us.:popcorn:

[Cougar Jim]

I've been using Pressure Pro since 2006. 12 yrs on my 41ft motorhome and 1 yr on our 22ft Cougar Half ton. Replace a few sensors a few yrs ago. With the Moho I could monitor 6 tires plus the Jeep but now I just monitor the 4 trailer tires because the Ram has it's own system. Pressure Pro monitors pressure and temperature

[Hoopy Frood]

I have the TST with the flow through sensor. If I had to do it over, I would forego the flow through, as they allow such a small amount of air to pass, that it takes a very long time to add as little as 5 PSI. I ended up taking mine off if I have to add more than a couple psi. Metal valve stems of course.

Also, be aware that if the monitor loses contact with a sensor, it will show the last known pressure until an hour has passed. Then it will alert for a lost signal.

[jkmcbride54]

I purchased the EezTPMS last year and took a 4000 mile round trip to Arizona from Georgia last summer. It work great other than it would occasionally drop the signal to right rear tire. I've since added a repeater which has extended the range that has eliminated the occasional drop. Also, I was concerned with the weight of the sensors so I replaced the rubber valve stems with metal ones before heading out on the trip to Arizona. The repeater was around $70 and the metal stems cost $8 per tire that included installation.
I like the added benefit of adding my truck tires to the system but started out with just purchasing the four on the 5th wheel.

[+Ruff Rider]

I can't believe what people want to spend there money on. LOL If you have a low tire there is a reason. You have a leak and need the tire repaired. Otherwise tires don't need air but every 6 months. I wonder where people put all this stuff in there truck. I had a hard time putting the air bag switch in my truck. I saw one guy that had a monitor in front of his air bag. I guess he didn't like his wife much. A tire gauge is more than sufficient to check tires. Just remember you let air out every time you check. I carry a tire thumper. I guess some guys need all this stuff for something to do while camping. I save my money for things nice for the wife.

[sourdough]

I can't believe what people want to spend there money on. LOL If you have a low tire there is a reason. You have a leak and need the tire repaired. Otherwise tires don't need air but every 6 months. I wonder where people put all this stuff in there truck. I had a hard time putting the air bag switch in my truck. I saw one guy that had a monitor in front of his air bag. I guess he didn't like his wife much. A tire gauge is more than sufficient to check tires. Just remember you let air out every time you check. I carry a tire thumper. I guess some guys need all this stuff for something to do while camping. I save my money for things nice for the wife.


Not sure of your observation. Unless you want to stop every couple of miles and check your tires for pressure, temps or damage don't see how a pressure gauge is going to help you.

Case in point; headed on a trip and my alert went off for low air pressure. LOTS of time to pull over and investigate. I had been watching a semi in the oncoming lane weave in and out and missed a piece of debris in the road. A large hook had embedded itself in my tire and it was losing pressure. I could, and would, have proceeded down the highway at highway speeds fat dumb and happy until the tire disintegrated and tore the side of the trailer out....again, but it didn't. It alerted me and it still had lots of air. Wouldn't trade it for an air gauge (of which I carry 2 in every vehicle) for anything.

[GHen]

Tst507, I have had three alerts of tires with low pressure, just down about 10 pounds or so. Pulled over at the next city and got the repairs done. I would never had noticed any of them driving down the road with a pressure gauge.
The tpms is one of my best purchases for my 5th wheel. So far it’s saved me twice as much money in new tires than I paid for the tpms.

[+Ruff Rider]

I look at my tires when I stop for fuel. I guess I just don't have time for another gadget in my truck. For those of you that think you need to carry thousands of gallons of fuel this may be a problem for you but I will stick with my 26 gallons and stop every 3 or 4 hours. I have never had a blowout on any car or truck in 30 years. I never check my air more than once a month if that. If the car sits than I will check before I drive it but for my everyday car not so much. Some guys worry so much about tires oil pin weight and take all the fun out of camping. Why go if you need all this crap in your truck not to forget about the back up camera. I always get my but out of the truck and look. it's only 32' to the back

[flybouy]

I look at my tires when I stop for fuel. I guess I just don't have time for another gadget in my truck. For those of you that think you need to carry thousands of gallons of fuel this may be a problem for you but I will stick with my 26 gallons and stop every 3 or 4 hours. I have never had a blowout on any car or truck in 30 years. I never check my air more than once a month if that. If the car sits than I will check before I drive it but for my everyday car not so much. Some guys worry so much about tires oil pin weight and take all the fun out of camping. Why go if you need all this crap in your truck not to forget about the back up camera. I always get my but out of the truck and look. it's only 32' to the back

Whatever makes you happy. Obviously, you don't understand why people desire more information on the truck and trailer that they are driving and why they are willing to pay for that information. For me, I happen to agree with the federal government on the necessity a backup camera and tpms being standard equipment for safety reasons. So if you buy a new vehicle with this equipment then I guess you're just going to have to learn how to ignore that information.

[JRTJH]

I look at my tires when I stop for fuel. I guess I just don't have time for another gadget in my truck. For those of you that think you need to carry thousands of gallons of fuel this may be a problem for you but I will stick with my 26 gallons and stop every 3 or 4 hours. I have never had a blowout on any car or truck in 30 years. I never check my air more than once a month if that. If the car sits than I will check before I drive it but for my everyday car not so much. Some guys worry so much about tires oil pin weight and take all the fun out of camping. Why go if you need all this crap in your truck not to forget about the back up camera. I always get my but out of the truck and look. it's only 32' to the back

I had the same feelings about those "one stick/one pedal transmissions" when I bought my first automatic. That "way back then" mechanical connection to the PRNDL indicator was "just wasted space"... Who needs that extra indicator. After all, you just pull forward on the "stick", move it clockwise until it stops and the transmission is in D. No need to even look at that "extra information".... Until you're in a frustrating parallel parking situation with 3 screaming kids in the back seat (I only have 2 so one was invited to irritate me) and I'm trying to go forward, only to find the transmission is in R.... Foot off the brake, tap the accelerator slightly and "CRASH".... That's why I commented on a 1950 Buick tail light in another thread.... Sometimes that extra information can help, even stubborn people... Now, I do appreciate the 'gear selection indicator" located on the dash and use it regularly when towing in the mountains. It's good to know if I'm in 5th or 4th without using the tach/speedometers to determine speed/engine RPM to know the same info... Taking up that extra space on the dash for a PRN65432L indicator is a pretty nice feature. Sometimes things like a rear camera monitor, a TPMS, a ScanGage and even a transmission selector are pretty nice features....

[Hoopy Frood]

I look at my tires when I stop for fuel. I guess I just don't have time for another gadget in my truck. For those of you that think you need to carry thousands of gallons of fuel this may be a problem for you but I will stick with my 26 gallons and stop every 3 or 4 hours. I have never had a blowout on any car or truck in 30 years. I never check my air more than once a month if that. If the car sits than I will check before I drive it but for my everyday car not so much. Some guys worry so much about tires oil pin weight and take all the fun out of camping. Why go if you need all this crap in your truck not to forget about the back up camera. I always get my but out of the truck and look. it's only 32' to the backDo you also put electrical tape over all the gauges so you're not overwhelmed with information? Personally I got a TPMS so I could quit worrying about my tires.

And I like having enough fuel onboard that I don't have to stop until I feel like stopping, which, as often as not, is at a nice rest stop or park rather than a noisy, smelly, crowded gas station where my truck has to stop.

You do things your way and I'll do things my way and we'll both be happy, although I think I'll be calmer and happier overall. :)

[GHen]

Ruff Rider, I think I see where you’re coming from and appreciate the thought. When I was doing a lot of backpacking, sometimes iI thought it was better not to check the map too much, don’t check out the the pictures of the trail and lakes on the web. It is better just to take a walk and discover the trail, the animals, lakes and great spots to stop and check out the view all for the first time.

All that said, I did feel I had a responsibility to the family to have cell phone (turned off) just in case a problem developed. But we remember the challenges of a road trip and repeat them around the fire, the lug nuts coming loose, the blowout, running out of gas, going the wrong direction for 50 miles, even the windstorm flipping the trailer over and a farmer coming over with his tractor to flip us back upright (plus a little welding to fix the hitch). It’s all part of the journey, it’s a real road trip.

But nowadays, the DW probably wouldn’t go on anymore trips if we can just get to the site quickly and camp, or even to just sit in the trailer and play candy crush... all my gadgets and gauges get us there without too many incidents. She’s happy, I’m happy, campfires warm.

Do whatever you want as long as you enjoy it and keep everyone safe.

[skids]

So did you give the wife the tire thumper? I bet not! (Just kidding)

[cliff]

Before I learned that the tires on our fiver were only supposed to last a couple of years, we never where concerned about our tires. Since 1988 we changed the tires every five years and lived happily. Then in 2010 we bought a fiver and put on Goodyear Marathons. In 2012 we had our first tire failure. What was bad was we didn't even feel it. I attributed it to low pressure, although I checked them that morning. Put on the spare, called ahead to a dealer, ordered a new tire. New tire, on our way. 200 miles later a second tire failed. Didn't feel it either. Spare on, back home. Learned to replace all four tires at 2 to 2-1/2 years. New tires all around, Towmax. At two years I just happened to be checking the left rearview mirror and saw one fiver tire explode. Didn't feel a thing that time. Pulled over, changed the tire. By the time we got to the RV park two other tires failed just as we got to our site. Four new tires and this time a TPMS. Yes, I got in the habit of checking the tires every morning before moving, so I didn't drive with under inflated tires. One thing now is that my check for tire pressure is turn on the TPMS and read all the tire pressures, and temperatures including the spares. Since I know I can't feel the failure, I am aware of it before significant damage occurs.

[HDroadglide]

TST is the best I think. This is my fourth RV and I have had TST from day one and they have saved me alot of money and a better peace of mind.