TST Saved Me - Page 2

buzzcop63 · 07-01-2016, 08:23 AM

My "Tire Minder" sending units (.3 oz sending unit) have been on our trailer since June of 2012, no mark on tires caused by rubber stems, tires have never been balanced and no internal evidence of vibration. 3,900 miles on this OEM set of Towmax Power Kings. Check stems each time tires are checked by hand gauge and air added, seem fine, no leaks. My maximum speed is 55 MPH and trailer scale weight is 6,100.

Desert185 · 07-01-2016, 11:08 AM

Holy moly! Lucky guy. I'm going to start drinking what you're drinking.

Tesoro · 07-03-2016, 08:11 AM

For the life of me I cant imagine why anyone who tows a camper wouldnt invest in a TPMS system! Esp considering most trailer tires arent that great. I would bet that most of the horror stories you read about are not due to badly made tires but to operator abuse by running them at low pressure and overheating them. After all how many people do you see at gas stations checking/filling their tires hot??!!

On my first big 5'er I bought one after doing the research and cant live without it anymore! I have on my now camp trailer and my boat and my pickup.
The one I chose was the eeztire system after a few hrs of reading and research. Cant remember why as its been 3 yrs but I think because could change out the batteries yourself and no extenda antenna.
Like all they can be frustrating to mate up initially but once you get the knack it works like a charm. Instruction booklet is confusing but if you call the number 'fred' answers down in yuma and patiently walks you through the whole process.

The eeztire monitors are accurate to about a psi. The prob I found was buying a handheld gauge that was super accurate. Maybe I am a bit ar but once you have the monitor it bugs me to see uneven tire pressures. I think I went through 2 mechanical a few electronic to get the right one. I wound up with the husky electronic one bought at home depot and its dead on. Can get them now on amazon for 10 bucks. If you do get one realize the 2aa batteries only work the led light and there is another semi hidden flat round battery that operates the psi sensor. Many, including me, have tossed em thinking the were defective after replacing the aa batteries!

bsmith0404 · 07-03-2016, 08:43 AM

It's difficult to get a tire gauge that matches the sensors exactly because the standard deviation tolerance in the industry is plus or minus 2-3 psi. That means each of your sensors could be off by as much as 6 psi from each other, one at +3 psi the other at -3 psi. Your gauge has the same tolerance. I like to see the same pressures across all 4 tires as well, but realize that the standard tolerance means that even if they read the same, doesn't mean they ARE the same. I set all of the tires to read the same with my hand held gauge and from there, it is what it is.

I like the TST system, I just need to get a few more sensors to add them to my truck. When I bought the system I didn't have a dually so I had the OE system on the truck. The batteries are replaceable on the TST sensors as well, simple watch type batteries, CR1632.

Tesoro · 07-03-2016, 09:15 AM

Maybe i have lucky sensors or the eez tire ones are more accurate? I fill my tires exactly the same on my digi handheld and all 8 match up on the monitor within 1 to 1.5 psi of what I filled to. most are the same or within 1 psi.This is one of the reasons I went through a few digi hand held gauges to find one that was accurate and consistent for airing the tires. I always fill and measure in the early cool morning before any sun hits the tires unevenly.

On my motorhome and tow jeep I had 10 sensors and same minimal variance. its getting down to splitting hairs on 1 vs 3 psi as sun on one side will raise pressure but fun to have a gadget so precise.

Desert185 · 07-03-2016, 09:21 AM

My TST flow through sensor batts are 1632's.

bsmith0404 · 07-03-2016, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tesoro

Maybe i have lucky sensors or the eez tire ones are more accurate? I fill my tires exactly the same on my digi handheld and all 8 match up on the monitor within 1 to 1.5 psi of what I filled to. most are the same or within 1 psi.This is one of the reasons I went through a few digi hand held gauges to find one that was accurate and consistent for airing the tires. I always fill and measure in the early cool morning before any sun hits the tires unevenly.

On my motorhome and tow jeep I had 10 sensors and same minimal variance. its getting down to splitting hairs on 1 vs 3 psi as sun on one side will raise pressure but fun to have a gadget so precise.

The standard industry deviation is why you had to go through several gauges to find one that matches your sensors. According to the TST website, their sensors are accurate plus or minus .73 psi, which means that one sensor could be off as much as 1.5 psi from another. Still nothing to worry about, even with gauge deviation.

The most accurate gauges on the market designed for race applications are around the $100 range and most are only good for 60 psi. If you get a good gauge capable of high PSI readings, they are normally in the $30+ range. Typically they can be calibrated, but again with tolerances of a couple psi. They can be set to pretty much exactly what the master gauge reads....but how accurate is the master gauge?

Nothing wrong with getting a gauge to match the sensors. That will also tell you when your gauge or sensor tolerances have slipped a bit. I'm just pointing out that it's not an exact industry and finding a gauge and sensor combination that matches can be difficult and probably not worth it for most people as long as you're within a couple psi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desert185

My TST flow through sensor batts are 1632's.

Yep, that's what mine have as well, couldn't remember for sure. I made an edit to my last post to reflect that.

Desert185 · 07-03-2016, 03:03 PM

I stopped obsessing over the minor inaccuracies of tire pressure gauges when I realized that those minor variations in pressure had no real bearing on tire longevity. Contact patch and handling performance primarily determined the set air pressure after an initial recommended setting. Once there, I just use the same gauge indicating that resulting pressure.

With trailer tires and TV drive tires at the max sidewall pressure setting (when towing) I have never had a problem caused by the tires being a few PSI off, so I just use a few decent pressure gauges and press on.

T11ravis · 07-07-2016, 04:36 AM

Here are my results with rubber stems (3 years ago):
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...t=12449&page=2

bsmith0404 · 07-07-2016, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T11ravis

Here are my results with rubber stems (3 years ago):
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...t=12449&page=2

Yep, that's exactly what happened to mine, except on aluminum wheels.

denverpilot · 07-08-2016, 08:46 PM

Do NOT do external sensors on rubber stems. I won't bother detailing my experience but it's similar to others. Get flow through sensors and good quality stems or don't do it at all.

bitten · 07-09-2016, 07:19 AM

Using flow thru sensors I have one tire that slow leaks. Have I tightened the sensor Allen screw too much? No leakage before sensor attachment.

mfifield01 · 08-07-2016, 12:51 PM

I was just about to purchase the TST 507 flow-thru, but it mentioned possible issues with trailer tires and sticking out too far. Has anyone had this issue? My trailer has 14" rims.

Attached is picture. I plan to have Discount tire put on metal valve stems first.

bsmith0404 · 08-07-2016, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfifield01

I was just about to purchase the TST 507 flow-thru, but it mentioned possible issues with trailer tires and sticking out too far. Has anyone had this issue? My trailer has 14" rims.

Attached is picture. I plan to have Discount tire put on metal valve stems first.

I personally don't see this as being an issue. I just switched from the normal to flow through sensors. Yes they stick out a little further, but that won't have any effect while going down the road. I have slides over each of my tires so I couldn't accidentally hit them while camping. If you are concerned about that, they are easily removed when you stop. Some people recommend that anyway to keep them from disappearing.

mfifield01 · 08-07-2016, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

I personally don't see this as being an issue. I just switched from the normal to flow through sensors. Yes they stick out a little further, but that won't have any effect while going down the road. I have slides over each of my tires so I couldn't accidentally hit them while camping. If you are concerned about that, they are easily removed when you stop. Some people recommend that anyway to keep them from disappearing.

I think curbs are more of a concern.

bsmith0404 · 08-07-2016, 01:42 PM

If the sensors are hitting curbs, I'd be more concerned about tire sidewalls, they don't stick out that far. Standard curb height is 6", most are rolled back making the highest portion further away from the tire/wheel. Trailer tire sidewalls for the most common sizes is around 6". Granted you get some squatting. Additionally, the valve stem is typically on the second rib making it even higher off the road surface and then the sensor sticks up beyond that. I would say the end of the sensor would be somewhere around 8" off the ground at worst. I just don't see it as an issue.

trucker LOU · 08-07-2016, 04:45 PM

I take my sensors off the truck when going through the car wash. had one damaged .----Lou----

mfifield01 · 08-08-2016, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

If the sensors are hitting curbs, I'd be more concerned about tire sidewalls, they don't stick out that far. Standard curb height is 6", most are rolled back making the highest portion further away from the tire/wheel. Trailer tire sidewalls for the most common sizes is around 6". Granted you get some squatting. Additionally, the valve stem is typically on the second rib making it even higher off the road surface and then the sensor sticks up beyond that. I would say the end of the sensor would be somewhere around 8" off the ground at worst. I just don't see it as an issue.

Thanks for info. I ordered the kit today.

Larry1013 · 08-08-2016, 10:11 AM

I am not promoting nor touting the TireMinder System as better than nor worse than TST or others, but if you get an indication of a problem from your system, it has well paid for itself.

This pass summer, after traveling 6,000 miles from Alabama to Washington state and on way back in the middle of Kansas on I-70, I got a beep that one of the trailer tires had a sudden lost of pressure. I pulled over on side of interstate and found one of the metal valve stem had a nut that had loosened. Fortunately it had only lost approx 15 psi of the 65 psi in the tire. I was able to tighten the nut on the exterior and proceed cautiously to the next exit. At the next exit I was able to fire up the generator in the bed of the truck and pump up the small (3gallon tank) air compressor I carry in the trailer. I pumped the tire up and proceeded on my way to Alabama with no additional problems.

I now firmly believe in a TPMS system even if add-on. I have the TireMinder system with 12 sensor. There are 7 sensors on my dually truck and 5 sensor on the 5th wheel trailer.

Do I need a sensor on the spare tires? Maybe not, but with sensors, I know at a glance if the spares are properly inflated or not and that is peace of mind should I have a tire problem on the road.

Barbell · 08-16-2016, 09:08 AM

On our first trip with the TST 507 system. I set pressure in the fiver tires at 110 psi in the cool morning before moving the rig. While heading North that morning, the right side tires were showing 120-125 psi while the left side was showing about 5-10 psi less. Obviously, the sun shining on the right side made the difference. I don't get concerned unless the pressure is going down while temp is going up. The factory system on the TV is not as accurate as the TST.

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