I think if you feel comfortable with having a tire monitor that is great. For those that say its a blowout preventer are stretching the facts. A LOT of your blowouts are exactly that, a sudden loss of air usually caused by debris in the road (most often occurring on the passenger side). In those instances, there isn't a tire monitor made that will help you.
I LOVE gadgets and can afford to buy the oens I want and I do, but personally I just can't get past the price and the hassle of tire monitors (just my opinion). My coach gets serviced every year, including ALL filters. It gets washed EVERY trip (monthly) and waxed several times a year. I inspect everything regularly, but find myself spending very little time on tires. I never understood the guys that check their air everytime they start and stop. I check my air three times a year and find that it loses about 3 lbs per tire between checks. I can visually tell if my tires aren't setting correctly, everytime I approach the coach.
In 35 years of RVing, I had one GoodYear start to thump on the way back from the Grand Canyon. It hadn't lost any air, but I changed it on the road and moved on. On my current coach, I had a knot develope on one of the G670's (discovered while washing the coach) and I changed it out.
I think if someone were to spend some money on a TPMS I would say spend it on the toad. There have been plenty of stories of toads having flats and they weren't detected.
Don & Mary
2005 Monaco Diplomat 36SKT
400 Cummins
2012 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ CrewCab 4WD
2013 Polaris RZR 800 LE
Diplomat Don wrote: I think if you feel comfortable with having a tire monitor that is great. For those that say its a blowout preventer are stretching the facts. A LOT of your blowouts are exactly that, a sudden loss of air usually caused by debris in the road (most often occurring on the passenger side). In those instances, there isn't a tire monitor made that will help you.
I LOVE gadgets and can afford to buy the oens I want and I do, but personally I just can't get past the price and the hassle of tire monitors (just my opinion). My coach gets serviced every year, including ALL filters. It gets washed EVERY trip (monthly) and waxed several times a year. I inspect everything regularly, but find myself spending very little time on tires. I never understood the guys that check their air everytime they start and stop. I check my air three times a year and find that it loses about 3 lbs per tire between checks. I can visually tell if my tires aren't setting correctly, everytime I approach the coach.
In 35 years of RVing, I had one GoodYear start to thump on the way back from the Grand Canyon. It hadn't lost any air, but I changed it on the road and moved on. On my current coach, I had a knot develope on one of the G670's (discovered while washing the coach) and I changed it out.
I think if someone were to spend some money on a TPMS I would say spend it on the toad. There have been plenty of stories of toads having flats and they weren't detected.
You are very fortunate that you never had a brake caliper stick and cause the temp to rise on the side it stuck on. I had a left front caliper stick on a 1995 HR and the TMS let me know instantly the temp on the stuck caliper was 200 deg. and the others were less than 100 deg. I could have driven on and burnt up the rotor and the brake pads plus what ever damage could have happened (maybe boiled the fluid in the system and lost brakes completely), but I stoped, let the brake cool, and then continued on. I would gladly spend the price of a TPMS for the chance of what could have happened. Hope you never have to experience this. Stay safe.
So the Tire Traker arrived in the mail today. I read the instructions and installed them this afternoon. Actually a pretty simple and straightforward job. I already feel better having them installed. I have always been worried about an inside duel or the toad springing a leak causing a blowout. I know this is not a 100 percent cure but its way ahead of nothing.
Thank you for all your help
peaches&cream wrote: They can be very easily replaced with a good gauge and a IR reader. Then you can stop every 5 miles and check the temps and pressure. You get the same thing as a TPMS
Well put!
Don't bother with oil pressure and coolant temperature gauges while you are at it. Just get out and check at regular intervals. Gas gauges are only approximate. If you run out of gas, you can always push. Real time monitoring of critical systems is for wimps.
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Happy Ford F-53 Class A Owner (2008 Gulf Stream)
2010 Ford Fusion Toad (with 6 speed manual transmission - the only way to tow)
Brake Buddy Vantage, Blue Ox Aladdin Tow Bar,
TST RV 507 TPMS, Power Master Voltage Controller
Diplomat Don wrote: I think if you feel comfortable with having a tire monitor that is great. For those that say its a blowout preventer are stretching the facts. A LOT of your blowouts are exactly that, a sudden loss of air usually caused by debris in the road (most often occurring on the passenger side). In those instances, there isn't a tire monitor made that will help you.
Fair enough. Hit a nail and no TPMS will rectify the ensuing blowout. Or will it?
Many times you pickup a nail that causes a slow leak. That leak turns into blowout as tire pressure falls to 30 PSI, 40 miles or so down the road.
Or how about the claim: "My blowout was not due to low tire pressure. I must have hit something". With a TPMS, you can make this claim. Without a TPMS, you don't actually know. You may have checked pressure before leaving. But as soon as you start moving, you don't know what your tire pressure is. Any claim that a blowout was not caused by a pressure problem is unsubstantiated.
And let's try one more: You get up early - are in hurry - but checked pressure last night. Let's just go! Problem is: the ambient air temperature dropped 40 degrees since your last measurement. With typical moisture infused tire air, your pressure can drop 10 PSI or more. You can easily fall below the tire weight capacity for your rig.
A TPMS monitors an important system on an expensive piece of equipment. Detecting anomalies early will save you more than the cost of a TPMS. I have yet to read a particularly good justification against a TPMS short of "I feel better not knowing what is going on with my vehicle". Nothing wrong with that, until something goes wrong.
"ClassAGeek"......As I said, it's my opinion. Your need to have a tire pressure monitor to make you feel good about temperature changes in the morning ????? is fine for your level of comfort.
Quote: Posted By: Diplomat Don on 03/27/12 03:36pm
I think if you feel comfortable with having a tire monitor that is great. For those that say its a blowout preventer are stretching the facts.
Don, the word "prevent" has only been used in the situation where a tire is slowing losing air and the temp rises causing the tire to blow. I don't think anyone has said that it will prevent an instantaneous blowout that was cased by road hazard or defective tire.
I think you're the one that is stretching the facts.
Ron
Ron & Sandie
'08 Safari Simba SBD35 CAT C7
Toad: 2011 GMC Terrain SLT2
Tow Bar: Sterling AT
Toad Brakes: Unified U.S. Gear
TPMS: Pressure Pro
Member of: GS, FMCA, Safari Intl, CAT
Matt TST wrote: You're basically paying $50 a tire to keep your peace of mind while out on the roads. Regardless on which system you buy, it really is a great tool to have while traveling.
I agree to a point. But to what end? They won't tell you of a blowout any sooner than you would feel it. Maybe on bigger DP's you might not feel it? Seems to me they would indicate a slow leak. Anything else and you will know as quickly as the sensors will. Am I missing something? Not trying to be crass. Obviously they are mandated on passenger vehicles for a reason, just wondering of what heads up indicator would be valuable outside of a slow leak that you won't know at the same time anyway?
They will alert you to a slow leak.....AND a blow out..Instantly...........a blow out, fast leak of an inside dual....could take some time to notice.
After having tire go flat, and never having a clue it happened, I will never tow without one!!!!
2000 Ford SuperDuty F-350 Powerstroke,Dually..The Tow Monster
2000 Cardinal 27RK LX
Prodigy Brake Controller
Honda EU3000is Generator
Raytek IR temp,Garmin 1300 /GPS
Doran Pressure Pro
VU Qube Satelite Rally's attended so far-16 My Blog
Good Sam Member
What got me thinking about this is when I got to a campground with an inside dual flat. Thing is I had just left the dealer after an oil lube and service. The service tech said he had checked all tires and batteries. Good thing it was a short trip (an hour maybe) and most of it on 40MPH roads. It was a large screw probably picked up in the dealers lot. Glad I didn't leave the dealer and jump on the freeway with the next scheduled stop in a couple hours or more.
Diplomat Don wrote: "ClassAGeek"......As I said, it's my opinion. Your need to have a tire pressure monitor to make you feel good about temperature changes in the morning ????? is fine for your level of comfort.
For me, it's less of a feeling - and more of a fact: As ambient temperature drops, so does tire pressure, with the result always being lower weight carrying capacity at any given speed. TPMS owners know about these pressure changes since their monitor tells them so on cold mornings. With a properly set 'low pressure alarm', they will hear about it too if they forget and drive away without topping up their tires. It sounds like pressure changes don't affect you. That's certainly the preferred way to have it.
And I must also agree: Annoying things, like the effects of ambient temperature on weight carrying capacity or the questionable value of knowing what is happening with my rig now versus 4 hours ago, only seem to make TPMS owners uncomfortable. So much so, they end buying a TPMS. Don't give it a second thought.
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