Any opinions on after-market TPMS?
Also are current TPMS as accurate as hand-held guage?
I’ll buy one if forced to on a new car. They are mandated on all new cars and trucks made after 2007. Otherwise, I’ll just use one of my pencil gauges. As far as accuracy, I don’t know.
Nothing…NOTHING…is better than checking your own tires the old fashioned way. The TPMS is only good for supplemental info, such as while you’re driving, NEVER rely on it as your only means of tire maintainance.
Checking you own tires with a hand held guage allows you to take a pro-active role in your tire safety. > > Not only are you checking psi, but you have your eyeballs engaged upon your tires and can see the condition of the tread and sidewalls, AND you check all four each time < <. One of the biggest mistakes drivers make on a daily basis is not seeing the right side of their vehicle before driving. A walk around tire psi inspection allows you the perfect opportunity to see the rest of your car. ( in aviation known as the “pre-flight” inspection, done with check list in hand, every time. )
. If you actually want an aftermarket TPMS, that’s fine but NEVER forget the immense value of checking all your tires yourself…And don’t forget the spare once in a while too.
Thanks for that articulate response. Enjoy the Holiday Weekend!
I’m finding opinions that pencil gauges are notoriously inaccurate. I plan to by a decent analog version like Click and Clack recommend. Thanks for the response!
TPMS = Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Some people are human and simply forget to check their tires. Part of the reason is that today’s tires, and cars, are less prone to failure than days of yore. You’ll see a good number of cars with under-inflated tires on the motorways. People are unawares, not stupid (I know, I know…some are.). The dash reminder of tire pressure may save lives from dangerously under-inflated tires. Better to have a safety system rather than not.
They are a good thing, but I am not sure they are worth the cost. In any case they are there only to provide an additional check for those people who fail to check their tyre pressure as they should or to alert you to a fairly fast leak. The in no way replace checking them yourself.
I think you’ve asked a good question. I don’t know how accurate either a TPMS system or hand-held gauge is. But if they’re comparable, I was looking at the Hella TC-400 tire pressure monitoring system, just as an example, and it seems to provide much more information than a hand-held gauge can, including individual tire pressure and temperature for up to 7 tires. Additionally, it provides a warning of tire underpressure that could cause stability problems and can also warn of tire overheating. It can also warn of severe tire overpressure.
While I would agree with poster Ken Green that nothing replaces a close visual inspection of the condition of your tires, I wouldn’t necessarily go as far as saying that nothing can replace checking your tires with a hand-held tire pressure gauge. The automatic systems are not cheap, but the hand-held tire pressure gauge’s days may be numbered.
… the hand-held tire pressure gauge’s days may be numbered.
NEVER. TPMS systems are prone to false reporting and battery deaths. Only a manual gauge will confirm a TPMS reading, or lack of.