Aftermarket TPMS

[Horseshoecat]

Has anyone had good results with an aftermarket TPMS system? They have special screw-on valve stems that communicate wirelessly with a device near the dashboard.

I have seen these on Amazon and wonder if they are useful and/or accurate.

Happy New Year everyone.

HorseshoeCat

[mkguitar]

$35 works just fine

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1






mike

[Roadtreker357]

I have TST and have been happy with it. Does up to 22 tires. More expensive than the Amazon listing above.

[Nspekter]

I chose an internal system by Tuson. It was less expensive than some and they’re an OEM supplier so I expect the long term reliability to be good. The pressure and temperature ranges are not user adjustable which is a feature I would like to have.

[terance13]

Hi! I own a tire and auto repair store in Maryland and have a 21' Chinook...and l installed the in-wheel Dill system. More expensive but accurate and reliable...plus you don't even have to worry about the damaging the stems...they are regular looking TPM sensors. I don't know how to attach a file, but there are different part numbers depending on the number of sensors =, ie, 1502 for 2, 1504 for 4, etc. They also come in different diameters depending on the size of the opening for the valve.

I've seen too many after market sensors break off.

Good luck

[604eholston@charter.net]

You betcha, worth every penny. The constant monitering of tire status is priceless. The installation can be tedious because if valve stem issues but once functioning, well worth the price and effort.

[RedPanEd]

Bought this in July 2020:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This model comes with four monitors, but can monitor six tires plus a spare (7 total). I especially like the ability to set different PSI/temp alarm levels for the front tires and the rear tires. Programming the unit is kind of tough, but if I figured it out , you can to.

[DaveWA]

TPMS:
I bought the Invtek Solar Power RV TPMS Tire Pressure Monitoring System. I wanted one that sits on dash, did not require a cord to power, and had solar battery recharger. $129 Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/Invtek-Pressu...862357&sr=8-21
They work perfectly. The air pressures are displayed on the screen once the wheels do about a full turn, waking up the sensors.

Valve extenders, Steel:
I would not recommend that you use aftermarket TPMS sensors on OEM rubber valve stems. While the sensors do not weigh much, the centrifugal force generated on the valve stem when the wheel is spinning can tear the rubber valve stem. You should replace the rubber stem with a steel one. If your van has dually rear wheels, all the more reason to move to steel stems of extended length, so you can easily adjust tire pressure.
Here is what I purchased:
For solid metal tube extenders, check out YourTireShopSupplies. https://yourtireshopsupply.com/categ...sprinter-class . NOTE: as of 1/10/21, this link does seem to work. Their site might be down temporarily. If you cannot get to their web site, give them a call. I spoke to Kelli in Customer service. She was very knowledgeable and helpful. (81 352-8717 (800) 300-2674 Fax: (81 352-8119.


Email: support@yourtireshopsupply.comsuppor...op supply.com
Hours: 8:30am - 4:45pm PST M-F

[jspringator]

I bought this a couple of years ago. Saves a lot of aggravation constantly checking tire pressure. Easy to change batteries. I would only use with metal valve stems.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[peteco]

TST has worked nicely for me. I have a 6 sensor system and use 1 sensor for airbag pressure.

[Brad1998RD]

I prefer a RPM's system that's inside the tires. Less chance of getting stolen and less chance of leaks

[Nic7320]

Get one with a solid recommendation OR get one from Amazon, and expect to send it back.

I've had good experience and bad experience with two TPMS units so far. I bought a four tire no-name TPMS from... somewhere (ebay or Amazon) and had to go through a few minor glitches to make it work. Once it started communicating and was set up properly, it works fine.. I think. Problem is, you don't know how accurate they are or how long it will stay that way, and how much air the sensors leak, which is a problem with many retrofit units.

The other TPMS was a mid-priced six-tire unit from Slamazon (sic - that's Ave-speak from YouTube)... and ended up sending it back. It would not communicate with the sensors, and the "manual" was all in broken, barely intelligible pig-English. China has plenty of competent bilingual English/Mandarin speakers, but for some odd reason they don't use them. So the instructions were of no value, it didn't set up properly, and it went back.

So spend the money and get one that is going to work, so you don't have to work through all the engineering and documentation mistakes the low cost no-name Chinesium units have.

Or use Amazon's generous return policy until you find a good one. And let us know what that is!

[reilym]

Originally Posted by Horseshoecat

Has anyone had good results with an aftermarket TPMS system? They have special screw-on valve stems that communicate wirelessly with a device near the dashboard.

I have seen these on Amazon and wonder if they are useful and/or accurate.

Happy New Year everyone.

HorseshoeCat

Hi, I bought the VeSafe TPMS system several years ago. It works well, with a couple of caveats. These systems keep the Schrader valve depressed constantly and so need to seal around the threaded lip of the valve stem. This requires that the O-rings remain intact or you'll be in big trouble. This happened to me once. I think it was because one of the caps was overtightened, resulting in the O-ring being destroyed. I was picking pieces of rubber out of the Schrader valve with a dental pick.

Since the valve is not made to be depressed constantly, it might also be that these will lead to spring fatigue that might prevent the valve from sealing without the sender screwed on, but that is just speculation.

I use them on my RV, but take care not to over-tighten. Also, I purchased a bag of valve stem caps that have washers in them, so that I always have a spare o-ring. Ideally, I think it's better to have proper TPMS sensors installed inside the tire, but I'll use these until I need to replace the current set of tires.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by terance13

Hi! I own a tire and auto repair store in Maryland and have a 21' Chinook...and l installed the in-wheel Dill system. More expensive but accurate and reliable...plus you don't even have to worry about the damaging the stems...they are regular looking TPM sensors. I don't know how to attach a file, but there are different part numbers depending on the number of sensors =, ie, 1502 for 2, 1504 for 4, etc. They also come in different diameters depending on the size of the opening for the valve.

I've seen too many after market sensors break off.

Good luck

Terance could you talk a bit more about this please?

GeorgeRa also stated on another thread that he used the Dill brand, but when I go to their website, I am not able to identify a product that can be retrofit to my 2006 Sprinter 2500, which as an upfit Class B is near GVWR of 8,550 pounds, and which will probably be fitted with eurometric Type-C tires, which in turn will be around 90 psi.

Most of the TPMS retrofits on the market seem to be geared toward lower-pressure tires. Passenger cars, in other words.

Also, I am looking for a model with an in-wheel sensor. The other kind just doesn't sit well with me.

Thanks.

[GeorgeRa]

You could consider getting a Schrader monitor and substitute sensors with metal body ones like Dill or Schrader, assuming that monitor can be programed for different IDs.

I think the difference between TPMS sensors for truck application is metal stem, but I could be wrong. This kit can be ordered with metal stems.

https://www.tpms.com/Schrader-TPMS-R...p/schrfk4s.htm

[terance13]

The Dill system goes up to 144psi

[engnrsrule]

I bought the one mkguitar recommended (see link) about 6 months ago and it works fine. In fact it may have helped avert disaster on a recent trip.

My RT calls for 80 psi rear and 55 psi front. Because of the TPMS I started noticing an increasing difference between the pressure in the rear tires. The TPMS revealed the problem long before it became visibly apparent or evident in the ride or response.

Interrupted our trip to put a pair of new tires on the back. This led to another oft overlooked but important point. I knew my spare tire was holding pressure and had lots of tread, but thought it looked old, so since I was changing 2 tires off the rear, one of which was still in pretty good shape and only 3 years old, I had them move that one to the spare. Turns out the spare was over 15 years old.

Here is the link. The display is solar powered. Cheap insurance.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D73RJZ4/

[mkguitar]

I'm still happy with mine after about 18,000 miles



I have my alarms sets for a sudden loss of pressure- worried about tire damage from hitting road debris- it happens


I also watch the temps which could indicate a caliper rubbing or a bad bearing


interesting that I often see 10 or 20º higher temps on the sunny side of the van


Mike

[BuckySS20]

I'm late on this reply, but FWIW we've been happy with the Doran 360rv on our bumper pull RV. Screw-on sensors like you originally asked about that do pressure and temperature. We just finished a 1000 mile towing trip and the readout in the truck worked perfectly the whole time with 4 year old sensor batteries.

Hope this helps.

[avanti]

TST is robust and reliable. I cannot say whether they are the best value, but they are a safe choice.

Just be very sure that if you use stem-mounted sensors, you get 100% metal stems installed. Trust me on this one.