Why disable the light when it's easier just to get the sensors installed on your wheels? I have a set of sensors in my CV1s and my stock wheels. When I switch them out, I'll do the trick to turn off the light.

So far, with my CV1s, I have yet to see the light come on. I feel much safer driving with the sensors on a low profile tire. And before someone says "Blah you can check it manually", that's a far cry from the actual pressure of your tires while driving when the tires are hot.

For me, it's a must have. The capability is there, so why not take advantage of it?

 

The main reason is $. New sensors cost about $400. Even if you re-use your old sensors, it will cost $ to take off old tires, remove old sensors and mount them to new wheels. then you have to put them back on the old stock rims say to turn in a lease. Of course it is better to have TPMS, but not absolutely necessary. It all comes down to $ and priorities.

 

I will disable my TPMS when the batteries in the transmitters die. The expected life span of TPMS batteries is seven years and then you have no choice but to buy new sensors since the batteries aren't replaceable. So not only do you have to buy new sensors, but then you have to pay to have the tires dismounted/remounted & balanced, and then of course you have to pay to have the new sensors programmed to the car. That's a big expense for something that I feel is completely unnecessary to have in the first place.

And as far as the pressure of the tires when hot....I'm not sure what you're getting at. All tires heat up as you drive. When you check your tire pressure, that's the cold pressure. They are supposed to heat up when you drive and the cold pressure specification takes that into consideration.

I'll never be a big fan of TPMS. For me, it's really nothing more than an unnecessary expense. I'm not against technology or anything, but it does **** me off that TPMS are forced down my throat because there are so many lazy bastards on the roads who can't be bothered with checking their tire pressures regularly.

 

Black electrical tape over the light. Problem solved.

 

A well-placed square of black tape can do wonders...

 

That's ghetto.

 

Yes, some of those lazy bastards lost their lives a few years back in those SUV rollovers which prompted the TPMS law. Serves them right.

I wish the feds would stop coming out with all these unnecessary safety devices and let us kill ourselves on the road like we did in the good old days. Why, if it wasn’t for air bags, seatbelts, padded dashes, collapsible steering columns, dual brake lines and safety glass, our cars would much cheaper to buy. After all, a blowout cannot be too expensive to repair.

 

I don't think anyone deserves to lose his/her life because of a tire blowout. But lets be real here.....I'm not particularly against things like airbags or seatbelts because accidents happen and you're better off with safety devices that help cushion the blow. At the same time, lets use some common sense. Statistically, what do you think are the odds of you or I dying in a car crash that is attributed to a blow-out caused by low tire pressure? I'm guessing I have a better chance of hitting Lotto and getting struck by lightning on the same day. Yeah, statistically insignificant.

Now add to that the fact that I (remember, now I'm talking about ME, not someone else) check my tire pressures at least every two weeks, plus I only buy high quality tires and I never let my tread depth get down to the minimum depth allowable by law. Does that mean I can't have a blow-out? Of course not. Does it mean my odds are even lower of having a blow-out? Of course it does.

So tell me again why I need TPMS? Oh yeah, because of all the other people on the roads who aren't checking their tire pressures...who buy no-name tires...who drive 90 MPH in an SUV with 13 lbs of tire pressure. Yeah, that's why....

Chekov, you always seem to be over-sensitive to all this safety stuff, but even you should admit that enough is enough. I mean, seriously, they should wrap your car in bubble wrap and fill in interior with foam. I'm sure that wouldn't bother you in the least. Safety is nice, but not when it becomes unreasonable for a bunch of different factors.

 

You're not saying that TPMS prevents blow-outs, are you?

 

Hey, lets all be REALLY safe. Why not limit every car’s top speed to 65 MPH? Or better yet, lower the national speed limit back down to 55 MPH and make cars that can’t go above that speed! Why we’re at it, let’s forget tire blow-outs and force every new car to be equipped with run flat tires. Then the TPMS will only be there to tell us when the tire has actually lost pressure, because we might not even know it. Then we can take a page out the racer’s handbook and equip all cars with roll bars, and 4-point harnesses. After all, you can get hurt in a 55 MPH collision!

And of course that true even if you realize that two cars traveling in opposite directions at 55 MPH doesn’t equal a 110 MPH collision if they hit head on.

Maybe we can even outlaw SUVs and trucks and force every car on public roads to be 3,000 lbs or less. Then again, that would be tough considering the extra weight of that safety stuff we just mandated! LOL

 

MSCA,
You’re right, I am over-sensitive to safety issues. I started driving in the fifties when we had none of this stuff. I’ve seen family members being in bad accidents who are still wearing the scars. I’ve seen dead bodies on the road during my travels and it has stuck with me. When you reach my age you may appreciate my life experiences a bit more.

Furthermore, as a pilot who has taken my wife and kids up many times, I do not play the odds in any way when it comes to safety regardless of how favorable those odds may be. To do so is simply unthinkable.

You may like the odds of not having TPMS just to save a few bucks, but I deem that foolish. You may have read in a past post where I had a low pressure incident at 70mph on a hot day a few years ago where if it wasn’t for my TPMS telling me there was a problem when there was no visible clue, I could have had a blowout. It may never happen to you, but that’s why you need TPMS. It may be the cheapest insurance you can ever buy.

 

No, that's why YOU need TPMS. My whole argument is that we shouldn't all be forced to have it just because it's "safer". Hey, lets outlaw motorcycles. I'm sure you can argue that they are not a safe method of transportation.

BTW, the extra expense is just part of my reasoning....even if it were free, I'd still be against forcing it on drivers everywhere. To me, it just sucks that more people don't take their vehicles for what they truly are--a tool for driving. Keep your tools in top condition and they'll serve you well.