I noticed with interest a newspaper article (below) this week regarding more auto manufacturers getting rid of the spare tire for their new cars in order to save weight and space.

No Spare Tire Trend

Whereas I believe that most of the buying public will still demand a spare tire for their new cars, it’s interesting that one of the reasons for this trend is TPMS. Quoting the article:

Not to bring up an old argument, but those members who have shunned TPMS on their Infinitis may want to think about it again. Regardless of how often one checks their own tires, it does seem the system has the potential to warn drivers of an impending flat, or worse yet a blowout, before it happens.

 

Of all my years of driving, and i've driven for half my life, every flat i've ever encountered was an instantaneous - Hit, pssshhh, flat.

TPMS would be useless in those situations.

Not to mention, our TPMS sensors are of the "dumb" type. It doesn't tell which tire is an issue, nor does it tell by how much PSI it's low, if any.

Granted, for people who do not check the condition of their tires regularly, TPMS is better than nothing.

 

Well, in all the years I’ve been driving, and I may be older than you, I have encountered a situation where TPMS may have saved my life.

To tell the story again, I was driving home from work a few years ago on a 100+ degree day on a LA freeway at around 70mph when the TPMS light came on. I pulled over and saw (or heard) nothing wrong with any tire. But I limped home anyway at a reduced speed and checked them with a gauge. Sure enough, the left rear was down to 22 psi and was continuing to go down slowly. The next morning I filled it up and went to a local tire shop where they found a pesky nail in that tire, and repaired it. I still believe to this day had I not reacted to the TPMS light at that speed on a hot day I could have had a blowout with disastrous results.

In other words, checking your tires regularly may mean nothing if the leak is initially undetectable and the road conditions are disadvantageous.

 

Probably so.

I've had a nail on a tire while lapping at a local track without issue as well. Only found out after that session, as i was going through the checklist before the next session.

Although anecdotal, i've read several members on various forums who had their entire sidewall shear off the tire and the TPMS never went on even after the fact.

It really just depends.