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So I thought I'd post a little review of this TPMS set I got in the mail last night.
I got the idea from a post someone put up on here for these little kits and on another thread on here about adding battery voltage monitors as the TPMS system that comes with our cars is pretty basic.
This unit seemed to retail for about $70-$100 CAD locally and I found this form a seller on Ali Express for $41CAD including shipping (about $32USD). I think it took about two weeks to get to me, maybe less.
I looked at a few of these units and there were cheaper ones with smaller displays and some that go up on the dashboard and run off solar power, There are also versions that fit in blank switch spots that tap into a power supply in the car and are really well integrated, I would have went for one of those except that I have AWD and AFS so I don't have any blank switch spots in my car at all. Also the mounting spots for the switch blank integrated units seemed like they would be harder to see at a glance from the driver's seat for my height anyways.
The dashboard mounted ones I didn't want at all as I thought they looked ugly and our dashboards don't really have a good flat spot for a good mount.
This unit is compact and fits pretty flush with the ashtray and sits at an angle that is easy to see and the display is bigger than some of the cheaper units. Also it displays all the info at once (some of the cheaper ones with smaller screens can show the same info but I believe you have to switch screens). Also,this unit has a USB outlet built into the side so I can still plug in my phone which is handy.
Installation was super easy, there are Youtube videos on it but basically you just screw on the locknuts on the valve stem and screw on the sensors over them like a normal valve cap then you back out the locknut until its flush with the cap using the included wrench. This is a "security feature" so people cant just unscrew them and walk away with them. From watching a Youtube video, some units come with dust boots and or o rings which mine didn't but I would look for them being included if I were to purchase another set. For this one I have a variety pack of O rings in my garage that will probably fit and I might just add some between the locknut and the sensor if it seems like its not sealing, but so far so good and I'm not anticipating this being an issue (maybe in winter it may make a difference as the sensors are plastic on the outside and may shrink in the cold, we'll see).
Probably the only thing I don't like about this whole set up is that I feel like the sensor caps seem a little large and ugly, but it may just be that I'm not used to them- I don' t usually have any caps on my valves at all as I prefer to be able to check tire pressure quickly and frequently. The sensor size appears to be mostly due to the fact that each sensor has a replaceable button battery in it that is supposed to last two years. the kit comes with a tool to open them up to allow for battery changes. There was an option to get them as internal TPMS sensors, but I still prefer this as the internal ones would disable the OEM TPMS and I don't like having lights on on my dashboard. that and I wouldn't be able to use this when I switch to my winters so this is still the best set up for me.
I just checked and aired up my tires to 36.5 PSI cold yesterday and the readout was accurate reading all four tires at 36 PSI out of the box. the unit connects automatically and each sensor is labelled specifically for the tire (i.e LF, LR, RF ,RR) and no programming is required. By default the low pressure warning is set to 29psi and the high is set to about 44-45psi but you can adjust this. out of the box it was set to read Bar for pressure and Celsius for temperature. the only change I made was to switch bar to PSI as the rest of the parameters are pretty much what I wanted them at out of the box.
I find the information readout very useful especially the temps. The pictures were taken after my 1.5 hour commute in aggressive stop and go traffic and highway driving....notice from my pictures that my front right tire is running quite a bit hotter which makes sense since I had some damage from a pothole earlier in the season on that side to the axle and the outer tie rod which has probably thrown my toe off and I haven't changed the tie rod yet. ...it could also be a caliper dragging a bit but either way it tells me something is up and I should keep an eye on it and maybe even rotate the front tire from right to left so the tires don't wear unevenly in the interim.
So that's my review, its a neat little gadget that you don't really need but its cheap and I personally find it helpful...
I don't know if this is the right sub forum to post this in so do your thing and move it if it seems wrong Slarti..
Last edited by Baadnewsburr; 09-05-2018 at 09:44 AM.
Hashim, don't look towards toe as the cause of your hotter-running right tire. Because they pivot, the front wheels will self-center as you drive and change toe on both front tires equally. Look towards brake drag as you mentioned, or a damaged tire casing.
09-05-2018, 09:38 AM
