Tire monitor

What are the thoughts about tire monitors. Do they work? What is the best brand? Do they affect tire balance?

Well I had a blow out & did not know quick enough & the damage was some $2500. I bought a set of tier monitors from JC Whitney & they cost about $100 & work great & did not effect the tire balance. I have a set for my dually rears also.

I have the Pressure Pro system, so far so good.

The new units will also monitor air temperature inside the tire, although mine is the old unit. I can upgrade by returning my old unit and $100.00 and they send me a new one.

When I bought mine, Costco was the best deal.

The only issue with the Pressure Pro is the monitor is large, a good 7 inches long, by 3 inches high. Other units are the size of a pack of cards.

I have the Hopkins System. The only problem that I have had is that it sometimes looses the signal from the tire. That is a pain in the neck and you end up shutting it off which defeats the purpose.

Thanks guys! do the tire sensors mount on the outside of the tire? How often do you have to replace the sensor battery?

Mine mounts on the valve stem instead of the cap. Had mine a couple of years. Batteries have to be replaced by mfg.

Duke wrote:Thanks guys! do the tire sensors mount on the outside of the tire? How often do you have to replace the sensor battery?

Mine screw onto the valve stem. I remove them when I'm not using the camper, so my batteries should last a very long time. I hope!!!! I will have to send them back to Pressure Pro to have the battery replaced.

Thanks guys! Tom, do you have a Costco near you? I think our closest one is in Frederick..

Duke wrote:Thanks guys! Tom, do you have a Costco near you? I think our closest one is in Frederick..

We have one at Christiana Mall in Delaware, its about 35 minutes away.

I did order mine from their website, but I just did a quick search for it and its not there. Maybe they stopped selling it.....

Ok, Thanks Tom..

We have been using the TST brand for almost 2 years and it preforms wonderfully well. It has "saved" us twice so far. Also like the fact that it measures temperature and pressure simultaneously. We had another brand before but it just didn't work for us. Diana

We also have the TST - 2 years this month. We were having problems with it - first one sensor didn't show up and we thought it was a battery (kind of soon considering how long they said a battery should last), then there were other problems. Scruffy talked with someone at TST (or emailed), and he sent the entire set back to TST so they could have a look. It's been about a week, and I don't think they've contacted him. I'll be getting concerned if we don't hear from them by the first week of January, as we are leaving for a trip in mid-January.

I'll let you all know how this turns out.

Tater

I would suggest that a phone call the beginning of the week couldn't hurt. With the rush of the holiday season it would be good to 1st to be sure they received it [unless you have delivery confirmation] then to ask if they checked it out and finally to let them know you need it back before your upcoming trip. Waiting til the last minute to contact them, could possibly leave you disappointed if say, they hadn't received it or it was misplaced once it arrived back to them. Hugs, Di

Scruffy and Tater wrote:We also have the TST - 2 years this month. We were having problems with it - first one sensor didn't show up and we thought it was a battery (kind of soon considering how long they said a battery should last), then there were other problems. Scruffy talked with someone at TST (or emailed), and he sent the entire set back to TST so they could have a look. It's been about a week, and I don't think they've contacted him. I'll be getting concerned if we don't hear from them by the first week of January, as we are leaving for a trip in mid-January.

I'll let you all know how this turns out.

Tater

I see some prices of $250 for the TST system with four tire monitors. Do you think this is a good price? Do most of you monitor only four tires? (trailer tires) four more tire monitors are another $200.. Just wondering. This is a good deal if it prevents the trailer being damaged to the tune of $2500. Just my tire and plastic fender cover cost me about $200 doing the repair myself.

I have the monitoring system. When you have a blow out, you know about it before the tire monitor goes off. The telltale parts of your trailer on the highway are always a reliable sign of tire problem. I have had 4 blowouts. Each time the monitor told me after the event. The monitors are good if you are loosing air because of some kind of leak. Even with them I still check tire pressure everyday before hitting the road.

Hi Robert, I had a blowout this summer. I checked the tire pressure before leaving home. I stopped about 75miles from home at a roadside rest area. I then checked the temperature of all the tires with a handheld unit. After leaving the rest area I felt a little sway in the trailer. That was my first clue. I thought I was on a road that had some ruts from big rigs. Well, about another 25/35 miles the tire went. I guess I picked something up on the road and the tire lost air before goingPOP!! I thought a monitor would have prevented this. I could have prevented the blowout if I had paid more attention to the sway. I will stop the next time I feel sway.. Thanks! Duke

The monitor will help Duke if you pick up a nail and start to leak air. My tires blew because they were defective, and also brand new I may add.

What brand tire were they? I am about to buy new tires for my cat, trying to decide what is the best brand.. Thanks ! Hope you have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Not all tire monitors real in real time and not all are capable of rapid air loss detection. If your unit doesn't read in real time and/or isn't capable of rapid air loss detection than it wont warn you in time. Normally the cheaper units don't have both of these functions. Also some monitors require a signal booster to have fast reliable communications between sensors and the monitor. You may have delayed readings without the repeater/signal booster and not get warned in time.
Another note, a tire will normally get hot before it blows. So if your unit doesn't read temperatures, you won't be warned in time.

My advice is stay away from cheap monitors and get one that reads in real time, has rapid air loss detection and reads temperatures. Also get their signal booster/repeater even if you don't think you will need it.

I've spent hours researching tire monitors and this is what I've learned.


Earl

I asked Scruffy about our tire monitors. He insured and requested that they be signed for when they arrived. He checked with the postal service, and they said they attempted to deliver them, but there wasn't anybody there to sign, so they left a slip. Scruffy checked today, and they still haven't been delivered, so he called TST. TST said the postal service is supposed to make 3 attempts to deliver. So, Scruffy is at the post office now to see what's up. I'm not feeling real good right now about either the postal service or TST, and am glad Scruffy had the package insured.

Will keep you updated on this.

Tater

We got 8 monitors - 4 for the trailer, 4 for the truck. Scruffy takes them off both truck and trailer when we get back from our trips to save the batteries.

We have Maxxix tires and Scruffy is very satisfied with them.

Tater

Good to know! I have heard several folks comment on the Maxxis tires and they all like the tire. I don't have anyone close to me that sell the Maxxis. Sure would give them a try.. Thanks!as for the tire monitor what do you recommend Earl? Sounds like you have done alot of research. To get the monitor that checks temperature along with pressure do you need an internal sensor?

Mopar_Earl wrote:Not all tire monitors real in real time and not all are capable of rapid air loss detection. If your unit doesn't real in real time and/or isn't capable of rapid air loss detection than it wont warn you in time. Normally the cheaper units don't have both of these functions. Also some monitors require a signal booster to have fast reliable communications between sensors and the monitor. You may have delayed readings without the repeater/signal booster and not get warned in time.
Another note, a tire will normally get hot before it blows. So if your unit doesn't read temperatures, you won't be warned in time.

My advice is stay away from cheap monitors and get one that reads in real time, has rapid air loss detection and reads temperatures. Also get their signal booster/repeater even if you don't think you will need it.

I've spent hours researching tire monitors and this is what I've learned.


Earl

Getting in on this one kind'a late, but did your research offer you any brands to consider?

TC

So far I have only looked at the TST and the Pressure Pro.

Please keep us informed with your decision. I am very much interested in a tire monitor, but I don't see any reason why I should do all that research when the ant is doing it for me.

Thanks,
The Grasshopper

Thanks Guys! This forum is great. It might be awhile before I actually make the purchase. I need to replace my tires and then I can get the tire monitor. I wanted to goto 16" but feel the expense is too much and can't be sure I can get rid of my old rims. I feel the 16" rims & Tires would be my best option. I guess my second best is Maxxis tires.. I might go that way..Stay with the 15" and move up to load range 'E'.

Thanks Earl, I too will be waiting for the reveal.

TC

Just found another tire monitoring unit. Tire Tracker. Looks like a nice unit. Monitors pressure and temperature, main unit has a rechargeable battery, the tire sensor batteries are user replaceable and light weight. There are several videos on technorv.com

Duke wrote:Just found another tire monitoring unit. Tire Tracker. Looks like a nice unit. Monitors pressure and temperature, main unit has a rechargeable battery, the tire sensor batteries are user replaceable and light weight. There are several videos on technorv.com

Cool, I'll research that one too.


Earl