<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by agkcpa:
Cruzer,
I am looking at tire pressure monitors right now. I am curious to know what you disliked about the Doran Pressure Pro. Also, does the Tire Sentry <UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Give an audible alarm for low tire?<LI>Provide a readout of actual tire pressure on each tire?[/list]Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Art, I originally had the Tire Sentry on my Suncruiser but decided to trade it with the coach rather than leave a hole in the dash for the next guy and it would save m from "unfishing" the antenna wire. When I bought the Bus I figured I'd try the Doran Pressure Pro because it seemed similar to the Tire Sentry except that it displayed the pressures rather than just a warning. The
Tire Sentry unit was very reliable. It mounted into a standard 2" diameter dash instrument hole, which I made with a hole saw so it looked nice and neat. The external antenna connected to the rear via a coax connection and I ran it down alongside the frame rails so that it was central between the toad and coach. The wiring then plugged into the back of the gauge for power/ignition/and ground. The gauge displayed a birds-eye representation of the tire locations and each one had a small LED that would flash at a given pressure setting as well as give an audible warning. The senders themselves were small and used an inexpensive replaceable hearing aid style battery that's supposed to last for a couple of years. The senders had adjustable settings so you could set the pressure setting to whatever you wanted and it would warn at -10% below what you set it for. The senders were very robust and compact enough to fit in between the wheel slots. So far so good.
Except, I wanted to see the pressure. I actually didn't "need" to see it because if it was low I would see the warning and that's good enough. But, I "wanted" to see it. You know, when it's a long and boring drive and you're looking for things to do and switches to fiddle with.
So I bought the Doran Pressure Pro when I got the Bus. I played with it a few weeks and then removed it and ordered another Tire Sentry. Now I realize that there are a ton of happy Doran users out there, and that's OK, but it just wasn't what I was looking for. First, the display unit was big and made to hang someplace or stick on with the suction cups. I was looking for more of an OEM look and the Doran module just wouldn't mount into the dash due to it's funky shape. Plus it was thin and all of the connections plugged into the side of the display so I couldn't hide them even if I got creative with a scroll saw and cut a whole. So I was relegated to making a custom bracket and hanging it in front of the dash and trying to hide the cables as best I could. Not a deal breaker so far, just not what I would have liked to see.
Next, the sending units were huge and very "plastic". I had to wiggle and bend on the valve stems to give them enough clearance to fit in the rims. No replaceable batteries either. You have to send them back to the factory for exchange, but I knew that going in. The biggest problem I had was that the senders have a very small "nub" in them that is supposed to depress the valve stem core enough to release the air pressure to the sending unit. That didn't always work. I had to buy a bunch of different valve stem extensions for the inner duals in order to get some that had just the right ratio of length between the valve stem core and housing. Then, each sender had to be programmed to the receiver. If you ever removed the sender it had to be reprogrammed when you put it back on and mine were getting "lost" frequently. They'd be fine when I parked and the next day they wouldn't "be there". I also found out that the Doran sensors lock onto whatever the pressure is in the tire at the time of installation. If you were to find a low tire and check it manually, when you reinstalled the sensor it would think that was the pressure you wanted and would no longer warn you unless it fell further. Plus, there's no way I could ever screw one on when the tires were hot or else it would lock onto that reading and warn me as soon as they cooled to normal temperature/pressure.
In my mind there were too many "ify" things and I just didn't like the lack of the bulletproof reliability that I had with my Tire Sentry. But still, it would be cool to see those readings so I do think that a SmartTire system is in my future. The big question is whether to use my existing TripTek interface or add a SilverLeaf VMS240 Color Display. One other advantage to the SmartTire (at least for me) is that there would be no external sensors to damage on the Jeep. As it exists now I have to take them off when offroading before the Moab rocks take them off for me.
In my mind the simplest, easiest, most reliable system is the Tire Sentry but if you want the best, the SmartTire is undoubtedly the way to go, especially with a second display in the toad for standalone use.
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