Community Forums

sidewinder2 · 09-17-2010, 03:04 PM

I'm suprised Tire Sentry has not been mentioned in this discussion. I purchased them about a year ago and absolutely love them. They are mounted on the valve stem and you can set them to whatever alarm pressure you want on each individual wheel. I have them on all six motorhome wheels and the toad. The batteries are watch batteries which are relatively inexpensive. The monitor is mounted in my dash in a standard 2 1/8" gauge opening and gives you an audible and visual alarm. They do, however, only measure pressure and not temperature.

Downsizer · 09-17-2010, 04:12 PM

The Hawks Head System I feel is the best.... you get temp & air pressure and can set your own % warning system.... The batteries are readily available and you can change yourself and the pressures, etc.
Hawks Head is the best, I feel... plus very accurate..... I still "look" at my tires, but I serious look at the display for the Hawks Head... easy, simple and works! Typically, if you "suspect" a problem, you are probably cruisin and the display is right there and gives you peace of mind until you can pull over and actually look..... Temp is just as important..... again, info to help you make decisions while driving.....

Mike Canter · 09-17-2010, 05:17 PM

Ken, my inner tire on the drive axle is way forward of the muffler. There is no exhaust close to that tire. If the muffler was going to heat something it would be the tag axle tires but they are a long way off also.

DAN L · 09-17-2010, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

I know a lot of people say that they want a TPMS that also tell the temperature of a tire, What for? If the tire is running hot it's probably losing air and the TPMS will tell you so. No one yet has given a good reason for knowing tire temperature. I have used the Pressure Pro for 5 years. It's simple, it saves you time, it works and it gives you peace of mind. The bottom line is, you should have a TPMS no matter what kind. It can save your life !

the tst tire temp gives me a heads up warning when the workhorse/bosch brakes hang up. it will probably be close to a year before i can get the recall campaign accomplished. until then, the tire temp is VERY important to me.

Truck System Technologies, Inc

Chuck 1935 · 09-18-2010, 08:50 AM

[QUOTE=DAN L;704432]the tst tire temp gives me a heads up warning when the workhorse/bosch brakes hang up. it will probably be close to a year before i can get the recall campaign accomplished. until then, the tire temp is VERY important to me.

DAN L, You are right,. I forgot about the brake deal. I can see that the temp can be very important and very helpful in those certain situations. I do feel sorry for all you guys have had to go through with that mess. It's good to know that help is on the way.

RickO · 09-18-2010, 09:10 AM

In addition to dragging brakes I think I've heard folks refer to wheel bearing problems being detected via tire temp as well.

Rick

bigstonebay · 09-19-2010, 08:02 AM

I agree that temp readings are only a reference to warn you of a potential problem. I have a Hawkshead system, MH and toad. Check pressures every time we start rolling at the display, put it down and don't worry. After a few initial blips the system appears to work fine. Have checked pressure with a gauge and found it to be spot on. Would not be without one. What I like about Hawkshead is when I was having set-up problems I could phone and talk to them about it and the problems were resolved.

Ernie n Tara · 09-19-2010, 08:40 AM

All,

To enter the temperature discussion; the temp is critical to any rubber component. I develop fabric reinforced rubber parts for the Navy (submarines) and the way we accelerate qualification testing is to increase the test temperature. The relationship is that the aging rate doubles for every 16 deg. F increase in temperature. That means a tire that is good for seven years at an average temp. of 100F will age out if consistently operated at 132F (yes I've seem my tires there) in about two years. I expect most are designed for an average of 84F or lower.

Since ALL rubbers change physical properties as they age (most get harder; that's how you make bakelite) it is really critical. Too hard and cracks happen (ozone or UV have the same effect for different reasons.

I'd also note that, if you have a TPMS, you probably have (or should have) steel valve stems (still insulated by the rubber washers, but not well).

Ernie

PS I've made another post here (I think - or RV Forum) that expands considerably on tires and elastomer in general.

sandcar361 · 09-21-2010, 04:49 PM

Well I just bought the Hawks Head system or should I say I just ordered it.

Floridafran · 09-27-2010, 10:18 AM

All,

Thanks for the great advice you guys give. I have learned so much.

It was hard to decide which tpms to go with. I did the preliminary research, gave the info to Tom and let him make the final choice. As of this morning you can count us among those who have ordered the Hawkshead system.

I'm so glad we'll have it in place before our first real trip in the RV in mid-October. Everything about RVing is new to us. Anything that can contribute in the safety and/or peace of mind areas is a plus in our book.

Fran

sandcar361 · 09-27-2010, 01:52 PM

The Hawkshead is shipped from Canada so be patient. I still don't have mine that I ordered a week ago.

crumgj · 09-27-2010, 02:36 PM

I have the Hawkshead and was ready to throw them out the door! I couldn't get them to calibrate, read out correctly, adjust the pressure parameters, etc. I was royally ticked off and contacted Hawkshead via email. They dealt with the issues in a very professional and timely fashion and never accused me of being a big dummy! Yup, the fault was with the owner and not the product. Once I got everything in place and functioning I became a loyal Hawkshead customer. Great system that should be sold only to those who can read instructions. Hey, it's a guy thing....

JManatee · 09-27-2010, 05:37 PM

I have the TST system Truck System Technologies, Inc I like it alot. I did have one battery go dead quickly (2yr) and one sensor just failed both were replaced quickly and under warranty by the folks at TST.

About the temp issue, If the sensors are mounted to metal valve stems, then the temperature would be pretty accurate because the stem is pretty close to the same temperature as the rim.

If you mount the sensor to a valve extension then that is only reading the air temp less accurate.

Floridafran · 09-27-2010, 07:39 PM

Thanks for the heads-up about being patient and reading the instructions. Neither are among my DH's many virtues.

Nothing I can do to speed up delivery, but I am notorious about reading instructions before I start something. With luck, I can get my hands on the installation sheets and read them while he's gathering the tools for the job.