TPMS For Small TT

[Souljourner]

Originally Posted by TB673

A TPMS will not warn you of an impending blow-out. It will let you know of abnormal pressure loss and/or rise in temperature.
Use the search function for this site with the keywords China Bombs and you will get plenty of information regarding OEM tires, pressures, and loading.

Most of the stories that you read regarding OEM tires speak of blow-outs.
The best thing to do is follow the tire manufacturer's recommendation for pressure for the load, and also do not overload your trailer.



Tim

I have read al the threads since I purchased my TT, which is why I have always been quite concerned about the possibility of a tire blow-out. Ask my husband! We don't move until we check the tire pressure and check the tires for unusual wear or signs of damage.

My understanding is that tires blow due to a combination of several different factors -

Wear and tear of the tires
Overloaded trailers as you mentioned
and where the TPMS comes in -
low tire pressure and/or excessive heat - which I believe is what the TPMS is supposed to alert you of - before it gets so bad that a tire blows. Yes?

Yes - I have read about the "China Bombs." But I can't help but wonder how many of those people with blow outs didn't have a warning system in place?

Am I correctly understanding how the TPMS system works, and the purpose it serves?

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by Souljourner

I have read al the threads since I purchased my TT, which is why I have always been quite concerned about the possibility of a tire blow-out. Ask my husband! We don't move until we check the tire pressure and check the tires for unusual wear or signs of damage.

My understanding is that tires blow due to a combination of several different factors -

Wear and tear of the tires
Overloaded trailers as you mentioned
and where the TPMS comes in -
low tire pressure and/or excessive heat - which I believe is what the TPMS is supposed to alert you of - before it gets so bad that a tire blows. Yes?

Yes - I have read about the "China Bombs." But I can't help but wonder how many of those people with blow outs didn't have a warning system in place?

Am I correctly understanding how the TPMS system works, and the purpose it serves?

YOUR RIGHT. the ones i've had, the TPMS detects running temperature of the tire you set the TPMS to a certain temp and when it goes over that it sounds an alarm. same with inflation, you set the psi and when it goes below that it sounds the alarm. it will also sound the alarm with a blowout (loss of psi) I've seen people driving with smoke coming from one of the tires they didn't know they had a blowout or extremely low tire. this is where the TPMS shines. don't forget road hazards you can run over something on the road and blowout a new tire.
Jay D.

[jadatis]

Mind that external sensors temperature reading is of lesser value.
They most likely give pretty acurate temperature at the end of the valve, and not of the tire inside gascompound.
But you can calculate the temperature back from the pressure rising.

Made a list for that, in wich you can search back your cold filled pressure at 70 degrF, and behind it the degrF chanche per psi.
Then write it down or remember it, and even while driving, you can calculate the temp in tire acurate enaugh, better then the reading of sensor. If you use it for 60 degr F cold, it will give no dramatic differences.
Will give the list at the end.

Then the 2 or 3 psi lower given then digital gauge. Who says the gauge is acurate, it all depends on the range of the pressure sensor in it
And if you read fi 45.73 psi you think its acurate to 2 digits behind dot, but yust analog measure of sensor set over to digital to give at the screen.

About age of tires, also mentioned.
Here in Europe many single axle TT, we call them caravans. Many with C(omercial) tyres( is LT tire).
Long time 6 year renewal was adviced, and still by tiresellers.
But even tiremakers now write to let them be checked every year after 5 years of use, by a profesional tirespecialist, especially on aging sighns, and preventively change them after 10 years of use.
2 years profesional storing after production, can be sold as new, so SOMETIMES this could mean 12 year after DOT date preventive renewal.
I think 8 years average tire use then will be normal.
And because laws of nature are the same in EUR and USA, this would also be able in US.
ST tires though are calculated in maxload for 65mph, so there more reserve has to be build in in the pressure, up to 30% more load then weighed even, otherwise they only make 3 to 4 years average.

Here the list

70degrF./degrF/psi

20 psi/ 15,5F/psi
21 psi/ 15F/psi
22 psi/ 14,5F/psi
23 psi/ 14 F/psi
24 psi/ 13,5F/psi
25 psi/ 13,5F/psi
26 psi/ 13 F/psi
27 psi/ 12,5 F/psi
28 psi/ 12,5 F/psi
29 psi/ 12 F/psi
30 psi/ 12 F/psi
31 psi/ 11,5 F/psi
32 psi/ 11,5 F/psi
33 psi/ 11 F/psi
34 psi/ 11 F/psi
35 psi/ 10,5 F/psi
36 psi/ 10,5 F/psi
37 psi/ 10 F/psi
39 psi/ 10 F/ps
40 psi/ 9,5 F/psi
42 psi/ 9,5 F/psi
43 psi/ 9 F/psi
45 psi/ 9 F/psi
46 psi/ 8,5 F/psi
49 psi/ 8,5 F/psi
50 psi/ 8 F/psi
53 psi/ 8 F/psi
54 psi/ 7,5 F/psi
58 psi/ 7,5 F/psi
59 psi/ 7 F/psi
63 psi/ 7 F/psi
64 psi/ 6,5 F/psi
70 psi/ 6,5 F/psi
71 psi/ 6 F/psi
77 psi/ 6 F/psi
78 psi/ 5,5 F/psi
86 psi/ 5,5 F/psi
87 psi/ 5 F/psi
96 psi/ 5 F/psi
97 psi/ 4,5 F/psi
109 psi/ 4,5 F/psi
110 psi/ 4 F/psi
126 psi/ 4 F/psi
127 psi/ 3,5 F/psi
148 psi/ 3,5 F/psi
149 psi/ 3 F/psi
177 psi/ 3 F/psi

[WeeBeenew]

That was my concern as well with having a single axle. My rig came with new Goodyears. Which eased my mind considerably. I bought the Geohyecc Solar Power Tire Pressure Monitoring System with 6 Tire Pressure Sensor (0-198PSI)



Works fine. Cost a touch over 200.00

[Souljourner]

Guess no one makes a phone app in lieu of a monitor?

My dashboard is getting crowded!

[WeeBeenew]

Originally Posted by Souljourner

Guess no one makes a phone app in lieu of a monitor?

My dashboard is getting crowded!

There is. I just preferred a dash placed monitor. This caught my attention when I was looking. I was going to run it off my tablet along with a nav app. Went a different route instead.


https://www.minderresearch.com/produ...s-tpms-app-10/

[Souljourner]

Originally Posted by WeeBeenew

There is. I just preferred a dash placed monitor. This caught my attention when I was looking. I was going to run it off my tablet along with a nav app. Went a different route instead.


https://www.minderresearch.com/produ...s-tpms-app-10/

Thanks for that link. Followed it and then searched on Amazon. These folks seem to be the only ones with phone monitoring. Reviews were a bit mixed.

Just curious - why did you ultimately choose to go with a monitor instead?

Waiting for Black Friday sales to make my final purchase. 😊

[pasdad1]

Originally Posted by Souljourner

Guess no one makes a phone app in lieu of a monitor?



My dashboard is getting crowded!

I also really didn’t want to rely on a phone app for something so critical as TPMS. Phone apps crash, respond really slowly sometimes, eat battery life, etc. you also don’t want to fiddle with your phone, when potentially alarms are going off, trying to get the app back on the screen, and trying to steer the vehicle at the same time. The alarm may give you only seconds between knowing a tire is losing air, and the same tire blowing out from overheating….. you need the information on how much air is left with just a glance of your head, and then deciding what to do.

[Jay D.]

I haven't bought one yet, but i like the Tire Minder for the fact that i can put it on my dash, its small not in the way. then i can remove it when not in use.
Jay D.

[1Blue78]

Originally Posted by Jay D.

the TPMS WILL let you know when the tire DOES blow out. it might be difficult to tell when one tire on a tandem axle trailer does blow out without a TPMS. and cause substantial damage. i've seen it happen a few times. and ANY TIRE CAN BLOW OUT AT ANY TIME.
Jay D.

I agree it can be difficult to tell when you have blown one tire on a tandem axle however the OP has a single axle trailer.

I did have a blowout on a tandem axle once and did not know. I had stopped for fuel in Golden BC and all was fine, about 30 km later I was pulling up the Rogers pass and in a passing lane people were signaling me there was an issue. Sure enough, blown tire. I now have remote tire monitors (amazon) that screw into the valve stem. Cheap, yes accurate - maybe - but they do tell me there is pressure in all 4 of my tires.

[JIMNLIN]

Many confuse a run flat with a real blowout.
When a 80 psi tire blows out you hear it unless your a air head with a loud stereo bang'n or a annoying boom box while driving.

I'm just the opposite where it comes to tires on my rv or service trailers. I want the best tires on first. I don't/didn't use trailer tires on my service trailers so I had no need for a TPMS on them.

AS mentioned a TPMS is useless as some have found out regarding a actual blowout or complete loss of tread. The tire can still throw rubber before your able tofind a suitable place to pull off the road.

A good TPMS won't make up for a poor quality tire blowout or a run flat .

[Souljourner]

I began this thread certain I was going to buy a TPMS prior to my long trip. I got what I asked for - which was excellent recommendations for which system to buy. But several comments have led me to question my buying decision - TPMS or upgraded tires?

My current tires are 18 months old, about 8000 miles on them, rated for 75 MPH, although I rarely travel over 60. I check my PSI regularly and they have done an excellent job of holding tire pressure.

Even though they are OEM, I didn’t see a need to replace them, and thought a TPMS was the way to best spend limited funds. But now I’m reading that they WON’t warn me of an impending blowout, which I had thought was their purpose, as I believed low PSI + heat = potential for blow-out. And if TPMS’s DON’T warn of impending blow-out, what purpose does a TPMS serve?

Can anyone clarify this for me? Which then leads into - TPMS or upgraded tires? I’ll do both one day, but at the moment, it will probably be either/or.

Many thanks!

[JIMNLIN]

Even though they are OEM, I didn’t see a need to replace them, and thought a TPMS was the way to best spend limited funds. But now I’m reading that they WON’t warn me of an impending blowout, which I had thought was their purpose, as I believed low PSI + heat = potential for blow-out. And if TPMS’s DON’T warn of impending blow-out, what purpose does a TPMS serve?

A tire can "blow out" for several reasons including a under inflated tire running hot/other reasons which a TPMS should catch. A load carrying under inflated tires sidewall will have a certain flex point at highway speeds. That flex point is a weak point and lead to a sidewall zipper blowout.

What a TPMS doesn't catch and give a warning is a sudden blowout (sidewall zipper) caused by several reasons one being a low quality tire or a tire with a sidewall bruise caused by curbing/deep potholes in the road/any number of road debris.

Depending on your tires brand they may or may not be one of the better quality ST brands. A made in china ST tire doesn't mean its low quality.

[pasdad1]

A low quality tire, or one previously damaged by hitting something in the road, or a pot hole, can go from “okay” to failure without much warning. It isn’t just under inflation which is the cause of all tire failures.

Under inflation (which either comes from not enough air to start with, OR a loss of air from a puncture from nail or debris while underway) is a cause which can be monitored, and action taken, BEFORE the tire fails catastrophically.

If your tires are known to be of questionable quality,
then I would prioritize replacing the tires with very good quality ones first. TPMS comes second.