Can anyone tell me if my 2003 Toyota Prius Hybrid has TPMS on it? I am getting the tires replaced on my car and need to know. I do not want to be charged extra unnecessarily. Thank you.
I am not sure but @bwilson4web should know. He had a 2003 and I think he still has access to it. He is our "resident engineer".
No it did not. However, I did use those cheap, tire pressure caps that turn a color when the pressure falls below a given value. Good news, they mostly work. Bad news, they mostly work and once a Firestone dealer took them off and called them "batteries." Still it was easy to walk up to the car and instantly tell if the pressure was low. Just they were unreliable and exposed to potential road damage. Bob Wilson
If I had it to do over again, I understand there are 'bluetooth' based units that work with smart phones and tablets. They would have less exposure to road hazards and provide a better metric. I didn't mention it but the simple, mechanical pressure caps are also subject to 'five finger discounts' . . . or it could have just unscrewed itself while driving down the road and I only noticed it was missing when I next went to get in the car. Yeap, just unscrewed itself and wandered off to the curb . . . Bob Wilson
2006 is the first Prius with TPMS I believe we are the pioneers. I think the mandate was for 2008+ or something like that There are some nice DIY systems on Amazon.
Even the cheap mechanical pressure caps for all their limitations are better than none. But I would go Bluetooth in part because you can check the tires not seen. Keeping your tires fully inflated is a great way to save gas and improve handling in turns and traffic avoidance. Tires last longer. Bob Wilson
Do you mean to the max value shown on sidewall? I'm having a bit of a deja vu, might have asked this in another thread, just can't remember. I'm not emphatically for or agin running max sidewall pressure, just wondering what you mean. Personally, I think it depends on the tires too. With our low profile 17" OEM I stick much closer to what Toyota says, albeit a little higher. With our 15" snow tires I'll push them about 5~6 pounds over what Toyota says, and it doesn't seem to change the ride firmness that much. I do wonder if extreme pressures are taking a toll on suspension components, it's got to be a factor, just a question of how much.
My thinking is start at max side wall and over a couple of drives reduce the pressure in 5 psi steps until you are happy. I like the precision of max sidewall pressure but that isn't for everyone. Bob Wilson
