TPMS -- why not on spares?

odd, our RAV4 has one in the spare. I know because the alarm went off and all four tires were good. I can't check the wife's spare often, too much horse stuff in the back...

On the other hand, the TPMS on my RAM is nice. It reads out the pressure of each tire. With my old aching back, that;'s much easier than stooping down at each corner, losing the cap and having to look for it with my bad eyesight. And of course I didn't hear which way it rolled because too much rock n roll in the old days....

 

you ask, why not? i ask, why?

 

Eeeeehh its just industry trends and business.

Look up:
Economics - Present and Future Cost Anaylisis.

Lean Manufacturing. its quicker amd safer to assembly a car with less large objects.

Engineering Design. weight reduction and generating a more compact car.

if two of the three can demonstrates why financially for the company this makes sense, they will carry out the design through their fleet


I could ramble on about it. but you get the idea

 

Some cars, especially with full-size spare and TPMS system that displays each tire pressure, do have TPMS sensor in the spare. Many of the newer Prius models do not come with spare, to begin with, and none comes with full-size spare. The compact spare when present has a different psi threshold. If you want TPMS for your spare, yes, you can buy aftermarket TPMS to monitor the pressure.

 

I agree. Remove the TPMS system from all cars. If people can't have the wherewithall to periodically check their tire pressure they shouldn't be allowed to drive, have their licenses revoked, and let the govt. provide them with unicycles.

 

Urban lore is that the tpms has to detect a pressure drop of maybe 25%, before it gives an alert.. With 60 psi (spare pressure), that'd be uhm: quite a drop, maybe more than you want.

Also, checking the spare pressure, gives me something to do when I'm getting underfoot.

 

Yeah something like that, the coffee's worn off.

 

adding the spare would increase the cost. no one wants that, unless its mandated

 

Spares are passe anyway.

 

My spare has a Tire Pressure Maintenance System. It keeps itself right at 60 psi whether I think of it or not.



As a bonus, it can blow up the other tires, blow tree gunk out of the window channels, and run small tools.

 

To be cheap.

 

Too, TPMS is primarily a safety thing? For the tires that are in use 99.9% of the time. The temp is purely for temp usage. Except for our daughter...

 

On the Gen III Prius, at least, you can add a TPMS sensor to your spare and register it with TechStream. So go right ahead. Just be sure to have the ID of the sensor written down before you install it

 

I would love to get TPMS in my set of spare winter tires. Though the dealer told me that I would to reprogram them. And when I switch back to my all season tires, in have to reprogram then again.

Oh well, guess I’ll deal with the sensor light over the winter.


2017 Prius V Five | 2010 Volvo XC 90 3.2

 

Not a 100 percent sure what I am responding to...but my local (good ole' boys) dealer just "copied and pasted" for my new Outback. Meaning I bought new winter tires and new winter wheels and they installed TPMS sensors on all four for an extra $50 per tire. So, in two weeks they will install the winters with TPMS. IF I understand it, at all, once they are "registered with the car" that is it. Never again. So, I do not know, but...you fill out the rest. We are all local folk. We all know each other and each other families. As they told me, once I "buy" the $50 TPMS sensor, that is it. No extra charges. If I were you, I would check other sources.

 

The dealer confirmed what I read on the forums. And watching you tube vids.

After programming it is it, as far as nothing else to do. Until I switch wheels for summer, and I need to reprogram again. Versus my Volvo which tunes one frequency and the car automatically calibrates again to that same frequency.

I’ll check again, maybe I can make sure the tpms are identical for each set of wheels? And I will not need reprogram.


2017 Prius V Five | 2010 Volvo XC 90 3.2