I found a tire shop that could order and install Schrader EZ-sensors on my second set of wheels. EZ-sensors are tire pressure monitoring sensors (TPMS) that have programmable id's, so the tire shop programmed my second set of wheels to have the same four sensor id's as the Toyota sensors on my first set of wheels. This lets me keep a working tire pressure warning light when I swap winter and summer wheels without reprogramming the car's computer -- the car sees the same id's and is none the wiser that the tires are different. EZ-sensor cost was half the msrp of the the Toyota sensors, plus mount and balance. I've used them for 1500 miles, so have no data on reliability or longevity. And the standard caveats -- I have no financial interest in Schrader. I just wanted to report my experience, as these have been discussed on priuschat. I can now remove the small piece of black electrical tape covering my tire pressure warning light. Bill
What a great idea: clone the sensor ID rather than reprogram the car. I like it. We should make this information a sticky note somewhere. Tom
1F7 - what was the shop you used that could order them? What was the final price for a set of 4 that you paid? I've seen the website for these sensors, but never could find much price or other information on them. It is indeed a much better solution than having to reprogram the ECU each time you swap. I would probably go this route if I still use the summer/winter tire setup after one or more of the TPMS batteries die or they break, etc.
^^ It's these: EZ-sensorâ„¢ - Schrader USA - Programmable TPMS Sensors And yes they would work on the Gen 3 as well. Their website doesn't really list retail outlets, but they'll sell you a starter kit it looks like.
half the price of oem sensors?? imagine the price tirerack could get them for if they bought hundreds or thousands of sets, I guarantee you these would be popular with most new car owners buying wheel & tire sets, not just Prius owners. Tirerack only has half a dozen distribution centers across the country, it would be no problem for them to put a programming tool in each center. But I guess for that to work we would have to find out what the sensor IDs are for each of our 4 stock wheels so that tirerack could pre-program the new set as a clone. I assume it would be a handheld scanner similar to what a vet uses to read an ID chip on a pet or horse. I wonder if dealerships have a tool to see what our sensor IDs are. I've read that valve stem sensors are much more reliable than the sensors that strap to the wheel, so as long as they were valve stem sensors I would have little qualms about reliability being an issue.
I think the tool comes with their "starter kit". Just for fun, I sent them an email and asked about pricing, etc. If I could re-coup costs, I'd think about doing some sort of PC user agreement as a "middle man". I'll have to see what they come back with, though.
There are hand held scanners that can read the TPMS IDs without breaking down the tire. I just don't think many shops buy them. Dealerships will go into TechStream and pull the information from the ECU to get your existing sensor IDs. It takes them about 5 minutes to do, but most likely they'll charge you. Or, you can find a user on PC that has TS and a cable that may be willing to help you pull the information.
Town Fair Tire in Tewksbury MA. They hadn't matched a set before, but the manger Kevin knew what I wanted with minimal explanation. I probably asked half a dozen other shops and many of them just didn't understand the request, even after I explained it to them. TireRack didn't have them. The tire shop had a portable handheld device (Bartec?) that read the ids of my Toyota sensors without breaking them down or even removing them from the car, then the same device programmed the EZ-sensors one by one. This is a one-time operation. No TechStream required. Price was $268.30 -- $50 each plus $14 programming/mount/balance plus tax. The EZ-sensor application guide includes 2010 Prius. I would think it would work with gen3, but I don't have one to confirm. Bill