What tire monitoring system?

[jackhartjr]

Hi folks, those that are using tire monitoring systems, what are umyou using and dies it monitor pressure, heat or both?
Thanks
Jack

[John316]

We had the Advantage Pressure Pro system, that we bought from Jim (Rv Safety System) quite a while back. The system has since been removed (that has NOTHING to do with Jim...just so we are clear. He is a great guy, and had great support.). The system only monitors the pressure.

We removed the system, because we were having more failures induced by the system, then when we didn't. I am sure that this is an isolated case, however, I lost my trust in it. Basically, there are these plastic caps that you screw onto the valve stem. They worked for quite a few months, before I had three fail on me. One time I was working under the bus, I heard this pop, then air starting to escape. I bailed out of there in a hurry, only to find that the pressure monitoring cap on the front right tire had self destructed. The top half was blown off, and the bottom half was still keeping the valve depressed and letting air escape. Nobody was near the tire when it happened, and there was zero trauma to that cap (I always took them off before doing tire work, etc).

Another time was the rear dual, and I think there was another time, but I don't remember. At that point I lost trust in them. In my opinion, that is a serious design flaw. You are putting this plastic cap on your valve stem. If the top half blows off, then you have the makings of a blow out on the highway. Not good.

Also, when the sensors failed, there was no alarm on our Pressure Pro panel, alerting us that there was a problem. Another design flaw, in my opinion.

In Pressure Pro's defense, they did replace every one of the sensors. They said they had a "bad batch" of them, and they sometimes did that.

Anyways, I have a complete system that I would be happy to sell to you

FWIW

John

[Jriddle]

I use the pressure pro with no problems. I not sure of Johns failures but if system falls in pressure you should get an alert. Most generally when a tire is about to fail it will heat up and the pressure will increase and you should also get an alarm. I think if I remember right it is set at 9% increase or decrease. I would highly recommend this system. I also use it on the toad without the use of a booster.

John

[Eagle Andy]

We have the pressure pro system as well, have taken a few long trips and have had no problems at all. I just run them on my steers and our jeep, can't see the jeep tires even in the camera. So far so good. and we also bought the system from Jim.

[lostagain]

I use the old fashioned preventive method of tire monitoring. I check the pressures before any trip. I walk around the bus several times a day when we stop and feel the tires with my hand, looking for unusual heat that would indicate low pressure. So yes, I am still vulnerable to road hazard causing a puncture, but I have driven millions of miles in buses and various other vehicles, and I find that catastrophic tire blow-outs are quite rare. I don't feel like having another screen to monitor while driving. But I am the guy who thought that touch button phones in the '70s to replace rotary dialing would be just a passing fad, LOL.

JC

[Jriddle]

I use the old fashioned preventive method of tire monitoring. I check the pressures before any trip. I walk around the bus several times a day when we stop and feel the tires with my hand, looking for unusual heat that would indicate low pressure. So yes, I am still vulnerable to road hazard causing a puncture, but I have driven millions of miles in buses and various other vehicles, and I find that catastrophic tire blow-outs are quite rare. I don't feel like having another screen to monitor while driving. But I am the guy who thought that touch button phones in the '70s to replace rotary dialing would be just a passing fad, LOL.

JC

Having a tire monitoring system doesn’t relieve you of your responsibilities of doing walk around inspection during the day. It just adds one more tool to indicate a problem before it happens. Nothing is foolproof including pre-trip and periodic walk around inspections. 

John

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Jack,

I've used the pressure pro system since 06'. Seems to work every time....

I have the repeater mounted in my bedroom closet to pick up the toad better

however, the main unit will pick up the toad on it's own.

Nick-

[sledhead]

No monitoring system but I use a If gun every time to see the temp. of each tire after I pull over

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OO7-j5jPn8Y/TvTAJssIwoI/AAAAAAAAAEI/kIAbwIvawhA/s1600/Fluke%2B62%2BMini%2BInfrared%2BThermometer.jpg&imgrefurl=http://digitalinfraredthermometer.blogspot.com/2011/12/best-price-fluke-62-mini-infrared.html&h=300&w=300&sz=11&tbnid=D2aETJqh3K_MJM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=90&zoom=1&usg=__19I7yNDZIvPtWqCqsXBeRC37tmI=&docid=6smaAaKqznYdFM&sa=X&ei=IUVyUu2TGOTeyAH7uIC4CA&sqi=2&ved=0CGcQ9QEwCg 

dave

[luvrbus]

I bought the system from Jim at the 1st Bus'n USA I never installed it I sold it to a friend here he never installed and I think he sold never installed


What I didn't like about the Pressure Pro was the idea of removing the sensors if the bus was going to be parked for long periods of time to save the battery then the sensors were not serviceable only replaceable at 50 bucks each  

Most people can tell if a tire is starting to have problems,the old walk around and the thumping method worked for me but then I not a high tech person either,I never even used the IF gun for me it was the laying on of hands like some of the preachers in world   

[belfert]

I have the Pressure Pro system that I bought last year.  On the very first trip it alerted twice due to sidewall punctures on trailer tires.  No amount of walk arounds or checking pressures would have detected these issues until well after the tire was completely flat.  I do have one sensor that quit working and Pressure Pro is going to replace even though out of warranty by a few weeks.  I accidentally crushed a sensor and they replaced it at the discounted rate.

Yes, the sensors should be removed during winter storage to save on battery life.  Before a trip I check and adjust tire pressures and then install the sensors.  It probably adds 5 minutes at most.

This is the first I ever heard of a sensor coming apart.  That is something I don't like about the Pressure Pro monitor.  It should alert if it hasn't heard from a sensor in a minute or two.  What if a wheel came off a trailer or toad?

[luvrbus]

Ok Belfert but I have saw tires that the thread was threw off on the casing with people using a system it never went off

[belfert]

If you lose just the tread and the casing still has pressure then no it won't alarm.  There is no single way to prevent or be alerted to all tire problems.  I feel that having a monitoring system is better than not having one.  Heck, all new cars have them now.  All new MCI coaches have them too.

You still need to walk around and check tires for bulges and such even with a monitoring system.  We typically walk around the bus and trailer every time we stop for any reason.

[luvrbus]

Maybe so but when a tire does 1500 bucks worth of damage to a Jeep when the tread came off what good did the system do for him

 MCI uses the Bendix system a little better system than a Pressure Pro with the sensor inside the tire IMO then a lot of the new cars pickup the tire monitoring through the ABS brake system 

[Ed Hackenbruch]

We have the Pressure Pro, also bought from Jim.    Learned that you don't want to screw them down too tight or you can damage the seals and/ or not get a good reading. Other than that, no problems in all of the years that we have had them.  This spring on the way to the Blytheville Rally i did go thru a small town and while making a right turn thought i was going to curb the rear tire on the jeep. Just barely cleared it with the sidewall but the sensor hit it. Broke the steel valve stem halfway off, immediately sounded the alarm, and surprisingly did not damage the sensor at all. It left a little scuff mark on the plastic, had to look twice to even see it. Has worked fine for the almost 7000 miles since then.

[belfert]

Pressure Pro has a new seal for their sensors that fixes the sealing problem they have had.  You can get a replacement seal kit from Pressure Pro for about $20 shipped.  It takes a few minutes per sensor to replace the seals.

If you don't like TPMS then don't buy one.  I believe that a tire could throw its tread even with due diligence and TPMS.