Wheel speed TPMS superiority

[brages]

I've owned a few different cars with TPMS and I'm a fan. It's easy to get a slow leak on a tire and not notice until you've been wearing the sidewall with dangerously low pressure. TPMS can save your tire from early wear, and it could even save your life.

Anyway, my new Accord is the first car I've had where TPMS doesn't use tire pressure sensors, but instead compares tire revolutions. I thought that was a cheap early version of TPMS that died out long ago, but apparently it's still being used.

Now, truthfully, a pressure sensor-based setup like our Pilot has is better. It has a screen to tell you the pressure in each tire. And when you fill up a low tire, it will beep at you when it's up to pressure.

But our other cars use a dumb version of TPMS that lights an idiot light when one sensor reads low, but you can't tell which one and you can't monitor actual pressure - it's just a light. All the limitations of the revolution-based system, with the huge drawback of having sensor batteries that will die with age.

How about you?

 

[rijndael]

I thought that was a cheap early version of TPMS that died out long ago, but apparently it's still being used.

It isn't just a dumbed down TPMS system, wheel speed is needed for ABS and traction control systems.

 

[Hohn]

Interesting. My 2005 Odyssey actually shows individual pressures in the tires.

My 2022 Accord has the newer setup, I'm sure. It sounds to me like it is a better way to go-- no TPMS batteries to die every decade or so. No need to add them to replacement wheels. No need to re-pair TPMS with the car when you swap winter to summer tires.

I'm at a loss as to why people act like tire pressure gauges don't exist. I'm partial to the newer Honda setup. I keep gauges in the driver's door pockets of all my cars, so I always have a gauge available.

 

[The Critic]

My 2022 Accord has the newer setup, I'm sure. It sounds to me like it is a better way to go-- no TPMS batteries to die every decade or so. No need to add them to replacement wheels. No need to re-pair TPMS with the car when you swap winter to summer tires.

They are also incredibly finicky - any change that may affect wheel speed rotation (e.g. adjusting pressures, replacing tires and rotating tires) requires a reset....and the reset doesn't always go as planned.

 

[brages]

Interesting. My 2005 Odyssey actually shows individual pressures in the tires.

That's a higher trim model, right? Our EX-L from that generation is just a light. I think our EX was too, although I don't remember if it had TPMS or not anymore.

Our Pilot is a Touring, not sure if all Pilots from that era show individual pressures.

 

[Hohn]

That's a higher trim model, right? Our EX-L from that generation is just a light. I think our EX was too, although I don't remember if it had TPMS or not anymore.

Our Pilot is a Touring, not sure if all Pilots from that era show individual pressures.

Yes, my old Odyssey is a Touring.

But so is my 2022 Accord.

 

[JohnnyG]

So, are you asking which manufacturer does it best?
Mercedes.
No resetting after tire rotation, the car learns the correct wheel location in about 300 yds of driving. Warning display tells you which tire is low (or high). Tire display tells you the pressure of each tire. Can be restarted after setting proper inflation if the need should arise. Also tells you the TEMPERATURE of each tire, just in case that sets an alarm. Which it also monitors.
You get what you pay for IMO.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Can’t help but think ABS based TPMS is a low budget solution to meet the regulations. I’m glad all of my vehicles have sensors, one an aftermarket HUF system.

 

[Vercingetorix]

So, are you asking which manufacturer does it best?
Mercedes.
No resetting after tire rotation, the car learns the correct wheel location in about 300 yds of driving. Warning display tells you which tire is low (or high). Tire display tells you the pressure of each tire. Can be restarted after setting proper inflation if the need should arise. Also tells you the TEMPERATURE of each tire, just in case that sets an alarm. Which it also monitors.
You get what you pay for IMO.

Same as Audi, Porsche does one better and tells you how many PSI to put into or take out of your tires, and compensates for temperature so you can check them after driving.

 

[tbm5690]

I've had multiple variants of TPMS on my vehicles, think I've experienced them all:

-idiot light only when one is low, no other info
-pressure values for all 4 tires, but no specification of which tire belongs to which value
-ABS based monitoring/no pressure values but tells you which specific tire is low
-"Full" TPMS with pressure values linked to specific tires

I highly prefer the 4th option.

 

[fantastic]

2008 Volvo is quit finicky. If I air them up to 40 PSI it buys me some time between messages. To be fair though I just bought this at the end of 2023 so I have no idea how old they are. Not sure who is superior other than when it works... great for consumer.

 

[meep]

I like the ABS system BUT it throws fits if you load up the trunk with cargo and hit the interstate. I found with that Honda it was only happy if it ran it 4 psi over sticker, and kept it there. However, not having to maintain sensors and batteries was a plus for me.

My f150 has all 4 displayed on the dash, on the original 2018 batteries, and it’s been trouble free. The question is when do we proactively replace the sensors? 7 years is a good life for these?

 

[JHZR2]

I've owned a few different cars with TPMS and I'm a fan. It's easy to get a slow leak on a tire and not notice until you've been wearing the sidewall with dangerously low pressure. TPMS can save your tire from early wear, and it could even save your life.

Anyway, my new Accord is the first car I've had where TPMS doesn't use tire pressure sensors, but instead compares tire revolutions. I thought that was a cheap early version of TPMS that died out long ago, but apparently it's still being used.

Now, truthfully, a pressure sensor-based setup like our Pilot has is better. It has a screen to tell you the pressure in each tire. And when you fill up a low tire, it will beep at you when it's up to pressure.

But our other cars use a dumb version of TPMS that lights an idiot light when one sensor reads low, but you can't tell which one and you can't monitor actual pressure - it's just a light. All the limitations of the revolution-based system, with the huge drawback of having sensor batteries that will die with age.

How about you?

Nearly 109k user here of the indirect/passive accord system. It works, but it is less sensitive, and you can be riding on a fairly low tire and it doesn’t set the light.

Can’t help but think ABS based TPMS is a low budget solution to meet the regulations. I’m glad all of my vehicles have sensors, one an aftermarket HUF system.

It may be, but it saves a lot of recurring cost.

They are also incredibly finicky - any change that may affect wheel speed rotation (e.g. adjusting pressures, replacing tires and rotating tires) requires a reset....and the reset doesn't always go as planned.

After nearly 100k, I haven’t found them to be. When I swap for snow tires, or new tires, it’s a few menu clicks.

It’s not as sensitive, but it does warn the driver when things are going low.

 

[brages]

I didn't even consider snow tires. That is probably the biggest benefit of the indirect TPMS.

 

[johnmyster]

BMW had this ~20 years ago. At some point US regulations required direct measurement, so they deactivated it and added sensors/antennas. On my 2012 e92 the sensors were bad, so I actually removed the module (TPMS antenna) and coded the wheel speed based system back in.

It's nice to know exact pressures if you're anal about things but on aging cars it's nice to not have to consider sensor replacement. On that BMW tire changes were frequent so I had good access to them, but also a higher chance of a lazy tire tech bumming one up.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

I didn't even consider snow tires. That is probably the biggest benefit of the indirect TPMS.

I have sensors that show on screen in my '19 Pilot. My winter tires have them also and it picks right up and moves when rotated. My spare rims came with them used.

My '17 Accord LX no sensors. works no issue summer or winter. I re-calibrate before a trip if I adjusted pressure any.

Son's '10 Forte, sensors, warning light, same in winter rims, no issues except you need to check all if it turns on but like above all my vehicles have a gauge in glove box.

Daughter's '08 CRV, sensors in both summer and winter with warning light. Hers is the only one that needs to be scanned and uploaded as it only holds 4 ID's in ECU and I didn't know I could have gotten clones at that time.

I got new winter tires on my Accord in 2020. I was at door placard. Shop filled new ones like 5 psi higher. Once I started driving TPMS warning came on. Too much air changing rotation, not re-calibrated. Easy fix to let some out.

 

[awguy]

So, are you asking which manufacturer does it best?
Mercedes.
No resetting after tire rotation, the car learns the correct wheel location in about 300 yds of driving. Warning display tells you which tire is low (or high). Tire display tells you the pressure of each tire. Can be restarted after setting proper inflation if the need should arise. Also tells you the TEMPERATURE of each tire, just in case that sets an alarm. Which it also monitors.
You get what you pay for IMO.

FIAT 500 does this.

 

[kschachn]

I didn't even consider snow tires. That is probably the biggest benefit of the indirect TPMS.

Agreed. My 2020 Tiguan has an indirect TPMS system although it is more sophisticated than the rudimentary one on my old Sienna. I for one am happy that I do not have to buy sensors.

Mine seems to work fine, loaded, unloaded, no matter what. It did detect a low tire twice but yes you have to get out and find which one it is.

 

[Hohn]

I like the ABS system BUT it throws fits if you load up the trunk with cargo and hit the interstate. I found with that Honda it was only happy if it ran it 4 psi over sticker, and kept it there. However, not having to maintain sensors and batteries was a plus for me.

My f150 has all 4 displayed on the dash, on the original 2018 batteries, and it’s been trouble free. The question is when do we proactively replace the sensors? 7 years is a good life for these?

about 10 years. It's pretty rare for the TPMS batteries to die in less than that, I'm told.

My Odyssey's TPMS batteries died last year (17 years) and my IS250s died three years ago at age 15.

So I think every decade is a reasonable way to prevent issues. For most of us, it means just having the TPMS replaced when you buy your set of tires around the 10 year mark give or take a year or two.

 

[tcp71]

The 2005 Sienna counts rotations. Goes off when a tire is low. No impact changing summer/winter tires.
The 2008 Ranger has its light on all the time an nobody cares.
The 2013 CX-5 counts rotations. Goes off when a tire is low. Needs a few resets at summer/winter changover until it's happy even though all tires are the same size. No idea what throws it off.
The 2016 F150 has sensors that display pressures on the dash. Turned it off with Forscan as the winter tires don't have sensors and light stays on if I don't kill it.
The 2017 Macan has sensors that display pressures on the dash. Both winter and summer tires have sensors and you can set which set to use with settings in the dash.