The importance of a TPMS Tire Pressure Monitoring System

[Hoerschel]

Author's note: In response to justified criticism that my original headline was 'over-the-top,' I have modified it to more accurately reflect my experience. Thanks to all for their opinions.
I recently bought a used 30' Class C with 111k miles on the clock. Prior to sale I had performed the perfunctory safety checks, especially on the tires, ensuring they were within 3-5 years from manufacturing date, had good tread, no sidewall cracks and were aired-up appropriately. However, the coach lacked a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)--and I thought NOTHING of it. "No big deal," I told myself. I'll religiously check the pressure prior to every trip and that's good enough. That is, until the fateful day recently when I discovered, while parked at a rest stop, that my outer right rear dually looked mighty low. It was a Sunday and I was in Penrose, CO. Fortunately, I found the owner of a tire shop working on his day off and he kindly agreed to put some air in my tire. "Whoa," he said. "Your outer tire is low because it's bearing all the weight that should be shared with the inner dually. And THAT tire is flatter than a pancake. Unrepairable."
Whaaa...? Folks, only minutes earlier, I had driven down a treacherous mountain road out of Westcliffe, CO. One with lots of curves, aggressive drivers and a need for reasonable speed. How and where that tire failed I have no idea. And my ignorance of the situation needlessly imperiled me and everyone else on the road. One failed tire could easily have led to two, loss of control and--well, your imagination of a disaster is as good as mine. As I listened to the tire man I began to shudder with the thought of the catastrophe I had miraculously been spared. And how a TPMS is no longer a luxury in my mind. It is an absolute necessity. I'm no longer a indolent wise guy. I got a clue. And I hope you do, too.

[rlw999]

wintersun wrote:
The feds mandated the TPMS starting with 2007 vehicles and the intent was to improve fuel economy as it was believed that most people were driving with tire pressures that were more thn 10% low and so they are burning more fuel. Nothing to do with safety but that is a widely held and false belief that is pervasive.

I'd like to see a reference for it not being for safety. The NHTSA said they implemented the TPMS rule in response to the TREAD Act of 2000, which in turn was created in response to the Firestone tire failures.

Fuel efficiency may have been a secondary concern, but given that the NHTSA doesn't require a low pressure warning until tire pressure is 25% low, it seems like a low standard if the goal was to ensure optimal efficiency.

[wintersun]

I have experienced a few tire failures and in every case it was a problem with the tire bead failing and the result was a sudden blowout. A TPMS is worthless in such situations.

The feds mandated the TPMS starting with 2007 vehicles and the intent was to improve fuel economy as it was believed that most people were driving with tire pressures that were more thn 10% low and so they are burning more fuel. Nothing to do with safety but that is a widely held and false belief that is pervasive.

[Dusty_R]

Gjac wrote:

pnichols wrote:

fourthclassC wrote:
You all may think I am a simpleton, but I carry a short solid wooden club under the drivers seat. Every time I re-fuel, I grab it and smack each of the 6 tires. If they don't make that distinctive thud - I check into it.....

I believe that what many full time truckers use.

That's exactly why I carry a rubber mallet in our motorhome - for thumping of the inner tires in the rear duals to find out if they're soft. 😉

I use an IR gun when I stop, one tire being hotter indicates a low tire pressure. I also check my brakes and see if any are dragging.

X-2
Dusty

[Gjac]

pnichols wrote:

fourthclassC wrote:
You all may think I am a simpleton, but I carry a short solid wooden club under the drivers seat. Every time I re-fuel, I grab it and smack each of the 6 tires. If they don't make that distinctive thud - I check into it.....

I believe that what many full time truckers use.

That's exactly why I carry a rubber mallet in our motorhome - for thumping of the inner tires in the rear duals to find out if they're soft. 😉

I use an IR gun when I stop, one tire being hotter indicates a low tire pressure. I also check my brakes and see if any are dragging.

[RambleOnNW]

Bird Freak wrote:
I have never lost a tire from a slow leak. Always cord separation or total failure.

I had belt separation on an inner dual and got warning on the TST TPMS. The warning came in the form of the inner dual pressure starting to increase as the tire diameter started to increase and unloaded the outside tire. Fortunately we were 200 yards from a tire store when the tire started to disintegrate. Limped over at 5 mph. I am on my second set of much tougher all steel cased commercial tires as a result.

The TPMS allows comparing the tires in real-time while driving and learn to read the tire characteristics of each position:
1) Slightly increased pressure of inner vs outer tire.
2) Heating from tailpipe.
3) Heating from sun shining on one side vs other
4) Typical pressure rise
5) Pressure rise due to hot asphalt highways in summer
6) Much hotter running front tires due to engine proximity and sensors on short stems close to wheels

[pnichols]

fourthclassC wrote:
You all may think I am a simpleton, but I carry a short solid wooden club under the drivers seat. Every time I re-fuel, I grab it and smack each of the 6 tires. If they don't make that distinctive thud - I check into it.....

I believe that what many full time truckers use.

That's exactly why I carry a rubber mallet in our motorhome - for thumping of the inner tires in the rear duals to find out if they're soft. 😉

[Bird_Freak]

I have never lost a tire from a slow leak. Always cord separation or total failure.

[fourthclassC]

You all may think I am a simpleton, but I carry a short solid wooden club under the drivers seat. Every time I re-fuel, I grab it and smack each of the 6 tires. If they don't make that distinctive thud - I check into it.....

I believe that what many full time truckers use.

[BobsYourUncle]

klutchdust wrote:


Are you saying that with a single axle trailer and a tire that disintegrated you drove a "mile or so" like that and didn't notice anything?

Thats right, didn't feel a thing. Towing it with a dually and I felt nothing

[Jarlaxle]

TPMS might not have helped. I had a tire come apart on a car trailer-took off the fender by snapping the bolts, and bent the fender. (It was heavy, galvanized steel-I had to clamp it to a welding table and bend it back to reinstall it.) TPMS would have made no difference...because the despite peeling off the tread, the tire still held 65psi.

[Grit_dog]

BB_TX wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
^The “most importantly “ part is very well stated.
I’ll sound older than my years here, but all these crutches effectively make a lot of people feel comfortable, at least initially, operating machinery they likely don’t have any business getting behind the wheel in. …….

Same goes for vehicles, if a person is “scared” that they might crash if they have a rear tire blowout while driving, they don’t have the experience or knowledge to be competently doing what they’re doing.

“Don’t have any business”? “Scared”?

Wow! Where did that come from. I use a TPMS because it might save me from being on the side of the road with a shredded tire because I continued driving on a low tire without knowing it. Might save a couple hundred for a new tire plus having to change it on the side of a busy highway.

And I want my vehicles to have air bags, anti lock brakes, seat belts, and all the other safety features. Not because I don’t belong behind the wheel. Or am scared. But because I want myself, family, and friends protected as much as possible. And in the case of TPMS, possibly spared the inconvenience on a destroyed tire on the side of the highway.

What would make you think that my statement is directed at you? I have no issue with TPMS, it’s a nice feature.
I was commenting on the title of the thread which it appears was not created in jest. But out of fear of the unknown. If that freaks a guy out that bad, maybe driving a large vehicle in the mountains is a bit out over the front of that person’s skis.
There’s a balance somewhere between a challenge and getting in over your head.
And many RVers are akin to a meat cutter trying to perform surgery, cause hey it’s just cutting meat, right? Or a forklift operator in a warehouse jumping into a crane and operating it because, levers are levers, right?

Case in point, the feller who rolled his new TT in an intersection, or the plethora of folks you see white knuckling it at 53 mph holding up traffic and when you finally are able to pass you see a new diesel pickup towing a mid size TT that in no way begets the situation at hand.

Don’t even get me started with boating….lol.
I’m talking about fundamental safety, not added protection on top of experience, knowledge or common sense.
In industry, training is required for tasks that can be considered skills or potentially dangerous.
In RVing, anyone who can sign loan paperwork gets the keys and gets to do their apprenticeship unsupervised out in general population!

[et_cetera]

pics - wow.

I had a wheel come off on a regular pickup. I borrowed it. Not sure why, maybe the owner didn't tighten all the lug nuts correctly. I did drive on 3 wheels for at least 100-200 yards, it was the rear wheel and not immediately noticeable, especially with the trailer hitch that was kind of propping up the rear.

The axle dragged on the ground towards the end, I felt the grind and stopped. Could not find the wheel anywhere.

[et_cetera]

Just a quick thought, might be a good idea to decipher the acronym, in the subject line - believe it or not, not everyone knows what TPMS stands for. Not even in the RV community.

Tire Pressure Monitoring System.

[klutchdust]

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Shoulda Coulda Woulda.....

I think a TPMS would have saved my TT from total destruction on this one.

Stove, fridge, shower, shore power, cabinets, floor, gas lines, wheelhouse, more plus the obvious in the pics, all destroyed.
I didn't feel a thing even after the mirror check where I saw smoke and pieces flying off....
Not sure how far I drove like that, a few miles I guess. I drove back 2 miles picking up parts off the highway.

It was a write-off on its maiden voyage after I had fixed it all up nicely. Oh well, brown stuff happens! :E:E




Are you saying that with a single axle trailer and a tire that disintegrated you drove a "mile or so" like that and didn't notice anything?