Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Trailer TPMS works and saves money

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Trailer TPMS works and saves money

    After a week away, we were on our way home. As I'm driving down the freeway I noticed the screen flashing with a low pressure warning. By the time I saw the screen I watched one of the tires go from a little over 60 psi to 3 psi in about 45 seconds.

    I didn't feel a thing, didn't hear a thing. The TV drove the same...no indication of a flat. All these years owning trailers and this is the first time I've ever had a flat tire.

    The amount of money I saved from repairs of a tire shredding the trailer was well worth the couple hundred spent on the TPMS.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	flat.jpg
Views:	655
Size:	145.2 KB
ID:	71094
    Allen

    2021 Momentum 21G

  • #2
    Glad it worked for you!
    I get it with the 'didn't hear a thing, feel a thing'. We had a tire completely shred and I never felt a thing. I noticed bluish smoke from the shredded tire in my side mirror which made me stop. I always thought it would be more dramatic. Made me a believer in TPMS I didn't have one at the time.
    2018 Dodge 3500 6.7 Cummins w Aisin and 9 cup holders
    Not to brag or anything about my finances, but my bank calls me about every day to tell me my balance is OUTSTANDING!

    Comment


    • #3
      acoleman43 If you don't mind, which TPMS are you running. I hate the tire linc that came with the camper.
      Joseph
      Tow
      Vehicle: 2024 GMC K3500 Denali Ultimate Diesel
      Coach: 303RLS Delivered March 5, 2021
      South of Houston Texas

      Comment


      • #4
        I am also interested in the system you have, my Tirelinc malfunctioned so many times (two sensors corroded so badly they are ruined in just a few months) that the entire mess is back in the box occupying space in a kitchen drawer.
        2021 Reflection 337RLS, 2021 Silverado 3500HD 6.6 gas. Nellie the wonder boxer

        Comment


        • #5
          Chiming in, this is the reason I went with a stand-alone TPMS system for the 5th wheel - reliable information on the tires & how they're doing.
          After quite a bit of research and talking with others on what they were doing, I went with the Tireminder i10 with 10 transmitters and signal booster.
          Have it running for both the 5th wheel & tow vehicle because I like it better than the vehicle system.
          Real time pressure & temperature with high/low alerts for both - has been interesting to see the changes in pressure & temp speed changes cause as does which side the sun in on.
          Small display, very legible, cycles between the tow vehicle & trailer - have tri-focals so need things easy to read at a glance so my focus can be on driving.
          Mounted unobtrusively up by the rearview mirror with the provided suction cup so while scanning mirrors, gauges, and road it's easy to glance at - again, focus on driving not a prolonged, distracted glance at something other than the road.
          Outdoor Adventure Products in Mesquite, NV turned out to be the best deal I could find on this unit - they were very straightforward, answered my questions, and shipped the order quickly - think it was $400.

          No matter which way you go, having reliable information on your tires is a good thing. Trailer tires are difficult to see at best, and most of the time you don't see them, so you need a way to monitor them.
          Hope this helps!
          Chris
          Last edited by TheNescios; 11-28-2021, 12:00 PM.
          Chris
          2019 Solitude 3740BH
          2019 Chevy 3500HD Duramax SRW

          Comment


          • #6
            Jlawles2 familytruckster4 It's the factory trailer TPMS from Ford. I had Discount Tire install the TPMS valves in the trailer tires, then mounted the transmitter on the trailer. Both of you have GM products so I'm not sure if GM has a factory system you can install.

            It does not display temp, just pressure. It does display on the factory dash which makes it nice...I don't like multiple screens all over the place.
            Allen

            2021 Momentum 21G

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by acoleman43 View Post
              It does not display temp, just pressure.
              I kind of wonder how useful TPMS temp readings are. Like the sensor is on the valve stem, how accurate can it be?

              2018 Dodge 3500 6.7 Cummins w Aisin and 9 cup holders
              Not to brag or anything about my finances, but my bank calls me about every day to tell me my balance is OUTSTANDING!

              Comment


              • #8
                I'm glad it worked and hope that this will point many more to this "helper" (like SWMBO)..
                Jerry and Kelly Powell, with Halo, Nash, Reid, Cleo, Rosie, and the two newest additions Shaggy and Bella..
                Nash County, NC
                2020 Solitude 390RK-R​

                Comment


                • #9
                  acoleman43 TPMS is the top accessory with respect to safety where its so nice it worked to save you from damage. GM does offer a factory trailer TPMS system as well. I have the tireminder system which works well for us but it would be nice to have the internal sensors. I also question the accuracy of an external sensor for temperature.

                  Curious, what caused the flat on the Endurance tire?

                  Jim

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by MidwestCamper View Post
                    acoleman43 TPMS is the top accessory with respect to safety where its so nice it worked to save you from damage. GM does offer a factory trailer TPMS system as well. I have the tireminder system which works well for us but it would be nice to have the internal sensors. I also question the accuracy of an external sensor for temperature.

                    Curious, what caused the flat on the Endurance tire?

                    Jim
                    It looks like a screw or nail was the culprit. There's a puncture in the center of the tire with a circular scuff mark around it. The tire may be repairable
                    Allen

                    2021 Momentum 21G

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by acoleman43 View Post

                      It looks like a screw or nail was the culprit. There's a puncture in the center of the tire with a circular scuff mark around it. The tire may be repairable
                      Don't forget to check the rear tire, and no please do not ask me how I know that.

                      Brian
                      Brian & Michelle
                      2018 Reflection 29RS
                      2022 Chevy 3500HD

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I would say to take the temperature readings with a grain of salt? Seems like it's pretty accurate first thing in the morning with ambient temps, but I'd be suprised if there wasn't a margin of error from the sensor being on the valve stem once I start driving. In my mind, when I glance at the display I'm more looking to see if the front & rear tires on the trailer on each side are somewhat close - idea is if the sun is on the drivers side and those tires are 5-10 degrees warmer than the passenger side without sun and front/rear on each side are within a few degrees then things are probably okay.
                        Pressure is the main interest for me and it's been curious to watch it change with direct sun & speed - can't really do much other than glance at it occasionally, but there is a part of my brain that would like to have a way to record ambient temp, speed, pressure, direct sunlight or shade and put it all into an Excel spreadsheet to see how all these factors correlate.
                        I know, I need a better hobby........

                        Do envy the person who's post I read a while back where they had a spare camera setup that they mounted underneath the trailer that captured a view of all the tires as they were driving..... very cool idea!
                        Nothing beats being able to actually see the tires.

                        Need to admit a big part of my obsession with how the tires are doing is I still have the Westlake G rated 14 ply tires on my 5th wheel.
                        Agonized over the expense of replacing them right now vs waiting vs the damage that will occur if they blow out and so far the frugal Scandanavian side of me has prevailed. (Norwegian heritage)
                        From what I've been able to find, the G rated 14 ply tires have very few issues compared to the Westlake E & F rated tires.
                        Have taken the max rated load at 110 psi, some information from our company tire representives, information from Google, and come up with running the tires at 90 psi cold when I start out provides the load carrying capacity required + safety margin. The pressure fairly quickly increases when I hit highway speeds so in no time at all it's up between 95-100 psi. Wish I could find information on what the max pressure warm is vs the cold psi stamped on the tires? If anyone has this, I'd definitely be interested!

                        Numerous trips across scales has given me a decent database of weights per axle on both the trailer and truck including what the difference is between the drivers side of the trailer which has 3 slides which include the kitchen equipment vs the passenger side with 1 slide & minimal equipment. I've also been tracking the ride height on each fenderwell of the truck.
                        I know, I need a better hobby...... but my ability to golf is worse than my ability to sing kareoke!

                        Here is the spreadsheet of inflation pressures I worked up - let me know if you see an error in my assumptions:
                        Load Range G
                        Factored Load Inflation Pressure Factored Percentage
                        4400 110.0 100%
                        4000 100.0 90.9%
                        3800 95.0 86.4%
                        3600 90.0 81.8%
                        3400 85.0 77.3%
                        Chris
                        2019 Solitude 3740BH
                        2019 Chevy 3500HD Duramax SRW

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Nice! I hope I never have to test mine.
                          Bill & Cindy
                          2021 Transcend Xplor 221RB
                          2021 Nissan Titan Pro4X
                          SE Texas

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by acoleman43 View Post
                            Jlawles2 familytruckster4 It's the factory trailer TPMS from Ford. I had Discount Tire install the TPMS valves in the trailer tires, then mounted the transmitter on the trailer. Both of you have GM products so I'm not sure if GM has a factory system you can install.

                            It does not display temp, just pressure. It does display on the factory dash which makes it nice...I don't like multiple screens all over the place.
                            The newer GM's (19 and up I think) have the option for trailer TPMS. Probably just a programming thing but that's above my hacking skills.
                            Joseph
                            Tow
                            Vehicle: 2024 GMC K3500 Denali Ultimate Diesel
                            Coach: 303RLS Delivered March 5, 2021
                            South of Houston Texas

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Jlawles2 View Post

                              The newer GM's (19 and up I think) have the option for trailer TPMS. Probably just a programming thing but that's above my hacking skills.
                              I was a little intimidated, but it took less than 5 minutes to "program" the truck using Forscan. If I can do it, anybody can
                              Allen

                              2021 Momentum 21G

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X