Trailer TPMS

[WM75Guy]

I want to get a TTPS and that GM system seems nicer than the Ram version, but not enough to switch trucks.

They are nice. We have all GM products. Mine are GMC, my wife drives a Tahoe. I have a great dealership and salesperson I work with.

 

[TMGT]

They can't be used with rubber valve stems. That's a no brainer.

I've been using them on rubber stems without problems, just can't use the long stems and need to not be really old or cheap. I also don't drive that fast either even though I'm mostly on the highway in the Jetta

 

[workinonit]

No idea what your application happens to be. Sounds like you are using them on your car. I have them on my 5th wheel that gets towed thousands of miles at interstate speeds. I highly recommend not using them with rubber valve stems in that application.

 

[TMGT]

One set is on a Jetta and I have a set on a 3/4t truck, not saying bolt in stems aren't a good idea. But using rubber stems isn't an automatic failure. Larger diameter wheels will be effected more, as will higher speeds.

That said, all my heavy trailers use bolt in stems anyway, due to pressure requirements.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I use Tireminder brand on my RV and towed vehicle and they say rubber stems are OK for their regular sensors but recommend metal stems for their heavier pass-thru sensors. Not that an anecdote means much but I probably have 10k miles or so towing a car with rubber stems and lighter screw on sensors.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Funny the difference in folks, I never realized so many people would want to add them to a trailer, I hate them , it seems I always have one going bad on one of my trucks, had two batteries die on two different trucks in the last two weeks. They can't be over a year old as they were all replaced last year with AC/ Delco brand sensors, maybe it's the heat down here, still got two trucks without them and love it.

 

[Chewwy]

Pretty easy to recognize a tire on your motor vehicle going flat. Not so easy on trailer your are towing. A flat tire on a towed RV can do significant damage. They can also catch fire.

 

[RobertN]

Pretty easy to recognize a tire on your motor vehicle going flat. Not so easy on trailer your are towing. A flat tire on a towed RV can do significant damage. They can also catch fire.

I started this thread, because I did not really notice... I just happened to need to use the restroom. When I came out, I noticed the right rear was flat, and had steel wire poking out the side in a couple of places.

I was on two-lane kind of windy 50mph road outside of Napa Ca. I've towed plenty; travel trailer, couple of 5th wheels, utility trailers, flatbed with cars, tractors, lumber, hay etc. This was first flat out on the road, and I really didn't notice. The 5th wheel seemed to be handling just fine.

Fortunately, I had to go to the restroom. Otherwise, the tire was already coming apart internally. I'm sure much farther and it would have come apart, and torn up the side of the 5th wheel.

Edit: I checked tire pressures before the trip. At the campground, the tires where chocked; the tires looked ok visually when I pulled the chocks to leave.

 

[gsganzer]

I had the same thing happen to me with an aluminum gooseneck horse trailer. The bad tire was on the rear axle, so I couldn't see it. I never even knew a tire went bad until someone pulled up next to me and caught my attention. I started using a Tireminder TPMS after that for peace of mind and safety.

That's a good point that some have posted about the rubber versus metal stems. I never thought of that little sensor whipping around on the end of the rubber stem.

I believe some of the aftermarket TPMS sensors can also be internal, like the OEM models.

 

[workinonit]

No internal sensors for me. I like being able to access them. I hate all of the OEM TPMS on all of my vehicles. I love this trailer setup I have.

 

[RobertEH]

Last Oct coming back from a deer hunt, I had a blow out on my bumper pull RV.

I was getting ready to pass a vehicle that was doing 40 in a 65 and as I crossed the centerline I "think" I heard something that caused me to glance at the side view mirror. I say think because it all happened very fast and I am not positive what made me check the side view. It looked like I had run over a flock of geese - white fluff going everywhere. Having no idea what happened I pulled over and Praise God I found a spot with 100 yards of where the blowout happened. In that 100 yards a flap on the tire beat the hell out of my undercarriage and created a hole all the way thru to the interior (under the sink). It also took out a low water drain. The fluff I saw flying out as I was pulling over was insulation. Damage was about 4K.

I am not sure if it was a catastrophic failure, or a flat that I was running for a while that finally ripped the tire apart. It is a dual axle trailer so I doubt I would have noticed a flat on one of the 4 tires.

I picked up a well reviewed TPMS system off Amazon that seems to be working OK. Amazon.com

As noted in an earlier post, you need to screw the sensors on fast or you lose air! I do verify pressure before putting them on so I know they are starting correctly - so if the TPMS fails, you see it on the screen and know not to trust the unit.

I was told by the RV dealer that I took it to for repairs that it was probably a catastrophic failure and the cause was older tires. The tires were about 6/7 years old (put on by the prior owner). I had it in for some service the year prior and the tire dealer said the tires looked good - and they had lots of tread. But since it sits for long periods between use they can develop weak spots and fail. Both the tire dealer and the RV dealer (who does not sell tires) recommended replacing the tires every 5 year regardless of use.

Some photos-the Styrofoam you see is the insulation around the hot water heater - fortunately no damage there.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

A few days ago I was behind a guy towing a travel trailer on I90 when the trailer had a tire explode. As I drove by I saw wires dangling and significant body panel damage. A TPMS might have warned him of impending doom so he could slow down or pull over to limit the damage. I tow a car behind our RV. It's narrower than the RV so I might not see a blown tire for quite awhile. That's why I use a TPMS. It also helps me keep track of the pressures and temperatures of the RV tires. A flat on a 35,000 lb vehicle would not be fun.

 

[RobertEH]

how well do you think the temperature feature works? Mine are just sitting on the valve stems so I assume they are measuring ambient air temp more than wheel temp. I notice the "sun side" of the RV is usually 5ish or so degrees warmer than the "shade side".

 

[Fxfymn413]

What material was the thread inserts in the sensors? My cheap tpms system had brads thread inserts and brass lock nuts. Unless you have really cheap metal valve stems, they should be brass also, so there shouldn't be any need for anything on the threads.

As a former marine mechanic I can absolutely assure you brass on brass will corrode together. $.20 worth of anti-seize lube is cheap insurance compared to destroying the sensor or the valve stem when it freezes from corrosion.