Tire Pressure Monitoring System - So how well do they work?
11/4/06, 07:56 PM
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Tire Pressure Monitoring System - So how well do they work?
So how is everyone's tire pressure monitoring system working out on their GT? I read that they have a Li-Ion battery and that special care is required when swapping tires. I'm not sure if the GT comes with one, but the 2007 FSM makes no distinction for model trims when discussing the TPMS.
11/5/06, 04:32 AM
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Ford's system actually works quite well. The batteries last a long time, but if they do go dead, the entire sensor needs to be changed. Like you mentioned, care is required when swapping rims. The sensor is built into the valve stem, so the stem needs to be un-bolted from the rim and pushed inside before popping the beads loose, otherwise the tire will break the sensor. I changed quite a few of them when working at a Lincoln-Mercury dealer, the wheel vendor they used wasn't always careful with those things and broke a lot of them.
11/6/06, 10:17 AM
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Tpms?
When replacing rims, is the tire pressure monitoring system really required? Is there a way to disable the TPMS light? Too me, it seems that this system introduces more complexity than is justified. Heck, Ford still advises us to check the tire pressures.
11/6/06, 10:49 AM
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11/6/06, 11:23 AM
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Where is the light located? Is it just an idiot light or does it show you pressures, which tire has a problem, etc.? My '06 doesn't have it so I'm curious what you guys with '07s have.
Thanks,
Tom
Thanks,
Tom
11/6/06, 12:14 PM
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If you get a low pressure alert, the user's manual states that you have to add air to the tire and then drive for 2 minutes at a speed greater than 20mph before the sensor will turn itself off.
BTW, on the 07 mustang, the wheel sensors are not in the valve stems. The sensor is connected to the inside of the rim (the inner circumference) of the wheel. You would have to remove the tire to see it. There is a drawing of it in the users manual it looks a sensor strapped to the wheel using a band type clamp.
11/6/06, 01:20 PM
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FCC has mandated this
Thanks Neil! Many Ford Owner Manuals are located at https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenan...ls/default.asp. The 256 page, 2007 Mustang Owner Guide Manual US PDF has 27 instances of TPMS in it. The Symbol of this Low Tire Pressure Warning (TirePressureMonitoringSystem) is on page 9 (also in the 2005 & 2006 Owner Manuals, surprisingly enough) and the location on the instrument cluster is on the next page (Left bottom, 2nd on the right; right below the Brake system Warning light). My '07 is not arriving at the dealer for several weeks, but I'm in the process of getting winter rims/tires for it - Bullitt 17" take offs from Steeda.ca with 215/60R17 Michelin X-Ice tires - when you drive in the Rockies in winter, they are a requirement. At any rate, I will not be installing the TPMS sensors (like Neil said, the pressure sensor is located opposite or 180 degrees from the valve stem - page 145) and will have to live with dash light. From page 144: "The Tire Pressure Monitoring System complies with part 15 of the FCC rules and with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation."
11/6/06, 01:34 PM
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Thanks Neil! Many Ford Owner Manuals are located at https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenan...ls/default.asp. The 256 page, 2007 Mustang Owner Guide Manual US PDF has 27 instances of TPMS in it.
11/6/06, 01:50 PM
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All car guys have dirty hands :)
Thanks Neil. No matter how careful one is, the Manual always gets filthy, after a couple of years. The 2006 Ford Factory Service Manual Data DVD for $38.37 from Karnage Systems, NJ is also nice. 
11/6/06, 02:01 PM
#13
It's nothing fancy. It's a light on the instrument cluster between the airbag light and the antitheft light. It has an icon that looks like the cross section of a tire with an exclamation point inside. When the light comes on, there is a chime or ding sound identical to the one you hear for low fuel level. The light can either be flashing or solid. When the TPMS light is on, there is a message on the information display area that says what the fault was. For low tire pressure the message is "Low tire pressure". It does not tell you which tire is low or what the current pressure readings are. So you have to visually inspect and check all of your tires. I don't know how low the tires have to be to trigger the sensors. The users manual does not say. My TPMS light came on a few times during the first couple of weeks. The alert said "Sensor Fault", which indicates some type of problem with the sensor rather than a low tire pressure. In every instance, the fault was gone by the next morning. So I never pursued it further.
If you get a low pressure alert, the user's manual states that you have to add air to the tire and then drive for 2 minutes at a speed greater than 20mph before the sensor will turn itself off.
BTW, on the 07 mustang, the wheel sensors are not in the valve stems. The sensor is connected to the inside of the rim (the inner circumference) of the wheel. You would have to remove the tire to see it. There is a drawing of it in the users manual it looks a sensor strapped to the wheel using a band type clamp.
If you get a low pressure alert, the user's manual states that you have to add air to the tire and then drive for 2 minutes at a speed greater than 20mph before the sensor will turn itself off.
BTW, on the 07 mustang, the wheel sensors are not in the valve stems. The sensor is connected to the inside of the rim (the inner circumference) of the wheel. You would have to remove the tire to see it. There is a drawing of it in the users manual it looks a sensor strapped to the wheel using a band type clamp.
11/6/06, 03:30 PM
#14
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Thanks for the info guys. Seems like a good idea, if maybe not executed to the best extent. For example if I remember right, when I looked at the Nissan 350Z a couple of years ago, a TPMS is optional and if you opt for it, it has a digital display that shows tire pressure for each tire individually.
11/6/06, 04:20 PM
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Nissan uses two different types of TPMS. Most of their other models, like Altima, only show a generic "low pressure" warning.
Infiniti, Cadillac, and Corvette use the individual tire type as well. If you rotate the tires (i.e. cadillac), you have to reprogram the sensors for their new locations (because the wheels have all changed locations). For the cadillac, they use a magnet for that. After rotating the tires, you put the system into reprogram mode and hold a magnet to the valve stems of each wheel. The magnet tells the stem to retransmit its unique code. Of course you have to do this in the same order LF, RF, RR, LR, so that the system knows the new location of each wheel.
TPMS sensors have 10 year lithium batteries. The batteries are not serviceable/replaceable.
Probably more info than you wanted. But i love tech stuff and knowing how things work.
11/6/06, 04:22 PM
#16
Thanks for the info guys. Seems like a good idea, if maybe not executed to the best extent. For example if I remember right, when I looked at the Nissan 350Z a couple of years ago, a TPMS is optional and if you opt for it, it has a digital display that shows tire pressure for each tire individually.
11/7/06, 10:47 AM
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First let me say it's against the law to disable TPMS. With that said. I don't know if its possible disable the sensor by using your performance tuner. You could probably disable it by using some type of simulated sensor (i.e. mil eliminator).
The bulb is a led that is soldered. If you removed the led, you would still have to disable the audible alert, and the text message in the information display area.
Here is some info that I found on the SEMA website (notice the provision for aftermarket tires and rims):
http://www.semasan.com/Main/Main.aspx?ID=61700
The bulb is a led that is soldered. If you removed the led, you would still have to disable the audible alert, and the text message in the information display area.
Here is some info that I found on the SEMA website (notice the provision for aftermarket tires and rims):
http://www.semasan.com/Main/Main.aspx?ID=61700
- Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS): In April 2005, NHTSA issued a final rule that requires all passenger cars weighing 10,000 pounds or less to have tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) by model year 2008. Vehicle manufacturers will be required to install a system that can detect when one or more of the vehicle’s tires are 25 percent or more below the recommended inflation pressure. The new safety standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 138, will be phased in starting on September 1, 2005. 20 percent of MY 2006 cars will be required to comply with the rule, increasing to 70 percent of MY 2007 cars, followed by 100 percent of all MY 2008 cars. While the rule is technology neutral, NHTSA estimates that the new systems will cost the OEMs between $48 and $70 per vehicle using systems currently in the marketplace. While NHTSA anticipates that the TPMS system will work with most replacement tires and aftermarket tire/rim combinations, the companies selling and installing such products are exempt from the “make inoperative” prohibition if the TPMS system does not work, so long as it is after the first sale. (The TPMS must work for dealer installations occurring prior to first sale.) Nevertheless, it will be illegal for anybody to disable the malfunction indicator light on the dashboard. SEMA received confirmation from NHTSA that equivalent aftermarket TPMS that meet the safety standard may be installed on the vehicle. SEMA requested that the TPMS be reprogrammable in order to accommodate alternate and replacement tires with different pressure thresholds. However, NHTSA did not see a need to mandate reprogrammability or service information sharing since the agency believes this will occur naturally in the marketplace, without regulatory pressure.