...and highly recommended if you don't.Bought this device from another online vendor because Amazon had not yet started carrying it.This one gets only 4 1/2 stars because depending on where you place it, the displaymight not be readable in bright light conditions.However, the audible alarm will promptly alert you of anything headed south with your tire pressures.
I bought this tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) after losing the center differential to the tune of $880 in our 2004 Subaru.What in the world does this have to do with TPMS?Well, it turns out much more than you would think!
Most folks who own full time all wheel drive vehicles don't realize that they must keep close watch on tire pressures, tire brands, etc., especially if you have a manual transmission.If you own a full time all wheel drive vehicle, check your user manual to see what it says about buying tires for it and keeping
them properly inflated.Many of these vehicles might have to have ALL FOUR tires replaced in the event only 1 becomes unserviceable.
You might also find that you will have a FULL SIZED spare instead of one of those donut types.This is because no tire can vary in CIRCUMFERENCE more than 1/4" - 1/2" from another in order to maintain proper rolling characteristics.That my friends, is a pretty tight spec!Pressures must also be adjusted for loading of the vehicle.Some all wheel drive vehicles might still have the donut spare, but you will be limited in speed and how far you can drive on it.Your user manual might not explain why or you might question it and ignore the precaution...a very bad idea. Failure to heed this tidbit of information could result in a very expensive repair.The forces at work here are similar to those of driveline binding, a concept known to most seasoned 4WD vehicle operators...it just never occured to me how much a chronically low tire on a drive axle could really cost me!
The reason for this can get a little technical but I will try to keep it simple.The amount of air pressure in most tires affects how many times it will rotate over a given distance.With less air pressure in your tire, it will generally roll more times per mile, run hotter and under certain conditions, put more stress on the driveline of your full time all wheel drive vehicle.If it is normal for your tire pressure to be 30 psi at all 4 wheels and you have one tire running at 22 psi, you could be headed for trouble if you allow this condition to persist.It is even worse if you have a slow leak and just keep pumping it up rather than getting it fixed like I did.
Most all wheel drive vehicles have some means to detect the rotation of your wheels and based on that information redistribute power to the wheels that have the most traction.One tire running substantially low on pressure than the other 3 will be seen as a wheel that is constantly slipping.Yourvehicle will try to compensate for that by sending more power to the other 3 wheels.Usually a differential of some sort is involved in that process.Under low speed conditions, say 5 mph or so, there is really not much of a problem.But if you run a tire that is chronically low for 5000 miles (an oil change interval) at highway speeds, you could be headed for trouble.The lesson here is that a low tire over thousands of miles on a drive axle could eventually cause a problem.
How fast things go downhill will likely be determined by the design of your all wheel drive vehicle, the power distribution concept, whether it is an automatic or manual transmission and the difference(s) in the rolling characteristics between wheels.
In 2008 I believe TPMS systems became mandatory on all new vehicles sold in the U.S., but that was mostly safety related to prevent accidents that could be attributed to poor tire inflation.There was probably a little bit of "green thinking" involved in there, too as tire pressure relates to fuel economy and its impact on the nation's oil reserves.Some of these OEM devices are reported to
be not as flexible as after market ones.
What I like about this model is that you can set the Hi and Lo alarm limits for your application. (OEM TPMS systems might not allow you this flexibility because they don't want you changing anything.)The Orange's display will show green for
tires within the limit and turn to red and sound an alarm when the pressure goes outside the limits. You can also set the device to show pressure only, temperature only, or to toggle between temperature and pressure as well as set a temperature alarm.It is also one of the easiest aftermarket devices I've seen to reset when you rotate your tires.
I had my system installed upon buying a new set of tires at a popular warehouse chain.They installed it at no additonal charge.You will have to learn how to set it after rotating tires as some tire shops might not know how to do it, especially if you didn't get the device from them.It is also a good idea when you buy new tires or have a tire removed from a rim for flat repair, that you
let them know you have such a system installed in order to prevent damage to the sensors.In the days of rubber valve stems, tire shops would cut the valve stem or use a tool to pull it out to deflate the tire faster.Any tire shop worth its salt should be able to immediately recognize that you have a TPMS by looking at your valve stem.This may cause some tire shops to want to at least provide a new internal spring loaded portion (core) of the valve stem when servicing your tire.I would expect the fit to be fairly universal with no issues.However, they should not try to sell you new sensors.If you need one, make sure it is from Orange to ensure compatibility wth your display.I really see no need to replace sensors unless they are not working.For what it's worth, I have driven millions of miles and have never had the core of a valve stem fail, although I have recently had the rubber type valve stem fail because of long term exposure to the southwestern elements and an improper material spec when manufactured on the other side of the Pacific.
One final note is that this device should be relied upon only to detect changes (mostly deflation) in tire pressures.You will get much greater accuracy and conistency of measurement using a simple slider type tire gauge.Electronic devices have random and systematic errors that can affect their accuracy even among the same types of sensors.Be mindful of the accuracy spec on the TPMS and that you are actually using a different sensor to measure each tire.If you see a difference between your tire gauge and the TPMS, most often the tire gauge will be more accurate.Use the tire gauge to set pressures and use your TPMS to detect and warn you of changes that can affect safety and help you avoid conditions that can affect the long term service life of your vehicle's drivetrain.
If you have just regular front wheel or rear wheel drive, this device could easily save you a lot of money just by preventing things like an expensive tire from being destroyed, being stranded in the hot desert with your wife and kids or something similar.I even carry a pump now in case I develop a slow leak.If you don't have TPMS and do a lot of driving....get one....THIS one!
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Orange Electronic P409S Retrofit Tire Pressure Monitoring SystemProduct Description: Orange Electronics Retrofit Tire Pressure sensors feature a military specification lithium ion battery with a projected5 to 7 year battery life. All sensors come complete with a unique valve stem assembly which incorporates a ball joint fitting allowing the sensor to be positioned in the optimum location to prevent any potential damage in service. All sensors are guaranteed 100 percent compatible with the vehicle. Up to 40 percent lesser cost than OEM suppliers.
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Super easy to install and definitely does the job of letting you know if you suddenly lose pressure in a tire. Also a very good tool for quickly monitoring tire pressure anytime. I recommend this.
