TPMS Systems

[Bayley]

I'm looking at adding a TPMS system to my rig. Based on cost and performance I've narrowed it down the EEZ-Tire and the Tire-Traker models. Does anyone have experience with these two products.
As always thanks for the help!!
Tony

[Walaby]

Tire Minder A1A.

Been using it for 9 months now. Did lose connectivity to one sensor. Replaced battery and all good.

Mike

[jkwilson]

fj12ryder wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:
FJ, I contacted TST on this issue and spoke to the sales mgr Mike Benson and he really did not disagree with you and said this issue comes up from time to time. He said it can be caused by interference, etc. and is 100% cured by adding the repeater. He said all their systems come with the repeater now. He said to add the repeater and there will be zero issues.

When I went from a 25 ft to 35 ft trailer, I started noticing a sensor would drop off from time to time so I'll be adding the repeater soon.

Thanks for pointing that problem out.

An agent for TST posts on the forum from time to time, and he says that the time delay is normal. It may be normal, but it's still excessive in my mind.

When he said it is 100 percent cured by adding the repeater, he's sidestepping the issue. The time delay still exists, and if you have a battery die or sensor fail, it will still take an hour for you to find out about it, repeater or not.

I cannot understand why they don't shorten the notification time. Surely it can't be that difficult. My only thought is that if they shorten the notification time, that may be looked at as an acknowledgement that the hour delay was a problem, and may look like an admittance of culpability. Basically a CYA.

My guess is that a shorter notification time would make it obvious if there were frequent data link glitches.

[fj12ryder]

Ron3rd wrote:
FJ, I contacted TST on this issue and spoke to the sales mgr Mike Benson and he really did not disagree with you and said this issue comes up from time to time. He said it can be caused by interference, etc. and is 100% cured by adding the repeater. He said all their systems come with the repeater now. He said to add the repeater and there will be zero issues.

When I went from a 25 ft to 35 ft trailer, I started noticing a sensor would drop off from time to time so I'll be adding the repeater soon.

Thanks for pointing that problem out.

An agent for TST posts on the forum from time to time, and he says that the time delay is normal. It may be normal, but it's still excessive in my mind.

When he said it is 100 percent cured by adding the repeater, he's sidestepping the issue. The time delay still exists, and if you have a battery die or sensor fail, it will still take an hour for you to find out about it, repeater or not.

I cannot understand why they don't shorten the notification time. Surely it can't be that difficult. My only thought is that if they shorten the notification time, that may be looked at as an acknowledgement that the hour delay was a problem, and may look like an admittance of culpability. Basically a CYA.

[Ron3rd]

fj12ryder wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:
Are you saying the sensor could loose communication with the receiver but still show up on the screen and still be reporting PSI and Temps?

You got it in one. 🙂 It can take an hour before the readings drop off the screen, and you get an alert.

It happened to me after leaving a campground. I usually don't check the readings, rather I rely on the alerts. But I had Peggy watch the monitor run through the tires. Strangely 5 out of 6 tires had basically the same readings, with one that was substantially lower in pressure and temperature, and reading the same as when we left the campground. Just as I started to pull over to investigate the alarm sounded. It had been an hour since we had left the campground, and the monitor just then alerted that a sensor has been lost. As soon as we pulled over the sensor reconnected and showed the same readings as the other 5 tires. So it's a definite issue and has happened to other people too.

FWIW I believe that the TST system now comes standard with a repeater. When I bought mine the repeater was an extra cost option.

FJ, I contacted TST on this issue and spoke to the sales mgr Mike Benson and he really did not disagree with you and said this issue comes up from time to time. He said it can be caused by interference, etc. and is 100% cured by adding the repeater. He said all their systems come with the repeater now. He said to add the repeater and there will be zero issues.

When I went from a 25 ft to 35 ft trailer, I started noticing a sensor would drop off from time to time so I'll be adding the repeater soon.

Thanks for pointing that problem out.

[fj12ryder]

Ron3rd wrote:
Are you saying the sensor could loose communication with the receiver but still show up on the screen and still be reporting PSI and Temps?

You got it in one. 🙂 It can take an hour before the readings drop off the screen, and you get an alert.

It happened to me after leaving a campground. I usually don't check the readings, rather I rely on the alerts. But I had Peggy watch the monitor run through the tires. Strangely 5 out of 6 tires had basically the same readings, with one that was substantially lower in pressure and temperature, and reading the same as when we left the campground. Just as I started to pull over to investigate the alarm sounded. It had been an hour since we had left the campground, and the monitor just then alerted that a sensor has been lost. As soon as we pulled over the sensor reconnected and showed the same readings as the other 5 tires. So it's a definite issue and has happened to other people too.

FWIW I believe that the TST system now comes standard with a repeater. When I bought mine the repeater was an extra cost option.

[Ron3rd]

fj12ryder wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
TST is a good system except for their excessive time for the monitor to notify you that it has lost contact with a sensor. It can take an hour for that to happen. Way too long.

My experience with the TST is that if communication with a sensor is lost, that sensor drops off the screen, alerting you to some sort of problem. In other words, you know it lost a sensor.

That problem (in my case) is always the distance issue since I went to a 35 ft TT. I've relocated the monitor but I'm at the distance limit so sensors will drop off. I'm adding the repeater to solve that problem

It seems there are some new brands out there that are performing very well too.

You're correct about the sensor dropping off the screen. The issue is that it can take up to an hour to notify you that you've lost contact with a sensor, and then it will disappear from the screen. An hour is a pretty long time to be out of contact.

Are you saying the sensor could loose communication with the receiver but still show up on the screen and still be reporting PSI and Temps?

[fj12ryder]

Ron3rd wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
TST is a good system except for their excessive time for the monitor to notify you that it has lost contact with a sensor. It can take an hour for that to happen. Way too long.

My experience with the TST is that if communication with a sensor is lost, that sensor drops off the screen, alerting you to some sort of problem. In other words, you know it lost a sensor.

That problem (in my case) is always the distance issue since I went to a 35 ft TT. I've relocated the monitor but I'm at the distance limit so sensors will drop off. I'm adding the repeater to solve that problem

It seems there are some new brands out there that are performing very well too.

You're correct about the sensor dropping off the screen. The issue is that it can take up to an hour to notify you that you've lost contact with a sensor, and then it will disappear from the screen. An hour is a pretty long time to be out of contact.

[Ron3rd]

fj12ryder wrote:
TST is a good system except for their excessive time for the monitor to notify you that it has lost contact with a sensor. It can take an hour for that to happen. Way too long.

My experience with the TST is that if communication with a sensor is lost, that sensor drops off the screen, alerting you to some sort of problem. In other words, you know it lost a sensor.

That problem (in my case) is always the distance issue since I went to a 35 ft TT. I've relocated the monitor but I'm at the distance limit so sensors will drop off. I'm adding the repeater to solve that problem

It seems there are some new brands out there that are performing very well too.

[CoffeePat]

Interesting. I figured it was a WIFI thing needing a satellite. Still, I'm surprised more folks haven't experienced this. Figure I'm pretty typical. EEZ tire says they're good to @ 53 feet wo a booster and I'm probably @ 40, tandem axle to cab. No Booster. Would think my receiver placement would be OK because we can drive for hours & they work fine. It tends to happen after we've driven 4 or 5 hours. That could be a clue. But again what’s so weird with mine is that (without changing a thing) they will work for hours go blank and start working again hours later. Aggravating. I just double checked the batteries and they are all just above 3 Volts.

[RAS43]

CoffeePat,
Since the receiver and sensors communicate with each other directly and not thru some outside source I don't believe being in a remote area would effect the system. There could be interference from some electrical source but that would be rare I believe. I have been in some remote areas with my Pressure Pro system and never lost communication of the system even if my cell phone and car radio lost connections. I do have a repeater mounted in the trailer as I have
occasionally lost communication of a sensor on the boat I tow behind the trailer.

[Learjet]

Just made my first trip with the EEZ tire set up, no communication issues in my 1.5 hour drive. They do make a repeater to increase the range of the signal. You may want to try mounting the receiver in a different spot, maybe higher on the windshield.

[CoffeePat]

I went with the EEZ tire also. It is an easy setup. BUT, hasn't anyone else had this problem that the sensors quit communicating with the monitor. Only happens when I'm in pretty remote locations. I get a beep that freaks me out. I slow down, wife grabs the monitor and waits an eternity it seems like for it to scroll thru all the tires only to find that one of the tires is completely blank. I've lost it on all 4 tires before. Then they start working again when I get close to town again. Batteries all checked fine. You can contact them easily enough. They said it's sounded like a signal problem, Maybe interference. Crazy that it comes and goes. Just to let you know...

[kenvs]

TT500, accurate, easy to program and lifetime warranty says it all!

[stripit]

nayther wrote:
My BIL has the TST and I looked at it yesterday for the first time. The wheel sensors are HIDEOUS! Plus they stick out past the tires just waiting to be snapped off by rubbing a curb or snagging a bush.

Besides OEM in the tire types are there others that are not so bulbous?

I used to sell the TST systems for years, was one of the very first to sell them. In all the time I sold, never heard of one time someone hitting a curb and losing a sensor. Might have happend, just I never got that report. The system worked as advertised and has only got better over time. And yes they also sell inside the tire senders so you don't have to have the sender on the end of the tire valve.