Leo z51

I understand you can buy sensors that are programmable so they will be clones of a another sensor. I have a 2007 Z51 with a set of Street tires and a set of road course tires. The sensors in both sets are seven years old and are having or will have battery issues soon. I would like to replace both sets with programmable sensors so I can swap wheels and tires at the track without reprogramming the car. I need info on these cloneable sensors and the programmer that would be needed to set them up. I called both tire rack and rock auto and neither one could give me any information. I need to know where the best place is to buy them, what they cost, are there good, better and best or are they all the same. Good info please. Thanks

Leo z51

Someone out there must be using these. Tell me what you know.

cclive

Bob, BEZ06 is the man to answer this....he will chime in.

HOXXOH

I've used the Orange Electronics clonable sensors and was very satisfied. The only concern is how close to the car will you store the other tires. If the storage is too close, the car will sense the ones with the strongest signal. It'll self-correct after driving away, but it's a little shock at first if the stored tires happen to be flat.

You'll need to find a tire store that has the programming tool to do cloning. Many are switching to that type, since the trend has been to make sensors more universal. You won't need both sets to be clonable, only the set in the race wheels. Of course, if you buy a set of someone else's race wheels with sensors included, having clonable sensors in your street wheels makes the deal better.

cclive

True, you really only need one set of clonable sensors because you need a set that you can clone them to. The $20 Cub tool that was on clearance recently can clone sensors.

Also, don't assume that those batteries will be dead soon...with the low miles of many Corvettes, there are people with C5s whose sensors are still working fine. Keep the newest set that you have, then get the clones to replace the older ones...or just get an inexpensive TPMS tool and use that until one set of sensors goes dead.

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=177

Leo z51

I looked at the instruction sheet that can be downloaded from Tirerack for the cub programmer. It says in the instructions that it is not capable of cloning. I suggest one of you take a look and perhaps I read it wrong. If I cannot use the cub programmer, is there another I should be looking at? Also where do I buy the sensors, or should I just go to a local tire shop, or perhaps Ebay?. I realized I only need one set of cloneable sensors but if I need to buy two sets to replace what I have, I will buy eight cloneable sensors.Then clone the first set to the existing sensors on the car and then the second set to the first set.

cclive

My Cub came with an extra sheet that you add to the instruction manual...detailing a third mode which allows reading and storing a sensor's code and then a fourth that uses that code to clone a blank sensor. BEZ06 knows for sure...I don't have clone sensors so I can't say that I have done it. I bought the tool solely on his rec...I already had the TIPS tool.


Take his rec for a tool to buy before doing anything...he is the guru of TPMS here on the forum.

Leo z51

If you download the instruction manual from TireRacks web sight,
it says under tool function menu.
#2 (Copy sensor)This tool is void of this function
#3 (Program sensor)This tool is void of this function

cclive

Absolutely right...I don't know whether it works as I don't have any cloneable sensors to try it on. I only know what paperwork I have. I would never promise that it would work unless I had done it myself. To me, the cloning makes sense for a tire store because they can carry fewer part numbers. For me, I would not bother with them because it takes me less than one minute to use the TPMS tool to change the car over to the other set of wheels. It just doesn't seem to me to be a big deal to re-program for my other set of tires.

Bob must be on a trip, otherwise he would have chimed in by now.

Dano523

Buy this tool for starters. Its being blow out on a cut rate price since you have to work around that the tool does not have a direct setting labeled 2009 to 2013 corvette (have to use the HHR setting instead). And yes, the tool comes with rechargeable batteries, so it like paying for the batteries, and getting the tool for free.

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/...toring+Systems
Click TPMS on the left hand side of the page, then select the CUB TPMS Trigger Tool for $19.99.

It will allow you to reprogram the TPMS in the car (car to relearn them) as well as clone the new TPMS cloneable sensors as well.
Note, the tool works for corvette for all the C6 corvettes. 2005 to 2007, you use the GM Corvette setting. While 2009 to 2013, you use the GM HHR setting instead. The TPMS on the HHR are the same as the newer Corvettes TPMS, so the HHR setting works for the later models.


As for TPMS for the new tires, with the tool, you can reprogram the car TPMS system in about 2 mins when you swap tires.

So the question comes down to how lazy you want to be be when you swap tires. Granted that two sets of tires on the same TPMS ID numbers means that you don't have to reprogram the car each time you swap the tires, but is also means that with both sets of tires close enough to the car at any given time, the car could be reading the wrong tires.

Different tool being used, but same procedure.

cclive

Well, Bob's video is here but not Bob yet...