Getting ready to put new tires on, replacing the TPMS monitors at the same time. I know we use a magnet, just haven't been able to find out what size or how strong it has to be. Any help is appreciated.

 

I had used a small 2" x 1" x 0.5" magnet I bought from Radio Shack on 5 or 6 sets of wheels. On some I found it worked better in the barrel of the wheel.

This year I had a another set of wheels with Schrader sensors (they made the OEM ones) in the '01-'04 style that I could not get to train. I could get the horn to beep once in a while on the LF and once on the RF, but could never get the rear to beep at all. The sensors were only about a year old. I tried several different magnets and no luck.

I bought a 2" x 1" x 0.5" Neodymium N52 magnet. I think this is supposed to be the strongest type magnet and that size would fit up to the wheel easily, yet big enough to provide some strength. It worked on all four wheels the first time I tried it.

Up till now i had good success with lesser magnets and did not understand that so many people had problems. Now I have had problems and I think some sensors are easier to train than others. I am just glad the very strong magnet worked.

Good luck.

edit:

To make it easier, you can train the sensors with them in your hand in the car with a smaller magnet. You just have to train them and mark which position they should be. Then have the installer put them in the correct wheel. Pretty easy.

 

Any magnet will do, obviously, the stronger the better. I have neodymium magnet that works well. If you don't have a really strong magnet, you can technically reset them outside the tires and just mark the locations so that they go to the corresponding location.

 

Just did a set, bought a cheap a$$ magnet from the dollar store worked fine no prob.....

 

I tried several magnets, finally bought one of these...
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDi...FZU0aQodbxwB4g

None of the other magnets I tried were strong enough, but that might depend somewhat on the wheels you have?

 

I bought one of these on ebay 2 years ago for 10 bucks. I see they are twice that now.

 

Strongest magnets I have ever had were out a junk hard drive. You cannot pull it off a piece of steel. Magnets won't work on some aftermarket sensors. RF triggered.

 

Just bought the same one this spring at Tire Rack with new TPMS. I think it was under $20.

 

I programmed my TPMS sensors this way -- super simple & you don't need a large magnet.

 

I use one of the factory magnets for my TPS needs, but any strong magnet will work.

 

Thanks guys, didn't know you could program them ahead of time. Will check ebay and get one of those. $20 is nothing compared to 4 tires.

 

I don't know how many times I will have to repeat this, but, unless oem, but most aftermarket sensors won't program with a Magnet!!!. Just programmed the sensors on my 97 again. Magnet would not work. Had to RF trigger with a tpms tool.

 

That's why I got OEM units. The original units were still going strong after 13 years and the new OEMs were simple to program without the TPMS tool.

 

 

I bought the same from Amazon,don't think it was much more than 10 bucks !!!!!!!!

 

I just bought new rims and tires. I had to have the car in a shop to have the exhaust changed out to B&B Bullets. I asked the shop to reprogram the tpms and they tried to use their very expensive machine and couldn't get it to do it. I came home and I read all about the magnets. I ended up going to Harbor freight and bought a 4" magnetic parts holder for $2.99. I removed the "bowl" from the magnet and then removed the rubber from the magnet. I tried doing this several times and it would not program the tpms. I then started the test over and started letting the air out of the tires starting with the drivers front rotating clockwise. It worked perfect letting the air out! If I would have tried this method first, it would have cost me NOTHING!!! The ONLY thing that the car didn't do that I waited for.... when you read about this, after you finish programming the last tire/wheel, the car will beep twice (or so they say). Mine didn't, but everything was programmed and worked great.

 

Same here, works great. I did purchase OEM units because I can program them rather than get someone to do it.

 

Used a small magnet I bought as part of a set from Lowes - maybe 3 in a package. I have one of the round ones (above) but it would not work as I could not get it between the spokes of my new wheels. Placing the cheap magnet in the barrel worked fine. New OEM spec sensors came with the new wheel & tire package from the Rack.

 

My aftermarket sensors were set with a magnet, they were dorman brand from rockauto. I set them with a small magnet bought at home depot while setting in the front seat before I installed them to make sure they all worked. One would not train and had to sent it back. my vette is an 01 and the magnet set them, go figure

 

Bought mine at Home depot.
There were three in a pkg.
I keep one in the console just in case I need to reset the tpms on the road.
I usually need to reset if I go over an unusual bumpy road.
Doesn't happen often, but when it does, I am prepared.

Bob.