Having trouble with TPMS sensors. Cannot get accurate pressure readings. I have an 02 coupe, can I legally change to regular tire valves?

Thanks for any and all responses

hclaeson

 

Yes you can. You have to have the option disable with a tech 2 on your computer. I've also heard of people removing the sensors and burying them in their yards so the computer never sees them again. Not sure how good this works though. I'm curious if option 2 works for my 2000. Yours has a different tpms system since its 01+.

 

tire pressure sensor have to be in motion to activate. if you take them out of the wheels they will not transmit. Who ever told you they buried them in the ground is either clueless or was pulling your leg, obviously they know nothing about how these sensor transmit and how the receiver gets the information. anyone telling someone to burry tire pressure sensors in the yard, is someone you would never want to listen to ever again.
\Bill
Tire pressure sensor are a very important part of the safety and drivability of your car. they give you a heads up on potential over inflation or dangerous underinflation information.
Bill

 

https://tpms247.com/

 

You can legally get rid of them, but when you go to sell the car it may lower the value if everything isn't working. I bought mine on Amazon for 35 dollars a piece.

 

Yes, you can change over to the regular rubber stem valve stems without the sensors, but honestly it is not something I recommend. The TPS' are a good safety feature and your car has the cheaper version of the sensors. If yours are not working properly when driving the vehicle, I would just replace them, program them to the car and have the security of a working system.

 

My 2002 didn't have sensors in the wheels when I bought it. My new wheels don't have them either. I do have the ability to check the pressure like I did in all of my older cars. They all seemed to work just fine. It seems like people are getting way too spoiled today in the name of safety. People need to pay attention when driving and pay attention to their oil levels and tire pressures. It really isn't that hard. I do have all of these extra things in some of my other cars and they are nice. I don't fully trust them though. I still check things to be sure.

 

I agree with this and I do the same. I still check my fluids and pressures , sensors or not. I can care less about tire sensors, but having a light on the dash will drive me nuts.

 

You are driving down the road on the interstate doing about 70. then you pick up a nail which slowly starts to lower your tire pressure.. once it reaches about 20 psi, you suddenly lose control and crash your car . this could not be prevented by a weekly or monthly tire pressure check. since the tires and their integrity are the only thing between you and a catastrophy, it would hbe be irresponsible not to have working sensors. Todays tires rarely have a catostohic blow out. but a tire rolling at 25 psi then 22 psi then 20 psi could break the bead and destroy the tire a put you out of control.. Since you have no idea of the rolling psi, you will only know there is a problem when there is a real problem. You have no spare , and by the time a non sensored tire fully deflates the tire is no longer usable. where as with sensors when a slow leak reaches 25 psi and still rolling safely , a simple pull over and then add some air from a small compressor you can continue on your way until you get another warning, this could be 15 minutes or a half hour, but the sensors will get you to a safe haven, without them its only when your car starts to become unstable. Anyone trying to say having no sensors is better than having them is clueless. If the sensors are working correctly, they last about ten years... its all about not having enough money to put in these sensors.. its like not having and oil sensor in your car a hope your monthly oil check via the stick will tell you that you have a problem. there is no viable reason not to have sensors in your car other than you dont want to spend the money. People with this mind set will usually keep the same oil in their car for several years since they buy the cheapest 15,000 mile oil., and not the correct oil for the car. That's why some people have problems with their motor in 100,000 miles, and other can go 200K , 300 K 400K, and recently a car donated to the museum with 600K. There is a right way and a wrong way. fixing safety devices working is the right thing to do. If the sensors are working there is no lights on the dash, its only when the sensors see a problem do you see any warning.. I would rather have a warning before ruining a tire and in many cases, the wheel its mounted to.

Bill

 

Because of the now cold temps, I checked my 2 cars that have TPMS with individual tire pressures (Vette, Murano), with a tire gauge and then the air compressor gauge. ALL three gauges gave different readings sometimes 4 pounds different. I use the lowest reading gauge; the air compressor. As others have suggested, I do not depend on the TPMS for tire pressure.

 

Tire pressure sensors are most important in warning you that there is a tire going down at 70 mph. Manually checking your pressure does nothing to help in that case.

 

I have a Tech II and wasn't aware it is possible to turn off the DIC messages. I also have HP Tuners and don't think it's in there. what would be really nice is if you could calibrate the sensors just like the fuel gauge so they read an accurate PSI. Mine are off as much as 10%. Way close enough to serve the purpose though.

I simply put in new ones. Even the "Expensive" ones can be had on Ebay for $150 or less shipped. When I had mine replaced, I bought the batteries from Newark Electronics and did the battery replacements, then sold my originals on Ebay for $150 (just what I paid for new generic ones). Mine worked fine for 6 years till I sold the car. I wouldn't be without them. Agree 100% with ET on that. But is is a shame you need to dismount/remount tires to change them.

 

Legal yes, smart no. Sensors are cheap insurance.

 

I agree. Monitoring air pressure is just as important as monitoring temp, oil pressure and amps. Technology has made it possible to do so.

 

I lost my C4 to a tire that was down enough to come of the rim on a left turn. TPMS would have told me that I had better take a look before making that turn.

 

Here is a good story. IN Philly there is a double lane bridge called the General Platt. its 2 miles long. Im wondering why the traffic is so slow.. I can see the up span as I get on the bridge.. and see slow moving traffic up ahead with no traffic in front of the back up.. I start to see sparks and no one is passing what appears to be a Corvette in trouble. to make a long story short by the time we traversed the bridge I saw this C5 Corvette on the side of the bridge apron. I pulled over to help.. the guy had ground his front wheel down to the nub.. destroyed his front suspension, fascia, and front fender. . He told me he got rid of the sensors because they were too much money ( First Gen ). He tried to stop on the bridge but car were beeping as him so he continues to drag his car. He told me he did not notice anything until he was half way up the bridge.. Now he may have had a catastrophic blow out on the bridge, but if his tire just had a nail and lost tire pressure, he could have avoided all the grief if he was warned before getting on the bridge.. You also do not want to be in a bad neighborhood with a totally flat tire and no spare especially at night. Tire sensors can help you get to a safe haven..
Just some food for thought. IM guessing the guy in the Corvette had 5,000 dollars worth of damage.. Damage a tire sensor could have avoided.

Bill aka ET

 

Thanks to all who replied. I'm going to replace the sensors, I believe that is the best way to go.

Again Thanks,

hclaeson

 

Most tire shops don't even take the tire all the way off to replace a TPMS sensor. With the exception of run flats

I haven't tried it myself with the corvette wheels but am definitely going to if the need arises. Usually if you have non run flats you can just break the bead on the TPMS side and replace the sensor and reseat the bead. No need to go to the tire shop or rebalance. Breaking the bead obviously will be a challenge for some, but I have ways I've broke down beads in the shop safely over the years and yes that's without a tire machine.

.

 

Last year I had a dead sensor. Shop replaced it without removing tire, so they did not have to balance the tire.

 

I wasn't aware anybody did that.