Is it possible to remove the tire pressure sensors without any adverse affects? Ever since the Government mandated thier use, they have been a PIA. I check my tire pressure monthly with guages that I have calibrated yearly. For those using nitrogen, tire pressures would vary only slightly unless you have a leak or a punctured tire.

 

Well.....maybe it has to be driven, maybe not!!

When the car sits still for more than 15 minutes the sensors go into a sleep mode and only transmit once every 60 minutes to save the battery life.

When you drive faster than about 20 mph the sensors wake up and start transmitting in the drive mode once every 60 seconds.

So.....if you've been out driving and stop to service the tire pressures, if you're adjusting pressures within 15 minutes of having stopped, then the sensors will still be transmitting once every 60 seconds and will update the DIC quickly.

If you're adjusting air pressures after the car has been sitting for more than 15 minutes, you'll need to go out and drive the car faster than 20 mph for a couple minutes to get the sensors to wake up and go into the drive mode and start transmitting every 60 seconds.

Maybe that explains what you were seeing!

Bob

 

Maybe!

First of all - there's no way to "turn off" or "disable" the TPMS. It's a Federally mandated system. You could turn it off on a C5, but the C6 was started during the time the Federal Law was being enacted that requires sensors and TPMS in all cars.

If you're running runflats you MUST run sensors. If you're driving down the Interstate with no sensors in your runflats and lose pressure you'll never know it - with the stiff sidewalls you just don't get any handling feedback like you would from a normal tire going flat.

However, when you took the off-ramp in your normal spirited fashion you might well wonder why you ended up in the guard rail - but it was just the tire with no pressure letting loose on you when a sideload built up!!!

You can read some fine print legalese molded right into the sidewall of a runflat - it says you must have tire pressure sensors in the tires. That may be enough for your insurance company to deny coverage if they were to actually find out you weren't running sensors when you smashed into the guard rail.

If you decide to run without sensors, you shouldn't have any problems running on the street. You will have the light illuminated in the instrument cluster all the time, and the DIC display will probably show "Service Tire Monitor" when you start up the car, but you should be able to clear that and drive normally.

However, you probably won't be able to go into Comp Mode or turn the AH off completely. If you're tracking the car you may have problems with the car pulling power on you when you drive aggressively - the system is trying to protect you when it thinks you have low tire pressure, or if it isn't picking up transmissions from sensors at all.

Different model years seem to have a slightly different tolerance for running with no sensors. Some owners with later year cars report they can run with no sensors and still turn off AH or go into Comp Mode. I know in my old '05 that it didn't like running with no sensors - but it was okay on the street. In my '06 Z06 I have had real problems on the track when running with no sensors, and once when I was unable to register a sensor and went out on the track anyway it was a real disaster and bordered on unsafe. The car was pulling power when I tried to accelerate out corners and if cars had been behind me there could have been real problems. I limped into the paddock after one lap and swapped on a different tire with a better sensor, reprogrammed them all, and didn't have any problems after that.

So....street driving - should be no problem; track events - you'll have to try your car to see how it reacts.

Bob

 

Ahhhh...

OK, that explains what I was seeing. I knew they went to sleep but I thought it was pretty much right way when the systems are all shut down. Of course, the sensors probably aren't two-way and wouldn't know when the car shut down, hence they go on transmitting until a prescribed time interval without motion has passed.

Thanks for that info, it was very helpful. I will be ordering a reset tool tommorrow as well, for the inevitable future issues.

Maybe it's a sensor battery on it's last legs? Either way, I'll order the tool and reset everything. If that doesn't fix things I'll just replace all 4 sensors and be done with it. Another excuse to use that new TPMS tool.

B

 

Make sure you get the correct sensors for your year model.

A 2005-2009 C6 uses GM Part# 25758220 - it's the gray peanut shaped sensor.

A 2010 or newer C6 uses GM Part# 15268606 - it's the green peanut shaped sensor.

Our OE sensors are made by Schrader, and there are some sources that sell Schrader sensors that are distributed outside the GM parts system. They are exactly the same as the OE ones except all models are usually red.

There are also some aftermarket manufactured sensors that are compatible with the TPMS in the C6. Some forum members have used Oro-Tek sensors and report they work just like the OE sensors.

Forum vendors like Gene Culley at http://www.gmpartshouse.com havce a nice discount. A set of 4 2005-2009 sensors is around $250, and the ones for the 2010+ are actually cheaper.

I recently got a second set of wheels for my 2009 and got 4 of the gray sensors off eBay for $99 and $5 shipping - they work great!!

Good luck!!

Bob

 

I drove my car to work this morning. Before leaving the house I checked the tire, it was reading 29 and the DIC was still at 23. Halfway through the drive I pulled over to check the tire again, it hadn't changed and neither had the DIC. After 40 minutes of driving the DIC suddenly changed, clearing the low pressure warning message.

I don't know what caused the issue or why it took so long to clear. But it did clear itself spontaneously. If you are experiencing this issue and don't yet have other diagnostic tools try driving longer adn continue monitoring the pressure. Perhaps it will correct itself as mine appears to have done.