Originally Posted by EHS

I also check the old fashioned way, but the sensor is nice when you're on the road and you start getting a flat. That way, you don't have to stop eveyr 15 minutes to check the tire pressure -- which is about how much time I had when the low pressure warning went off to get to a gas station -- I could minitor the pressure right down to 5 lbs.

They are located on they inside of the valve stem, and look like this:









Here's basically how the whole thing works (pardon some Corvette/GM terminology, but I think it's the thought that counts):




1. The car senses the ambient temperature and barometric pressure through the main computer (PCM on the C5).

2. There is a remote radio frequency pickup module that accepts the data from each sensor (the sensors have to be programmed for their particular wheel location).

3. A little math, and by comparing the ambient outside air pressure with that inside the tire, throw in the temperature correction factor, and you should come up with the actual psi in the tire.

4. The sensors were notoriously inaccurate -- Schrader claims 2%, but 5% one way or another is more real world for pre-2002 C5s. The newere one's are more accurate: www.schraderelectronics.com

5. To remove the sensor, unscrew the nut and let the senor fall into the tire/wheel. Break the bead, try not to catch the senor in the process, and then reach in an take out the sensor. They are mounted in reverse; put the tire on the wheel, screw in the sensor/stem, then set the bead and inflate the tire.

6. Critical to remounting the sensors is the tiny little "O" ring that makes the seal with the wheel. They can be reused if not damaged, but they may not fit the profile on some aftermarket wheels -- so either check carefully, or get slightly thicker "O" rings. Normally, they should work.

7. Finally, here is the punch line on aftermarket wheels. Be sure to check that not only will the wheel and tire combination fit the car, but also that the tire sensors will fit in the new wheel. The issue isn't so much the overall height, as the edge profile of the wheel (see the pictures above).

So, the bottom line. Yes, if you hit the curb hard enough to srew up the valve stem, you could also screw up the sensor.

Originally Posted by EHS

You can run a set of wheels without the sensors, and as long as you keep track of which wheels (the one's with the sensors) came off which location, there's no need to reporgram.

Originally Posted by wvst8tprblk

I'll start by saying that I have had my C6 since 10/25/04, and I love it. I just turned 600 miles, but last night I experienced a small problem. The "Service Tire Monitor" message appeared on the DIC; and in the tire pressure screen, on the DIC, it registered my right front tire pressure as "XX". At that time, I pulled over thinking that my tire was possibly punctured or had lost significant pressure (and I wanted to confirm this before proceeding on the run-flat). I checked the tire pressure with a guage and found it to be normal (32.5 psi). So, I consulted the owner's manual, looked up the DIC message, and read that it was probably a problem with the tire sensor. I drove it to the dealership today and they confirmed that it was definitely a bad sensor, that they were not successful in being able to re-initialize. So, they are going to have to order a new sensor, and they weren't really sure on how long it would take to get a new sensor from the Corvette factory. I just thought I would post this, in case other owners experience this message appearing on the DIC display.

Originally Posted by EHS

The DIC tire pressure caa be left "on line," -- just did that the other night when one indicated 27, and I kept an eye on it while driving. Didn't go lower so I knew it was just the cold weather, and I filled it up.

You can run a set of wheels without the sensors, and as long as you keep track of which wheels (the one's with the sensors) came off which location, there's no need to reporgram.

Originally Posted by Silk

EHS,

Thanks for that explanation. Very helpful. A couple of further questions on this subject - if I were to run a second set of wheels/tires for autox, would I need to set them up with sensors, or would leaving them off altogether prompt some sort of an error message? Relatedly, when the street wheels/tires go back on, would the sensors have to be recalibrated?

Originally Posted by sedonacorvette

My front right tire mon is reading xxx .presure is 31 lbs . It went out when I was over 100mph in Utah . Hate to take it to dealer.