my Grandmother never had to check the tire pressure in the car... because SHE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE !........ times change.

$20 buys a TPMS faker-jammer box so all tires are full....

I looked into TPMS 6 years ago, thought it'd be great for the Kubota,but can't read 2PSI, there's a fairly high minimum,so wondered what if anything the true off-roaders use ?

I don't have TPMS('97 F150 ) ,wife's Nissan does, 2 front snows...no sensors, idiot lights on dash glare.

I'm waiting for the EPA to shut down all cars with sensors 'too low' as it'd hurt Mother Nature  'somehow'......

I guess some people would like to go back to when electric starting was an option for a car.

Eventually the batteries will fail, but they do seem to last over 10 years... many are doing 15 years.

re: I guess some people would like to go back to when electric starting was an option for a car.

Man that ONE action would get rid of 99.44% of all the IDIOTS on the roads now ! less accidents, cheaper insurance,far less traffic,cheap gas....

count me in !!

get RID of the aluminum rims ,go back to STEEL and we don't 'need' TPMS.

In my own case I am a maintenance nut. Everything is always done before it is needed. Tires always aired up. In the last 5 years or so sensors have saved 2 tires for me. One this summer on the way back form Ottawa. Warning came up showing rt front at 20 psi. All were set at 36psi. Watched the pressure all the way home. Car on hoist to check, found nail and plugged. Probably would have lost that one if not for sensors.

Wonder what car that was? I have two vehicles here with tire displays. Shows four wheels only. 

What I HATE about wife's Nissan is the radio comes ON at whatever volume it was when it was shut off !

That is a SERIOUS safety issue for me. There's a random 4-10 second delay between starting the car and the radio scaring the hell outta me

Also the 1-0 button doesn't turn OFF the radio,nor does spinning the volume knob....

BTW I've got a brand new floor mounted headlight hi-low switch for a  '67 Mustang or Cougar sitting on the shelf.

I would tend to agree, be nice to have the roads filled only by those with the aptitude to get the thing fired up of a morning & keep it running (and those forgetting to retard the timing would either learn right quick or be on the bus also!).

TPMS is one of the better "idiot light" uses in my opinion though, can catch a slow puncture and save a blowout as mentioned. Still not something I'd rush to add to our old cars unless it was a lot more robust & cheap, for the cost of a set of sensors I could replace all the rubber on 4 cars (including a spare for each) as I have a good source for part worn.  

Definitely would be more inclined on something heavier or faster than our old diesel Citroens, but they pretty much only need 3 good wheels to drive anyhow lol

We're headed back that direction if I'm honest, what with these new-fangled GDI engines needing de-coked 

You do bring up a fair point even in jest though, mechanical sympathy & knowing at least the basics of how a vehicle works is a pretty big factor in road safety I think. 

Taking tyre pressures/TPMS as an example, if more folk understood the reasons for keeping pressures correct (beyond "it saves fuel/money/pollution") then there'd be less blowouts & the associated damage/losses/accidents in general because not only would those without functioning TPMS actually tend to keep an eye on their pressures but also those WITH the system in working order would be much less likely to just ignore the light if it illuminated on a trip. (if folks can drive round oblivious to their fast-flashing t/s for half a year then you bet your behind they don't pay too much mind to the idiot lights on the dash either, as long as the thing still moves).

Hay Steve, bet your grandfather didn't have to fork out $100K to replace his car at 60,000 miles !!!

I remember driving pop's 77 caddy to North Bay(6hrs...), towing a '57 Willys Sedan Delivery  when it went 100,000 mile ! Next day came back with '57 Willys Pickup(overloaded with 'spares' ) using same homemade towbar. Kinda miss them all ,sniff,sniff.

klinemar wrote: This tire pressure indicator warning was the result of people not being responsible checking tire pressure and rolling their vehicle and surviving or family members suing if they didn't.

This is blatant falsehood- it had absolutely NOTHING to do with vehicles rolling or litigation.

TPMS was the result of someone designing a feature that, at the time, was very expensive to develop and install...  and putting it into production realm of large enough scale that the price was driven down, while at the same time, large-scale integration of systems in vehicles permitted the technology to be included in the integration, and sold to the public as a 'necessary safety feature'.

The first electronic TPMS systems appeared in military trucks that used Central Tire Inflation.  The sensors weren't in the wheels, they were in the air line branches, and the system had two functions:  First, was to be able to air the tires DOWN when transitioning from highway to off-road tactical operation, and back up, WHILE IN MOTION (meaning, no soldier on the ground, and no waiting.

The first vehicle I ever worked on with CTIS was a GMC DUKW... a DUCK...  yeah, WW2... and in that context, the ability to monitor tire pressure, was through a guage and regulator on the upper right of the dashboard.

This isn't exactly the same thing as modern TPMS, it was actually 'better'... it just plain old kept-em-all-at-the-same-pressure.  If you got a leak, it'd keep you rolling... It'd usually handle a piece of small shrapnel, even a 30 cal bullet... and get you out of the direct-fire path.

Electronic individual sensors didn't show up until the '80's, and the technology was 'needy'... the transmitters were power hungry and brainless, and the receiver system was clunky and troublesome.  It was tested on military vehicles, heavy equipment, and mining vehicles before the 'modern' systems came around.

The 'modern' systems have the same faults as the early electronic-  the transmitters suck.  They're in a harsh environment, getting shaken to heck, they're using a weak transmission method, a marginally-effective protocol... but to add to the problem, there's now a zillion other TPMS sensors in the parking lots around your car, they're all jabbering away on the same frequency range, but trying to remain 'unique'... it's like a thousand crying babies in church.

The problem with garbage like this, is that it BREEDS COMPLACANCY.

If you have a working system, people begin to TRUST it. 

THEN it fails.

The big problem with stem-mounted sensors, is that they LEAK.  They CAUSE the very problem you're trying to solve.

USED TO BE that when you got new tires, you removed the old stems, scrubbed the holes clean, and install new valve stems.  With TPMS, this adds a significant cost to the tire replacement.  On my wife's car, it was $180/tire for tires, and $560 for replacing the valve stems, because they're all TPMS... new sensors, plus programming...

The best solution is to take the dash apart, clip the leads to the indicator light, then dismount the tires, cut out the stupid sensors, and fit conventional valve stems...

And install a hand-held gauge in the cupholder.

TPMS, like nearly every other 'safety' feature or 'innovation' is to 'dumb down' the vehicle owner, remove responsibility from them as 'technology' will do it for you.It also makes a huge amount of cash for  those who make/sell/install/repair the gadgets.

The 1st gen Tesla's had a 'minor' flaw in tech......

When the battery went too low,you couldn't OPEN the car, to get the charge cable out to recharge the battery........

A LOT of the 'gadgets' get help from the 'bean counters'. Today most (all ? ) vehicles are 'push starts', NO real,unique door + ignition keys. Since all models have same pushbutton, they're super cheap to buy( 10c each ), FAST to install as one size fits all...no assembly line problems, shipping 1000 in a boat ? No key needed, NO problem,any driver can drive any car on/off the boat.

Having a 'WORLD class car just means  bits and pieces from here, there, everywhere can fit and connect via the electronic highways...

 I just push the reset button and message quits flashing but the tire light stays on solid. This will be second sensor since last summer, my local tire shop can read which wheel it's in & what sensor freq. is needed. So I'll be at their door 7:30am Monday. 

 Dang that Amber light bothers me driving in dark.

And yes, None of the automated warning devices is intended to eliminate personal checks.

I had one do the same thing (key start). When you tested the battery with a meter, it tested over 13 volts, but load testing it showed it was bad.

What I cannot stomach is the Cops stating they CANNOT Stop NEWER Car Thieves, ONE CALL to GM, Hyundai, Kia, ANY of the Newer Manufacturers with a VIN(From License Number) and auto can be DISABLED Completely.  Absolutely Useless to Thieves yet Unused as "Could present a Real Time Harm to walkways using public" which is a Stretch far out Left Side.

or YOU can do it yourself for less than $50,takes 1/2 hr.

Yes they can get in, start ..but only go about 1-2 city blocks, after that NOTHING they try WILL get them further.

I still think a key switch & razor blades under the dash is the way to go 

truck.  Got a little bit of rust here and there.  Still runs pretty good with 300 cu. in. six.

Wife has been pushing for 10 years to go buy new truck.  Serves my needs.

No glitz and sh-ts!

Bob