I was wondering if it is worth the investment for the tire pressure/temperature monitoring system. I have friend that got one for his TT after having a flat last year. As he stated if he had had some warning the tire was going low he could have maybe had a chance to pull off in a different spot to change the tire. Has anyone had any experience with the monitoring system? I could see where this could be helpful on a long trip, but not sure it is worth the money.

Hi,

I was told by my local tire seller to "save my money" and not bother with monitors. It does mean that in the morning I need to check my tires before heading out.

There are cheap valve stem "go, no go" gauges that I found convenient and inexpensive.

Here is a link:

http://eagleday.stores.yahoo.net/vitiprin.html

I've been fulltiming for 8 years and haven't needed one. This doesn't mean I haven't had tires get low. I just found them in time. Well, once when I was first starting out I totally lost a tire off the rim. It had gone flat when I was on a slow speed limit road going to a campground and when I got to the campground the tire was gone from the rim . No damage dome luckily. I keep a close eye on my tires and every time I stop I look at the tires. I used to be in the tire business so I can pretty well look at a tire and see if it looks lower that he others. I also use a hammer to thump the tires. Listen for a sound that is different than the other tires. On the other hand I would imagine they bring a feeling of security to those that use them. Another tip is when I was first starting out I used to pull over on the shoulder to let traffic by. That is where a;ll the debris from the highway ends up and trailer tires seem to be a magnet for this stuff. I now stay off the shoulder as much as I can. Sure has cut down on the tire problems.

Thanks pianotuna for the link. This is what I love about this site you all are a wealth of information. I usually am very deligent about checking my tires and thought the automatic system was a bit over kill. I appreciate your input too nedmtnman. It is nice to know fulltimers have not found a need to use the automatic monitoring system. I thought if I had a lot of you responding that you used the automatic monitoring system then I might consider one. Again, thanks for the information.

I am loathe to disagree with Don, but I tried valve stem indicators that looked just like those he suggested, and one failed on me. It ruptured at the top and let all the air our of one of my inside duals. Worse yet, on casual inspection it looked "green".

Now, it may have well been a different brand, so maybe his are perfectly fine.

I am not one to pay a lot of money for "peace of mind" or "cheap insurance", but I wouldn't travel without a TPMS. When we towed a big fiver, I had a blowout on the trailer that I didn't know had occurred until we happened to pull over for a break or something. Similarly, we could easily lose an inside dual on the motorhome or on the toad and not know it until it causes major damage, a fire, or loss of control.

I believe that most blowouts are caused by leaking tires overheating. I really don't want to a blowout on one of the front tires of our Bulgemobile.

So for the last six years we have had the Pressure Pro system on our motorhomes and toads. Aside from safety, there is the added convenience of being able to check the pressure on all tires from the driver's seat. There are now several good alternatives to the Pressure Pro.

It's your money, though.

Me too. It is your money and your safety. you can do what you feel is best. For me, I think the security and convenience from a TPMS is priceless. Happy travels.

Hi Dave,

I've never pretended to be infallible, so please don't "loath to disagree with me".

There is no doubt that tpms offer a greater level of peace of mind.

Perhaps I've been blessed but the only flats I've had on an RV or car were slow leaks.

Well, unfortunately, we've been "blessed" with three flats in the past five days. Bought the fiver a year and a half ago, tires were new then. We've been about 6,000 miles on it with no tire problems (we check pressure every time we take off). Tires were checked and pressure-checked before we left home on Sunday. Made it three hours before the first blowout. Bought a new tire. Tuesday blew another one of the originals. Bought a new tire. Today, blew another original. Not overloaded, no speeding, no exceptionally rough roads, alignment seems OK. Buying all new tires tomorrow. Sigh. Wasn't in the budget.

I am glad to see the other comments on this post. So there are some folks out there using the TPMS. Dave you have made a very good case for the TPMS. I have had issues with tires on TT, but no flat or blowout yet (hopefully never . However, this fall I will be taking my longest trip yet and was thinking the TPMS might be a good thing to have if the feedback on the units supported the investment decision. Is there one particular brand that is better? What I have seen so far has been mainly in the Camping World catalog.

I am reluctant to disagree with you only because you always seem to do such exhaustive research on RV related issues. I learned a lot about batteries and RV power systems from your posts last year.

I have seen many positive comments on the Pressure Pro, the TST System, and the Doran system. I haven't seen any consistently bad comments about any TPMS in several years.

My personal experience has been with the Pressure Pro. I had problems with the initial display unit when I bought the system in 2005, and they provided great customer support.

Tire pressure monitoring systems are designed to give you an advanced notice of a tire loosing air, or if the system tells temperature getting too hot. There is no way to know what is happening to your tires as you drive the rig unless you have a TPMS of some brand. I have been using the TST brand from their very first sale and have found them to be a great company and selling a product that does what it was intended to do. Let you know what the tires are doing, if parked in a campground, or rolling down the highway. Just because you looked at the tires at the last stop, does not let you know if you picked up a nail or a sharp object as you pulled back on the road. The TST system will alert you should any problem with pressure or heat pop up as your driving. Having a tire issue on the side of the road is NOT the place to be, and if you had been warned you may have been able to find a safer place. Normally when a tire blows or catastrophic failure, you could have thousands of dollars in damage, and possibly weeks in the shop getting it fixed. You got a very small sample of users on this forum, there are hundreds of thousands of rigs running many different types and styles of TPMS, and I believe most would think it was a wise investment in their safety.

Hi stripit,

Please provide documentation to support this assertion.