Tyre Pressure Monitors

[bobkneale]

Has anyone got any experience of these little quite inexpensive units that monitor tyre pressures ?

http://www.tyrepressuremonitors.com/index2.htm

All Comments Welcomed,

Positive Regards,

Bob Kneale.

[FROSTYBALLS]

This type of tyre valve cap have been around for some years, in varying guises. I tried a different make a few years ago and they were OK, although being longer than the usual valve cap they protruded a fair bit. I would imagine the same applies to Puncturesafe. Went back to normal caps after a few months.

With Puncturesafe the tyre pressure needs to drop a fair way to produce a warning - 3-7psi to show yellow and 6-10psi to show red. I would question whether this is too much of a drop. On my Auris the pressure would need to drop from 33psi down to 26 or 23psi to show red. Is this too much of a drop?

Do these just promote laziness?

Think I will continue to check my tyres with my tyre pressure gauge, footpump and tyre depth gauge on a regular basis

[scimberk]

I remember these.

Thats a blast from the past, the last car I had these on was a Reliant Regal, it made checking the front wheel pressure easier.

Theyt are ok after a week or so of driving and operate quite well, although only showing 5 or so pounds pressure loss before colour change, the biggest problem was they only lasted till the first few weeks of winter, then gave up the ghost, all in, about 4 or 5 months.

[johnan]

This is not exactly what you were asking but I tried the ones you mentioned without success some time ago so I decided to spend more money and I have used the Tyrepal wireless valve cap sensor type for a couple of years on both my cars and they both work perfectly and seem to be accurate to about 0.5 to 1 psi.

I bought a set of internal wireless ones before that, but the local tyre fitters were not keen on fitting them in fact they said they take more of them out of tyres than are asked to put them in!

Drawbacks to the Tyrepal ones are that you get a separate display unit which you mount on the dash, which some people don't like, but I do as the IQ has a "funky" dash anyway and the unit looks fine behind my Scangauge.

The other draw back is that it may be thought that the valve cap type of sensor invites them to be stolen, which is true, but they do come with a locking ring, and it very much depends on where you leave your car. I have had no issues with "kerbing" them, and in fact they are quite discreet size wise, really. Being retired my car is mainly used for shopping trips or country runs and in those circumstances I have had no security issues. I also have a long driveway so the car is well away from the road when parked for the night.

If I had to leave the car in an exposed place no doubt little felonish hands would start fiddling and I wouldn't use this system.

Anyway for my usage and circumstances, because the Tyrepal system is so accurate and reliable, when I get in the car a quick check of the display tells me what the pressures are before each trip, and it activates an alarm if there is an excessive anomoly.

So it suits me fine.

In the old days I don't think I checked my pressures more than once a month which is terrible really, at least this way it is a check every trip.

However, as always, each to his own. And I like gadgets.

[FROSTYBALLS]

There seems to be a choice of two different types - plastic and metal: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tyre+valve+caps

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=alloy+tyre+pressure+guards&_osacat=131090&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xtyre+pressure+guards.TRS0&_nkw=tyre+pressure+guards&_sacat=131090

[tarquin]

Hi Bob

This is what I installed int my iQ . It has 4 transmitters one in each wheel and gives temperature and pressure for each wheel. Also you can set alarms .

David