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Old 03-08-2018, 09:26 AM   #1
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Name: Henry
Trailer: BigFoot
Tennessee
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TPMS question

Does anyone use a TMPS with an internal sensor? That is, a sensor that is located inside the rim rather than on the end of the valve stem?

I am trying to decide on which TPMS to buy:

Dill Air Controls Products (internal sensor)
Eeztire by Entire RV Products
TST 507
TireMinder
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Old 03-08-2018, 09:53 AM   #2
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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I considered this question and ended up with an external sensor (TST) for a few reasons, so I can't help you with your specific question. But I can tell you that I have had good luck with the valve mounted senders. You need to get metal valves so the tire has to come off anyway if you have rubber one. They are only a few dollars and DT put mine in for free. With the external sender with user replaceable battery I can do any needed maintenance or replace it as needed. Not so with internal ones. And I only put them on when traveling so battery life is extended (and risk of theft reduced). The temp readings seem about right but internal senders might be more accurate (if they have temp sending).
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Old 03-08-2018, 11:23 AM   #3
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Henry,

We bought the Tireminder TM-77 and have used it for a half-dozen trips. Overall, it's been working for us and I have no regrets. Mind you, I've never tried another system to compare it to.

The Tireminder takes a bit to work through the menus and set up, but I expect that that is probably true of any TPMS.

Personally, I would have appreciated if the manual was clearer and made greater use of simple declarative statements instead of things that read like game-show riddles. One example:

"So, if you are running 100 psi in your tires, you could have a gauge reading 2 psi high and a TPMS transmitter reading 3 psi low leaving a difference of 5 psi. This is not uncommon and is considered totally acceptable. We have had calls from customers doing their initial installation saying all 8 or 10 TireMinder® transmitters are reading 9 to 11 pounds low!!! Can you guess what the problem is?? What is important to understand is that the TireMinder® TM77 (and any other brand for that matter) is designed to warn you of changes. For example, it really does not care whether it starts at 97 psi or 108 psi. It is the changes and deviations from the baselines you need to know about."

Well, I guess that I could guess what the problem is, but I'd actually prefer that author had just spelled it out as my brain can sometimes be rather feeble when confronted with puzzles like this. On the other hand, the feedback on forums indicates that their telephone support is very good.

There is a separate "signal booster" (repeater) unit which has to be connected to 12VDC power inside the trailer. It has tiny alligator clips which made it a bit of a nuisance to connect to the fuse panel on the Casita. It's on my list of small projects to somehow improve on their arrangement, perhaps by adding a 12V plug or perhaps larger alligator clips.

Another thing I recommend is to purchase a better mount for the monitor. We use the Garmin "Portable Friction Mount" (beanbag style) for our GPS. We liked it so well that we bought second one for the TPMS.

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-B000LR...BXZPHETZN774MA

Garmin Portable Friction Mount - Part Number: 010-10908-02
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Old 03-08-2018, 11:43 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Civilguy View Post
...
Well, I guess that I could guess what the problem is, but I'd actually prefer that author had just spelled it out as my brain can sometimes be rather feeble when confronted with puzzles like this. ...
It sounds very much like what they are trying not to say is that their sensors are not calibrated or accurate. Instead they show changes in pressure with no guarantee the actual value will be correct. This is unfortunate. I have found the sensors in the TST system to be very close to the same pressure I read with a pencil gauge.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Civilguy View Post
...
There is a separate "signal booster" (repeater) unit which has to be connected to 12VDC power inside the trailer...2
Is it mandatory? The TST system has an optional repeater and it might be needed on large trailers but I have found no need for it with a 16 footer.
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Old 03-08-2018, 12:30 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gordon2 View Post
Is it mandatory? The TST system has an optional repeater and it might be needed on large trailers but I have found no need for it with a 16 footer.
Per the TM77 manual:

Operating Distance
Sorry, no hard number — varies with amount of electronic interference. Booster is mandatory! If these conditions are met, 100 to 120 ft may be possible. Without the booster, distance is extremely limited.

http://www.minderresearch.com/conten...al-English.pdf

It's possible that I may have operated without the booster when we towed the Casita, but I really can't recall. I either generally or always connected the booster to the fuse panel and set it on the captain's chair in our FD.

The displayed pressures have actually correlated well with my older-but-expensive dial gauge, for whatever that may be worth.
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Old 03-10-2018, 03:37 AM   #6
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Had a tpms system. Was not using it much. The sensors give a false reading of good. Instead once a week I check and fill all tires Just easy maintenance.
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Old 03-10-2018, 04:45 AM   #7
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Name: Henry
Trailer: BigFoot
Tennessee
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Red face

Thanks to all who have replied.

I will be seriously reviewing the TST system, color, pass through.

The dash of by truck is starting to look like a futuristic steampunk decor, if that is even possible to say.

Monitors everywhere: In dash Navigation/rear camera (truck) monitor, another monitor for Garmin GPS, another monitor for rear camera on the Casita, add on brake controller, 2 iPhones (one used for navigation), front facing camera with its own monitor, compass, Air bag controller, not to mention side mirrors...

and now a TPMS.

Talk about distracted driving...
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Old 03-10-2018, 04:56 AM   #8
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Trailer: Casita SD17 2006 "Missing Link"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rzrbrn View Post
Monitors everywhere: In dash Navigation/rear camera (truck) monitor, another monitor for Garmin GPS, another monitor for rear camera on the Casita, add on brake controller, 2 iPhones (one used for navigation), front facing camera with its own monitor, compass, Air bag controller, not to mention side mirrors... and now a TPMS.

Talk about distracted driving...

Yup and the powers that be complain about using a phone for talking being the big problem. Car companies have added way to many distractions, sales rule and safety be damned.
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Old 03-10-2018, 06:04 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rzrbrn View Post
...

Talk about distracted driving...
OK, I will talk about it...

You can choose to put the TST display where it will be a distraction. It's educational to watch the temp and pressure changes. Cold mornings, pressure is lower. Tires in the sun, temp goes up...sometimes a lot. But all that is normal.

But there is no need to have the display in front of you. Once the alarm set points are programmed, you never really need to look at the display. If something goes wrong, the audio alarm will sound.

Quote:
Originally Posted by offroad View Post
Had a tpms system. Was not using it much. The sensors give a false reading of good. Instead once a week I check and fill all tires Just easy maintenance.
A once a week check might work, until you hit a nail in the road and put a hole in your tire. Utility trailers don't benefit from a TPMS as much as a fiberglass trailer that can suffer a lot of damage in seconds from a blown tire.

And I wonder what brand of TPMS you had. I see a lot of no-name brand ones in the market with poor reviews.
---------------------------------

BTW, I don't see but a very few TPMS sytems with two sensors. Most have four or more. I got my two sensor TST507 from a supplier who no longer sells them and I have not found a substitute. It looks like you might be able to buy the TST507 monitor alone, and then buy two "spare" sensors, for a total of around $200. Otherwise you pay more for the entire system with four or more sensors.

Which led me to wonder if a motorcycle TPMS would be a good way to go when you only need two sensors. This one has good reviews and is only $100, but you would need to fashion a way to mount it if you wanted to keep eyes on it.
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Old 03-10-2018, 06:08 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Borrego Dave View Post
Yup and the powers that be complain about using a phone for talking being the big problem. ...
Or for texting.. they understandably don't want you distracted by reading your text messages while driving.

Then they put these big traffic warning signs over the highway to let you know of dangerous road conditions, and when there are no problems on the road, they put the message "Don't text and drive" on the sign. Really!.. what a distraction that is!
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Old 03-10-2018, 10:09 AM   #11
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Escape 21 & Jeep GC 5.7 (Previous 2012 Casita FD17 & 2010 Audi Q5)
Puget Sound, WA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rzrbrn View Post
The dash of by truck is starting to look like a futuristic steampunk decor, if that is even possible to say.

Monitors everywhere: In dash Navigation/rear camera (truck) monitor, another monitor for Garmin GPS, another monitor for rear camera on the Casita, add on brake controller, 2 iPhones (one used for navigation), front facing camera with its own monitor, compass, Air bag controller, not to mention side mirrors...

and now a TPMS.

Talk about distracted driving...
Wow! Double wow! It's a good thing you've got a forward-facing camera so you can see where you're going! (Henry, I'm just kidding you here, and hopefully I don't have to say "of course".)

I initially drove the Audi with the in-dash GPS and the Garmin both on at the same to compare them. The Garmin 2598, a mid-grade 5-inch touchscreen unit purchased in late 2014, was a far better system and I quit using the in-dash UConnect 8.4. With the Jeep, I used the in-dash for a while to "give it a chance", but it was never really much of a contender. The UConnect's graphics are indistinct and the screen is located too far off the drivers line-of-sight for my taste. I also found the functionality of the controls and search capabilities to be inferior to the Garmin's. I finally put the Garmin on the dash and quit using the in-dash navigation altogether. It's more than a bit ironic to be driving around with a beanbag mount on the dash on our highly-optioned vehicle.

I keep the Garmin on the dash just to the right of the instrument hump, pretty close to my line-of-sight. In this location it's sort of like a poor-man's head's-up display. It's helpful in urban areas like San Francisco where I want to see the how the lanes for next exit align, but I hardly dare to take my eyes off of my fellow Bay-area travelers.

While I could just rely on the TPMS' audible alarm, we set the display up on the shotgun side of the dash where the co-pilot provides monitoring and can narrate what's going on if an alarm does sound.

I've equivocated about mounting a camera on the back of the trailer. To date, the poor performance of wireless links has kept me immune from making a purchase. While part of me says that knowing whether anyone is lurking back there is not important, I admit that I'd prefer to know as a matter of situational awareness.

One thing I have found in the Jeep which I really like is a monitoring screen that display oil, coolant and transmission temperatures. Ike tunnel, here I come!
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Old 03-10-2018, 11:23 AM   #12
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Name: Henry
Trailer: BigFoot
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Cool

Mike, The camera I mounted on the Casita is hardwired both for power and vision. I don't much like the wireless cameras, worried that something will interfere just when it is needed most. I glued the camera to the back center top of the Casita, ran the cord down the center Fram of the window (so it for of blends into the window, secured now and then with velcro, around the wheel, under the chassis of the trailer, to a quick disconnect at the tongue. Then I use a coiled cable with disconnects and tie into my truck, which has a permanent disconnect. I much prefer this to the wireless type camera.

I also do not use my in dash Nav unit. But, stupid me, mine is an aftermarket Clarion. Turns out Clarion updates their maps once every 8 to 10 years. Yes, you read that right. I do have it connected to the camera in the tailgate and use it when hitching.

I have a 2005 Jeep Liberty and may yet put in a camera and nav unit, but if I do it will be a Garmin based map unit.

I find I do not use the camera on the back of the trailer much, even when parking the trailer. It is really a distraction when driving, When backing up and it points down, I need it to point up to see the branches. When I point it up, I then need to see the ground.

I am going to take my life in my hands with the following comments. My wife, as far as I can determine, does not peruse this forum:

My wife does a reasonable job of helping when I back up. Except I have to remind her now and again (as in when I REALLY need her to guide me because we are in middle of those nasty, scrubby, tree/shrub things out west and I can't open the truck door) that if she can't see my eyes in the side mirrors I can't see what she is waving her arms about. So she does a fairly good job...usually.

She is my Navigator. Which is to say that is her official title. It is more fiction than fact. What I cannot understand is how a person can sit there with a functioning Garmin 760, Google maps on her iPhone 7s up and running, A Rand McNally road atlas open on her lap, a State map available that we picked up when we crossed the state line (we always stop and get maps) and when I ask where we are her response is "I don't know".

I also got this same response when I asked in downtown LA and the road divides about 10 different ways.

Don't get me wrong, I love my wife, and she is very good at some things, but navigation is not one of them.

I now review our route every morning, pretend I listen to her directions, then turn left when she says to turn right. And lo and behold, we get to where we want to be.

And now, of course I will say a brief prayer, asking that she not ever read this post. But if she does, I will disavow any knowledge of who Rzrbrn is.
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Old 03-11-2018, 05:16 AM   #13
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Or for texting.. they understandably don't want you distracted by reading your text messages while driving.



Then they put these big traffic warning signs over the highway to let you know of dangerous road conditions, and when there are no problems on the road, they put the message "Don't text and drive" on the sign. Really!.. what a distraction that is!


Always try to use a real Garmin gps. The iPhone is for backup navigation. There is too much on the dash now. But so is a 747 cockpit. Too much instruments.
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Old 03-11-2018, 06:53 PM   #14
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My TST 510 monitor sits on the 4wd shifter's boot. I don't figure I need to see it very often.
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