# Tire Pressure Monitors



## mike (Dec 17, 2006)

With planning the 8000 mile plus trip this year, i was thinking about tire pressure monitoring systems. They seem expensive. Those of u with them, could u please share some of ur thoughts on them. Thanks


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## Ridgway-Rangers (Apr 18, 2008)

I'm thinking the same thing. Going back and fourth with TST(Truck System Thechnology) $400 or Doran $600. I think either way, I better off with some sort of TPMS.
Brian


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

My truck has them...so it is used by default.

Nothing on the Outback...and I don't think I would ever do it. Even though in Oregon we can't pump our own fuel, I still jump out and check everything while at a gas station. Gives me a few minutes to ensure everything is safe and puts my mind at ease for the next leg of the trip. I only use the tire gauge at home...at the gas station I just visually inspect. If they are low (which they never have been) then I would inflate and check pressure with gauge I carry in truck.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

i've been looking also. for me i like the idea of knowing a tire is getting low for whatever reason. and as Oregon camper said it's should be SOP to get out and do a walk-around every stop.

here some i've been looking at. Pressure Pro, Doran, Hawkshead, and Tire-Safeguard. there's others but don't recall the names right now.
expensive......... i don't think so, just think about what the system is doing for you. most of all think about stopping before a blowout!!!!!
make sure you check close what is in the box. some have some nice stuff like, valve stem locks, hard wire setup and replaceable sending unit batteries.

happy shopping, kevin


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I'd love to have them on the trailer, but am not ready for the expense yet. For my flat last summer, it occurred <20 minutes after a fillup. I did visually inspect the tires at the station. They looked ok, but that doesn't mean much. Would a gage have prevented the issues down the road? I guess I'll never know.









What I really want is for the trucks to sense a trailer is connected and then monitor the trailer with more sensors the same way it does the truck's tires. Ahh to dream about the possibilities of integrating truck and trailer systems......


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

I always check tire pressure before leaving, i always visually inspect when i stop for anything......actually i am quite anal about my visual inspection whenever we stop...........

So it only made sense to me to get one, i got the pressurepro.............It is easy for one tire to go down and you not even feel it.........it has happened to me on 4 place snowmobile trailer.......when it does that other wheel is severely overloaded..........On long trips, i like to drive during the night, especially if it means avoiding traffic......
Figured the 340.00 for it to add to my families safety was worth it........... probably more necessary on the TT than the TV IMO...........that was the logic i used to justify the expense.

as far as use..........worked fine i could check tire pressure at speed knowing what it increases by.......it has an audio and visual alarm if pressure drops to low or gets to high........

I like it.


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

Nathan said:


> What I really want is for the trucks to sense a trailer is connected and then monitor the trailer with more sensors the same way it does the truck's tires. Ahh to dream about the possibilities of integrating truck and trailer systems......


That Would be Sweet!!


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

clarkely said:


> What I really want is for the trucks to sense a trailer is connected and then monitor the trailer with more sensors the same way it does the truck's tires. Ahh to dream about the possibilities of integrating truck and trailer systems......


That Would be Sweet!!
[/quote]

Hmmm.... ill pass along the idea


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## Crawfish (Sep 14, 2005)

I have the Doran system on my camper. It is an outstanding system. To me, it is the best money I have ever spent. I am at total ease now. There were a few Outbackers from GA. that had blowouts on the way to the beach and they put them on there campers. They don't worry anymore. I would not get the Truck System Technology system. It is not worth the money. I would get the Doran. They work with their customers in any way they can. One of my sensors was causing an air leak and I called the company and they told me to send the one I had to them so they could use it to see what was causing the leak and they sent me a new one in the mail using over night express at no charge. They are real friendly and believe in taking care of their customers.

Leon


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Has anyone that has one of these systems had a blow out? Just wondering, is sudden tire failure was really that sudden.

I had a blow out when we first got our 28 rss and it resulted in me upgrading my tires from 14 to 15 inch tires with a higher load rating. The blow out occurred 15 minutes after a stop where I checked everything. It was our second trip and we were still not sure about what to expect so everything was triple checked and it still did not help it from failing.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

i don't think it will stop a sudden blowout. but it will tell you if your losing pressure or gaining pressure. i think in a lot of cases this is the condition prior to sudden tire blowout. i for one would much rather be pulling over because of a warning than going down the interstate at 60mph and having a blowout. CamperAndy did what we should do when we need new tires. at least get higher load rated tires. i think we are all in agreement manufacturers do the minimum.


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## Tim P (Jul 29, 2007)

I picked up the Hopkins TPMS for our trip to Lakeshore and back to Houston with our our 280RS. ($359 for 6 sensors - I should have just gotten the 4 sensor system). I guess I would have to say the jury is still out, but I wont be trying to return it to Camping World. More times than I would like it would lose signal with one or more of the sensors on the trailer and give a "yellow alarm", which means either a 15% change in the baseline reading or a loss of sensor communication . The only time it gave a "red" alarm was when one of the sensors unscrewed itself, and "lost pressure". Ironically, that caused the tire to lose about 8-10 pounds of pressure before the sensor loosened up enough to disengage from the valve stem enough to stop letting air out of the tire. But, to be fair, I never re-tightened the sensors until that point, and we were almost home. I THINK I can get higher performance antenna to help. Those sensors are HUGE and have a lot of mass. So, check them about every 300-400 miles. All in all, I am not as impressed with the system as I though I would be, but it is better than nothing considering the damage a flat can do (in a hurry).


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

I got the pressure pro for our through the night 17 1/2 hour straight through drive to florida.........antenna always kept signal......never lost any signal...........and worked flawlessly........


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## Bull Elk (Feb 28, 2005)

I do not know much about the systems, but one thing that I can say for sure is stay away from the red/green valve stems. I think they are called Tire Minders or something like that. They are not very expensive and my experience is that you get what you pay for. I had them a few years ago and had to be constantly adding air on about every trip. Since removing them, my tires do really well during the camping season. Not really what you had asked about, but thought I would add this just in case something like them was on you mind as a cheaper plan "B".


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## mike (Dec 17, 2006)

Thanks to all for the responses, seems i have to do some research. BUT if there is one thing that i have learned since joining outbackers it that u can never go wrong with one of Leon's aka Crawfish suggestions including drink selections. It seems alot of us are looking at getting one. I will be out of town for the next couple of days but heres an idea. It seems alot of us are looking at those systems, any possibility of getting a bunch of us together and choosing one system and getting a bulk discount? just a thought.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

i monitor some other forums and it seem this question comes up a lot. to tell you the truth most people who have TPMS's have PressurePro. yes a little more expensive but very few complaints. on one of the other forums ( i belong to) there is a guy who sells them, (PressurePro) if we could get a bunch of us who want a system maybe i could ask him about Mike's idea. maybe a poll.


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

swanny said:


> i monitor some other forums and it seem this question comes up a lot. to tell you the truth most people who have TPMS's have PressurePro. yes a little more expensive but very few complaints. on one of the other forums ( i belong to) there is a guy who sells them, (PressurePro) if we could get a bunch of us who want a system maybe i could ask him about Mike's idea. maybe a poll.


Sean from ProPride is on this forum often.........he sells them as well..............


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

mike said:


> Thanks to all for the responses, seems i have to do some research. BUT if there is one thing that i have learned since joining outbackers it that u can never go wrong with one of Leon's aka Crawfish suggestions including drink selections. It seems alot of us are looking at getting one. I will be out of town for the next couple of days but heres an idea. It seems alot of us are looking at those systems, any possibility of getting a bunch of us together and choosing one system and getting a bulk discount? just a thought.


Message "Sean Woodruff" that is his name and handle on here..............he sells them............see what he can do.........


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

I've been tempted by these and have reseached them quite a bit. If I were to buy one I would probably go with the Doran model. I do think it might give you a false sense of confidence though. Both times I've had tire failures a TPMS would not have helped because the tires simply failed and the pressure was fine. The first time the tire blew after driving just 60 miles after I had checked the pressure by hand. I'm pretty sure it's pressure was fine because it was very loud when it, it was just a bad tire. The second time the tread came completely off but the tire was still holding air and if I had been using a TPMS I probably wouldn't have stopped when I felt something odd. Most likely I would have looked at the TPMS and seen that the pressure was okay and kept going until the tire blew completely. My guess is that if you have good tires and check them at least at the start of each day you will prevent most problems. The TPMS would make this easier but will still not prevent all problems.


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

clarkely said:


> i monitor some other forums and it seem this question comes up a lot. to tell you the truth most people who have TPMS's have PressurePro. yes a little more expensive but very few complaints. on one of the other forums ( i belong to) there is a guy who sells them, (PressurePro) if we could get a bunch of us who want a system maybe i could ask him about Mike's idea. maybe a poll.


Sean from ProPride is on this forum often.........he sells them as well..............
[/quote]
even better, keep it in the family


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## mike (Dec 17, 2006)

I do not know how to link this with the poll on interest in buying a tpms system so i figured i would just refresh it.


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