You've done your homework and purchased tires to match your driving habits and your manufacturer's recommendations. You're good to go, right?
Making sure that they are properly inflated is the next step and is paramount in assuring your safety.
Since your tires are the only contact points your car has to the road, they dictate how well you control your car on all the surfaces you'll encounter. If your tires are not properly inflated, this is greatly compromised.
- 250,000 accidents a year are caused by under inflated tires
- 75% of roadside flats are caused by a slow leak or under inflation
- It could save an SUV owner as much as $600 dollars a year just by keeping the tires properly inflated
- NHTSA estimates TPMS could save as many as 79 lives and 10,365 injuries annually
TPMS is the Tire Pressure Monitoring System that monitors air tire pressure and ensures your tires are properly inflated. In 2004, the NHSTA ruled that all vehicle manufactures must install a TPMS on all passenger cars and trucks by 2007. Not only could this save your life, but will increase vehicle performance (braking and handling), will help maximize fuel economy and extend tire life.
The TPMS unit contains sensors that are mounted on your wheel, inside of your tire. The sensor continuously monitors the air pressure and sends feedback (raw data) to your car's computer which then processes the data and displays the status on the dashboard.
TPMS Service
With the purchase and installation of new tires, a new TPMS sensor kit must be installed. The sensor unit is usually placed on the inside rim of the wheel and the tire is then mounted onto the wheel. Diagnostic tools are used to  tell the vehicle's computer that a new sensor has been installed and to reset the unit to eliminate the illumination of warning lights.
This service involves purchasing a TPMS rebuild seal kit and about 30 minutes of labor that includes the use of specialized diagnostic tools to reset the vehicle computer. All of this typically costs about $10 per tire. Additional adjustments to wheel balancing might be needed and some battery-operated sensors can be depleted after many flat tire occurrences and may need a new battery.
TPMS Reset
When the low tire pressure warning lamp illuminates, the air pressure needs to be checked and the computer reset. If the light is flashing red, immediate attention must be provided to ensure your safety. It is recommended that you turn off the road to inspect your tires and make arrangements to get your tires inspected as soon as possible.
Sometime the TPMS can be sensitive to the onset of cold temperatures and can cause the illumination of the lamp. In these instances, all that is required is a quick visit to a repair shop to reset the computer.
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