[RaYzerman]

I have a couple of the Chinesium TPMS and they can read low 1-2 psi.... I just make note of the offset and keep that in mind. It's not so much you're using it for tire pressure accuracy, moreso you want the alarm to sound if pressure drops too much (I set mine to go off ~35-36 psi).

 

[Bill Lumberg]

My fobos have been quite accurate.

I can easily tell if my front tire has fallen to 37 or 38psi, from the normal 40psi. Makes low speed handling much heavier.

I think the rear could be five pounds off and I might not notice it.

 

[Linton West]

Had a nasty experience last week, was doing 70mph on a busy road, in the dark and the TPMS shone a bright white light at me and showed that the front tyre was losing pressure. I pulled over and fortunately had a can of spray foam in the top box. It got me home and it turns out that the rubber on the valve had split and was leaking air, so check your valve stems.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Every Bridgestone I’ve ever run got a puncture and went flat suddenly on the road. And the reason I mention that is- I always carry an aerostich inflator and a sticky string plug kit.

The last Bridgestone went flat at high speed, when I was on my way to my office. I spent 2 hours on the side of the road in sub freezing temps while I waited on the insurance company to get a tow truck to me.

No matter how I tried, using the aerostich pump and inspecting the tire, I could never find a puncture, yet the tire would not hold any pressure.

In a quiet garage with an air compressor, the leak was easy to find. On the side of the interstate with a minimalist pump, not so much. I could have saved hours if I’d had a can of fix a flat. And I’d have used that sonofabitch, goo or no goo.

 

[DesertBike]

How hard is that fix a flat junk to get off rims later?

 

[Whooshka]

I'm guessing Bill L. changes his own tires so he knows what to expect. But it is a bit of a PITA to get the rim real clean again after using that stuff. Friend of mine told a shop he used that sealer and the shop refused to change out the tire.

 

[DesertBike]

That's my concern. I have a good relationship with a shop here. He charges the lowest price of anyone in town, and I've had him swap a bunch of tires for me over the years. I'd be happy to clean up the rim before bringing it in for mounting a new tire, but I'm not set up to get the old one off at home.

 

[DesertBike]

My fobos have been quite accurate.

I can easily tell if my front tire has fallen to 37 or 38psi, from the normal 40psi. Makes low speed handling much heavier.

I think the rear could be five pounds off and I might not notice it.

Same, I don't flatter myself that I can tell a difference. Take off 10 psi and maybe it would be come noticeable. Maybe.

TPMS for the bike was never high on my list of priorities. It was simply low-hanging fruit, and I had a few bucks hanging out in the "farkle" fund. Figured I'd mess around with TPMS. Car has it, so why not? Might even prove worthwhile, eventually.

On the car, the TPMS readings agree with what I see at the valve stem.

 

[Whooshka]

That's my concern. I have a good relationship with a shop here. He charges the lowest price of anyone in town, and I've had him swap a bunch of tires for me over the years. I'd be happy to clean up the rim before bringing it in for mounting a new tire, but I'm not set up to get the old one off at home.

I'd just give the guy a heads up before hand. Even offer to take 5 minutes to clean the rim/wheel with a green pad and some mineral spirits before he mounts the new tire. That's if he allows you in the work shop. Here you're not allowed in for "insurance/liability" purposes.

 

[skippy344!]

It has always been my practice that on the first tire change on a new-to-me bike, I always have the 90° hard stems installed. The FJR has been the first bike, for me, where I see rubber valve stems cracking. Not sure why that is. But the 90° hard stems, for me, just remove that leak factor.

 

[DesertBike]

Same. Sideways-pointing stems are much easier to access for pressure checks and filling, especially with the huge brake rotors of the FJR crowding things a bit. Lucky for me, PO had already installed 90° (or possibly 83°?) metal stems on my FJR.

Some TPMS kits insist you have metal stems. Sykik doesn't, which is interesting.

A few rides with the Sykik system suggest it has the same offset with warm tires as with cold. Probably. It's a bit of extra hassle to check. I have to first loosen the locknut to get the TPMS caps off, vs. no tools requird with non-TPMS caps. I'm not sure whether the locknut is truly required, or more of a precaution.

Also wondering if I should rebalance the wheels. The TPMS sensor caps are substantially heavier than the plastic or even aluminum non-sensor caps, mostly due to the battery. It would not be a huge project to take the front off for a static balance check.

 

[Oldjeep]

FWIW - I don't use the locknuts. No reason that the caps should ever come off/loose.

 

[DesertBike]

I was thinking that. My locknuts are coming off.

Removing caps to check pressure should become less-frequent once I've decided that the TPMS-displayed value can be relied upon as an indication, albeit with some offset. Kind of the point of the TPMS.

I can more clearly see the reasoning behind those giant T-shaped valve stems some TPMS fans use. Still not sure I want those on my rims, but it's something to consider when tire-changin' time approaches.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I use t stems. Easy to add or remove air without removing the monitors.

Between the monitors and the t-stems, I’d certainly want to balance with the new parts installed.

Which is a no brainer, since they get installed during a tire change.

 

[rbentnail]

I use t stems. Easy to add or remove air without removing the monitors.

Between the monitors and the t-stems, I’d certainly want to balance with the new parts installed.

Which is a no brainer, since they get installed during a tire change.

^This. T-stems are the way to go to air up without removing the sensor. Plus you don't need to dig out the pressure gauge, it's right there!

 

[Whooshka]

........

Some TPMS kits insist you have metal stems. Sykik doesn't, which is interesting.

........

Yes they do. From their website...
"The senders are the smallest and lightest sensors in the market today. Please note, if your tire stems are made of rubber, please do not use external sensors, that can rupture the stems. " And "Caution: External sensors such as sensors on this model, are designed for metal tire stems. Rubber stems could rupture from the internal tire pressure. For rubber stems please choose internal sensors, such as SRTP400."

I don't think rebalancing is needed either.

 

[Oldjeep]

. Rubber stems could rupture from the internal tire pressure.

Um what?

 

[Whooshka]

Hey it's from their website not mine.

Age old debate that the sensor pushes down on the core thus pressurizing the entire stem. If you have an old brittle rubber stem, I guess there's a chance of it rupturing?

 

[Oldjeep]

Hey it's from their website not mine.

Age old debate that the sensor pushes down on the core thus pressurizing the entire stem. If you have an old brittle rubber stem, I guess there's a chance of it rupturing?

Makes no sense the rubber part is always pressurized. The core sits in the metal part.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

They require metal stems. Just not because of internal tire pressure.