I've got a 2009 Honda Fit Sport and I'm shopping for winter tires for this season. Question is can I do without the TPMS and will it harm the computer (or winter driving capability) if I don't have the TPMS? If I got another set of sensors for my winter tires, do I need to calibrate the computer every time I put a different set of tires on?

 

By tires do you mean wheels? If you put new tires on the existing rims nothing's changed as far as TPMS is concerned.

If you get a second set of rims without TPMS then you just won't have TPMS. You can put a piece of black electrical tape over the warning light, no harm done except you won't have a warning if your tire pressure drops.

If you get a second set of TPMS sensors you'll have to reprogram the car each time you swap wheels. Alternatively you can buy aftermarket sensors that can be programmed to match the ones on your car now, I think one brand is Orange something.

 

Thanks for the info. What if I get new winter tires and wheels and forget about the whole TPMS thing and then switch back to my regular tires and wheels (with TPMS) in the summer. Will the original TPMS be recognized and the light go off, or will I have to get it reprogrammed if I want the TPMS light to go off?

 

You may have to drive a few miles with the old wheels but it'll remember them and you can then take the tape off the dashboard (and you'll want tape, it's annoying to drive with a warning light on).

 

Awesome...Thanks!

 

If the car thinks there's a malfunction in the TPMS system (such as you'd have when there are no sensors in the wheels), it won't let you turn off the VSA (traction control) system should you try/want to do so. That could actually be a problem for winter driving, as there are a few times—such as when rocking the car to get it unstuck—that it's recommended and helpful to disable the VSA.

 

Do all Fit Sports have VSA? I just got my 2009 and am just getting to know it.

 

Not all Fits have VSA; I'm not sure what year (or years) it became standard. I think it also varies in different countries. I think it was introduced around the same time as TPMS, but perhaps it wasn't simultaneous now that I think of it....

At any rate, if you have a button on the dashboard (generally to the left of and below the steering wheel) with a picture of a car and some wavy skid lines, that's the button to turn it off; and there's a similar light or two on the instrument panel to indicate that it's off or that it's attempting to protect you from yourself. If you don't have the lights and the button, then it's not something you have to worry about and having the TPMS system unavailable indeed won't affect anything else.

(If all else fails, you can look it up in the owner's manual, too.)

 

Don't know about 2009 but it's likely the same as 2010- only Fit Sports with Navi got traction control.

 

Only the 09 Sport w/Navi came with the VSA... the 09 Base and 09 Sport do not have VSA... but they all have TPMS.

Chances are you don't have VSA, only a few of us got the 09 Sport Navi (myself included).

 

We have a hoard of drivers who install aftermarket wheels sometimes with winter tires and the loss of the TPMS is ignored. Some cover the 'warning' with electrical tape. There's no loss or damage to the ECU. Run your winter tires and different wheels with assurance.
BTW, when you re-install the wheels with TPMS you'll probably have to have your dealer re-calibrate them; perhaps your tire dealer has one of the re-cal setups. the feds spec it so car dealers won't have a monopoly.

 

The TPMS is not part of traction control. They are two separate programs. So removing the TP sensor only sets off the warning; cover it with elctrical tape if it bugs you. And you'll probably need to re-calibateevery you change to TPMS wheel sensors.

 

Actually no, you don't have to.
The car is linked to the original TPMS units, once you put those same wheels back on in the spring the light will go off as soon as you go over 28mph (could be 26mph).

Also, most if not all tire shops have a unit that will program the new sensor ID's to the car... you can also buy a unit and diy like I do, the ATEQ Quickset (but you need to know all new sensor ID's, however it will recognize the existing ones, and you'll be able to swap, it also saves the new id's you put in).

And, although the VSA is not linked to the TPMS; as mentioned earlier if your TPMS light is on you will not be able to turn off VSA (temporarily), which will make it quite difficult to "rock your car to get unstuck in snow".

 

The majority of us out here have had to have the TPMS recal'ed when reinstalled and few dealers have the recal unit for all 4 types.
Besides that TPMS is merely government gobblygook for the uneducated voters who might think it was worth somrthing valid. Like ObasmaCare. (tell us how $2.8 trillion in annual healthcare will be distributed as a tax across 120 million incomne earners and 55 million seniors on Medicare. There's a reason we were urged to pass the Affordable Care Act without verification just like Engels and Marks recommended)
Unless you are a dufuss TPMS is unnecessary. Just cover the warning with a piece of tape. Check your tires regularly.
cheers.

 

First of all, this is not the place for political nonsense.

I like TPMS- most drivers, whether you want to label them stupid or not, don't check their tire pressure before each drive, do they? So why not have something that tells them that a tire's low on air?

And how about if you're driving along and pick up a nail and a tire gets a slow leak? Better to know as soon as possible.

TPMS is useful. If you don't like it, don't use it.

 

Before you start using derogatory language, you ought to consider:

1. In a lot of states, you cannot get an inspection sticker if the TPMS is not operational. It is considered safety equipment like lights and windshield wipers.
2. Should a driver with disabled TPMS be unlucky enough to have an accident and perhaps a passenger with personal injury, and a tire blew out or was underinflated, that driver will be considered contributorially negligent and exposed to law suits for knowingly disabling safety equipment on his car.
3. Anyone who thinks about disabling their TPMS should consult their insurance company first. Your rates are based on having all of your safety equipment working. They may take a dim view of disabling it. Mine did when I asked them.

 

If you reinstall the same wheels with the same TPMS sensors that were originally on the car there is no need for re-calibration.

Also, most if not all tire shops have the tools to re-write new sensors on to the car, as well as diagnose new/existing sensors. They can read sensor ID's, battery, and a whole list of other variables. Even the general consumer has access to these tools, look up ATEQ (Quickset & VT20).



You'd do well to educate yourself.


I probably hate TPMS more than anyone, however I've found a way to work around/with it.

You and I may check our tire pressures regularly, however I don't think most people do... Also you'd be wise to start blaming Firestone and the Ford Explorer for these TPMS laws. (wiki if you can't remember)

 

on my 09 Fit Sport, i dont run TPMS in my snow tire set. the TPMS light will illumiate in the cluster (dash), but no issue. it will turn off when you put your wheels with TPMS back on and drive a few miles.

on my 12 Fit Sport though, things are different cause the car come with dynamic stability control. i can't turn that feature off without TPMS. so i run TPMS on my winter set (allowing me to turn off dynamic stability control when needed) and no TPMS on the summer set. im fine with this setup.

honestly i hate dynamic stability control unless im on an icy bridge. it gets in my way of driving more than anything. i minimize dynamic stability control from taking over my control by using grippy tires.

 

I have an 09 sport without Navi and run separate summer and winter wheels/tires. my summers have the TPMS Sensors and my snows are old integra Mesh Alloys with General Altimax Arctic snow tires and NO TPMS Sensors. In the late fall/early winter, I swap on the snows and deal with the light on the dash. When summer comes around, I swap on the factory alloys with tpms and after a few miles, the light goes out. No issues.

2009 and 10 sports with navi are the only ones that have VSA. when TPMS sensors are not present, the VSA cannot be disabled so spinning the tires in the snow to free yourself or keep your vehicle moving up a hill won't work.

~SB

 

Just a pleasant FYI here---

The TPMS issue seems to be another Gov't. mandated way to make millionaires out of service companies like car dealers, tire sellers, smog testing businesses, etc.

I just replaced the stock tires on my '09 Fit with quiet, sticky Michelins bought through Costco. They replace the rubber seal gaskets, nuts, and valve stem caps when they replace tires.

TPMS sensors in the wheels have an expected life of ten years, based on the expected life of the battery in each sensor. When the battery dies, so does the sensor. So, then you get to either buy new sensors that are compatible with your Fit and pay a tire shop to install them, or buy the sensors from the tire shop that does the installation.

I get to do this in five years from now- the ten year anniversary of my car's build date (assuming that the stock sensors actually live to their expected life span). I don't really object to this scheme (or scam).

I am capable of remembering to check my own tire pressures and have done that since the mid-'60s. BUT MOST DRIVERS ARE NOT CAPABLE OF DOING THAT. They are the ones who tie up traffic with blown tires and roll-overs. I don't mind having a system and warning light (that I NEVER SEE BECAUSE I CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURE REGULARLY).

So, for those who want to buy their replacement sensors independently of the installer, here is one source that I found:

TPMS Set (4) for Honda Fit 2009-2012 - OE Tire Pressure Sensor w Chrome Stem - Oro-Tek 315 MHz

I will edit this post with Costco's charges to replace old, failed TPMS sensors after I call my local store tomorrow. (Should have asked during my tire installation today, but didn't think of it.) They may charge less for the replacement sensors than the prices on the linked source above. Being Costco, probably will charge less.