Does anyone know what you can do about the sensors? I have an 08'. I have a set of Mugen NRs and the sensors wont work on them. What are you guys doing with aftermarket wheels to clear that warning light of the pressure since the sensor wont fit on aftermarket wheels? (well at least my Mugens)

 

what does the sensor look like? is it mounted on the valve stem or is it a strap that goes around the wheel?

 

valve stem.

My tire place told me that the valve stem stuck out over 2in on the mugens and also it was very unsafe and if I ever removed the tire (them being the ones removing it) that it would more than likely be broken to remove the tires.

 

It is a valve stem style. They showed me what we were looking at and its an issue with the angle of the sensor and the way it sits on the wheels or in the mugen case it doesnt sit very well.

 

odd, we have done tons of swaps on all kinds of different brand of wheels and never ran into the problem.

 

Could be because they use the touchless tire machine where it may cause problems. I don't take it to any other local tire place because they all said they cant positivly say it wont mess up the mugens. We are designing a box that takes care of it anyways.

 

Post me a picture of the factory wheel (sensor area) and of the new wheel (valve area) and I'll tell you. If not you can buy a strap (like the old ZR1 and newer Ford) and mount it that way. I'm in Jacksonville but we have stores in Daytona area and Orlando area that stock this.

 

Thanks to Hocker, in a recent discovery at the shop:

The TPMS is a ONE-WAY system.... i.e. the ECU listens for the signal, but if it never hears anything is wrong from the sensors, it won't trip the light... the wheel sensors only send a signal to the ecu if there is not enough air pressure... otherwise they don't communicate with the ECU at all.

What does this mean?

Keep the stockers aired up and in the garage or something, and you'll never know they are missing (won't trip a light). No need to install sensors in your new wheels, unless you WANT the sensors there in your aftermarket wheels.

For me, i'd rather leave them out, because i like changing around wheels and stuff, and not worrying about them. But you don't NEED them in your new wheels... you just need to make sure that if they are not in an inflated tire, to keep them far awayfrom your car... or take the battery out of them, and then they can't send a signal

 

Very helpful, thanks!! I'm shopping for aftermarket rims for my '08 and was wondering about this (the HRPs for '08 are $50 more per rim than the '07s because of this issue)

 

If you have them why would you not want to use them? Do you honestly think you could tell if a 205/40/17 tire has lost 10lbs of air........I don't think so

 

People seemed to do fine before these sensors came out. I check my tire pressure weekly. If your the type of person who never checks anything until a light comes on then yes you NEED these.

We were just saying for those who don't care for them your not stuck with a tpms or low tire pressure light.

I was told I couldn't use the sensors on my current aftermarket wheels which is why we came and stumbled onto this and are just letting others know.

 

No, I understand completely. I'm just saying for road trips and people who drive longer distances the tire would be trashed before they knew it. Any sensor can be installed in any wheel regardless of what that shop told you guys. There are different assemblies for different wheel/sensor combos. If you decide you would like them in your wheels let me know I can help.

 

I'm fine without em... but thanks for your concern!

The world worked just fine before these sensors popped up.... its like a solution looking for a problem... it was probably only installed in the first place as a cheap gimmick to sell more cars..

 

Actually all 2008+ vehicles are required by law to have sensors.
NPRM on TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM FMVSS No. 138

 

That is true. I'm willing to live with that though. But the chances of actually being caught on that are slim to none. It is more aim towards car makers to put them in the cars.

 

Yea, i'm well aware of the "law"... i never mentioned that it wasn't law... I'm just saying "initially" it was more of a gimmicky thing.

But anyway, dumb argument.. bottom line, is that you don't need to have them in your car if you don't want them. If you want them, thats fine. My car isn't an appliance, i pay attention to it, and i don't want the hassle of dealing wiht a light showing up if i want to run drag radials or something....

 

No, I didn't mean you had to have them in ......I just meant that it wasn't a gimmick that the law required the manufacturer to put them in.....I don't have them and I even have an aftermarket sensor kit at home I've never installed.

 

So what's the vote? Is it worth the extra $200 bucks for the '08 HFP rims that can take the TPMS, or do I save the $$ and buy the '07 rims and a tire pressure gauge?!! ('07 = $109 each / '08 = $156 each)

 

You can use the sensors in any wheel....so get the wheels you want