[new2sub]

I just bought a '13 Prem OB and am setting up a separate set of winter tires. I am considering buying the Schrader 3300 315 mhz EZ-Sensors so that I can have them programmed with the original ids from the factory wheels.. so I can swap as I see fit with no trips to anyone to reset anything.

Why is this not the best way to go ? Amazon has the sensors for $47.40 each. Sure I can get the non programmable ones for a little less.. $42.99 at AdvanceAuto before applying the A124 coupon to get $40 off the set.. So it would be about $50 cheaper to get the non programmable Air Aware 28203 sensors.

Any opinions ?

Also.. tirerack steel 16" rims (not ordered yet) with 215/70/16 Blizzak DMV1 from costco ($468 after instant rebate) is what I am going to mount up. I assume tirerack knows the appropriate 48mm offfset and what I order will be that. I have seen folks selling used rims with 55 offsets and I have thought I can't go a different offset. Is 7 mm a killer on the 4th gen OB?

Appreciate anyone's opinions.

 

[sirtef9]

Why not just get the sensors swapped over? Save you a good penny,I personally have never worked with a aftermarket sensor.

 

[arthuruscg]

He would have to swap the sensors 2 times a year.

With my 08, i just ignore the light during the winter time.

Also check craigslist for used 16" WRX rims. The offset difference is not enough to worry about. The OB has the wheels pushed outwards to fill the plastic wheel arches.

 

[new2sub]

don't want to swap sensors

Exactly.. don't want to swap sensors out of summer tires.. defeats the whole purpose to some degree of having 2 sets.

I want to swap them in the garage and be done with it.. no need to go anywhere to do any programming.

I have heard conflicting info about whether the car knows where the sensors are or not. Can someone confirm that I can rotate the wheels all I want and the car will not know what wheel position each is ?

That would seal the deal for me to get the EZ-Sensors .. which the place that will mount the tires can program with the factory IDs so both sets look the same to the car.

I get lifetime balance / rotation if I need it from them .. and they would program via the ODB also.. but if I ever just want to swap myself.. this allows me to do so with no lights on dash..

I am told in my state, that light on will fail inspection and my sticker is a 12 (december) ie i have to get this right or go for a mid year inspection to get it in the summer time.

Not sure about offset not mattering.. i've heard conflicting info there too.. Gotta get 48.. doesn't matter.. not sure what to believe..

 

[subiesailor]

Who needs sensors to start with? Go with out sensors in the tires that stay on the car the shortest time. Learn to ignore the light on the dash and save your self money. What $300 pick up some Apple stock in the next year or so when it takes a beating and the stock value is knocked back down to reality. LOL

 

[new2sub]

Light on - Fail Inspection

Who needs sensors to start with? Go with out sensors in the tires that stay on the car the shortest time. Learn to ignore the light on the dash and save your self money. What $300 pick up some Apple stock in the next year or so when it takes a beating and the stock value is knocked back down to reality. LOL

I am going to have sensors.. I am not going to have a light on dash that I tell my wife to ignore. I will fail inspection in my state with a light on I am told and my inspection month currently is in the winter (sure i could do it early to get back to a summer inspection time )

Only questions are
(1) Will 315 mhz Schrader EZ-Sensors work fine once programmed with original sensor ids from my factor sensors ? 99.9% sure answer is Y

(2) Am I right that the '13 OB does not know where the tires are so rotations matter not to the tpms system ? 99.9% sure answer is Y

(3) Cheapest place I found EZ sensors is amazon at $47.40 each.. Any better places out there ? ($35 after coupons + shipping (not stocked locally) is cheapest I found the AirAware non programmable schrader from Advance)

 

[subiesailor]

Really you can't have your All Weather tires on there for your inspection ie pass?
I must like keeping my money more than you. LOL Paid cash for my car own several properties and several cars and absolutely hate spending money on useless crap like this.

 

[new2sub]

I can have my all weather tires on there as long as I have TPMS sensors in them and they light on the dash is not lit up.. It's very simple. I'm not a "put a black piece of tape over the area of the dash on my new $27,000 car so i can't see the light 5 months of the year " kind of guy. I do seem to be in the minority on the forum however so it seems.

 

[subiesailor]

I can have my all weather tires on there as long as I have TPMS sensors in them and they light on the dash is not lit up.. It's very simple. I'm not a "put a black piece of tape over the area of the dash on my new $27,000 car so i can't see the light 5 months of the year " kind of guy. I do seem to be in the minority on the forum however so it seems.

Then spend the money for the right TPMS sensors - just a warning they aren't cheap and the cheap one's will still end up lighting up your dash ;-)

As I said spend your money wisely in this case - be ready to bend over for sensors that work.

Your dash has plenty of lights on it all the time whats wrong with the tire light being on during the winter?

 

[AWDFTW]

Thread moved to correct forum.

 

[new2sub]

I ordered them..

Then spend the money for the right TPMS sensors - just a warning they aren't cheap and the cheap one's will still end up lighting up your dash ;-)

As I said spend your money wisely in this case - be ready to bend over for sensors that work.

Your dash has plenty of lights on it all the time whats wrong with the tire light being on during the winter?

I ordered Schrader EZ-Sensors $48 each.. but to take the sting out of it, I signed up for the amazon credit card to save $50.. so its $140 for the 4 of them delivered. Costco, where I bought the tires, has the Bartec 400 that can program them (but admittedly has never done one). I'll be the guinea pig. They used to use some Redi-Sensors but they say they don't work on the OB.

I will report back when all goes well.

 

[aggreX]

I am told in my state, that light on will fail inspection and my sticker is a 12 (december) ie i have to get this right or go for a mid year inspection to get it in the summer time.
Not sure about offset not mattering.. i've heard conflicting info there too.. Gotta get 48.. doesn't matter.. not sure what to believe..

Don't recommend swapping sensors and risking rough handling and breakage. If triggering the TPMS light doesn't affect other systems like stability or traction control just ignore the light over the winter. Got a fantastic deal for 4 new wheels and tires from TireRack which would have been ruined by adding 4 new sensors. Local DMV passed my Tundra easily despite the TPMS light and just said everything emission is good and nice rims!!

 

[Fibber2]

TPMS saved the day two years back. My wife hit some road debris at 65 mph, and within the minute the light came on. She got the van (our Sienna) off the road before the tire was flat. It was quite a big slice, and the tire wasn't saveable. But thanks to the warning, she had the 10 seconds or so required to act. At minimum we saved damage to a rim, quite possibly the van had she lost control, and maybe her and our daughter's life.

It's no different than air bags, ABS & stability control, AWD, etc. If you are a Luddite and don't believe that any of this might just save your life, well, go find something from the 70's and enjoy.

The OP didn't ask your opinion on whether he should ditch or defeat the system. He simply asked how to add additional sensors in an easy to live with and cost effective manner. If you cannot help the man with useful information, back off and leave him alone.

For the Toyota Sienna I bought 4 new TRW (Toyota OEM) sensors off of e-bay for under $100. They are not programmable, and each has a unique ESN. I bought the ATEQ Quickset Tool (yes, another $150), but now I can easily reprogram thru the OBD port at will in my own garage when I swap tire sets. Subaru is listed in their Apps page.

 

[new2sub]

thanks

If you cannot help the man with useful information, back off and leave him alone.

Thanks .. I don't get easily offended on the forums. I am thankful for whatever information I can sift thru and make my own partially educated decision.

I have the Schrader EZ-Sensors in house now. I will have them cloned to my original ids on the "summer" tires/rims and think I did the right thing. My sienna also has TPMS but the "old fashioned" kind using rotation speed of the wheels via the ABS ring I presume. Only time it ever lights up is when I swap my rims/tires there from summer / winter.. They are close in size, both 15" but win: 205/70 vs sum:215/65...~ 8mm off in diameter..

 

[cardoc]

Save yourself some time at Costco.

According to service media, you have to have a scan tool connected to the car to tell the TPMS system on the car you are registering the sensor to the TPMS & Keyless Module as well as use the transmitter tool at the tire.

That's interesting about the TPMS being a requirement for a safety inspection. What do they do about cars that don't have it? Its like the ABS light being on. ABS is not a safety item, its a convenience add on. If the ABS light is on, in this state, so what. As long as the brake warning light is not on, it can't be failed. I'm thinking it would be the same with the TPMS. Just for clarification, you may want to call the DOT on that one or look it up online for your state.

Some people may be getting screwed over on their inspections. I know of shops in Austin that use the inspection lane as a pressure sale position, "Gotta fix it or it fails", even on unrelated inspection items or vehicles that are over the weight class for emission testing. It happens.

 

[Fibber2]

I like the idea of cloned ESN sensors, although I foresee that things could get confusing for the car when you park in the garage with the twin sensors in tires hanging on the wall nearby! Make sure you air them up before they go on hooks, or you will really freak out your wife.

Orange made some clone-able sensors some time back, but then they disappeared. I had only heard limited info on this technology when I began researching it, and at the time felt that OEM was the best (safest) way. Let us know how this works out for you. That kind of feedback on a new thing is always appreciated.

I assume you know the reset procedure for the Sienna (old style revolution counter) for when you swap sets? It should be in your manual, but if not I can post a TSB with further details for you.

 

[Fibber2]

Cardoc: It is true, only a few states currently call for TPMS to be operational as a requirement for inspection, but I suspect that others will follow. It takes a while for these things to filter down.

In late 2011, the NHTSA sent a position statement to the Tire Industry Association stating that it was illegal for shops to knowingly assist in the disabling of safety systems regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. In other words, mounting up a set of tires without TPMS for a vehicle you know requires them violates Federal law. Tire Rack recently added this statement to their ordering system, and says they will not sell a winter tire setup for a modern car without them.

 

[bigsteve83]

ABS is not a safety item, its a convenience add on.

While ABS is not a required feature in any state, it is absolutely a safety feature. Anything that reduces stopping distance to avoid collisions is no "convenience add-on".

 

[SE95]

In my old Grand Prix, ABS made stopping worse on anything but perfectly dry pavement! It was a hazardous add on.

Also what state do you live in that requires TPMS to be functional? Here in PA it is not required, and we have a fairly stringent annual safety inspection.

Also for anyone interested, no shop, by law, can install a wheel/tire assembly on your vehicle that doesn't have TPMS sensors if your vehicle is designed to have them.

If you want to "save money" you will have to break the law yourself. It is illegal for ANY shop to disable the TPMS system.

 

[new2sub]

I like the idea of cloned ESN sensors, although I foresee that things could get confusing for the car when you park in the garage with the twin sensors in tires hanging on the wall nearby! Make sure you air them up before they go on hooks, or you will really freak out your wife.

Orange made some clone-able sensors some time back, but then they disappeared. I had only heard limited info on this technology when I began researching it, and at the time felt that OEM was the best (safest) way. Let us know how this works out for you. That kind of feedback on a new thing is always appreciated.

I assume you know the reset procedure for the Sienna (old style revolution counter) for when you swap sets? It should be in your manual, but if not I can post a TSB with further details for you.

I will post when I get them up and running. I will think about the issue with he summer tires nearby.. They don't broadcast a signal until they are rotating supposedly to save battery.. so I think they would appear dormant .

Sienna.. Turn on car.. push and hold button tpms .. wait a bit.. done.. i think..

Tx for your feedback.