Putting new tires on stock rims... TPMS

[jwheaton]

I just ordered my winter tires, 245/45R18 XL Michelin X-Ice XI2.

I am just going to install them on the stock rims, but I don't live near a dealership. With my last car, I just went to the local Husky (gas station / maintenance bay - they do basic stuff).

I want to TRY to have the TPMS working, but it isn't essential. Should I just ask them to leave it out?

What are my other options. We have Kal Tire and Fountain Tire and OK Tire and maybe a few other places... anyone have any luck at those places?

Thanks for any input!

[John2]

If you put the new tires on the stock rims, and put each rim back on the same corner it was on, then the TPMS should work no problem.

If you shuffle the rims around the car (like a tire rotation), the TPMS is supposed to recognize the new locations, but based on what I've been reading on these forums, it doesn't always do so.

I bought new summer rims and had the local tire shop install Nissan TPMS sensors, but they won't work until I go to the dealership and have them registered/reset. Which I won't do until next year, since the snows go on in a week or so.

john

[marlin29311]

If you put the new tires on the stock rims, and put each rim back on the same corner it was on, then the TPMS should work no problem.

If you shuffle the rims around the car (like a tire rotation), the TPMS is supposed to recognize the new locations, but based on what I've been reading on these forums, it doesn't always do so.

I bought new summer rims and had the local tire shop install Nissan TPMS sensors, but they won't work until I go to the dealership and have them registered/reset. Which I won't do until next year, since the snows go on in a week or so.

john

You can put the wheels where ever you like - what happens when you do a tire rotation? The TPMS system will not go all buggy when you move a wheel to a different location. As long as you keep the same sensors on your system, you should not have any issues with the system.

[jwheaton]

Thanks for the info, I didn't really know how they worked.

So, when I buy aftermarket rims and summer tires next spring, if I want tpms, I have to get a new set installed and activated?

[John2]

Thanks for the info, I didn't really know how they worked.

So, when I buy aftermarket rims and summer tires next spring, if I want tpms, I have to get a new set installed and activated?

Yep, that's how it works. I learned the hard way ... put the tires on the new rims, the tire shop installed Nissan TPMS sensors. Only when I picked the car up did they tell me that I had to go back to the dealer to get the new TPMS sensors registered using a piece of equipment the dealer has and they don't. I didn't bother, since the winters (on the OEM rims with the original TPMS sensors) are going back on soon.

A real drag for you up in Fort Mac with no dealer nearby. I guess you could actually swap the TPMS sensors over to you new rims. Or just ignore the darn things and use a tire gauge.

[jagvet]

FYI disabling or not keeping operative TPMS is not an option. The feds and the state safety inspection crowd won't let you. Once a car comes equipped with TPMS, it must have it operative to pass safety inspection, and it's a federal offense to disable it. This was discussed by Pat Goss on the PBS "Motorweek" TV show some months back. He also cautioned that it's very easy to damage the sensors (requiring replacment) when putting new tires on the rims. The show is produced by Maryland Public Television, so they may have a website archive of the TPMS segment.

[John2]

Interesting for sure. I hadn't seen that show, but given the TPMS is becoming (or is) mandatory on new vehicles, it makes sense that they would want to ensure that it is kept operational - like seatbelts and other safety equipment.

For it to be truly effective though, you'd think the manufacturers could come up with a TPMS system that regular tire shops could deal with, or that the tire industry could come up with equipment that could support the multiple manufacturers TPMS systems.

Fortunately we (me and the OP) live up here in the hinterland where there (so far) is no annual inspection or certification requirement. So we can (and in some cases have to) muddle along with tire gauges and common sense.

At this point the Infiniti TPMS implementation seems like a way to make you go back to the dealership for tire-related work, and "good luck" if you live a day's drive from the nearest dealer (as does the OP).