TPMS sensors and aftermarket wheels

[Scwmcan]

I am new to all this TPMS sensor stuff and as winter is coming up am getting prepared for it. I got a set of used aftermarket wheels and am wondering about the TPMS sensors, I know that I don't have to use them if I can stand the light being on, how bad ( annoying) is this, I also know they will need to be programmed into the car spring and fall if I get new ones for the winter wheels ( would probably get the low cost programmer I saw for this if I go this route). Besides the light and any other warnings I am wonder if there are special wheels for the sensors or should they work on any wheel? Since I already got the wheels ( used alloys, I prefer the look to steel and they were as cheap as new steels) I would like to know before I go ordering the sensors, though if the warnings aren't too bad and it doesnt mess up traction and stability control then I may do without the extra expense of them, I would prefer to only have the tires installed on these rims once, and not have to have them removed and installed again because I decide I want the sensors after all if it is too annoying.
Also I am looking at Nexan wingaurd sport tires as they seem to have pretty good reviews and would be appropriate for the type of weather we get here in southern Ontario, and no we can't run studded tires. These are not the same as the wingaurd 231's they have at Walmart ( on sale very cheap at Walmart this week), I thought about the, too but the closest size available is over 3% larger than the OEM size, plus from what I have read they are more of the traditional snow tire ( a good thing for those who drive in areas that get lots of snow) and less of a winter tire ( some snow/ice but also not as bad as traditional snows on dry roads ), for,my area the newer " winter" type type is what is appropriate I think. Well this has turned into a longer post than anticipated, so my appologies, but please let me know what your solution to the TMPS situation was etc.
thanks
Scott

[gimmegimme]

What year is your Vibe? I have a 2009 and the only thing the TPMS does is turn on a yellow light on the dash. It has no effect on the traction control, etc. but I'm not sure how the earlier models works. I just live with the light during the winter, while others actually cover it with tape.

The sensors are part of the valve stem. I believe there are different types for steels and alloys (different valve stem angle). When I got my winter wheels, I decided against the TPMS because of the cost of the sensors themselves and the twice-annual dealership programming cost. I have a programmer now, so when the time comes to replace my tires, I will consider getting a set of sensors as well. The sensors did alert me when I got a nail in my tire, so they aren't completely useless.

[Scwmcan]

My car is a 2009, it is a Matrix so hopefully it is the same as the Vibe, if it is just the light I might be able to deal with it, as long as there isn't a chime going off all the time, and the traction and stability control aren't affected I thik it wold be okay. I know the sensors will be about $200.00 and the programmer is about $150.00 so it would be nice to not spend that money this year especially... Hmmm I will have to think about it.
Thanks
Scott

[vibenvy]

My mom and I have have used 16" steel wheels without tire pressure sensors on our 2009 Vibe GTs the past 3 winters. The one and only side effect is the TPMS light on the gauges. There is no chime, Traction and Stability Control are not effected, etc. I find that after the first few days of the light being on every winter, I don't even really notice it. Also, the light doesn't even come on until you have been driving for about 20 minutes. So, if you decide to install your "new" wheels without tire pressure sensors, the light won't even come on right away. I personally wouldn't spend the money on the sensors and programmer. There are certainly much better things to spend $350.00 on.

[star_deceiver]

Don't bother with them. The light is of no consequence. My summer rims have no sensors and the light is always on.

[Scwmcan]

Thanks guys, I think that is what I wanted to hear, I can definately do with saving the extra money right now, I can always get the sensors later if I decide it really bugs me ( though I would wait unit the winters I am buying this year wear out, and who knows how long that will be. So I guess it is off to get the winters ASAP so I don't run into supply issues, then get them mounted and set to go on the car in a few months.
Thanks again
Scott

[star_deceiver]

Don't forget to get your tires studded!

[j42.snyder]

Don't forget to get your tires studded!

I'm in St. Catharines too, and as he said in the original post - we can't run studded tires here. That's why I went with Blizzaks when I bought mine. They were expensive (4 tires and new steel rims over $900!), but I've been happy with them so far. I'm really surprised at how well they're wearing. I think I've got over 35,000km on them, and they're all still measuring better than 10/32" tread depth. At the rate they're going, age is going to be more of a factor than wear! They're pretty quiet too. A bit of high pitched noise occasionally on wet roads from all the sipes - but overall not much different from typical all seasons.

To Scott the O.P. - I'm just curious as to where you're getting the tires. I hadn't seen Nexen tires advertised anywhere else other than Walmart. Always good to know where to find a "deal". In the past few years I've dealt with either Niagara Battery and Tire or Costco for mine. I had also bought a set of Nexen A/S tires for our van we had a couple of years ago from Walmart. No issues - they seemed pretty decent for the money. Can't comment on durability though - only had it for about 1.5 years after they were put on. We did pick up a nail in the sidewall of one after a few months though - and Walmart was very good about replacing it. I think we only had to pay for the balancing - it was only about $15 and we had a brand new tire! That was the one on Welland Ave, as I live nearby.

Since I just sold my '65 Valiant, I may have more time now to "play" with the Vibe. If I come up with a good simple way of temporarily turning off the TPMS light, I'll be sure to post it on here. I keep my original rims in the basement not too far from where the Vibe is typically parked, so often it will pick up the signal from one of them and turn the light "off" when I start it, at least for the first 20 minutes of driving...

John

[star_deceiver]

Now how did I miss that??? (I think it's time for bed, lol!)

How much ice do you get compared to snow there? Calgary (and the rest of Alberta east of the mountains) seems to get lots of blowing snow and black ice... and salt , which is useless below -18C. Then there's the fact that you get salt covering EVERYTHING.

[j42.snyder]

We tend to get a fair bit of ice around here, as the temperature often swings from just above to just below freezing. Often there's a nice layer of ice hiding under fresh snow on the roads making intersections interesting. We occasionally get colder snaps (I think the lowest I've seen the Vibe's temperature read is about -28C), but those are usually limited to a few days at best. Our winters have a tendency to be a bit wet and sloppy more than brisk and crisp. We're about as far south in Canada as you can get, right near Niagara Falls, and just across Lake Ontario from Toronto.

They used to use tons of salt here too - but the past few years they've replaced some of that with a new brew of liquid calcium chloride and beet juice. What a mess that stuff is! What's worse is that it's supposedly even more corrosive to parts of the car than the salt was, as it can penetrate deeply into crevices with ease, and doesn't wash out easily. The color occasionally looks rather odd on a white car too from the darned beets...

I need to go to bed too. I'm a couple of hours ahead of you here!

John

[Scwmcan]

Well I am looking at ordering the tires from pmctire.com. They are a distributor out of Quebec, have them in my size for $110 a tire, and free shipping to Ontario, they seem to have good reviews online, looks like they are sort of trying to be tire direct for Canada. I did however find a place in St Catharine's that may sell them, I haven't called them yet so not sure of price or service from them. Walmart did sell them at some point from what I can tell too, was going to check there too even though I don't see them advertised, great prices available on the Wingaurd 231 s though, but they don't quite have the right size for me ( for better or worse the rims I got are still 17" swill be going with that size). All the other tires I can find are around $200 a tire. We have Blizzaks on the Mazda 3, and although they are good in snow this model at least feels very squirmy, thus the reason I am looking for something different. The reviews I see for the tire I am looking at are largely from Europe and largely positive unless you are trying to drive in over 6" of snow, so they should be okay for around here, when there is that much snow I tend to stay off the roads until they are a slushy mess at least, after all the safest thing is not to be out in a storm if you can help it. I have tended to use Costco and Niagara Battery and tire as well, but can't stomach the over $200 / tire price tag at this point, maybe next time if the Nexens are no good. I will need to find someone to install them though if I order them online.
We used to live over by the Welland Ave Walmart too, by now we are in the Pen Center area by Old Glenridge ( though not quite in it).
The summers will be stored in the garage where the car is parked in the winter so it sounds like the light will be off a fair amount anyway, I'll just have to make sure to check the tires ( which I do anyway ), and I guess if nothing else the light being on will do that
Scott

[star_deceiver]

Got my 231's for $109 a tire w/studs. Had them installed on my steelies the same day! My old winters were getting pretty worn.

[Scwmcan]

Unfortunately for me the closest size available in the 231s is 215/50/17 instead of 215/45/17 and is over the recommended 3% difference in tire size, if the had been okay they would only be $69 each on sale this week at Walmart, but I think for our winter conditions I would like a little more normal dry road handling, I think the 231s are more of a traditional snow tire ( which is probably exactly what you need in Calagary, and with the driving you seem to do). I will be ordering my Winguard sorts by the end of the week, and getting them mounted on the " new" rims when they get here, then i am that much closer to being ready for winter.
Scott

[dragon64]

The sensors are part of the valve stem. I believe there are different types for steels and alloys (different valve stem angle). When I got my winter wheels, I decided against the TPMS because of the cost of the sensors themselves and the twice-annual dealership programming cost. I have a programmer now, so when the time comes to replace my tires, I will consider getting a set of sensors as well. The sensors did alert me when I got a nail in my tire, so they aren't completely useless.

No there is no different types of TPM sensors for steels and alloy wheels the sensors are the same for both. All the installer has to do is loosen a torxs screw on the sensor and tilt the sensor body in relation to the stem.

I would get a clone-able TPMS rather than a OE replacement. About $5-10 per sensor more but no need to program the sensor ESN into the car when the wheels are changed. Also the overall cost is less than the cost of a "programmer".

[gimmegimme]

By clone-able, I assume you mean that the sensor can transmit the same ID as the old sensors? If that's the case, I'd definitely pay the extra $5-10 per wheel just to avoid the hassle of programming every tire change.

[Scwmcan]

Clone able sensors would definitely be a good option, will have to look into them for the future.

[Scwmcan]

Looked into them, and while they look like a good option it appears you still need to buy a programmer ( to teach the sensors the ooriginal codes) for $100+/- so there isn't really a savings over getting four new sensors and the programmer to tell the system the new codes to the car. The only advantage would be not having to program the car twice a year, but if you owned the programmer it would only add a minute or two to the process of switching tire, as opposed to the clone tool that you may only use once ( though of course you could use it again if the battery in a sensor dies etc, but if you had the car programmer you just put in a new sensor anyway). Hard to say which way is better, but I don't really see the advantage of one over the other.
Scott

[Scwmcan]

Okay, tires are ordered, will leave it at that until they are on the car in a couple of months, and will let you all know what they are like on both dry roads in in the typical winter weather around here. Thanks for all you help and advice re the TPMS sensors.
Scott

[dragon64]

Sorry I did forget to memtion that you would need to scan the ESN of the existing sensors and write then to the clone-ables. Most wheel and tire shops will clone the TPMS as part of the mounting and balancing package wth a set of new tires and wheels when they put them on your car. Mail order package would be a different story as they wouldn't be able to scan the OE sensors.

[Scwmcan]

Well that would make a difference