Might be a stupid question, I can't find a set that go on a single axle caravan. Am I able to use just two from a set of 4 for a car ? Or would the alarm go off for the two that are not being used??
What do other use please?
I am after the little jobbies that go on the tyre that give you a reading of heat and pressure.
No question is a stupid question if YOU don't know the answer - answering questions is what we're here for.
Can't speak for other brands/models, but I've got a Tyrepal TC215, and that will accept up to 22 tyre sensors in any number/format you want. You 'register' sensors with the base unit, so it only monitors however many sensors you've registered, any others are ignored (you may need to 'de-register' surplus sensors in the kit if previously registered).
Beware of 'some' mainly cheapo TPMS systems off ebay, Amazon, and the like, the tyre sensors don't always have sufficient pressure range to cope with caravan tyres which often run at much higher pressures than car tyres (sometimes near twice the pressure!), it's not JUST the normal set pressures (done cold), it's the higher pressure of a warm running tyre (perfectly normal and typically 7-8PSI higher), and the much raised pressure of a overheating tyre that the sensor needs to cope with! - if the sensor range 'tops-out' at the normal cold set pressure, it likely won't alarm at an increase in pressure from a overheating tyre, or even monitor accurately the warm running pressure! And the radio link range has to be considered too, caravan wheels are a relatively long way from the base unit compared to car tyres, so ensure sufficient distance capability, if you have an exceptionally long outfit, Tyrepal offer a range booster accessory.
I looked into options quite thoroughly before purchase (I'm a cheapskate - don't like paying more than I need to, and not terribly brand/advertising hype influenced!), came to the conclusion I'd have to bite the bullet and buy a relatively expensive Tyrepal system to get pressure range needed for my van and assurance of radio link range. Definitely a case of premier brand bringing worthwhile benefits. I did still do it 'on the cheap' a little bit, I bought a s/h but immaculate little used system off ebay at a hefty discount over new price.
If a CAMC member, quite a good discount on some Tyrepal products, check out CAMC website.
We have the Tyrepal system which came with our Bailey van. It can show up,to 22 tyres for artics.
You just select the tyres you want to monitor on the control, then pair them by taking the monitor by the sensor. It then shows the van tyres alternatively.
The instructions are quite straightforward.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
This sound interesting and I am wondering whether we could get away with a "cheapo" system as our caravan's tyre pressures are only a little different to our car tyres, as it is an old caravan and these tended to be lighter. Our caravan tyres run at 36psi and the rears on the car run at 34psi when towing. I'll have to do a bit of research.
I am definitely not one who is influenced by advertising or big-brand-names either. I have sometimes found that unknown brands that have been much cheaper than the branded items have actually been better than them. I once bought a big-brand battery drill for general DIY use around the home, and soon after, an unbranded "cheapie" (which was a fraction of the price) just for winding up our caravan steadies. The battery on the big-brand drill gave up the ghost shortly after the guarantee ran out, it just wouldn't hold a charge for long. That was a few years back now and I'm still using the "cheapie", only I use it for everything these days. Only slight snag with the cheapie is that the hammer action is not quite as good as the branded one, but it still does the job and the battery still holds a good charge.
We managed without all these gizmos for years. Check tyres with a gauge. Road maps and A tomZ to,find your way! Yes they are useful.
I am not a fan of touchscreens in cars, preferring switches. Why go through menus to change radio or heating and ventilation?
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Quote: Originally posted by 664DaveS on 24/1/2024
We managed without all these gizmos for years. Check tyres with a gauge. Road maps and A tomZ to,find your way! Yes they are useful.
I am not a fan of touchscreens in cars, preferring switches. Why go through menus to change radio or heating and ventilation?
With you all the way there. The only thing is though that you can only use a gauge before you set off. As for road maps, I never go away without them. I do sometimes use the car's sat-nav, but usually only for the last 3 - 5 miles. My car doesn't have any touchscreens, but then it is 16 years old and I don't think many cars did back then. All my radio and air-con controls are either buttons or knobs. I wouldn't want a touch screen anyway. I can change my radio's station and volume without taking my eyes off the road, and the same goes for my air-con. You can't do that with a touch screen.
However if the tyre start loses pressure after you leave a site, a TPMS will alert you of the pressure loss so that you can safely pull over instead of waiting for the tyre to have a blow out. Got the t shirt which is why we bought the TPMS.
I am also not a great fan of screens with numerous sub menus, but the TPMS is a simple device with no sub menus that need to be accessed once set up.
It's interesting to keep an eye on the Tyrepal. The tyre temperature will increase with a corresponding increase in pressure, over 10psi. A couple of weeks ago I took my caravan to Newark, left Bolton with a tyre temperature of 4 deg C, by the time I left the M62 to join the A1 the temperature had risen to 39 deg C
In warmer conditions I have seen over 50 deg C
Unfortunately my car does have a touch screen which is pretty much the only way to control 'everything' via endless sub menus, and it's one of the most stupid ideas the industry has ever inflicted on the motorist, mine is certainly no worse than any other car/manufacturers, even possibly better than some, it's just a very flawed concept! I could always use good old mechanical controls without diverting attention from the road, that is IMPOSSIBLE with a touch screen, and the voice control is just too unreliable on the road, it makes so many mistakes or questions your command for verification, it's less distracting to use the touch screen - crazy!
Back to the point, the Tyrepal TPMS is independent of any of the car controls, with an inbuilt battery, it doesn't even require a 12v supply to operate (only to recharge battery), it's a set and forget system, whereby you set your tyre parameters initially (only set once, it remembers them for subsequent use) and then it requires no further interaction from the user, it will just monitor the sensors, compare results with the set parameters and trigger an alarm (audio and visual) if necessary, otherwise it displays the relevant data, which you can largely ignore unless watching for a trend in changing pressures and temps prior to crossing a threshold and an alarm triggering.
It does have a bit of a curiosity interest though for first few uses, as mentioned above, when you watch and learn just how much pressures and temps change once you start rolling, and the effects of different types of roads/driving have, but then you get to ignore it and just let it do its job in the background.
I've been fortunate (or maybe due diligence with tyre care has paid off), in that I've never suffered a problem with trailer tyres in many tens of thousands of miles over decades, but I've certainly known of a few incidents with friends and their trailers, one having a caravan written off (uneconomic repair to body/interior) by the disintegrating tyre before he could pull over and stop. TPMS is not foolproof, but it's IMHO a worthwhile gadget to minimise risks. Trailer tyres are too remote from the driver to get much feedback from them other than by some electronic gizmo.
I fitted the Tyrepal after advice from a tyre fitter. He told me that blow outs are caused mainly by a tyre loosing pressure gradually, this causes the tyre carcass to overheat until it fails and BANG!!
A Tyron band will not stop the blow out but in some circumstances help bring the vehicle under control. A tyre pressure monitor will give advance warning of an unhappy tyre and intervention by the driver will prevent the blow out situation arising
Certainly sounds like a useful device to have. One curiosity though, do you have to have the wheels balanced once the sensors have been fitted? Surely the additional weight, however small, could upset the wheel balance?
I did have one blow-out once, many years ago in Milton Keynes. No real damage was done fortunately and I was able to limp into a layby and unhitch the caravan. I removed the caravan wheel and put it in the car (no caravan spare) and set off to find a tyre dealer. This was in the 1970s, and I quickly discovered that there wasn't a single tyre dealer in MK at the time so I had to drive elsewhere. When I finally found one he didn't have that size tyre in stock and he had to direct me to another one. I finally got a new tyre put on and headed back to MK to get the caravan, but then came my next problem. Where on earth was it? All the roads looked the same and I didn't know the name of the road where I had left it. After driving round for over an hour I finally saw it in the layby on the opposite side of the dual-carriageway. What a fiasco!!
Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 25/1/2024
Certainly sounds like a useful device to have. One curiosity though, do you have to have the wheels balanced once the sensors have been fitted? Surely the additional weight, however small, could upset the wheel balance?
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The replacement valve cap type sensors only weigh around 12g more than standard plastic caps (at about 0.5g), so not enough to get too worried about. The fact that caravan wheels rotate relatively slowly due to 50/60MPH max speed limits and weight is well inboard of periphery, helps to minimise any minor out of balance effects. Tyrepal state no need to rebalance wheels after fitting.
My wheels were out of balance by many times that amount when I had new tyres fitted, the old tyres (factory fitted from new!) had never been balanced, as is quite common practice it seems on caravan wheels, definitely crude sand cast alloy wheels out of balance, not just new tyres, never seen so many balance weights fitted to a wheel, even tyre fitter commented, both wheels in same place needing massive counter-balancing rather gave the game away it was wheels not tyres! Rather get the impression, balance of caravan wheels is not much of a priority, even for manufacturers!
12g is nothing to worry about, but nothing to stop you getting them rebalanced after fitting if you must, they don't have any restrictive impact after fitting.
Tyrepal is a brilliant device, wouldn't be without it, especially as we always do two weeks in France every summer.
As other have said, you pair the sensors to the head unit, set the parameters depending on the recommended tyre pressure and then drive.
The head unit lasts for ages once charged so won't necessarily take up a 12v charging point in the car, it's also illuminated at night time so it's easy to read and the sensor batteries last about 12-18 months.
Although I've had mine for about 4 years, I still find it interesting to watch the temperature and pressure fluctuations whilst driving, even to the point that I sometimes build our rest stops around the readings, especially when traveling on hot days,when the pressure in the caravan tyres can hit 75psi.
Within a few trips, you can get a good understanding of the normal parameters of the caravan tyres, even to the point of knowing you have a problem before the tyrepal system alarms to warn you.
You will also get a discount on the caravan insurance, given the choice between Tyron bands or tyrepal, I would wholeheartedly go for tyrepal.
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Topic: Tyre monitor
via mobile 23/1/2024 at 8:23am
