TPMS tool

TPMS tool
Bought some factory take-offs for winter and plan on swapping pretty soon as we've started getting snow. I know the 2016 Tundra can only hold 5 TPMS values in memory and am wondering if you guys have had any success with some of the TPMS tools on the market. I know there's the ATEQ quickset that holds winter/summer sets in memory (approx $179-$200) but is it easier/cheaper to get a TPMS programmer (approx $120-$150) and just program every time I do a seasonal swap?

 

Watching this thread as I have the same question. Hopefully some guys on here can provide some answers.

 

The user manual doesn't even mention anything about resetting the TPMS. I am aware of the button you're talking about but I think all that does it communicate between the truck and the tires already programmed into the system (max of 5)

 

That button does not "learn" new codes.

 

is there a cheap home user alternative?

 

i meant a tool that will allow the new sensors to be learned by the ECU

 

where can you get the software

 

Ditto, from Bulgaria.....

 

@Ericsopa , @RowdyRon Do you guys have a countdown of how many times you can use yours? My techstream is counting down every time I hook up. I think I'm down to 23 more uses. I couldn't get it to register online.

 

Mine has been counting down from 5000 days, or some other crazy timeframe since I got it up and running last year. No per-use countdown. I figure by then I'll download a newer version and start over. With the free downloads out there, the real value is the Mini-VCI cable anyway. Edit: The download link I had is now dead, you'd have to search on your own. Sorry.

 

Yep, mine is by days, too. Don't recall how many, but do remember it being well over ten years. At my age it may well outlive me! Haha.

Also, didn't require any registration.

 

You mean like we had to do most all of our lives until Big Brother started telling us what to do and how to do it?

 

Have you actually tried this? It seems to me that it would not work if I understand what you're describing. The "35 psi" would mean nothing to the sensors, since the pressure would be the same all around the entire unit. In a tire, the pressure is on the sensor inside the tire, a relative pressure, isolated from ambient pressure outside the tire, where the tire stem would be, and the sensor would be subject to 35 psi greater than that outside pressure. In your 4" PVC tube merely tossing the sensors inside doesn't allow for any relative pressure difference between the stem, which would normally only see ambient pressure, and the sensor itself.

 

But then.....if this is true, how does the TPMS system monitor the pressure in the spare? If I recall, our TPMS ECUs can supposedly be set up to monitor the pressure in the spare as well as the tires on the road.

Edit......AHA!!! here's the answer.....two different types of systems http://www.bridgestonetire.com/trea...ire-pressure-monitoring-system-how-tpms-works

 

The tpms does measure air pressure. If you open up techstream, it will show each individual tire's air pressure. Light will go off if pressure drops below 23 psi. At least that's what mines set at.

 

Yes, our Tundra systems measure the actual pressure, unlike the indirect systems, which use tire rotation to determine if a tire has low pressure.

 

It's just a shame that they install this entire system, which is a pita especially when you get new wheels, but can't display it on the dash. My Jeep displayed each wheel on the dash and it made it worth having, but without that it's almost worthless.

 

No, 2nd and 3rd gen Tundras use direct TPMS, with pressure sensors in the wheels. Later first gens did as well.

The system you refer to that uses variances in wheel speed is known as indirect TPMS, and standard rubber valve stems are used, rather than individual pressure sensors. Indirect TPMS is a thing of the past, current standards require direct TPMS on all light duty vehicles. Long sweeping turns can trigger a false warning, and all 4 tires with equally low pressure will not trigger the light. So it was abandoned for direct TPMS.

I do know a guy or three on Tacomaworld built a "pipe bomb" to successfully bypass their TPMS, though there are other ways that are easier.

Personally, $65 CAD for one sensor from the dealer fixed my issue on the Tundra, and my Tacoma's TPMS was pretty decent to me. I'm keeping it. Of course, I get a deal on diagnostic labour.

 

Not sure if it's worth the trouble, but yes I think it would.

 

Not sure if it's still true today, but a few years ago when my tpms ran out of battery, you had to buy whole new ones, couldn't just swap the battery. How stupid.