Tire Registration

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Powersurge said: "All this computer and phone app crap is turning us into a society of obsessive compulsive pussy willows that have to get their data just the way they like it or they have an embolism. They are probably the same ones that get their meal ingredients ordered by mail so they don't have to cut their own vegetables... As proof, there is even a guy that posted he is going to harrass the shop about it."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Seems like we're getting to the point where we expect someone to wipe our butt when we're done with business. Technology is wonderful, but I think it has its limits, if you want to enjoy life. :roll:
 
powersurge said:
The TPMS goes on when ONE of them goes below a certain point. That ALERTS YOU that a tire is below pressure, and you should check ALL of them.
That is just because Nissan implemented a dummy-light on the dashboard. The car knows which of 4 sensors is reporting the low pressure -- in fact, the car knows what the exact tire pressures are. The car just doesn't tell you that because someone decided it's sufficient to just provide a the equivalent of a check engine light ("something is wrong; check everything and see what it is").

A better car interface would show you the four tires and the pressures. Leaf Spy Pro does that - and it's an advantage. Tesla does that on the dash.
 
I thought about resetting them after I rotate them viz leaf spy, but then I thought, why bother? As others have said the only "real" thing the car will tell you is if one is low.

Does the car really care which is which? As in if it saw the front left was low does it actually do anything at all or different from if it saw the back left was low?
 
BrockWI said:
I thought about resetting them after I rotate them viz leaf spy, but then I thought, why bother? As others have said the only "real" thing the car will tell you is if one is low.

Does the car really care which is which? As in if it saw the front left was low does it actually do anything at all or different from if it saw the back left was low?
The DTC error codes for TPMS problems will point to the wrong wheel. This could be a problem if the tech person does not verify correct registration or does not use the external TPMS tool to verify which wheel has the problem. But to the driver it makes no difference if they are not using LeafSpy to see the tire pressures. I like to know which tire needs a little air so I keep them registered correctly. But it is definitely a personal preference.

You can set LeafSpy to not show tire pressures at all if it really bothers you.
 
I am fine with seeing it in Leaf Spy and I don't count on it being in the correct place, If I see a tire off I check them all manually, honestly I check them more manually than with Leaf Spy.

I was just wondering, if TMPS being in the wrong location could affect say ABS or traction control or do those systems just do what they do?
 
BrockWI said:
I am fine with seeing it in Leaf Spy and I don't count on it being in the correct place, If I see a tire off I check them all manually, honestly I check them more manually than with Leaf Spy.

I was just wondering, if TMPS being in the wrong location could affect say ABS or traction control or do those systems just do what they do?
I would not think TMPS is used for anything other than the tire warning light. Tires get moved around all the time.
 
Hello! I hope it's ok to "hijack" this thread for an additional question.

I got new winter tires for my Leaf 2013 S over the web, and their TPMS-sensors came pre-programmed. I was planning to register them with LeafSpyPro, but have not succeeded yet. I tried the procedure several times, it gets initiated (blinking yellow tire light) but never finishes. I double-checked the pressures and also tried a larger spread (2.6, 2.3, 2.0, 1.7 bar) as suggested by LeafSpy app maker.

Now I'm just wondering if anyone can think of a reason why this fails. (Otherwise I'll go to a shop soon, but they all are very busy now in changing season.)

cheers
thomas
 
jlv said:
powersurge said:
The TPMS goes on when ONE of them goes below a certain point. That ALERTS YOU that a tire is below pressure, and you should check ALL of them.
That is just because Nissan implemented a dummy-light on the dashboard. The car knows which of 4 sensors is reporting the low pressure -- in fact, the car knows what the exact tire pressures are. The car just doesn't tell you that because someone decided it's sufficient to just provide a the equivalent of a check engine light ("something is wrong; check everything and see what it is").

A better car interface would show you the four tires and the pressures. Leaf Spy Pro does that - and it's an advantage. Tesla does that on the dash.

I agree the car should show you the actual pressure values. Let me relate two experiences which demonstrate why:

1. I was driving my 3/4 ton truck, towing a travel trailer to our campsite. While crossing the Astoria-Megler bridge, I got a low pressure warning. This bridge is over 4 miles long, one lane each direction, with no shoulder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria–Megler_Bridge The point being that if you need to stop and change a tire on this bridge, you will cause a massive traffic jam and probably get a visit from the police. Luckily, the truck showed me all the tire pressures on the display, and I was able to see that I still had safe pressure. I made it across the bridge, and while keeping a close eye on the pressure, drove another 10 miles to my campsite, where I changed the tire safely.

2. We also own a Honda CR/V. While driving Hwy 58 in Oregon at about 4 in the morning, I got a low pressure warning in the middle of nowhere. It was cold and dark, and not safe to pull over. Unfortunately the vehicle does not show the actual pressures, so I had to decide whether to pull over somewhere dangerous, or wait until I hit the next tiny town. The car seemed to handle fine, so I sweated it out and kept going about 15 miles into town. When I got out and measured all the tires, they were all fine, though there was a spread of about 4psi between them. Apparently this was enough to set off the alert. Had I been able to read the pressures while driving, I wouldn't have stopped or worried about it until it was convenient, later in the day. (Equalizing all the pressures and resetting the system is all that was required).
 
ivh said:
Hello! I hope it's ok to "hijack" this thread for an additional question.

I got new winter tires for my Leaf 2013 S over the web, and their TPMS-sensors came pre-programmed. I was planning to register them with LeafSpyPro, but have not succeeded yet. I tried the procedure several times, it gets initiated (blinking yellow tire light) but never finishes. I double-checked the pressures and also tried a larger spread (2.6, 2.3, 2.0, 1.7 bar) as suggested by LeafSpy app maker.

Now I'm just wondering if anyone can think of a reason why this fails. (Otherwise I'll go to a shop soon, but they all are very busy now in changing season.)

cheers
thomas
You should take an ELM trace while trying to Register and send it to me for review.
 
powersurge said:
All this computer and phone app crap is turning us into a society of obsessive compulsive pussy willows that have to get their data just the way they like it or they have an embolism. They are probably the same ones that get their meal ingredients ordered by mail so they don't have to cut their own vegetables... As proof, there is even a guy that posted he is going to harrass the shop about it.
You make it sound as though people were diligent in checking tyre pressures before the age of TPMS. A few were, but the overwhelming majority were not. So this is not a case of technology turning a society into "pussy willows," it is a case of deciding to use tech to solve a problem of widespread apathy and stupidity/ignorance that was a safety issue.

As for me, I check pressures manually once a month and appreciate the TPMS as a back-up. YMMV
 
Simply knowing that one tire has low pressure provides 95% of the benefit of the whole system. TPMS could be so much simpler:
- Every X minutes of driving, car listens for nearby TPMS transmissions
- Each TPMS has a somewhat unique ID # (e.g. 4+ digits).
- Any TPMS ID which was not also seen X minutes ago is ignored (maybe it's from the car in the next lane over)
- Any TMPS sensor which was seen X minutes ago, and which is now low, triggers a "check your tires" light, which stays lit until the car is turned-off
- some number of consecutive sample periods with only 3 or fewer wheels detected triggers a DTC/trouble code (which is different from the low-pressure light). Take the car to a shop and they'll find and replace the dead TPMS sensor.

This would provide most of the benefit of the existing system. You would never need to register a new or replacement TPMS, or reprogram after tire rotation, or switching between summer and winter tires. Yes, if you get an alarm, you'd need to check the pressure on all four tires. For something which happens every year or three, checking pressure on three extra tires is not a hardship. Maybe it will cost you 60 seconds per year. Saying that it's too much work for drivers to get out and check tire pressure is like saying that we need a digital readout of oil dipstick level, because popping the hood is too much trouble.

The irony is that the headaches of TPMS reprogramming are causing some drivers to quit using snow tires in winter, and just make-do with all-season tires. If you live in a place where road ice is common in winter, this is not improving road safety!
 
Reminds me of: About 100 miles into a 700 mile trip, I got a flat tire on my 3/4 ton truck. After installing the full-sized, full-weight-rating spare and storing the flat in the bed of the truck, I was treated to 10 hours of low tire warnings. Yay!

Can't we just have an "okay, I get it" button?
 
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