I saw a several page newspaper add last week for the new Chrysler Sebring, I think it was, that had a digital readout showing psi in each tire. Sure would be nice to have that....

 

GM full-size SUVs (e.g., Tahoe/Yukon/Yukon Denali/Escalade) have it...I'm sure that there are quite a few other models--domestic and foreign--that probably offer it as well.

 

i had my tire pressure light go off recently, i took it to my dealership. they fixed the problem. on the paper it said it was due to poor programing.. which i figured cbecause it was a warm day when the light came one and all my tires were well maintained and well inflated.

 

I will chime in with an advantage of the flat tire monitor that relies on the ABS sensors (my sister has a BMW 325i that works this way) instead of the tire pressure monitors that directly mesure the pressure in each tire.

No sensor is required in the wheel that can be damaged when changing tires, if you spray a can of fix a flat in the tire, or for some other reason. I believe that the indirect monitors will lead to fewer false positive signals at the expense of not telling you which individual tire is affected.

 

The flat tire monitor is there to tell alert you if you get a flat tire while driving. It does not obviate the need to check your tire pressure with a gauge weekly (for slow leaks), or if there is a sudden temperature change. Especially since the car has run flat low profile tires, you cannot rely on an eyeball check of the tires.

Checking tire pressure is a good safety habit to acquire. If you are too busy to do this chore, then perhaps your priorities are a bit out of whack. I use a nice bicycle pump to adjust tire pressure, so I get a bit of exercise out of the task.

 

I can confirm this. Previous gen Suburban\etc had it for each wheel, with the display reading out each value. The new Suburban has that as well with a readout for each wheel.

The M35 also has a nice graphical display in the LCD window showing each wheel and its current PSI measurement from its TPMS.

 

My 2001 Corvette has digital read out of the individual tire pressures. I think it is a DOT requirement with run-flat tires. I haven't experienced the low pressure warning light on the ES350 yet, but maybe later this winter.

 

I don't get it. Although not a deal breaker, it cannot be that difficult to include an individual tire pressure display. I have this on an '02 Jeep GC. Very Helpful.

 

OK, so if you have a display that says the rioght-rear tire is going flat and you rotate the tires without adding air to the tire, will the display now read that the right-front tire is going flat?

The reason I ask... I'm cool without this feature if I have to pay 1/2 labor time to have the sensors reassociated everytime I rotate the tires.

 

Fair enough, but for me I'd rather perform the relearn myself than pay someone else to do it...especially if the procedure is outlined in the owner's manual, thus implying that the procedure can be done by the owner w/o the need to bring it to the dealer or pay some shop to do it for you.

As far as reprogramming the TPMS after a tire rotation is concerned--I would assume that a reprogramming is required when a rotation is performed, regardless of whether or not the TPMS can display tire pressure for each individual tire; my '04 GMC Yukon Denali has the TPMS but it does not identify exactly which tire is low on air--only that there is a low tire pressure issue...yet the owner's manual for it clearly states that a reprogram is necessary if the tires are rotated. I guess what I'm trying to say that on a TPMS-equipped vehicle, it is expected to have the TPMS reprogrammed after a rotation; IOW--one would not necessarily rotate the tires, yet NOT have the TPMS reprogrammed afterwards.

 

I think that just the light coming on works well. It is a reminder to check the pressure in all the tires, and not just the one of them that might be low. It is worth the time for the fuel savings and potential wear with underinflated tires.

 

agreed- a light does the job.
too many displays is crazy and takes away from the peacefull drive of the vehicle.

People lived with no tire pressure warnings for a century, now we need readings per tire to drive to work?

 

The discussions here have been good. On a side note, my sensor came up again today (i had my 1st one last month). Again, it's the spare tire. I wonder why they lose air often.

 

UPDATE - -

I've had an issue associating TRAC/VSC in the ES/Camry to the VSA system in the TL... This morning I was stopped by a barge and was going to miss my train so I had a few minutes to research the owners manual.

WTF?

I flipped to a page and what is being displayed on the Multi Information Display??? 4 unique tire pressures on the TPMS! I never tried to select the screen that said they were "OK" before, when I did, there it was 3 tires with the same pressure and one just 1lb short!

Now I gotta figure out how THAT works.

 

The factory is listening. and as Just fix it points out it was a federal mandate to put the warning system in and not the different car
manufacturers. as for the speed sensor type- they are not as acurate
and if you have tires with different manufacture dates or mismatched
tires or just differently worn tires it can trigger a warning..
The new LS460 does have a read out for all 5 tires so I'm sure the other
cars will follow. one way to lessen the agravation-- set all tires to 30lbs
reset the system--add reccomended amount of air--that will set the
threshold low enough that unless you loose air the light should stay off.
also-next time you go to the dealer ask them to retorque the sensor nuts
as they usually are not tight enough. ***DON"T DO IT YOURSELF***
you don't want to be the one that breaks the sensor off overtightening it.