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Tire sequence - Air pressure monitor

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Old 08-12-10, 10:09 AM
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jarm
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Default Tire sequence - Air pressure monitor

Hello:
Does anyone know the tire sequence from top to bottom for the air pressures on the multi-information display(that's what Lexus calls it). The display says it includes the spare tire too. Thanks for all your help.


jarm
Old 08-12-10, 11:14 AM
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rominl
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there is no order, they can be all shuffled up, you just have to go by trial to find out. but next time you rotate tires, it will be different again
Old 08-12-10, 11:19 AM
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JFNash
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I used the deflate-then-inflate method to identify each one. Sure took me 10 minutes to do it, but I felt so comfortable afterwards.
Old 08-12-10, 01:47 PM
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jmcraney
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While it is reassuring to know which is which, and I share your feelings about that, it is of little real value. The important thing you need to know is when one or more of the tires are dangerously low. When one tire is dangerously low it should be visually obvious and the required action is the same no matter which tire it is. And when they are all low, which happens because of permeation and seasonal change, and is the more common occurrence, then they all need attention.
Old 08-12-10, 06:36 PM
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cmasten
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I have never understood this... a Lexus and I cant tell which tire is which? a 20% chance of getting it right... amazing.

Even my Honda Pilot can tell me exactly what the pressure is in which tire at any point in time. It is a nice feature when one is about 3lbs under and I just need to top it off.
Old 08-12-10, 07:42 PM
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jmcraney
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I can't speak with authority about the Honda Pilot, but some cars have only the illusion of telling the pressure/location of the tires. Many of the Asian cars fall into the category of providing only the illusion of knowing which tire the pressure is coming from. If you really want to be sure your car is able to autonomously distinguish the pressure/location correctly then do the pressure change test for each tire and then rotate the tires and do the pressure change test again.
Old 08-12-10, 08:42 PM
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cmasten
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Honda got it right, its a pict of each tire on the vehicle and the pressure for each, I would hope Toyota could do the same with our fancy display :-) its a small thing, but like I mentioned its nice when I just know which tire to top off.
Old 08-12-10, 11:57 PM
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rominl
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on my m3 it can accurately tell me which tire is low. the tech is out there already, quite a few manufacturers have been using it. don't know why lexus isn't.
Old 08-13-10, 03:42 AM
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CEOEngr
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Infinity has been "identifying the wheel on the screen" for more then a few years.
Old 08-13-10, 04:37 AM
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jmcraney
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We discussed this issue before at: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...rder-when.html

I am aware that I am pretty much alone in my view on this issue and I have been taken to the woodshed by most of the gurus here. But I remain convinced that Lexus has done a good job in implementing the TPMS mandate in a manner that provides the safety and reliability at a reasonable cost.

Here is a quoted editorial from Tire Review, one of the tire industry respected publications.
http://www.tirereview.com/Article/59...ve_tricky.aspx

Quote
TPMS Troubles: ‘Simple’ Tire Rotations With TPMS Can Prove Tricky

By Steve LaFerre email
Senior Editor
July 14, 2008
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Bias. Everyone, whether it is politics, labor, religion, food, whatever, has a bias.

Mine is government overregulation in the name of safety. It is with that built-in opinion that I will attempt to explain what tiremakers, TPMS tool manufacturers and sensor makers want you to know about tire rotation and TPMS.

The other day my left rear tire went down in an instant thanks to a catastrophic failure inflicted by an unexpected road hazard. Something that looked like it came from a Mad Max movie met my poor tire at speed. But my direct TPMS did not give me its designed audible alarm, and while I could feel something was amiss, I did not know my tire was airless.

In just a few minutes, my mini-spare was mounted and I was on my way to a trusted independent tire dealer for a brand new radial. What help was provided by my TPMS unit? None in this case. And worse yet, my TPMS often sounds three chimes for no particular reason – at least none that I can discern – which always scares the heck out of me.

When those blasted chimes do sound, I pull off the road and check the inflation pressure in all four tires only to learn that each is inflated properly.

What good can possibly come from a TPMS system that regularly issues false positives? Thinking back, didn’t NHTSA say that setting the warning level at the safer 20% level could cause false alarms that would cause drivers to disregard the TPMS? My TPMS – and I suspect many other drivers’ units – seem to have a technical poltergeist.

Balky TPMS or not, tire rotation with this system remains a headache. Certainly TPMS diagnostic/reset tool makers have done a good job putting useful products out there, and TIA and Mitchell1 have generated solid up-to-date training and data every tech needs.

Although major tire companies are willing to show you proper tire rotation, it seems none of them are willing to talk to you about what to do when TPMS sensors are rotated around the vehicle. Online forums covering virtually every vehicle readily offer advice that is often so contradictory it’s impossible to tell fact from guess.

Some say, for instance, that there is no TPMS sensor in a particular vehicle’s spare tire, while others say there is. Some suggest a rotation changes the sensor’s “address” (its position on the vehicle), necessitating a re-learn procedure, while others disagree.

Bartec USA appears to have a good handle on what’s going on, along with several TPMS tool makers like KTI, ATEQ, OTC, Schrader-Bridgeport, and others. According to Bartec, its TPMS tools can easily be reprogrammed and updated through its Web site (bartecusa.com) and you can get TPMS tools that work with model year 2008 TPMS units.

Says Bartec, “Every time you need to rotate a customer’s tires or replace a faulty sensor, the ECU needs to be reprogrammed with a new ID and the position of the rotated tire and its TPMS sensor.” To me, this is simple common sense.

Here’s some more common sense, this time from the Tire Rack, always a good source. When you ask the Rack how to reset a TPMS system, the first response is to determine the make/model of vehicle involved.

“For example, a 2006 BMW M3 uses an indirect TPMS so it has one simple reset button. Once the tires are set to the correct pressure, the vehicle’s engine can be started and then the reset button must be pushed for no longer than eight seconds. When the warning light turns off, the vehicle can be driven normally and the system will calibrate itself.”

Thanks for that, but not all indirect systems are alike. A Buick Rendevous must be driven at several specific speed ranges, including 74.5 mph-plus for 10 to 20 continuous minutes in a straight line, and only after pressing multiple buttons and turning the ignition key on and off a few times.

After receiving your speeding ticket, you can return the vehicle to your dealership and decipher how to register new sensors with a direct system.

Thankfully many vehicles are coming out with auto-learn systems or at least have an initialization procedure that can be completed at a tire shop or in the consumer’s driveway with minimal tools. On some level, TPMS and their sensors are starting to become more friendly.

Some systems that display the pressure of each wheel location require a sensor re-learn procedure to be done after the tires have been rotated to a different corner of the vehicle. Yet others use antennas in the vehicle’s wheel well to see where the old wheel moved. Are you comfortable with this? I’m not, especially when some sensor prices are moving in at $200.

Seeking Information
Perhaps the biggest headache in sorting out the TPMS-rotation relationship is that TPMS units are not consistent – in type or performance.

More from the Tire Rack: “If a sensor with an ID code of 1234567 was at the left-rear location, but after rotation the left-front TPMS antenna is reading that same 1234567 code, then the system will update its TPMS display to correctly show the wheels and the tire pressure at the new location. Still, you might want to consult your 2007 Mitchell1 TPMS Guide for a specific answer concerning a TPMS-equipped vehicle.”

Makes me just a bit shaky.

How about another curve ball? The owner of a 2008 Honda Accord EX-L reports this: “One morning when the ambient temperature was 11⊄šF, my TPMS malfunctioned. Even though my tires were all properly inflated, the system said one was not. Driving my car on the highway for 20 minutes at 70 mph didn’t remedy the problem so I thought it was a bad sensor. The problem corrected itself later that night when the temperature outside rose to 29⊄šF.”

Taking stock of what to do with tire rotation and TPMS units is a puzzle. Some say no retraining of the sensor is required while others do not. Some vehicles must have their sensors registered at the new car dealership while others have a stamp on the wheel indicating that a sensor “may” be located inside the tire/wheel assembly. Some vehicles are equipped with direct systems, others indirect systems, and each with their own unique personalities.

Much of what is stated in online forums is unscientific and based on what some consumers think they know or have passed along second-hand. I am sure, at the same time, many of you have obtained some TPMS information likewise.

The questions are serious, and we know we can’t count on NHTSA to help sort this all out. It was NHTSA, after all, that poo-poo’d standardizing TPMS sensors, preferring to let the market determine the best option. The problem with that is by the time the market anoints one system, we’ll all be tired and confused by the ones on the road today.

Take a minute to review the procedures required to retrain a sensor. Get information from several sources and then ask yourself if all this balderdash is really necessary. The only advice I can offer regarding rotations and TPMS is to find out what the vehicle maker says, check with tool makers and invest in training.

That said, the top reprogramming tool makers are doing their best to stay ahead of the curve. They deserve the credit for providing some sense of sanity to the entire subject of TPMS systems. Step-by-step, using their diagnostic equipment, they will instruct you on how to retrain a sensor when a tire is rotated or replaced, and for that we should offer our unbiased thanks.
End Quote
Old 08-13-10, 07:34 AM
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lexusnutt
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Jeff (jmcraney), your expert feedback is always appreciated.

Thanks!
Old 08-13-10, 09:51 AM
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rominl
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i don't know. i flip the wheels on my m3, got in the car, saw tmps problem (not finding it). press a button on the dash, 10 secs later everything recognized again. while i can see the challenge of implementing this system, but the fact that so many other manufacturers have done it and i haven't heard any major problems, i think it can be done on lexus as well
Old 11-07-10, 05:37 PM
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Joe1050
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Default Tpms

It makes no sense to have a TPMS but it does not tell you what tire is low. Even my 2000 Corvette let's me know this. It is really dumb to have a so called Lux. Car and you have to get out a put air in all the tires and hope you "get it right". This is also added fun when it may be the spare and you have to unload all the "junk in the trunk". Nice move Lexus!
Old 11-08-10, 05:59 AM
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stanatl
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My 2007 550i was able to let me know which tire was low when there was a problem. There was a picture of the car and if all was well, all tires were green. When there was a problem with one, a warning message came on the I-Drive screen and a view of the car showe the problem tire in red. It always worked fine for me.

I've read the arguments for the Lexus system but, quite frankly, it makes no sense to me to not be able to tell which tire is which. The technology is there, has been for years, and works well. Seems counterintuitive to put the tire pressures on the information screen but not identify the position of the tires.
Old 11-08-10, 08:42 AM
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rominl
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Originally Posted by stanatl
My 2007 550i was able to let me know which tire was low when there was a problem. There was a picture of the car and if all was well, all tires were green. When there was a problem with one, a warning message came on the I-Drive screen and a view of the car showe the problem tire in red. It always worked fine for me.

I've read the arguments for the Lexus system but, quite frankly, it makes no sense to me to not be able to tell which tire is which. The technology is there, has been for years, and works well. Seems counterintuitive to put the tire pressures on the information screen but not identify the position of the tires.
totally agree, there is absolutely zero excuse. other brands are doing it, even my bmw m3 tells me the info correctly, never a problem. initialization is as easy as it gets.

one of those things that i can't seem to understand lexus about


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