Filed under: Emerging Technologies
Beep-beep! TPMS-lite tire cap blinks when tire pressure drops
Goodyear recommends that you check your car's tire pressure once a month. But who has time to waste the seconds, maybe even minutes (!), that it takes to check your tire pressure? Isn't there is a gadget that makes checking your tire press a little simpler, possibly involving LEDs? Yes, yes there is. The Air Alert is one of several products I have found that replaces your regular tire cap with a device that includes a pressure sensor and LED. If your tire pressure falls 4 psi below the set pressure, the Air Alert blinks, alerting you to your limp tires. It's not TPMS and it's not perfect: some of the Amazon reviews complain of problems with the battery and leaking but most reviews gave it a 4 or 5 stars rating.Related:
[Source: Amazon.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ryan 9:37PM (10/10/2007)
Yeah, those valuable seconds are... well, valuable dag namit! I personally just set my tires to 50psi and forget about them. If you are set that high, then you can check them quarterly and have no problems. If one tire is low at your checkup, then you need to watch that tire more since it likely has a leak. Gadgets like these are unneeded and in my opinion problematic. If the device fails in any way, you can be SURE that you will end up with a low tire. The only thing stopping the air from coming out of your tire is a cheap pressure monitoring system... not something that I will ever be adopting.
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Ping Wang 1:01AM (10/11/2007)
the packaging just screams cheapness.
@ryan
setting tire pressure to 50 psi is dangerous, not to mention extremely uncomfortable.
setting tire pressure to the manufacturer's recommended level indicated on the dirver's side doorjamb in your car is the perfect tradeoff between mpg and comfort.
setting tire pressure above manufacturer recommeneded psi gives will give you diminishing returns on mpg, and will lead to higher chances of tire failure, which means at best, you will have to replace your tires more often, totally offsetting any money you save on gas, and any environmental benefits.
from an environmental standpoint I think burning a few extra gallons of gas is preferable to throwing away a ruined tire.
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ryan 10:17AM (10/11/2007)
Ping Wang: Unfortunately, you couldn't be further from the truth. For one, most every tire comes with a max pressure listed on the sidewall. There are many who have listed that they are safe up to 50+ psi. That is a fact, and you can confirm it at www.tirerack.com As for it being dangerous, that is also a fallacy. Perhaps if you are running over huge potholes day in and day out, then it might cause you some problems. You would be MUCH better off with an over-inflated tire than an under-inflated one in this situation though. I run my tires at around 50 psi, and have experienced absolutely no ill effects on my ride quality. I do travel over VERY nice roads though. I will admit that there are diminishing returns on increased FE, but there ARE gains to be had. Increasing your pressure is a proven way to reduce rolling resistance. Most people I know who run their tires at high pressures have actually experienced LONGER life out of their tires. I personally have noticed better cornering ability after pumping mine up.
So, to sum up, high psi (or whatever the measure your country uses is) leads to a) better mpg b) increased tire life c) better handling and d) can sometimes affect ride quality.
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Charles S 10:46AM (10/11/2007)
I've used similar items, totally not worth it. First and foremost, it's an invitation for kids to steal them. It really doesn't matter if they have a use for it or not, valve caps are just one of those things that bored kids steal to pass the time.
Second, the ones I had were not durable. The item carried a warning that it will eventually malfunction, and I had one that failed on me within a year.
Third, in my mind, if a person do not regularly check tire pressure, then these gadgets probably won't change that owner's behavior all that much. I make it a habit to check once a month, both for safety and economical reasons.
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Mark Jones 9:44PM (10/11/2007)
DO NOT USE THESE! They leak, totally defeating the purpose. Buy a good gage instead, it gives you something to do while you are filling the tank.
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Tom777 11:06AM (1/22/2008)
I have tires that say "mas pressure 44psi" and I run my tires at 50psi and the car drives GREAT! My MPG went up slightly and the feel for the road is MUCH better. The handling is now razor sharp and feels so much better.
There is no way that running 50PSI is dangerous. I've been driving my car with 50psi in all conditions, hot weather over 100 degrees and freezing temps for over a year now with NO PROBLEMS. If they were going to blow out or something it would have happend by now.
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