Ray! Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 It's interesting to see that car manufacturers are begining to install systems that have been available in the aftermarket for a while now: Easy Fill Tire Alert works like this: a tire pressure monitor indicates which wheel needs air via an instrument panel-mounted display. While the appropriate tire is being filled up, the car's hazard lights flash to confirm pressure is increasing. Hit the proper pressure, and the horn chirps once. If the tire gets overinflated, three horn honks and quick flashing hazards alert the driver. Once the pressure drops back to the appropriate threshold, the original chirp and light signal is triggered. The system-- which will make its way into every 2013 Nissan http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/nissan-easy-fill-tire-alert I wonder if this takes into account cold tyres pressures and hot tyre pressures? Also, it would be very annoying if you're deliberately dropping pressures because of road conditions. And what happens when you replace a tyre/rim combination that doesn't have a sensor installed? Cheers Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGQWesty Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Interesting.. I wonder if pressure will be determined by the driver or the computer.. Maybe a few preset options, highway, mud, sand??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 It's interesting to see that car manufacturers are begining to install systems that have been available in the aftermarket for a while now: It's a gimick. Service stations have guages and some have a preset option as well. Perhaps they're trying to make it easier for the driver. The pitch ... no need to understand tyres and their pressures, 1 flash is good, 3 is bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray! Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 (edited) It's a gimick. Service stations have guages and some have a preset option as well. Perhaps they're trying to make it easier for the driver. The pitch ... no need to understand tyres and their pressures, 1 flash is good, 3 is bad. It's not a gimmick, as this is exactly the same principle as the aftermarket tyre pressure alert systems, warnings are given inside the car if there is a pressure loss below that which is acceptable. The pumping up feature just helps those who are filling up from air outlets that don't have the warning/preset features available. Also, I haven't been to one servo where a pressure gauge has been anywhere near accurate. Cheers Ray Edited May 30, 2012 by Ray! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Yeah ... a poor choice of words by me. I see the benefits and intend installing a system as well. My concern is an increasing dumbing down of consumers via technology. Agree about servo guages. Thats why I have my own and recheck pressures. Should we discuss the 4psi rule? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray! Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Yeah ... a poor choice of words by me. I see the benefits and intend installing a system as well. My concern is an increasing dumbing down of consumers via technology. Agree about servo guages. Thats why I have my own and recheck pressures. Should we discuss the 4psi rule? I don't think the average consumer could be dumbed down any more than they are right now, anything that will help them think about the operation and maintenance of their car is useful. Many that are driving cars, simply shouldn't. As for the 4PSI rule, I've always used the hand temperature rule. After driving a reasonable distance to properly warm up the tyres, at least 10km on a summer's day, I put my hand on the tyre and if the temperature is reasonably even across the tyre, then it's at the correct pressure. Now that I have one of those IR temp gauges (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Non-Contact-LCD-Digital-IR-Infrared-Industrial-Thermometer-Temperature-Meter-/300672871584?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item46017feca0), I really should do the same and see how good my hand is compared to a more precise instrument. Cheers Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glort Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 HSV's have the pressure monitoring but not the filling given the $1000 apice tyres run Nitrogen instead of plain air. It is very interesting to see how the pressures change whist driving along. They can start out or all be the same at one point on the road and then you can have 4 different pressures when you get into it a bit varying by 3 pounds. If that's what happens with nitrogen, hate to see the difference on air! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Interesting idea, but it still wont stop idiots driving around with the tyre warning on the dash. Just like the aftermarket, the sensors are usually part of the valve assembly so should be no problem if changing wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray! Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 No, it won't stop people from ignoring the warning, just like many ignore the low fuel warning, but I suspect that the monitoring device is inside the rim and attached to it so that it is an integral part of the rim. These already exist and aren't a detachable system. Smart move to avoid theft, damage etc. Cheers Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) I should have worded that better, the monitoring device is part of the valve assembly but is on the inside of the rim. No way to steal it from the outside. People ignore all sorts of warnings - service, low coolant, temp. I once had a person drive 5ks on a flat tyre to my dealership so we could fit the spare lol. Needless to say the tyre and rim were scrap by the time they got to us. Edited May 31, 2012 by Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray! Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 On my part, what I meant by changing wheels is when you have a set of tyres and rims for road use and another for off-road use (which doesn't have the sensor). I wonder if the system can handle not getting a signal whatsoever, assuming that these will be available for 4WDs in future. Yes, the main component is inside the rim attached to the valve stem, but the aftermarket ones, like Tyre Dog, screw onto the valve and while they do have a rudimentary theft prevention system, but they are still exposed. The thing about these systems is that they are still dependent on battery performance; pity no one has come up with with something that doesn't require a replaceable battery. Cheers ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) I dont think it would be a problem, just the system wouldnt work. The system that I have most experience with was chryslers, if we put rims without the senser the system just displayed a dash rather than a pressure reading. Edited May 31, 2012 by Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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