TPMS light on

[PetrosA]

I had winter tires put on yesterday and the TPMS light was on after the change and has not gone out after approx. 25-30 miles of driving. I called Sears on the way home (that's where I got the tires) and they said the system should "reset" itself after 20 miles or so. Has anyone here had any experience with this light coming on yet?

[SHEP]

I had winter tires put on yesterday and the TPMS light was on after the change and has not gone out after approx. 25-30 miles of driving. I called Sears on the way home (that's where I got the tires) and they said the system should "reset" itself after 20 miles or so. Has anyone here had any experience with this light coming on yet?

YES I HAD WINTER TIRES PUT ON TUESDAY AND MY LIGHT WAS ON BUT ONLY FOR ABOUT A MILE.

[REC]

I had winter tires put on yesterday and the TPMS light was on after the change and has not gone out after approx. 25-30 miles of driving. I called Sears on the way home (that's where I got the tires) and they said the system should "reset" itself after 20 miles or so. Has anyone here had any experience with this light coming on yet?

Simple process to manually reset. It's in the manual. Key on, not running. press the haz switch on/off three times within 15 seconds (I think that is the time) and you'll hear the horn honk twice. Should be done.

Mine is on too, but it's because I won't use the "recommended" pressures in the tires. I don't know what tires you bought but the "recommended" rear pressure is 49 lbs. That works with the Conti's that come on the thing, but most normal tires are maxed at 44.

I am running 42 in all four and am content to watch/wait for the bulb burn out eventually. I spoke with a tech I used to work with and was told it can be reprogrammed. I may eventually spring for that, but I watch my tires (and the rest of the van) pretty closely.

I am running 225/55-R16 tires on 16X7 aluminum wheels. They have the sensors in them and seemed fine at first, but the first time I went for a high speed, long (more than 50 miles) run, on it came. It won't reset now, even following the long version described in the manual. ("Retraining" the sensors/computer)

I honestly don't care for the silly TPMS thing anyway. I never had it before, and wouldn't miss it if it wasn't here now. My gut feeling is that if yo drive the same vehicle pretty much all the time, you can feel it when something isn't the way it should be - tire pressure included. I also keep an eye on things every time I go to get in the seat. I don't think my wife is the same, but she does tell me when her car is not "normal," and she's usually right on the money.

Sorry for the long winded answer.

REC

Happily Transiting

Edited December 22, 2009 by REC

[isellford]

How do you like the wheel / tire change. Any appreciable differernce in the ride? New wheels are in my budget for next year. I have had TPMS issues with my wife's Focus, mainly during significant temperature changes but none so far with the TC.

[PetrosA]

I got Firestone Winterforce tires because they were CHEAP!! They cost about $45/tire at Sears plus installation. Most quotes I was getting was in the low to mid $90 range unless I went to a tire warehouse. They max out at 44# which is probably why the indicator lamp is on. I'll try resetting it. Interestingly, the Ford dealer was proposing the Conti Winter Contacts, which also max out at 44# so the light would also have been on and they would have had to deal with it .

The ride is a bit squirmy on these tires at highway speeds, but I'll take that trade-off for the added ice and snow traction. On Monday morning I had a client with a long, windy driveway that's uphill most of the way and I was just barely able to make it up on the OEM tires. The other guy with me was in an E250 and he had to leave his truck at the bottom of the driveway. Even so, he got stuck trying to leave, ran off the asphalt, buried himself up to the axle in mud, and we had to get him pulled out by a plow - time lost approx. 2 hours and a bill for extraction.

Overall I'm very pleased with the winter handling of the TC. The dedicated second gear works great for starting and driving in snow - as good if not better than using 2nd to start with a manual transmission. I definitely recommend winter tires if you live in an area that gets snow and ice though. Saturday morning, about 3 hours into the blizzard, I had to go out with the OEM tires and it was a nightmare. I was sliding backwards down a hill after losing traction and the truck started to spin. Not fun. I eventually regained control and backed down the hill safely, but I prefer having the winter tires and just going up the hill in that situation.

[REC]

I got Firestone Winterforce tires because they were CHEAP!! They cost about $45/tire at Sears plus installation. Most quotes I was getting was in the low to mid $90 range unless I went to a tire warehouse. They max out at 44# which is probably why the indicator lamp is on. I'll try resetting it. Interestingly, the Ford dealer was proposing the Conti Winter Contacts, which also max out at 44# so the light would also have been on and they would have had to deal with it .

The ride is a bit squirmy on these tires at highway speeds, but I'll take that trade-off for the added ice and snow traction. On Monday morning I had a client with a long, windy driveway that's uphill most of the way and I was just barely able to make it up on the OEM tires. The other guy with me was in an E250 and he had to leave his truck at the bottom of the driveway. Even so, he got stuck trying to leave, ran off the asphalt, buried himself up to the axle in mud, and we had to get him pulled out by a plow - time lost approx. 2 hours and a bill for extraction.

Overall I'm very pleased with the winter handling of the TC. The dedicated second gear works great for starting and driving in snow - as good if not better than using 2nd to start with a manual transmission. I definitely recommend winter tires if you live in an area that gets snow and ice though. Saturday morning, about 3 hours into the blizzard, I had to go out with the OEM tires and it was a nightmare. I was sliding backwards down a hill after losing traction and the truck started to spin. Not fun. I eventually regained control and backed down the hill safely, but I prefer having the winter tires and just going up the hill in that situation.

After thinkiing about this for a while, it reminds me of the one thing about Florida that we take for granted.. Cold here is NOT like the rest of the country.

Thanks for reminding me why I pay through the nose to live here!

12/23/09, 4:50pm - I was just out to the shed in shorts and a t-shirt.... sweating.

Yeeha!

REC

Happily Transiting

[isellford]

I agree. Spent 25+ years in the Midwest. Not fun cleaning off a lot full of commercial trucks and plowing snow when wind chill is sometimes below 0.

Been here 3 years and i will take the hot summers [reason God invented swimming pools] over the bitter cols ant day of the week. Do not miss it one bit.

[REC]

How do you like the wheel / tire change. Any appreciable differernce in the ride? New wheels are in my budget for next year. I have had TPMS issues with my wife's Focus, mainly during significant temperature changes but none so far with the TC.

I must have missed this earlier...

The first reason is the ugliest wheels covers on the planet, the second was I've had some bad karma with Continentals in the past, and feel (proven again in this case) that they are the partial cause of the road noise coming through the floor.

I had a set of Conti's on the Crown Vic (a normally very quiet riding car) and it became not only noisy, but disgustingly so.. to the point that at 50% tread wear, I had them replaced with Michelins (Pilot Exalto A/S to be exact). I have no use for them at this point, and looked at the ratings for noise on the tires I was considering. Comparison of the Kumho to the Michelin was a surprise. I had a friend with 6 tow trucks that swore by Kumho, so I figured I'd consider them. They were rated better than the Michelins, were 2 lbs lighter per tire and came with 1/32 more tread right from the start. Add the lesser (by 120.00 per set of four) cost and it made sense to use them. So far, so good. I am a FIRM believer in Michelins, and have had them on probably 30 different cars/trucks/vans in the last 30 years. This is my first set of Kumhos, and based on the 7000 miles so far, won't be my last. I have had those same Pilots on the last four of my cars, and thought there was nothing that could compare. I'm re-thinking that now. I had them on an Extreme Blazer that was the last recent really fun car I've had, and they were like glue.. They stuck, wet or dry. Miles lasted were good too. Got 52K out of them. (That was also the first Chev product I bought new since 1976, and only the second GM product since then, the other an '82 G20 van)

The ride is MUCH better - more tread width, better, quieter tire, and an overall track width increase - partly due to the tires, partly to the wheels. Wheels are 16X7 with 40mm offset (vs. 52mm+ from the OEM) - adds a bit of stability as well as the quiet, smoother ride. I went with the Kumho Ecsta Premium LX 225/55-R16, and am running 42lbs cold. Gas mileage went down a hair, but not a loss in my book. The tires are great, and made a world of difference in the interior noise, as well as overall traction seems to be somewhat better. I drove almost 600 miles last Friday in rain that was like watr pouring from buckets for the most part, no hydroplaning, though the wind did hit pretty hard several times on the return trip.

Overall - The change in wheels/tires size was a huge positive for the van. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The more I drive this thing, the better I like it. I said after the Blazer that I'd never own another car I really liked.... well.... I was wrong. I REALLY like this thing. It's just plain fun to drive. I miss the Crown's horsepower, but I DON'T miss the relationship with the gas station enough to want to do that again. (4.6 LX Sport with some attitude corrections, made plenty of power)

REC

Happily Transiting

Edited December 25, 2009 by REC

[PetrosA]

Update:

So I went and got a new gauge since my old one maxed out at 45 lbs. New one is a dial type that goes to 60 lbs. and seems very accurate. I put 44 lbs. in all the tires (max allowed), reset the indicator light and it's staying off for now. We'll see how it goes...