Tire-SafeGuard

[gypsyken]

Recognizing that tires are one of the most vulnerable components of my motorhome and towed car, I'm thinking about buying a tire pressure monitoring system that would cover all 10 tires. Without clear evidence that one of the several available systems is better than the others, consideration of price and the features that I think would be most important to me have led me to the Tire-SafeGuard. It comes with Flow-Through Sensors that mount on the valve stems of the motorhome tires, non-flow-through sensors for the towed car tires, and a portable monitor that can be used in place of a gauge when air is added to tires. The current price on the internet is $479, to which I suppose tax and delivery may be added. Any comments will be appreciated.

 

[dartmouth01]

Can't tell you if that brand is good or not, but I have been running the TST 507 system for 5 years now and it just will not die. Their customer service has been good too, just called them up a few days ago to get some o-rings (I've run out from the battery replacements I've done over the years) and they sent them to me, just paid shipping. So if you're still shopping, consider TST!

[gypsyken]

Thanks.  The TST was not mentioned in the article on tire pressure monitoring systems that I had clipped from Family Motor Coaching magazine, so I went to the TST website and also Googled and read the reviews of systems on the FMCA and Motorhome forums.  Almost all of the reviews of the TST were very positive, but two were not and one was very negative ("unhappy . . . waste of money").  I found reviews of the Tire-SafeGuard only on its website, where all of them, not surprisingly, are very positive.  (No responses to my inquiry on RVillage groups have mentioned either TST or Tire-SafeGuard so far.)  I watched the installation video on the TST website, which I did not find simple.  I would certainly have to watch it more than once, or perhaps get help, which, as you and others have indicated, would be readily available from TST.  I didn't find detailed installation information about installation on the Tire-SafeGuard site, but what information there is suggests that it's easier. The TST costs more than the Tire-Safeguard and the TST website says that since my motorhome is 38', I would need a repeater to get readings from my toad, which of course adds to the cost, as Tire-Safeguard says I would not need one.  And the Tire-SafeGuard user-replaceable batteries are said to last for five years or more, vs. the TST's one  year.  I will wait a while to see if I get any further information on this or another forum, but I do not want to spend more than I need to to get a dependable system that is convenient to use, and the Tire-SafeGuard would cost $139 less than the TST.

[dartmouth01]

You're doing some good research, so I would go with your gut.  Only concern for me is why there aren't any Tire-Safeguard reviews out in the wild besides what is on their site, and that their website doesn't have as much info on set up.  But if they have a good return policy, sounds like a fine choice.

 

[Ray,IN]

The TST 507 installation is quite easy once you digest the instructions.  I re-read the instructions several times, and even practiced dry-runs, before they made sense, after that installation was easy.

I first bought the 510 system for our 5er only. When we bought the MH I purchased the 507 flow-thru system.

[gjhunter01]

Quote

I have been using the Tire-SafeGuard  TPM-C106N on my fifth wheel for 4 years now and so far they have worked fine. I replaced the batteries after 2 years and will probably need to replace them soon again, CR1632 from Radio Shack. I did order a signal booster TPM-SB12V to get a stronger signal from my swivel trailer tire on back of the fifth wheel. I have been amazed at the rolling PSI and temp of my tires and have reduced my cold PSI to 95 which now run at 115-120 rolling PSI, vs was at 110 PSI/rolling 135 PSI.

Greg

 

[gypsyken]

Thanks to Ray,IN and to gjhunter01 and Greg.  I am attracted to the Tire-SafeGuard because of its price and advertised features, but I don't have information about how easy or difficult it is to install.  From viewing the TST installation video, I don't think that installation would be easy for me. 

[Ray,IN]

It really is easy to program the TST 507 after you do a dry-run(you may change things afterward). There are two different methods for programming, a manual entry method for sensor ID numbers, and an automatic method where you install them one at a time while holding the monitor next to the sensor (you must place the remaining sensors more than xx ft. away from the one being programmed).

[gypsyken]

Thanks.  After watching the Tire-SafeGuard video, installation doesn't seem difficult, and, as I've said, it's significantly less expensive than the TST.  The one feature of the Tire-SafeGuard that I'm now unsure about is the convenience or inconvenience of having the motorhome and car tires displayed on two separate screens, rather than on the same one.

[Dutch_12078]

The references on their web site to reading in motion make me suspicious that the sensors may be the type that shut down when there's no motion to conserve the batteries. That's good for battery life, but it also means you cannot get accurate readings before setting out for the day. I would definitely want to check on that before buying. TST sensors do not shut down...

[gypsyken]

Thanks very much.  I have read again the User's Manual on the Tire-SafeGuard website, and your suspicion is correct.  It says this: "The sensors can detect whether the vehicle is in motion and will send out heartbeat signals every 3 to 5 minutes when moving; for a stationary vehicle the signal transmission slows down to once every couple hour (sic) for conserving battery power.   Nevertheless, when abnormal tire situation (sic) occurs the sensors will send out warning signals as soon as it was (sic) detected."

Having been a full-timer since 1993, and having traveled in every state & territory in the U.S., Canada (except Nunavut, which has no roads), and Mexico, I am now parked most of the time (all summer in one place, all winter in another), so waiting for a "couple hour" to get a current reading before moving wouldn't be a handicap--especially as an "abnormal tire situation" is said to be signaled as soon as it is detected--and the extended battery life would be an advantage.  The language errors in the manual do concern me, however, from the perspective of quality control, although the system is said to be manufactured in the U.S.

[TreyandSusan]

Sorry to go off topic but a statement has been made that needs some important clarification for safety reasons...

On 3/10/2017 at 10:43 PM, gjhunter01 said:

I have been amazed at the rolling PSI and temp of my tires and have reduced my cold PSI to 95 which now run at 115-120 rolling PSI, vs was at 110 PSI/rolling 135 PSI.

This could be a misunderstanding of the proper condition or state to set tire pressure which could be doing damage to the tires by under-inflating them. Tire psi should always be measured when COLD (meaning before driving). All tires heat up once driving starts (rolling). Due to physical laws the increase in temperature will cause psi to increase.  This driving or "rolling" increase of PSI can vary greatly from vehicle to vehicle but is often somewhere in the ballpark of 8-15 psi (sometimes more or less) and should stabilize after driving a while and is perfectly normal. However, inflation pressure should not be adjusted down to account for the psi increase once tires have warmed up after driving. Lowering inflation pressure for this reason or condition may be resulting in under-inflation of the tires which is unsafe and will damage tires.

(There is more to this subject but the intent here is to help understand the specific issue of NOT setting inflation pressure for the driving state of warm tires. Instead pressure should be set and measured before driving or COLD, which is the term tire engineers use to convey this instruction.)

As far as TPMS - lots of opinions. They all work pretty good and do what they are supposed to do. Different bells and whistles. We have tested a number of brands (not including Tire-Safeguard) and they all work as expected and as with everything each will have some dissatisfied folks.

[gjhunter01]

Two years ago I was running across Nebraska with 110 PSI in my tires as checked that morning. Later that day it got to be 100 deg and my tires were running 135 PSI and 160 deg based on my TPS screen. With in the next 2 months, I had 3 tires go bad with belt separation. The tires had gotten over stressed that day and I paid the price later. This is the reason I run 95 PSI and the TMPS shows I am rolling at 115-120 PSI which is good, (10 PSI over max rating is good). The tire tread wear is showing even all across the tire width after 20k miles. My old tires showed excess wear in the middle, 110 PSI was too high for my loads. As a retired engineer, I like to fine tune what works best for my situation and I have done the research. I admit my method is not for everyone and in fact drives most folks that operate by the book crazy.

Tire engineers set the PSI max based on average use by the consumer and they error on the high pressure side since under inflation has legal implications, (Firestone Lawsuit, Explorer). Even my Chevy 3500 owners manual states to run the tires at 65 PSI, while tire load max is 80 PSI. Running max tire PSI is not automatically always the best. Check your load charts.

Greg

[dartmouth01]

Also, apparently tires have a load to psi scale, so you don't necessarily inflate to max pressure unless you are running at max loading.  I think others here are more familiar with this (and where you can find those charts online for better known tire brands), but that much I've gathered from having read a few threads on this matter.  

 

[Dutch_12078]

9 hours ago, gypsyken said:

Thanks very much.  I have read again the User's Manual on the Tire-SafeGuard website, and your suspicion is correct.  It says this: "The sensors can detect whether the vehicle is in motion and will send out heartbeat signals every 3 to 5 minutes when moving; for a stationary vehicle the signal transmission slows down to once every couple hour (sic) for conserving battery power.   Nevertheless, when abnormal tire situation (sic) occurs the sensors will send out warning signals as soon as it was (sic) detected."

Having been a full-timer since 1993, and having traveled in every state & territory in the U.S., Canada (except Nunavut, which has no roads), and Mexico, I am now parked most of the time (all summer in one place, all winter in another), so waiting for a "couple hour" to get a current reading before moving wouldn't be a handicap--especially as an "abnormal tire situation" is said to be signaled as soon as it is detected--and the extended battery life would be an advantage.  The language errors in the manual do concern me, however, from the perspective of quality control, although the system is said to be manufactured in the U.S.

That "once every couple hour (sic)" is still better than the ones that shut down completely when not in motion anyway. I still prefer sacrificing a little battery life for the peace of mind of knowing my tire pressures are ok shortly before hitting the road. In your situation though, that difference may not be worth the price difference.

[dartmouth01]

With the TST's, if you plan to park it for a while you can take the sensors off and they'll stop transmitting after a while, basically going into sleep mode.  At least that is what the manual said.....

[gjhunter01]

28 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:

That "once every couple hour (sic)" is still better than the ones that shut down completely when not in motion anyway. I still prefer sacrificing a little battery life for the peace of mind of knowing my tire pressures are ok shortly before hitting the road. In your situation though, that difference may not be worth the price difference.

I always manually check the tire pressure before a long trip, or after sitting for a month or longer. I use the TPM as a secondary system while driving to monitor changes. My batteries on the Tire-SafeGuard usually last 2 years. As I recall, it was easy to set up 4 years ago.

Greg

[Dutch_12078]

Yes, when the TST sensors are removed, they completely shut off. Since we seldom stay anywhere long enough to bother taking them off, ours are on 24/7, and the batteries still last at least a year. With batteries costing less than $1 each, an annual replacement is not an issue for me.

[gypsyken]

Thanks. Tire-SafeGuard responded by email to a question I asked in an email, saying that the motorhome and toad can either be shown separately on alternating display screens or together on the same screen, information that I did not find on their website.  I'm going to call to ask them about my situation in which my motorhome, but not my car, may be parked for a long while and I will want to check the motorhome tire pressures when I want to move it..  That's the last question I have at this time.  Highly-rated Tire Minder, by the way, didn't reply to my e-mailed question..

[Dutch_12078]

4 minutes ago, gjhunter01 said:

I always manually check the tire pressure before a long trip, or after sitting for a month or longer. I use the TPM as a secondary system while driving to monitor changes. My batteries on the Tire-SafeGuard usually last 2 years. As I recall, it was easy to set up 4 years ago.

Greg

I used to manually check my tire pressures from time to time, but the TST sensors have been so reliable and always within a pound of my calibrated gauge readings that I no longer bother. It's much quicker to just give the tires a visual check during my pre-departure walk around while the TST monitor is gathering the current readings.

[Tireman9]

On 3/14/2017 at 5:37 PM, gjhunter01 said:

Two years ago I was running across Nebraska with 110 PSI in my tires as checked that morning. Later that day it got to be 100 deg and my tires were running 135 PSI and 160 deg based on my TPS screen. With in the next 2 months, I had 3 tires go bad with belt separation. The tires had gotten over stressed that day and I paid the price later. This is the reason I run 95 PSI and the TMPS shows I am rolling at 115-120 PSI which is good, (10 PSI over max rating is good). The tire tread wear is showing even all across the tire width after 20k miles. My old tires showed excess wear in the middle, 110 PSI was too high for my loads. As a retired engineer, I like to fine tune what works best for my situation and I have done the research. I admit my method is not for everyone and in fact drives most folks that operate by the book crazy.

Tire engineers set the PSI max based on average use by the consumer and they error on the high pressure side since under inflation has legal implications, (Firestone Lawsuit, Explorer). Even my Chevy 3500 owners manual states to run the tires at 65 PSI, while tire load max is 80 PSI. Running max tire PSI is not automatically always the best. Check your load charts.

Greg

 

[Tireman9]

Just now, Tireman9 said:

This tire engineer has never set tire inflations to an average used by others. Cold tire inflation for motorhomes should be set based on the actual measured load on the tires on the coach.with the inflation based the heavier end of each axle with an extra 10% margin on the inflation so you are not chasing inflation whenever the temperature changes.

 

[gypsyken]

Many thanks, Tireman.  I used to inflate my motorhome's tires to the maximum pressure for maximum load shown on the sidewall, plus 10%, but that was with Michellin tires with maximum psi of 100 for XRV's (original tires) or 90 for XZE's (available replacements).  I had to replace my tires in Mexico last year, and the only ones I could find were different XZE's with load range H and maximum pressure of 120.  That  not only seemed excessive, but my on-board compressor (for the air chassis) can't do it.  So I got the chart for my tires from Michellin on the internet and found that 100 psi will provide a margin for my weight, for which 90 psi would be the absolute minimum, with which I would not feel comfortable.  So I'm inflating them to approximately 110, which means that my Tire-SafeGuard will signal low pressure at about 96.  That seems to me to the best I can do, because if I inflated them to only 100, low pressure wouldn't signal until below 90.

[Tireman9]

On 3/14/2017 at 5:37 PM, gjhunter01 said:

Two years ago I was running across Nebraska with 110 PSI in my tires as checked that morning. Later that day it got to be 100 deg and my tires were running 135 PSI and 160 deg based on my TPS screen. With in the next 2 months, I had 3 tires go bad with belt separation. The tires had gotten over stressed that day and I paid the price later. This is the reason I run 95 PSI and the TMPS shows I am rolling at 115-120 PSI which is good, (10 PSI over max rating is good). The tire tread wear is showing even all across the tire width after 20k miles. My old tires showed excess wear in the middle, 110 PSI was too high for my loads. As a retired engineer, I like to fine tune what works best for my situation and I have done the research. I admit my method is not for everyone and in fact drives most folks that operate by the book crazy.

Tire engineers set the PSI max based on average use by the consumer and they error on the high pressure side since under inflation has legal implications, (Firestone Lawsuit, Explorer). Even my Chevy 3500 owners manual states to run the tires at 65 PSI, while tire load max is 80 PSI. Running max tire PSI is not automatically always the best. Check your load charts.

Greg

IMO if your TPMS is indicating 160 the tire structure is significantly higher. Have you confirmed the actual load on your tires with individual tire measurements?  What is your upper driving speed. If I were to see a +60F over ambient and knew my load and the tire inflations were set to the charts i would slow down. I know that there are many stretches of highway where it is relatively easy to exceed 70 but heat is the main killer of tires. Failures do not occur at the first moment of high temperature but we need realize that high heat is "consuming" the finite life of a tire and it is a high probability that your 160F contributed to the early tire failure.

 

Belt separations can result from the rubber loosing much of its elasticity due to being "over0cured" due to high heat. You might find my blog post of Feb 6 2012 informative.

[gjhunter01]

I run between 58 and 60 MPH religiously. My tire PSI actual readings matched the TPMS in the morning before starting the run.

Greg