What would be the harm (if any) in running steel rims with winter tires without the tire pressure sensor components installed? My reasoning is this: The purchase price of the modules is about $60 per wheel. They have to be reprogrammed every time you shift from winter to summer and vice-versa, adding $70 reprogramming fees. The only downside I can see to not using the sensors is the warning light will be on all the time. - Kevin in Edmonton
Basically there is no problem in running tires without the tire pressure sensors other than, as you point out, the warning light showing at all times.
These devices came out of the fiasco a few years back when Ford and Firestone were initially blamed for a number of incidents blamed on either the vehicle or tires. Subsequent and exhaustive investigations revealed the problem was with driver/owner negligence - either overloading the vehicle or driving on under-inflated or badly worn ties.
U.S. regulations now require light-duty (less than 10,000-pound) vehicles produced after the 2007 model year to be equipped with devices that warn the driver of under-inflated tires. There is currently no such regulation in Canada, but the vast majority of vehicles purchased here are built to U.S. specs, which includes a tire pressure monitoring system.
There are two types of TPMS - direct and indirect.
Direct sensors are mounted within the wheel and contain a sensor and transmitter that provide a warning when the pressure in any single wheel drops more than 25 per cent from a pre-set amount. Obviously, when a tire is removed from the rim, there is no pressure, which means the TPMS has to be reset when the new or different tire is installed.
Indirect TPMS uses the sensors related to the ABS system, which measure the relative speed of the four individual wheels. Using this data, they can determine if one wheel is turning more rapidly than the others, as would be the case if pressure - and thus the rolling radius of the tire - dropped. The indirect systems are obviously not as accurate and are thus set to trigger a warning if pressure drops more than 30 per cent.
The readouts and warnings can also differ from a single light to individual pressures at each wheel.
Resetting most sensors requires specialized tools and training and the sensors can be damaged during a tire change, making it important to have the work done at a qualified shop.
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