And, if there were some way of adding an OEM-style TPMS to our 2007 Sprinter I'd jump on it. My next camper will likely have a factory-installed TPMS and I'll be glad to have it. Our new cars have had them for the last several generations and I like having them there, even though modern tires rarely puncture and the TPMS's are occasionally a pain in the butt. I'm all for the intent and recognize the value of having a TPMS installed. But that doesn't mean that I have to think it's a good idea. Good for them, doing everything they can to be safe. Some people might think that shark repellant is a necessity before going into the ocean. Along with valve extensions, I figure, if it isn't broken, why fix it?Ĭlick to expand.Necessity? What percentage of dual-rear-wheel Sprinters do you think have after-market TPMS's installed? Usually the problem is with the wheel covers supplied by Winnebago, not the valve stems, and it's better to just ditch the poorly-chosen hubcaps than to try to accommodate them. There are lots of stories of people "upgrading" their stems only to find they were installed incorrectly or they were sold a type that's not compatible with the Sprinter wheels. In regards to metal stems, yes they are better, but high-quality rubber stems are also adequate. So then it becomes a matter of balancing the risks of a malfunctioning TPMS with the benefit of being warned about significant-but-not-complete pressure loss. A TPMS won't do any good if you have a sudden catastrophic blowout and it won't do any good if you have a slow leak that doesn't lower the tire pressure enough to register. It reminds me of a conversation regarding earthquake retrofitting of a house, and how it only protects the structure within a very narrow range of earthquake magnitudes. The most obvious benefit to a TPMS would be when a tire on a towed vehicle or an inside dual-wheel tire goes flat and it's not obvious to the driver. But, I would still be wary of relying on it and would probably end up checking my tires at every stop anyway. I would love to have factory-installed TPMS, where the pressure monitoring system is behind the valve, not in front of it. And there are even a few reports of TPMS mechanisms failing and actually causing a tire to go flat. There are frequent reports of TPMS's not being accurate, not registering partial (less than 20 psi) pressure loss, or sending false warnings. Click to expand.Since we bought our View almost seven years ago, I've been learning all I can about TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems) and am still of the opinion that messing around with the factory-supplied valve stems creates additional risks.
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