| TPMS stands for Tire Pressure Monitoring System. It | | | | around. See, if it's lacking air, then it's obviously going |
| does exactly what it sounds like: Monitors the | | | | to be smaller & rotating all the way around more |
| pressure inside all of the tires on your vehicle; it's also | | | | often than a tire that is inflated the way it's |
| included on forklifts, airplane undercarriages, & pretty | | | | supposed to be. In contrast, tires that are |
| much other vehicles that are used to carry heavy | | | | over-inflated take a little more time to make a |
| loads. | | | | complete rotation than the other regularly inflated |
| There are two types of TPMSystems: Direct & | | | | tires. The main disadvantage is that the driver with |
| Indirect. | | | | Indirect TPMS would have to constantly push the |
| Direct TPMS has an actual pressure sensor that's set | | | | reset button when the tire is inflated properly; but |
| on either the Wheel or the Tire of the vehicle. The | | | | sometimes it can be pressed by accident which |
| pressure information is sent to the vehicle from the | | | | causes for the calibration to be off when a tire is |
| pressure transducer in the tires; this lets the driver | | | | really either under inflated or over inflated. |
| know of either under or over inflation of one of the | | | | TPMS was first included on vehicles for safety |
| tires. Radio Frequency technology is how the | | | | reasons; but now, they typically come standard on all |
| information is transferred through; it's passed on by | | | | newer models. TPMSystems maintain the proper air |
| either Mechanical, Electrical, or Magnetic methods. The | | | | pressure in tires, allow the vehicle to perform to it's |
| only disadvantage with this type of TPMS is that the | | | | full potential, & even saves a couple bucks when it |
| battery that operates this system is much more | | | | comes to gas. When a vehicle has this Monitoring |
| expensive than the whole Indirect TPMS. | | | | System, it avoids approximately 120 out of the 533 |
| When it comes to Indirect TPMSystems, they pretty | | | | annual victims that unfortunately kick the bucket. |
| much just "estimate" how much air you have in those | | | | Anyway, that's the difference between the two |
| fancy tires of yours. It does this by examining & | | | | TPMSystems; hopefully its helped you realize what it |
| recording how fast your tire rotates all the way | | | | is & how important it can truly be. |