Hi Dream Reachers.....

You can go to www.pressureprosystem.com  Mike & Pat McFall are friends of ours and they give special service to RV Dreams readers.

You can get as many sensors as you have tires.

-- Edited by Howard at 22:10, 2007-08-14

Hi!

The basic Pressure Pro system is a control unit, which runs about $250, and how ever many sensor/transmitter units you need for your circumstances.  You will need one sensor/transmitter unit for each tire you desire to monitor.  Each sensor/transmitter unit is about $50.  You may also need an additional antenna for the control unit if you have trouble receiveing all of the tire sensor/transmitter units signal.  So you can see that the cost will basically be different for your circumstances.   I have found that there is very little difference in the pricing from place to place, but I haven't looked at the folks Linda suggested above. 

The system is a good system.  It only draw back it that it monitors tire pressure only.  Tire temperature would be nice to know.  Tires will generate more heat due to 2 factors.  One is pressure the other is load.  If your tire is overloaded and heating up due to the overload condition the Pressure Pro system will not tell you. Still, in my opinion, the system is well worth the money for the peace of mind that it offers.

To follow up on aehoweth: I went with Smartire as it does both pressure and temperature. To me temp is as important as pressure as I can tell if a toad brake (or any brake for that matter) is hanging up in route as I'll see the temp rise.  I suspect you might also see trailer tire bearing failure as a temp spike as well. Hence, for me, the temp measurement feature of Smartire provides not only tire protection but vehicle protection in case of a brake issue. I can also detect tire sidewall failure do to excess heating as well.

Judy you are right. However, in the event a tire shows a temp increase and the pressure sensor says it is properly inflated then I know there is a bigger problem... That's why I like having both pressure and temperature readings.

Let me add one thing about tire heating issue.  Any tire pressure sensor is only going to alram when the pressure in the tire drops below a predetermined level from the initial set pressure.  If the initial set pressure is too low for the load on the tire, the tire will generate excessive heat without ever seeing a low pressure situation.  With Pressure Pro the sensors alarm at 12.5% below set point.  The set point is determined for the sensor by removing it for 10 to 15 seconds and then reinstalling it.  YOU have to determine what the proper pressure set point is for the load you are placing on the tire.  If you increase the load on your tires and don't reset the initial set point for the sensors you will never see an alarm, even though the tire is heating up.

I'm not knocking Pressure Pro.  I use it and it works great.  You just have to remember to properly pressure your tires to start with and then reset the sensors as tire loading changes.

Thank y'all for all of your helpfull comments on the pressure pro. I think tire pressure is extremly important to watch while traveling. I am also concerned about temperature, but I was wondering "if a wheel was heating up wouldn't the pressure in that tire also go up and indicate a problem if the pressure was being monitored."

I'm glad everyone is happy with their Pressure Pro but I have a different perspective. In Feb 2007 I purchased a Doran Pressure Pro with 10 sensors. (Dually and trailer with tandom axles). I spent a whole day installing and programing my truck only. It was not easy as I had to dismount my back wheels to install the sensors on the inside rears on the driveway with hand tools. It programed fine but during test drives it alarmed (for no reason) and lost programming many times. After a day of reprogramming, spending time on the phone to Doran and programing again, I gave up. Doran would not take it back. It's in a box in tool box now.
I seem to be the exception to the rule, but that's my experience.

Speedhitch wrote:

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Not so Jam man...If I would have done that job the back wheels to the truck would still be off and the truck would be scrap metal... I am like Howard when it comes to those things. I would have to spend the extra for instalation and It still would not work. Don't feel bad there are others out there with that problem.

Joe

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I thought you were describing me! 

Luvglass wrote:

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We had a bow out a couple of weeks ago while on the way to the Redmond Rally, and the DW asked if we had made a mistake in not getting the Pressure Pro system? There was a Pressure Pro booth at the show, so I stopped by and told them what had happened and asked if their system would have given me notice and help prevent the damage that the tread did to the trailer.

Their response was no, it wouldn't have helped, it only notifies you if your pressure gets low. Since I checked the tires before we left the blow out was sudden and catastrophic. My feeling is that the Pressure Pro solves a non existent problem. It's only of value if you don't want to take the 5 minutes it takes to check your tires before you leave.
Fred

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On the other hand, I wonder if it would be of benefit with insurance claims in cases of catastrophic failure like this if you have a tire pressure monitoring system in place. It might make it harder for an insurance company or the tire manufacturer to say that the owner was at fault for negligence. It's possible to pick up a nail or something that causes a slow leak after you have checked the tires and hit the road.

Tire blowouts with RVs is something that concerns me because I keep hearing about it happening, but in all my years of driving a car I've never had a blowout with an automobile tire, and can't say as I've ever known anybody who had it happen to them, so it seems there is definitely something different with RVs. Higher pressures, greater loads perhaps, that make monitoring even more crucial??

No pressure monitor can forewarn of a sudden catastrophic failure - as in a very old tire failing or a physically damaged tire failing. But then if you are running old tires you already know of the potential risk.

However, I would suggest that a slow leak - be it a nail or those pesky dually hose extensions or simply a valve stem that failed to seat after being checked - is a root cause of many “blow outs” for those (like luvglass and myself) that impeccably maintain their rig. A pressure system would definitely show that leak before the low pressure heat causes the blow. I had a dually extension hose loosen and leak on 2 month old tires while driving - I too check my pressure daily - and experienced "a sudden blow out" that in fact was not sudden if I had had a pressure monitor to tell me what was going on. The convenience of not having to manually check all the tires is also a big plus.

This will be a first for me, but I would have to respectfully disagree with luvglass that pressure monitoring solves a non-existent problem. IMHO the most frequent cause of tire blow is not an unforeseeable carcass failure - you generally will know if your tires are old or curb damaged - but a slow to moderate air leak inducing a heat failure.

The question is not can these systems aid in averting some forms of on the road tire failure - but is the safety information these systems provide worth the money to each individual owner?

-- Edited by RVDude at 09:11, 2007-08-02

Sorry I haven't picked up on this thread sooner. I'm supposed to be the Official Pressurepro Guy on this Forum. I'm slipping on my dutys, sorry Howard.

We have been selling PressurePro Systems for over 4 years and was in in the testing of the Beta System before it came on the market. I was looking for a good air pressure monitoring system when I heard about PressurePro. I ended up testing the System for them and was so satisfied with the final product, ease of installation and price that I began selling them. I certianly wasn't looking for a job as we have been retired and full timing for 12 years.....

Now after saying that, let me tell you that it has turned into quite a bussiness. We have sold Hundreds of Systems to fellow Rv'ers.

I will be happy to answer any questions that anyone has or you can call us. We are in Custer, SD. until Sept 15th...........850-294-0281 cell phone.
I will say that we (Pat and I) are committed to service after the sale. We will be here to help you if you have problem. We work directly for PressurePro and not Doran......Doran is simply a salesperson, just as we are.

I would like to make the announcement that all New PressurePro Systems, as of a couple months ago.............NOW give a HIGH PRESSURE warning......If the pressure in your tire gets 33% above the pressure you have "set" for that tire, you will get a HIGH pressure warning.
Therefore if you have sometning causing your Hub, wheel or tire to get HOT and the pressure goes up over 33% it will notify you by giving you the location of the tire and the pressure reading.

Let me or Pat know if we can help you.... www.PressureProSystem.com

Mike

-- Edited by Mike McFall at 17:34, 2007-08-03

No Joe, unfortunatly we won't be able to be there. Howard has went out of his way inviting us and we would love to come, But............Its at the wrong time of the year for us as we are along way from there. Howard says he will give a PresssurePro Seminar for me............

We'll sure be glad to help you though, in any way we can. I might also say that we give a MONEY back GUARANTEE for 30 days after purchase and a 1 year Warranty.........on ALL Systems we sell.......We jsut shipped out 2 systems to RV Dreams members today...
Give us a call....

Thanks for asking

Mike

The warning is 33% over the SET pressure. What ever pressure you set as your desired "SET" pressure, if it goes 33% over that it alarms. If it does alarm, your tires are running quite warm and it probably would warrant checking as I suggested. it could produce an erroneous alarm I suppose, but quite unlikely.
Hasn't seem to yet in any I've seen.

      "Anyone have a problem with off the wall temp readings on their pressure pros"
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Dz, I don't understand your question. PressurePro gives HIGH and/or LOW pressure readings, not temp readings........I have to assume you meant pressure and not temp.

No one has ever reported such a problem. I very seldom wash my rig with a HIGH pressure system. I have the Truck a couple times and didn't even check to see what kind of readings the PressurePro gave me immediatly afterwards.

I also have to assume that you are refering to readings and not warnings. So you must have been pressing the buttons immediatly after the wash. Therefore I think that the hot, cold or cool water must be effecting the pressure in the tires causing the different tire pressure changes. I know of course the sun will change them also. I suppose a rain storm might also do it.

I don't really see it as a problem. If I'm missing something let me know. I would just leave everything as is after the wash job and give it time to stabilize. 

Regards
Mike 

Mike McFall wrote:

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The warning is 33% over the SET pressure. What ever pressure you set as your desired "SET" pressure, if it goes 33% over that it alarms. If it does alarm, your tires are running quite warm and it probably would warrant checking as I suggested. it could produce an erroneous alarm I suppose, but quite unlikely.
Hasn't seem to yet in any I've seen.

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If you were driving across the desert in August outside temp 100+ and the high pressure alarm goes off what should you do? I can see that if one tire is high it could be an overheated hub but, what if all of the tires have high pressure. I have never given any thought to how high the pressure gets inside of a tire on hot asphalt, in the hot desert. I also don't see how pulling over a just sitting in the hot sun would be better than keep going and at least get the looking effect of going 60 MPH.

 

Sorry about that, must have had a senior moment, of course I meant pressure and not temp. Whats happening is after leaving the car wash I get one or more alarms, and checking pressures find they don't make sense. Note, this is on the truck, never have pressure washed the trailer. The problem is usually on the front tires. Last time the pressure check showed low on left front and high on right front. Also today while driving in light rain, the left front went all the way to 23 lbs. and then several hours later was reading 62. I carry 65 in all tires. It got so annoying today we just unplugged.

Mike, so far just the truck, yesterday we removed and reset the front left and it did fine all day, unfortunately, we accidently deleted one of the duallys. Sometimes we will show no sensor on the trailer for a while and then it returns. I think most of the problem is us getting used to how this system works.

We have experienced  high and low pressure alarms both after washing our car and/or motor home and going through rain storms.  Last Sunday we were heading west across Oklahoma through the dregs of tropical storm Erin and kept getting alarms on one of our motor home tires.  We checked the tire but everything was fine.  Sometimes the alarm was a high pressure, sometimes low. 

Is it normal for the sensors to give alarms when they come in contact with water?

Thanks and happy travels
Ellie

        I finally caught up with a couple of the Engineers this morning and discussed these problems with them. I was informed that it was not something that was happening with any regularity. 

         The false LOW pressure alerts are most commanly caused due to a faulty interaction between the dill valve and the valve seal in the Sensor. We are just not getting the dill valve open enough to the air in the tire. It is collapsing sometime after you screw it on and closing off the air from the inside of the tire. Some dill valves are screwed into the valve stem too far, or they are too short and are so low in the valve stem that the little seal inside of the Sensor can't push it down far enough to let enough air get into the Sensor. Switching the Sensor to another tire by deleating it and reinstalling it in another location may also solve this faulty dill valve interaction. Doug said that resolves it 90% of the time.

    The solution to this is to make sure the dill valve sets high enough that it is nearly even with the top of the valve stem and the insert in the Sensor can push it down far enough. Second, screw the dill valve out of the stem a ways so it can be depressed fully by the Sensor.(a temporary fix) Third, replace the dill valve with a new one and make sure it is a longer dill valve.  

      This stuff is hard to explain in writing and both the Engineers said it would be best if they were to talk to you direct so they can ask you different questions. That will help them in determining what the problem is and help you correct it. Therfore it is best to call the 800 number on the back of your installation manual and get a direct answer one on one. It is best to call when you have the system close at hand so they can have you run some tests as they talk with you. These answers will be of great assistance to them.

             Another thing that helps with false alerts is airing your tires and setting the pressures in your system when it is COOL!!! If you already have the system installed and it was done later in the day or when it was warm, Its easy to reset the pressures. All you need to do is go out some morning early when it is COOL, unscrew all Sensors and wait at least one minute.(more is OK) Then screw them all back on and in 5 minutes or less the Monitor will re-record all the set new cool pressures. There is NO programing to do on the Monitor....

REMEMBER, when all else fails, read the MANUAL.........

I hope I haven't confused you all to much!!!

Mike