Tire Pressure Monitoring System - Need vs. Want

[rfoster]

Need Vs Want

I started out wanting a TPMS and found out after all I needed it and my advise to you is you will need it too. Thump, shoot with the IR, & look - but you can"t predict when you will pickup a piece of metal that's too small to see in the road, but big enough to penetrate and puncture the tire.

At 67 mph - I don't know how long a deflated tire will run before it destroys the fender well opening and attached parts, - I don't want to know.

The TPMS has saved me from two potential tire disasters. I consider them a must have now.

[phorner]

A second point to check temperatures for those using an IR gun is at the wheel very close to the hub. This will give an indication that the bearings are not overheating such as due to low fluid and that the brakes are not dragging. We can do the same thing to the tires and wheels on the toad.

If we are still looking for something to do we can open the engine doors and do a complete engine inspection to make sure the belts are OK, fluid levels are OK, etc. By the time we do all this however we won't have time left to drive.

I always check the temps on the toad as I'm doing my walk around and I'll also check the temperature of the brake discs on it as well to see if my toad braking system is working overtime.

I tend to check the circumference of the sidewalls to look for any hot spots. Don't know why.... it's not based on anything that I'm aware of, it just felt "right" to me. And because checking the sidewall of the inner duals is difficult at best, I also check tread temperatures..

All of this sounds like a lot but it really takes very little time.