tpms v/s pipe bomb pros & cons

[Francisco Coddou]

Hi, i have a set of 4 cooper tires that i'll be installing on new rims for my 2013 e-250 quigley.
I want to build a trailer and use the stock wheels and tires (the are 700 miles old)
I'm debating between a couple of options:

1.- take the valves of the existing tires, put the on the new rims and re mount them for the trailer, leave the stock spare. sensor valves are reusable? how long does the battery lasts? do i have any type of LSD on the diff? (can i use a smaller spare?, 30,5" v/s 33,5 aprox)

2.- buy 4 new valves with tpms. (part number? recommended brands?, do they need any type of calibration?)

3.- get 5 new rims and one more tire to match. (can i use 5 sensors and rotate the 5 tires?)

4.- forget about it and use a pipe bomb, check tire pressure every week and have 5 equal tires that i can rotate.

Thanks.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by Francisco Coddou

Hi, i have a set of 4 cooper tires that i'll be installing on new rims for my 2013 e-250 quigley.
I want to build a trailer and use the stock wheels and tires (the are 700 miles old)
I'm debating between a couple of options:

1.- take the valves of the existing tires, put the on the new rims and re mount them for the trailer, leave the stock spare. sensor valves are reusable? how long does the battery lasts? do i have any type of LSD on the diff? (can i use a smaller spare?, 30,5" v/s 33,5 aprox)

2.- buy 4 new valves with tpms. (part number? recommended brands?, do they need any type of calibration?)

3.- get 5 new rims and one more tire to match. (can i use 5 sensors and rotate the 5 tires?)

4.- forget about it and use a pipe bomb, check tire pressure every week and have 5 equal tires that i can rotate.

Thanks.

1. If I remember correctly, the new TPMS sensors are valve stem mounted starting in 2009.........I think.....the batteries last about 6-7 years. My 2008 had the TPMS sensors banded around the rims, so when I went with 17's I had to buy new sensors (about $40/ea)

As far as LSD goes, read the axle code from the sticker on the drivers door jamb and post here or do a google search for the code.

2. If you buy new sensors, the tire place should know what type you need......on my E350 I needed ones that go to 85psi for E rated tires.....and perhaps they also need to be Ford flavor

3. Yes you can get 5 tires/wheels/sensors and rotate them....you should have a little gizmo in with the owners manual that you can calibrate the sensors by placing them on the tire sidewall at the valve stem and turning the key on and off a certain way. The calibration procedure is in the owner's manual. On my E350 the fronts are set to a lower PSI threshold than the rears, so when I rotate I need to do the procedure.

5. That works if you don't mind the TPMS light being illuminated on the dash, and if you are in CA you can't pass smog check with the light illuminated.

[Francisco Coddou]

I think i'm going to get the 5 wheels plus an additional tire and 5 tpms sensors, know i just need to know the correct part number for the tpms sensors and trainer, can anyone help me with that?
I checked on Official Ford Parts Site | Buy Motorcraft & OEM Ford Parts Online | FordParts.com and found a lot of options with no way to tell the right one.

Thanks.

[boywonder]

Francisco: Have you checked your owner's manual to see if you have the TMPS programmer thingy?.......I use the factory OEM gizmo to program my aftermarket TPMS sensors no problems......

My local tire guy knew exactly what I needed for TPMS sensors.....I'm pretty sure that they are high pressure (85 psi) Ford Flavor.

[Francisco Coddou]

Originally Posted by boywonder

Francisco: Have you checked your owner's manual to see if you have the TMPS programmer thingy?.......I use the factory OEM gizmo to program my aftermarket TPMS sensors no problems......

My local tire guy knew exactly what I needed for TPMS sensors.....I'm pretty sure that they are high pressure (85 psi) Ford Flavor.

Thanks mate, i have the van parked in my warehouse, i`ll have to go and check, i only drove it there once i bought it.
Do you know if the spare tire has a sensor on it? maybe i can dismount that tire and take the sensor from it to check the part number.

Cheers!

[Bbasso]

The manual labor of checking the air pressure isn't going to harm you or the tires once a week, besides it's cheaper, less to break and sometimes it can give you satisfaction lol.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by Bbasso

The manual labor of checking the air pressure isn't going to harm you or the tires once a week, besides it's cheaper, less to break and sometimes it can give you satisfaction lol.

If you live in California, you won't pass smog check with the TPMS light on in the dash..............

Francisco: You may be overthinking this........talk to your tire place; they sell and install TPMS sensors all day long......BTW the batteries in the sensors are good for about 6-7 years or so depending on where you live.....so lots of folks will be replacing sensors since they were mandated in 2008.

In case it isn't clear, the tire places sell aftermarket TPMS sensors that are compatible with everything.....in the case of my van I think new senors were about $40 each.

I'm selling my OEM spare on craigslist, and was actually pondering your question above...does the spare have a TPMS sensor?

Two ways to determine if you have LSD.....jack the rear of the van up and spin one rear wheel, if the other wheel spins in the same direction you have LSD.......

the other way is read the axle code on the door jamb and google it.

[Francisco Coddou]

I'm from Chile, ford has never sold f-250, 350, or any type of econoline, it's wierd if you see one on the road, and all of those are direct imports.
So i'm really shure that i won't finde a ford tpms sensor for 80 psi!!! And if i do it's going to be 100 dollar each or something like that, everything is way more expensive here.
I'll give it a try calling bigger tire stores in the main city of Chile, i hope i'll prove myself wrong!!!! (Something not as unusual as seeing a ford f-250 down here)

Thanks.