Tire Pressure Sensor Bypass

Most new cars have those pesky tire pressure sensor monitors built into the tire. They can be a real pain with the dash lights constantly coming on letting you know that you tire pressure is low. This bypass is helpful for anyone with a bad spring in the sensor itself or with someone who changes their tires often. That way you don't have to constantly have to reset the sensors or risk breaking one of these expensive little gizmos. Especially with winter coming a lot of people are switching to snow tires. Luckily there is a cheap and innovative way to bypass this. The sensor alerts the car when the tire pressure is below a set PSI. So basically what we are going to do is make a portable pressurized container for the sensor located in a safe place within in the car.

Step 1: Parts Needed

You basicly need 3 parts

1). A 6" lengh of 4" pvc pipe

2). 2 endcaps for the pvc pipe

3). The TPMS senor synced to the cars computer.

Step 2: Assembly

Drill the appropriate size hole for the your tpms senor in one end of the PVC pipe endcap. clean the hole removing all burrs and pull the sensor through making sure it is a snug and airtight fit. Next glue the endcaps onto the end of the pvc pipe with pvc glue. making sure you have a secure airtight connection. Now all you have to do is inflate the pressure of the capsule to the recommended PSI. You have to keep the sensor in the car so it can keep in contact with the monitor. I put mine in the back of my trunk with my emergency supplies. Now I can drive around not having to have any annoying lights constantly popping up on my dash.

Comments

[Lostfisher1]

"I know with mine I only have issue as my winter tires and rims don't have the sensors. It costs more than the rims to get the sensors installed and twice that if I was to get new sensors"

~Mrandle

[buge]

will this work on a 2018 superduty

[ttles714]

Do you need 4 sensors ? Or do you scan the container 4 times, once for each wheel ???

[ChristianS347]

I would like to know as well if we scan all 4 corner with one TPMS

[TexomaEV]

TPMS reset device can be had for under $20 on eBay so you can keep your tire location set without a need to make a trip to a tire shop if you rotate, or switch out tire/rims between summer/winter, and my aftermarket TPMS sensors were less than $15 each, also from eBay. Personally I like being notified when a tire is low. If a battery has failed in a sensor it certainly isn't that expensive to replace the sensor anymore.

[3lectriclazer]

I'm not understanding the purpose of this... Sure it keeps that light off your dashboard, but that light only comes on if your tires are low.... So fill your tires with air is the simplest solution.

[daljian]

The problem is that when you switch tires it's associated with a cost, and a repair shop visit to pair the tire sensors with the car.

You no longer can switch your tires yourself. In Sweden we switch tires twice a year (from winter to summer, and from summer to winter), and with two adults working you end up having two cars it's four repair shop visists + costs a year.

The system isn't smart enough in my opinion, I should not need to go to a repair shop to switch my tires.

[mrandle]

In canada where we swap out our all seasons for winter we put good winter tires on cheap steel rims. It's not worth it to buy an extra set of sensors. Can people not feel when one tire is low/ out? I'm pretty sure a flat tire is fairly pronounced when driving I don't need a light to tell me that!

[JohnA252]

Of note concerning TPS system....had new tires put on work truck the other day. The tire shop only put 50 psi in a load range "E" tire on a 1 ton truck not what the data sticker on the truck mandated or the tire required for the load being carried. A day later we loaded up to head out for a job and the truck felt a little squishy going down the highway or making turns. Never seen any indications from the TPS about low pressure in the tires. So I decided to lower the pressure till the light came on. It finally came on at 40 psi on my gauge. I went back thru the owner's manual to see what PSI the light should come on, there was nothing written, but I did find this interesting statement. Even with a TPS system you are REQUIRED to check your tire pressures AT LEAST MONTHLY and not depend on the TPS alone.

This is a newer model truck. So you decide how well the systems are really working in your vehicle. I know right away when I have a low tire on a dual rear wheel truck. How folks can drive with a flat tire and not know, like the guy I followed today, is beyond me. Guessing his TPS was not working either nor was he looking in the mirror to see the smoke or my flashing lights to get him to stop.

[ralph1478]

You can tell immediately? You must be a real Houdini. I have 40+ years and well over a million miles on an 18 wheeler and I can't tell immediately if I have a flat on an inside dual. Way to go Svengoolie!

[rmcqcc]

TPMS is federally mandated safety equipment in the U.S. If you get into an accident, and it is determined you tampered with it, not only can your insurance company deny your claim, depending on your policy, you can possibly be held criminally liable if low tire inflation is blamed for the accident. So, bypass your TPMS at your own peril. If you want to play it smart, just keep your tires properly inflated.

[DarinH7]

LOL! You people crack me up.

[michael.arnold.9041]

Um, no. TPMS is federally mandated crap that is subject to faults and provides no known safety improvements. Furthermore, driving with broken TPMS sensors in your tires, and an idiot light on your dashboard, is just the same as fooling the system with a set of sensors in a location other than the wheel and will not cause you to be "criminally liable." TPMS is a direct result of a nanny state that thinks you are too stupid to check your tire's pressure.

[SoccerDadof22]

"Federally mandated..." yes, it is Federally mandated.

"...provides no know safety..." Maybe you should check with the people who got hurt or lost loved ones because they drove on Firestone tires while underinflated (which resulted in blowouts, roll-overs, injury and death).

"...will not cause you to be criminally liable..." If you intentionally disable a safety device, which results in a crash and there are serious injuries or death, you most certainly can be held criminally AND civilly liable.

I agree that they shouldn't be mandatory, but then again, I am on top of my car PMCS. But time and again I see people driving around on underinflated (almost visibly flat) tires...and despite the idiot lights, people continue to be idiots.

[michael.arnold.9041]

maybe you should actually read the court files where firestone told ford that they can not run the tires on the explorer at the pressure that Ford recommended for maximum comfort as the tire would then be riding on its sidewall and deteriorate at an accelerated rate and resultblin catastrophic failure. furthermore, a vehicle shouldn't fall over on its side as the result of a tire blowout and Ford intentionally scapegoated Firestone to mask its involvement in the issue. Ford knew there was a stability issue with the explorer and subsequently redesigned the suspension system to compensate for known issue. I retain my statement that TPMS is a waste of time a money and provides no performance improvement.

[HarryCallahan]

You don't get it? Looking at your FB page I see why. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW! You know nothing of the history. I know the NHTSA person who had to deal with teh Ford issue.

[edge2point]

AMEN!

[LeeA67]

the aluminum valve stems are a saftey problem. they snap off causing your tire to go flat in seconds. this is equal to a blow out condition. how is it these can be mandated. are they really helping us be more safe with a built in saftey hazzard like that. i choose to install good valve stems that are made of steel and have a proven history of reliablity.

[DanijelS1]

The sensor in my car must moving like wheel so it can keep in contact with the monitor.

[jdmcpherson34]

Another use is when you get new wheels and don't want to move the sensors or get new ones.