Tire pressure / temp monitoring system...

Do you use a tire pressure monitoring system on your TM? Who is the manufacture? How has it worked for you? I have searched the forum some and read the input from Cali Camping and Rocky Mtn Ray. I am going to purchase one in the near future and am looking for real world input from any of the forum members who have one. I have found several choices on the net but place more faith in our members if you know what I mean.

Thanks much and Happy Camping!

RockMtnRay and I have the same unit.....The Doran Pressure Pro. I PMd him several times with questions, and he was very helpful. I bought a unit, and am very satisfied with it. It is a great peace of mind while traveling. I ended up buying the 16 wheel unit, which is overkill, but the 6 wheel unit would not allow for both TV and TT, just in case I upgrade to a tandem wheel trailer in the future, and also want to monitor my TV. Right now, I only monitor the 2 TM wheels. The receiver and 2 wheel sensors ran $290.

I set my reciever on top of the dash, and it picks up the sensors OK. But I read somewhere that a person had the receiver on the console, and he had to get a repeater so he could get a signal. Placement is important.

I also installed metal valve stems (so the sensor weight wouldn't bend the rubber stems), and had the tires balanced with the sensors in place.

I see now that Doran has an new model out (the 360?), and don't know the details about that yet.

Glad to answer any questions that might come up, either through a PM, or keep it public for others to view.

Chap

[wbmiller3]

I also have the Doran and have been very happy with it. I went through the same process as mtnguy - metal stems, rebalancing, etc. I have not had any problem picking up the signal.

My only concern about this system is that when the batteries in the wheel transmitters die, you have to ship the transmitters back to the factory to replace them. I would rather be able to do it myself!

Otherwise, I really like it, and I credit it with preventing damage to the trailer by giving an early warning, when I had a dual blowout due to road debris.

The Doran system has been great for us, monitoring the two TM wheels only. Our receiver sits on the floor just in front of the console and has had no problems receiving signals. In fact, I have inadvertently left it on after disconnecting the TM and received TP information for a hundred feet or so as I drive off.

I would echo the minor dissatisfaction with replacement of the batteries. Not only do you have to send them back to the factory or distributor, they are about 20 bucks each. This seems excessive, though I notice the batteries are embedded into the rubber sensor. So maybe the high price is justified. Seems like they should be able to come up with a better system of replacement.

The peace of mind is definitely worth the cost to us, especially bearing in mind we have only one trailer tire on a side. Avoiding a flat or blowout in heavy traffic would make the $300 seem like a small price to pay.

Bought my Doran system last spring and so far I am very satisfied with it. I called the factory before I made the purchase . They were very friendly and helpful, answered every question I had plus, about another dozen I didn’t think to ask. Like mtnguy, I also have the 16 wheel unit but only monitor the two TM wheels. It does brings peace of mind knowing that if you develop a slow leak while traveling you well catch it before it could result in a blow out, especially on a single axle trailer. One new thing, when I asked about battery life and replacement, I was told they no longer make the sensors with replaceable batteries. You now have to replace the sensor with a new one which only last up to three years. At $50 apiece, that’s a down side. It may be worth checking with Doran to see if this is still the case.

Thank you all for your input. It seems that the Doran system has served well. Has anyone used any other brand? There is one out there that comes with 6 sensors, monitor, etc for the same price as the Doran model with two. But I would not plunk down 3 bills based just on what I see on a web site. As such I too have been leaning toward the Doran system. I still have time to think about it and would love to hear from anyone regardless. Thanks again!

Just a quick note of thanks to those who replied to my request for real world information regarding tire pressure monitoring systems. I took the above listed advise and purchased a Doran. The 360RV. The cost was right at 3 bills. I have installed it and tried it on my rig with no problems to report. I will upgrade the valve stems to metal ones this weekend and balance the tires again just as you have done. The 360RV comes with two sensors, but can monitor 36 of those little rascals and has a lot of different ways to mount the monitor. Dimensions according the box are 5.71 x 2.16 x 1.10. When I thought about what it was that I wanted the TPMS to do, give an early warning about tire pressure to hopefully avoid a tire beating my TM to death, I could not go with something untried. Thanks for sharing your experience with me.

Happy Camping!

[rickst29]

I also have Doran, monitoring just the two TM wheels (4R has built-in TPMS on the TV.) WONDERFUL. You do need to re-balance the wheels to account for the monitors, and the extra weight makes the stems-upgrade mandatory. (But heck, upgraded stems are probably something every TM owner should have, even without TPMS. And balanced wheels.)

Someone, I forget who, has a different model-- one which mounts the monitor on a strap in the middle of the wheel, completely inside the tire. H/She posted within the "wheels and tires" area, search there to find it.