Has anyone installed the Smartire pressure sensors on their Honda? A friend had a road hazard tire failure that would have been prevented or at least minimized if a slow loss of pressure had been noticed - and it got me to thinking ...

Sorry, no experience with this.

Why bother with installing a system like that when theres a much more affordable alternative? I use....


http://www.ehow.com/images/ehows/steps/books/470_a1.jpg

Works great for me every time!

I and my friend do use tire pressure gauges, weekly when home and daily when on long road trips.

My friend was in the middle of Colorado mountains, in heavy rain storm with hydroplaning on I-70, when a slow leak puncture caused him to have a flat in a very difficult location to change a flat.

So I'm not talking about doing this in your driveway on a sunny morning, I'm talking about possibly saving your life on a long trip.

I'm talking about driving in conditions where you won't be able to sense a tire going a little soft.

I regurlary make 15hrs drive thru Colorado and Utah. Smartire is a system used by many RV and truck operators.

So, back to my original question - does anyone have experience with Smartire on their Honda?

I and my friend do use tire pressure gauges, weekly when home and daily when on long road trips.

My friend was in the middle of Colorado mountains, in heavy rain storm with hydroplaning on I-70, when a slow leak puncture caused him to have a flat in a very difficult location to change a flat.

So I'm not talking about doing this in your driveway on a sunny morning, I'm talking about possibly saving your life on a long trip.

I'm talking about driving in conditions where you won't be able to sense a tire going a little soft.

I regurlary make 15hrs drive thru Colorado and Utah. Smartire is a system used by many RV and truck operators.

So, back to my original question - does anyone have experience with Smartire on their Honda?


Its tough for me to see spending upwards of $700 on one of these systems. Accupressure has this

http://www.accu-pressure.com/cgi-bin/Store/index.cgi?pid=6

But still... $300... I could almost buy a new set of tires for that that.

Anyway, I think for me, the cap type would be best, it gives an at-a-glance view if your tires are low, and you could check those anytime you get out for gas/food/roadside massage/grand canyons/etc.

I'm thinking about getting some of those cap types...but the are hard to find at the pressure I want.

Anyone have a website for these?

I'm thinking about getting some of those cap types...but the are hard to find at the pressure I want.

Anyone have a website for these?

http://www.accu-pressure.com/cgi-bin/Store/index.cgi?cart_id=2935550.62795&pid=1

Sweet. All I could find in the auto stores are the 36 lb ones...which are way too low for the TL....

Oh the credit card is commin' out tonight.

I see what youre saying but for that amount it just isnt worth it. I know some will say "well it could save your life". Well, so could just not driving period but you dont see people doing that.

A slow leak puncture isnt something I would feel like buying a TPMS for. If you're that worried about a slow leak, check your pressures at each stop you make. As long as you keep up on checking pressures, I dont think you'll have a problem between stops. If it is leaking faster than that then it seems like a safety issue to me and the tire shouldn't be driven on and be replaced right away.

Flat tires happen and more than not in the most inconvenient places. Its just a fact of life, I dont think a TPMS is really worth it when good ol common sense works just as well.

I see how it would be beneficial for truckers who go more distance on larger tanks, but I dont see a tire leak being that big of an issue for them. I see more problems with re-tread issues than leak issues.

Just to get this discussion back on track - Smartire cost $200 at Tirerack.

And the Hella system costs $250.

I am willing spend the $250 + install for family safety (lots of folks talk of spending more than that on a subwoofer for their Accord).

So anyone with experience using either the Smartire or Hella pressure monitoring systems?