Outstanding Tire Pressure Monitoring System

We just returned from an 1800 mile trip across the Sonora and Mojave deserts, then up and over Tioga Pass to Yosemite National Park. On this trip I tested a Tire Pressure Monitoring System from Minder Research, Inc. (http://www.minderresearch.com/id71.html) - the TireMinder TPMS TMG400C. This system worked absolutely flawlessly.

It consists of a battery operated (rechargeable) receiver/display that mounts to your windshield and simple screw-on pressure/temperature senders that you mount on your tire valves. I had senders on all four wheels of my truck and on the two wheels of my single axle Hi-Lo. The system will warn you if the pressure falls rapidly, semi-rapidly, or just falls below 15-25% of the "set" value. Additionally, it warns you if the pressure on any tire rises 20% above the "set" point. And, it warns you if any tire's internal temperature exceeds 167 degrees! The system can monitor up to 22 different tires!

At any time, you can simply press a button to cycle through all tires and see their current temperature/pressure levels.

The screen is backlit with a white light and is VERY easy to read, in all kinds of lighting.

The receiver is powered by rechargeable lithium batteries that are supposed to function for up to 30 days before needing a recharge, using the handy 12V cigarette lighter cord supplied. I did not have to recharge the receiver during our 9-day trip.

The transmitters are powered by user-installed CR1632 button cells that are supposed to last 1 year. When they wear out, you simply replace the battery.

I elected to buy a battery-powered signal booster that I mounted at the front of our trailer on the inside. It is powered by 4 AA batteries and is supposed to operate for 4 months before batteries need to be replaced. A "hard-wired" version is also available if you want to try to power it from the trailer battery. The booster is recommended when monitoring signals from a towed vehicle, since the greater distance could cause signal loss. (I was actually able to receive the trailer sensors from inside my garage, which is about 100 feet from the trailer's location, with the booster in place).

The $299 unit comes with 4 sensors, the windshield mount and the charging cord. I bought 2 additional sensors for $79 and the booster was $65. Shipping was free. I bought this directly from Minder Research but later found out the system is also available now from Camping World at a reduced "Member's" price.

DO NOT confuse this system with a competing one from Hopkins, Inc. I tried the Hopkins system first and never could get it to reliably receive the trailer's sensors, even with their signal booster! When I called their technical support, I was told I had not set the system up properly (even though it worked sometimes). Additionally the screen on the Hopkins receiver is almost impossible to read and if a sensor signal is lost, the warning is identical to a pressure loss (and it goes on and on)! The TireMinder, on the other hand, does not bother you with a "signal loss" warning until 3 hours have passed, and then it just tells you once, with a clear, "no signal" indication. So, traveling in your vehicle away from the trailer is no problem.

Most of the customer reviews at Camping World on the Hopkins system say it is unreliable. Stay away from it!

I highly recommend the Minder Research TPMS for anyone who is concerned about the state of their trailer tires when towing.

- Jack

Jack,

That was a really complete review, and it sounds like a wonderful product. Great job - Thanks!

Neal

Jack and Janet,

Thanks for your thorough review, its really good. I've gone back to it several times since you wrote it last year. Well now I'm getting ready to buy one and I have a couple of questions, that believe it or not, I didn't find already answered in your posting.

First, you chose to test and use the Model TMG400C. I realize the OEM website recommends this model for RV's, trailers and the like, and it does have a higher pressure monitoring range and will monitor up to 22 tires. On the surface this looks like a good system for a Class C motor home, but seems a bit overkill for a tandem axle Hi-Lo. What factors caused you to sidestep the Model TMG300C that will monitor only four tires to a max of 65 psi?

Second, you mentioned that after installing the booster unit, you could pick up trailer signals from over 100 ft. away. That's impressive! Considering that power, would you still recommend the signal booster for Hi-Lo trailers?

You've already convinced me that this is the brand to buy, and from your other posts, I recognize that you are very thorough in your product research, so I'm really looking forward to your response!

Jim

sounds like a really good investment, honey can i get it..

Paul I hear you... Hah, this is my Christmas, B-day and Father's Day present combined, plus whatever else my wife can tack on. I do wish the price was lower, but...I'm looking for peace of mind while towing.

After all these decades of towing our Bon Voyage, I was always able to feel the rare (very rare) flat tire. This last fall, while towing our "new" and much heavier 2704T, at 65 mph, we had a double flat on a secondary road in the middle of the Nevada desert, and I never felt a thing. Fortunately, one of the dozen cars we'd seen all day happened to pass by about that time and gave us a trouble signal. I'm sure the first tire blew due to a nail, but I'm thinking the second blew due to weight overload. Both tires were shredded badly and I'd started riding the rims. The fact that I was unaware of the problem really concerns me, and I keep thinking if I'd known the first tire blew, I could have saved the second... and mega bunches of hassle dealing with two simultaneous flats on the same side.

Next time I have a flat on that trailer, I want to know about it immediately! We spend a lot of time and miles traveling off the Interstates in low or no population areas like central Idaho, eastern Oregon, Nevada, Wyoming, and road side service is normally NOT an option.

Jim

JMDoering said:

Jack and Janet,

Thanks for your thorough review, its really good. I've gone back to it several times since you wrote it last year. Well now I'm getting ready to buy one and I have a couple of questions, that believe it or not, I didn't find already answered in your posting.

First, you chose to test and use the Model TMG400C. I realize the OEM website recommends this model for RV's, trailers and the like, and it does have a higher pressure monitoring range and will monitor up to 22 tires. On the surface this looks like a good system for a Class C motor home, but seems a bit overkill for a tandem axle Hi-Lo. What factors caused you to sidestep the Model TMG300C that will monitor only four tires to a max of 65 psi?

Second, you mentioned that after installing the booster unit, you could pick up trailer signals from over 100 ft. away. That's impressive! Considering that power, would you still recommend the signal booster for Hi-Lo trailers?

You've already convinced me that this is the brand to buy, and from your other posts, I recognize that you are very thorough in your product research, so I'm really looking forward to your response!

Jim

Click to expand...

I chose the 400C because I also wanted to monitor my truck's tires too, Jim. The 2005 F150 doesn't have any tire pressure monitoring capability built in. If it had, I would have used the 300C just for the trailer. Since a trailer (and cargo) increases the weight on the truck's wheels a significant amount, I felt I wanted to keep an eye on their pressure and temperature while towing too.

As far as the booster unit goes, I simply don't have an answer. When I've towed the trailer, I put batteries into the booster so that it was active. I suppose I should try things sometime with the booster unit "off". After my BAD experience with the other brand though, I wanted to make sure I could receive the signal. It was very easy to mount the booster on the inside forward wall of the trailer and installing the batteries before a trip is likewise very simple.

Hope this helps.

Edit: I also recall driving my previous truck down a dirt road in the mountains and found, to my dismay, that the right rear tire was flat and shredded when I got to the bottom. I have no idea how long the tire had been flat. I only noticed it from "noise" as the road smoothed out somewhat and I sped up to about 50 mph. A TPMS might have saved the tire.

And, one more thing: I naturally remove the booster batteries after at trip, and, I do the same with each sensor. (I don't see the need to monitor my truck's tires during around town driving and certainly don't need to monitor my trailer's tires when it's parked at home.) I take each sensor off the tire, remove its battery and store them in a little plastic compartmented case that I keep in the truck. Each compartment is labeled with the corresponding tire position. That way, the sensors go back on the correct tire when I reinstall them. Simply installing the battery and screwing the sensor back on the proper tire is all that is needed to reactivate things. No further setup is needed.

- Jack

Jack,

Thanks much, you've been very helpful.

Good to read that you chose the 400C to monitor tow vehicle tires also, and that I had not missed some other monitoring system feature that you had found important for trailer towing. Our Suburban came with the monitoring system and its saved us problems at least once (the morning after we had the two flats on the trailer, the system alarmed low pressure on our RR truck tire due to a slow leak from another nail).

First. I'll try this without the signal booster and see how it works. Will let you know my findings after our first outing in late April!

Jim

We just got back from a trip in eastern Canada (Nova Scotia), 5,200 miles. I bought the tire minder system for all 8 tires. Worked great. It really gives you a peace of mind being able to monitor all tires. On the trip home I got a low pressure alarm on one of the HiLo tires. It was showing 10# low and leaking. The tire showed indications of a tread separation. The tire minder saved me a blowout and the possible damage to the wheel well and plumbing. I had put the set of tires on in 2009 before going to Alaska, 12,400 miles. Upgraded to load range D. Had just over 20000 miles on this set, but with the trip to Alaska, Nova Scotia, the rally and other trips I am sure the tire had gotten bruised by the many potholes along the way. I did buy the signal booster and hard wired it in the battery box with a on/off switch. Can't say enough good about this system. It is not cheap but it can save you a lot of expense on tires and damage.

Minder vs. TST TPMS

Read the post on the Tire Minder unit. You may want to check out the TST (Truck System Technologies) unit. The 507 system offers both capped and flow through sensors. I have the flow through and they are very convenient. Repeater is hard wired rather that battery operated. Set up is a snap. Both systems are good but there are enough upgrades on the TST system to put it over the top....plus it's usually less expensive.

An Update

This is an update to my earlier review of the Tire Minder TPMS. I recently traded tow vehicles and in the process, managed to mix up the positions of the wheel transmitters. We finally managed to go on a camping trip this year, and no matter what I tried, I could not get the system to work with my new tow vehicle and trailer, so we traveled without it. Fortunately, there were no problems.

Today, having returned, I decided to give Tech Support at Minder Research a call to see if they had any suggestions or if I was just going to have to buy another system. My call was answered by a thoroughly delightful, professional, pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable lady named Kim. She immediately located my registration from my name, and told me she would be sending a hard wired signal booster to replace the battery operated one I have since the battery operated ones cause some display problems if the batteries get low. She also said she would be sending me new transmitter batteries too, even though I told her I'd tested mine and they were about 3V (not quite true as I will explain).

Then, after I told her in detail about my problems in reprogramming the system, she offered to "talk me though" the procedure as I reattempted it.

I won't bore you with the details, but in the process, we found that two of the transmitter batteries were almost dead (at 0.5V and 0.4V). I had foolishly tested only two of the six, found them to be above 3.0V and since they were all the same age and EverReady brand, thought they must all have been good. My problems were caused by the ones with dead batteries. I replaced those batteries and now the system is completely functional again!

So, my post here is twofold:
Again, for any of you new to towing a travel trailer, I think having a tire pressure (and temperature) monitoring system is an almost mandatory safety consideration. Don't be pennywise here. Spend the money and travel with your mind at ease.

- Jack

Thanks for the update , Jack. As usual, thorough and insightful!

Rick