Options for Missing Spare TPMS Warning (1 Viewer)

[hms]

Hi folks:

After swapping wheels/tires, I don't believe that I can fit a usable spare under the truck (275/70/17 BFG KO2). As a result, I pulled the spare and stored it, resulting in the TPMS warning going off for "missing spare."

After some research on this forum and on clublexus, it looks like my options are as follows. Did anyone do anything other than one of these, or have strong feelings that one of these is by far the most preferable?

1. Put worthless spare back on truck (pros: cheapest solution | cons: carrying around some unnecessary weight)
2. Take TPMS out of worthless spare, apply pressure via binder clip or clamp, store sensor somewhere in truck
3. Get a usable wheel/tire and store it somewhere other than under the truck (rear bumper or hatch carrier, as storing on roof rack isn't a great idea due to weight?)

 

[McDuff123]

Disable TPMS system entirely. Very simple to do...
There are a few good YouTube’s on it. Takes less than an hour, and that’s if you’re working slowly.

 

[hms]

Disable TPMS system entirely. Very simple to do...
There are a few good YouTube’s on it. Takes less than an hour, and that’s if you’re working slowly.

You don't think TPMS is useful for the four wheels on the car?

 

[McDuff123]

You don't think TPMS is useful for the four wheels on the car?

To be honest, no I don’t. At least not useful enough to outweigh the hassle factor.
Case in point is your exact scenario...you are needing to find a fix, to restore a system that does what exactly for you?
-Detects a catastrophic blowout? I think you’ll notice that all by yourself.
-Detects a fast leak (ie nail, etc)? Between eyeballing your tires frequently, noticing a lean, and feeling the pull of a flat tire, I think you’ll notice that one as well.
-Detects a slow leak? OK, perhaps...but to what end? The TPMS doesn’t give an alert until the offending tire is (10%? 15%?) below the other tires. At some point, you’ll notice on your own.
Remember, even if you find a way to keep the spare with the vehicle so that the TPMS reads all 5 sensors (and therefore doesn’t alert), as soon as just 1 sensor loses its battery, you’re back to having the idiot-light flash. You’ll need to take it to a shop, have them identify (hopefully correctly) the offending sensor, pull and dismount that tire, buy and install a new sensor. Or do you buy 5 new sensors, since they are all the same age?
Obviously I’m opinionated about this, and you need to do you. To me, its a never-ending game of chasing your own tail.

 

[McDuff123]

Another thought...are you sure you can’t fit that size in the spare location?
If you don’t have KDSS (I guess I’m assuming you have a 470, not a 460), then that tire size *might* fit.

Or, disable the TPMS system and deflate the spare enough to get it to fit.

 

[lgorman]

Seems like you could just put the spare in the original location and air it up.