What was your reason for running all 5? Were you swapping snow tires?
TPMS notes and easy DIY (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Sedalia
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
orttauq
SILVER Star
How does everyone feel about aftermarket TPMS compared to OE? I have a set of wheels I moved from a 2015 200 to my new 2021. The 2015s are not being picked up by the 2021 so I guess I need a new set but at around $60 each for Toyota OE I am considering aftermarket.
You can skip the Toyota labeled ones and order Denso/Pacific branded sensors for about 50-60% of cost. Same as OEM, still a little more than the aftermarket ones.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
Long story, not that interesting. I bought 5 sensors and had them installed with new tires, I couldn’t get the computer to read them, despite being put into Techstream correctly. I contacted DENSO, and after months of back and forth, they admitted that their fitment information was wrong in their system. I had purchased from Rock Auto, which DENSO says is not an official distributor so they wouldn’t do anything for me. Rock auto won’t help because the fitment chart from DENSO says they are the right sensors.
Rather than deal with getting to a tire place and swapping sensors during Covid and winter here, I just threw the old ones in a pvc chamber and pressurized it.
Unfortunately I broke one sensor at the valve stem when I broke the bead on the old tire trying to remove it, so I don’t have a full usable set anymore. It reads pressure fine, but can’t be installed in a rim anymore.
One of these days I’ll get them reinstalled. Another $100 in labor plus parts down the toilet.
Last edited:
Very cool. Thanks for the info. That's pretty much what I had in mind. Off to work on this.
To all in this thread: What's the consensus on cloning tool? Is it the Auxtel expensive monitor or the pad and computer mentioned earlier in the thread?
I think I'm in the middle of the same issue with my '16. I/we (tire shop and I) cannot get the sensors in my rock warrior wheels to pick up on the computer. I'm beginning to think they're Denso sensors. I'll call back and ask tomorrow. I also learned my LC didn't come with the tools for changing the spare. So I picked one set up on eBay. So, that fits into the rear tailgate nicely.... what goes into the other side? a second set?
Cheers
Cheers
Did they have a scanner, can it see the sensors? My tire shop had a snap on tool that could read the sensors while installed but strangely, only the sensors that hadn’t been registered to the truck yet. Basically I had one sensor registered to the truck and 4 that the truck couldn’t see. The snap on tool could only read the sensors that weren’t registered.
My only problem, is I saw it work that way twice before I accepted it, but I don’t know what part of the system would allow the snap on tool to recognize which sensors were picked up from truck. It was not connected to my truck.
My only problem, is I saw it work that way twice before I accepted it, but I don’t know what part of the system would allow the snap on tool to recognize which sensors were picked up from truck. It was not connected to my truck.
Just a note:
I bought a Denso branded TPMS from Amazon (sold/shipped by). I wrote the ID # down, had the sensor installed in my wheel and then used the Carista phone app to program the ID into the car. Works great.
Prior to using Carista, I tried using Techstream but kept getting a TPMS initialization error. A quick web search revealed that people feel that it may be an issue with the OBD->USB cable used for Techstream, not what I would've guessed. I'm using one of the cheaper aftermarket cables.
The Carista app did cost $10 (a month subscription), and requires a bluetooth OBDII tool. It allows you to set the ID on a single wheel. The Techstream software had you reprogram all five wheels. I'm not a fan of the subscription model for Carista, but it did work for me.
I bought a Denso branded TPMS from Amazon (sold/shipped by). I wrote the ID # down, had the sensor installed in my wheel and then used the Carista phone app to program the ID into the car. Works great.
Prior to using Carista, I tried using Techstream but kept getting a TPMS initialization error. A quick web search revealed that people feel that it may be an issue with the OBD->USB cable used for Techstream, not what I would've guessed. I'm using one of the cheaper aftermarket cables.
The Carista app did cost $10 (a month subscription), and requires a bluetooth OBDII tool. It allows you to set the ID on a single wheel. The Techstream software had you reprogram all five wheels. I'm not a fan of the subscription model for Carista, but it did work for me.
By chance do you know the Denso part number? Earlier in this thread, someone stated that Denso had the wrong part number listed in their application guide. I don't want to order the wrong sensor.
I purchased from this page:
Denso 550-0103 TPMS Sensor
TPMS
If I find the picture of the sensor I took when I received it I'll post that. Just in case Amazon changed the original page since purchased it.
I just bought a set of the 550-0103 as well, but from Densoproducts.com
The story about the guy buying from a non-authorized Denso dealer (Rock Auto?) made me look for an actual authorized seller. Personally for something like this (or any car parts) I avoid both Amazon and eBay due to counterfeit products.
The story about the guy buying from a non-authorized Denso dealer (Rock Auto?) made me look for an actual authorized seller. Personally for something like this (or any car parts) I avoid both Amazon and eBay due to counterfeit products.
The Denso sensors linked in this thread worked great for me. I had one OEM sensor going out on my 2008, so I decided to replace all five. After installing the sensors and inflating the tires back up, the sensors activated instantly. I used Carista to program the new TPMS codes, then held the TPMS reset button for 10 seconds or so. Everything activated within a minute or two. Thanks all for the help on this thread!
Trukk
GOLD Star
...probably talked about ad nauseum elsewhere, but are others seeing their TPMS read about 4-ish PSI lower than reality?
Last edited:
bloc
SILVER Star
It’s a function of your altitude. TPMS generally reads in Absolute Pressure, as opposed to Gauge Pressure like your tire gauge.. basically your tire gauge compares the inside of the tire to the air outside of it.. the TPMS has no way to do that.
If you drove your 200 to sea level you’d see a change in that differential.
gaijin
GOLD Star
Well... yes and no.
When I first bought my 2013 LC200 new in 2012, I was pleased to find that the tire pressure display on my dash was a good reflection of my actual tire pressures - as accurate as the display can be as it only displays whole psi. That means that 40.00psi in my tires was displayed as 40psi on the dash.
All good.
I'm a little obsessed with accurate tire pressure measurements, so I have used what I see as the SOTA in tire pressure gauges, the Intercomp 360045 99.99 Digital Air Pressure gauge (find it here: Intercomp Pressure Gauge). It has a published accuracy of 0.1%, measures to 0.01psi, is temperature and atmospheric pressure compensated, and rugged - it has served me well for over 10 years.
The point of that little story is that when I say I had my tires inflated to 40.00psi I mean exactly 40.00psi.
Then I bought a set of 5 TRD Rock Warrior wheels with BFG LT285/70R17 tires and had my Toyota dealer install new TPMS sensors, mount and balance the tires.
I brought the tires home (I don't trust any dealer, tire or auto, to remove/install wheels/tires - strictly DIY) ready to mount them on the truck.
Just to check that the TPMS sensors were working correctly, I used Carista to find the sensor codes for the OEM sensors so I could record them for future reference, and then to program in the new sensor codes for the new wheels/tires. Switched the ignition ON in the truck and watched the tire pressure display with all 5 pressures from the new sensors. The displayed pressures were all over the place - ranging from about 40 - 48psi - but I expected something like that, so I just shut everything down and let the truck sit overnight in the garage so all the tire temperatures could equilibrate to ambient temperature.
The next morning, I went to the garage and pulled the valve stems on all 5 tires to evacuate as much air as possible before filling with Nitrogen. I then filled 4 tires to exactly 40.00psi, the spare to 50.00psi, and mounted them on the truck. When I turned the ignition ON to check the pressures displayed and find out which of the displayed values was the spare (the only one reading 10psi high) I was surprised to see that 4 of the displayed pressures were 38psi, and one was 48psi - all readings were 2psi low.
Just to check, I changed all the TPMS codes back to the OEM tires/sensors, adjusted the tire pressures to 40.00psi in 4 tires and 50.00psi in the spare, and they read as expected on the dash display - 40psi for 4 tires and 50psi for the spare.
I then changed the TPMS codes to the new sensors, checked the pressures in the new tires and adjusted to 40.00psi in 4 tires and 50.00psi in the spare, and checked the dash display again - 38psi for 4 tires and 50psi for the spare.
I checked the TPMS part numbers on the dealer invoice and they were the correct sensors. I called the dealer and spoke with the service rep I deal with who did a little asking around and said, basically, not a problem... oh, well.
Anyway, I have used these sensors for a few years now and they have accurately tracked tire pressure trends - everything is great except the displayed pressures are just 2psi low. So... all I have been doing is a little mental arithmetic to understand that 38psi on my dash is actually 40psi in my tires.
I have often wondered how many others are driving around with incorrectly displayed tire pressures on their dash.
HTH
Trukk
GOLD Star
gaijin
GOLD Star
I live at 4600 feet, FYI.
Excuse my ignorance if this has already been covered here (I read through the entire thread and my lack of tech knowledge may be showing) but I am considereing buying a set of the BBS wheels from a '21 Tundra to put on a '14 LX. Stock Michelin tires already on the rims. Do I need to reprogram the TPMSs or will the truck do it automatically? I don't believe the seller has the exact codes or is there a way to get them?
Thanks in advance for helping this Luddite get an answer!
Thanks in advance for helping this Luddite get an answer!
bloc
SILVER Star
You can move your sensors into the BBS wheels and not need programming. The 21 tundra TPMS may not be compatible with your LX anyway. IF they are (I don’t think so), yes you’ll need the codes. A shop can either split one bead on each tire/rim and take a look, or use their scan tool (if they can get it to work) to find the codes and program your car for them.
Personally, if your sensors aren’t very old I’d use those. If they are originals I’d find the correct model of denso/pacific industry sensor and install those then program your LX to start from zero.
Discount Tire will program for free. The Launch brand TPMS tools works well and reads the codes. I'm guessing there will be BF deals. I bought mine for around $125.
