GGGRRRR Damn it!!!
 

I get into my car the A.M. for a 16 hour shift. I'm halfway to work when my tire pressure light comes on. I thought "Crap, I have a flat". Pulled over into a parking lot, get out, check my tires...all tires good to go. BUT, I'm missing all four valve stem caps!!! WTF?!!!!

Anyone know how much these cost at the dealer or any place else that carries them? Or is my best bet Pep Boys? :mad0260:

EBay has nice ones with scion logos or TRD logos. But I wouldn't want to wait either

They're just valve stem caps, I'd go with cheap ones at your local automotive store.

However, if you want, I happen to have the shiny Subaru stem caps my salesman gave me that I didn't use. I'd pass em on to you if you cover shipping.

Take the man on his offer and throw in a six pack!

i thought you had to have the correct valve stem caps. arent they the "antenna" for the tpms.

I know American tires can give them out for free, I was missing some in my other car and they just replaced them when I went in for air check.

lol... nope

I wondered how the tyre pressures were monitored and it's really clever.
The ABS brake sensors pick a wheel that's locking up[slowing down] and release the pressure to that brake and any others locking up, to keep them rolling and gripping.
The tyre pressures are checked by the simple fact that the ABS sensors should all read the same speed/rpm, in a straight line without braking hard and when a tyre starts to deflate that reading will get higher as the diameter decreases. So it triggers a pressure alert.
How smart was that brainwave?

That's the way I understand it anyway.

:rolleyes:

There are some cars that cheap out and do it that way, however it is very inaccurate and tends to throw false positives. If you were to have one tire that was worn, and another that was new, it would trigger your tpms. The FR-S and the BR-Z have actual transponders in each wheel attached to the valve that monitor the actual pressure in the tires, and reports it to the brain. If there is too much of a drop in pressure, it will trigger the tpms light.

As I said, there are cars that do it the way you describe, just not ours, and that way is definitely not th preffered method, its the cheap way out for an automaker to comply with mandatory tpms laws now.

Whoops!
Thanks for that, I thought they were all the same.

Thanx anyway! Went to the dealer and they just gave me a set. Appreciate the gesture though!!! :thumbup:

Thanks, I needed a chuckle LOL

sorry but i worked for chrysler when their system enitially came out that is how it operated... my bad