TMPS Light

[TM]

I have a 2013 BRZ and I am trying to understand how the TMPS sensors and light work.

I switched my stock tires out with winters at 4,600 miles, but my TMPS light never turned on. I read somewhere that it may not be instant, and that you may need to drive a certain amount of miles before it turns on, but once it's on, it'll stay on every time I start my car. So I waited to see when it'll finally turn on.

The light finally turned on and the odometer read around 4,850 miles. So I figured that it took 250 miles for the TMPS light to turn on.

But when I got into my car the next day, the TMPS lights were off again! I live in an apartment complex and park my car in front of my building. My apartment is on the other side of the building on the second floor (I would say my stock tires are stored about 100 ft from where I park, more or less). Could it be that the stock tires that I'm storing in my apartment are resetting the TMPS light every time I park at home for the night?

On the day my TMPS light turned on, I also drove my buddy to the airport in the morning before going to work, so maybe the extended driving turned the light on, and then parking at home reset it? Does anyone have more insight?

Also, if the TMPS light is off, even though I don't have TMPS on my tires, will I be able to pass inspection? Do they just look at the light on the dashboard or do they do some other checks? I'll need to register my vehicle in NY and get an inspection done when I get my title in a couple of weeks, but I'd hate to have to swap back to stock tires for inspection and then back to winter tires in the 0 degree weather.

[tomaszjanczak]

The whole situation you are describing is really similar to my situation, even the mileage is almost identical, haha, really weird.

Anyway, I don't have the sensors installed in my winter tires, but I park my car within a few feet of the original tires that have the sensors. For the most part, I don't drive my car long distances and the light never comes on. The first time the light turned on was when I went more than 50 miles away from my house. It didn't really bother me, I knew why it turned on. After turning the car off and turning it on later (50 miles away), the light didn't come on either. It looks like it resets after you turn off the car.

I'm guessing you would have to go really far nonstop (without turning off the car) for the light to turn on, like in my case. But regularly, I don't go more than about 15 miles away and the light never comes on.

The rules about the sensors and inspection vary by state, but in New York, you will still pass inspection without the sensors.

So to summarize, about 40-50 miles of nonstop driving will turn the light on, and after you turn off the car, it resets and would take another 40-50 miles of nonstop driving to turn it back on.

[TM]

Glad I'm not the only one experiencing that. Good to know that The NY inspection will still pass with the light on. I'll look into it some more to make sure.

Between driving to work, the gym, and home everyday, my daily routine is about 30 miles daily. It wasn't until I I also went to the airport, which added another 10 miles that day the light came on.


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[tomaszjanczak]

Here is where I got the information about the inspection.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=214

I would say Tire Rack is a reliable source.

[aSaki]

Mine still haven't came on yet, I've had winters on for at least 2 months right now. But I only drive like 5-10km to work everyday and the occasional 50km or so going out on weekends. I barely drive my even if I wanted to since I work like 6 days a week and it's very close by. I am at 2800km mileage and I got my car in Aug 2013 lol