When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Newb here, I have a 1968 442 20-year frame-off resto project I'm finally getting back into. Frankenstein, originally bench/column dog-400BB now with correct buckets, center console, 442 Hurst shifter 4-speed M21 and 455 with an Offie tall boy manifold built by Lanier in COS back in 2004. IIRC I think it dyno'd in at 400hp which is always nice, but I could be wrong.
SO. Question:
Just got my Olds Rally/SSII rims painted (the 70's style with the stainless triangle inserts and center cap that always falls off somewhere between Timbuktu and Tupelo) and on the way back from the shop my dad's truck pax-side front tire started going flat which indicated on the digital instrument cluster with a pop-up icon of the measured tire pressure. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, self, wouldn't it be nice to have this feature on my 442 with an under-dash after-market clip-on screen when I get muh new Bee-Eff-Gee Radial T/A's mounted?" And I said, "Self, that sounds like a hootenanny of a great idea! Let's ask the interwebs all about it." So, here we are, interwebs! The 'royal' we. And so I don't royally scrəw this up, as I'm apt to do, I wonder if anyone has done this to their classic muscle car tires, which model of TPMS to get, etc. I'm looking at the Autel units, seem solid enough in video reviews and install guides. I *suppose* measuring the valve stem hole would be sufficient to call up customer support and order up a set. But, you can't spell 'suppose' without making an a... wait. That isn't right.
Anywho, what say you, interwebs? Blank Dee--Oh--Oh economics. Anyone? Anyone? Voo Doo economics...
And I asked myself, self (and I knew it was me because I was wearing my underwear) why would I spend my hard earned money on useless tech because I am too lazy to go out and measure my tire pressure? Everyone knows when the tire is out of air, because it's flat on the bottom.
And I asked myself, self (and I knew it was me because I was wearing my underwear) why would I spend my hard earned money on useless tech because I am too lazy to go out and measure my tire pressure? Everyone knows when the tire is out of air, because it's flat on the bottom.
Well, not while you're driving. And with all of the burnouts I'm going to be doing, it would be good to have these 'lazy' units. Kicking the tires may have been suitable for '68, but I wear flipflops.
Last edited by 68_442guy; May 24th, 2024 at 07:59 PM.
And I asked myself, self (and I knew it was me because I was wearing my underwear) why would I spend my hard earned money on useless tech because I am too lazy to go out and measure my tire pressure? Everyone knows when the tire is out of air, because it's flat on the bottom.
And I go commando style, so it may not have been me.
The TPMS units in the wheels communicate with a central unit with Bluetooth. So yes you could install this on your car by purchasing 4 wheel units at maybe $100 each and a central unit at I dunno how much, or if they are even available aftermarket. But as brought up above, why do that when you can simply check your tire pressure with a gauge.
Well, not while you're driving. And with all of the burnouts I'm going to be doing
I doubt you’ll log more burnouts than I have since I started driving my Cutlass like a maniac in 1979, and I haven’t run into any issues that needed a TPMS system.
I doubt you’ll log more burnouts than I have since I started driving my Cutlass like a maniac in 1979, and I haven’t run into any issues that needed a TPMS system.
Yeah, it wouldn't be difficult for anyone to get me on log book comparisons for burnouts, my daily driver has been a 767 for the last 15 years at work and my ex-Uhaul for the last 13 outside of work and neither one will do a brake torque... I hear the box truck is great for cooking meth though! As for the TPMS, when my project car gets back on its wheels it will have been totally rebuilt (mostly by me), and you'll need no convincing that I can screw up any mechanical job. Don't even get me started on drum brakes. I reckon to run some x-country to break in the motor, and while obviously a puss feature as you all are indicating, I'd like to know what's happening where the rubber meets the road at 85mph at a glance... Seems like nobody is doing it so I'll just get the cheepo valve cap types and chuck 'em when I'm done bitching about it. See ya curbside with the tire pressure gauge.
[EDIT] can = will
Last edited by 68_442guy; May 25th, 2024 at 12:30 AM.
TPMS was Congress' way of appearing to do SOMETHING in response to the Ford/Firestone low tire rollover epidemic. Do you REALLY want this electronic nanny that requires additional equipment to reprogram the system whenever you rotate the tires? In half a century of driving, I've never had a tire go flat while driving, and frankly, if you can't feel the car pulling to the side with a low tire, you aren't paying attention. I've driven a lot of rental cars with TPMS, and the false positives are far more common that real problems. Get a pencil tire gauge and get in the habit of using it.
TPMS was Congress' way of appearing to do SOMETHING in response to the Ford/Firestone low tire rollover epidemic. Do you REALLY want this electronic nanny that requires additional equipment to reprogram the system whenever you rotate the tires...
Yeah, you and me both hate that kawn-greshunal nanny state which is why I never wear a seatbelt, sounds like we muss be like toe-tully on the same page of music there bubba. And them fan-see kom-pewooters all the cool kids are playun wuth these days, sheee-IT, I wunt be gittin caut with one of them awnmuh tyres, no sir-ee-bob, rotaytun them tires down the street everday and havun tah press alloh them buttons??? Sheeee-IIT no bubba, you got it ryght there! Me an u should be spendun those 45 clams on a burgher an fries, kleetus, an go hassul them soeshes over at ta drive in. Sheeee-it. kam-pewters on muh tyres. Whuts next, sum kinda fancy win'sheeld wypers what can tell you the time a day in franse or some crazy sheee-it... COME ON BUBBA, let's get outta here and cruze them toofless brawds dawntown.
In half a century of driving, I've never had a tire go flat while driving, and frankly, if you can't feel the car pulling to the side with a low tire, you aren't paying attention.
In a similar span of time, the only tire problem I had was with the infamous Firestone 500, which blew out on a rural highway in blowing snow at -20 °F. A TPMS wouldn't have indicated anything beforehand. But an owner's manual in the thoroughly used Vista Cruiser I had bought a week before would have helped me find the spare faster. Good thing I was wearing warm clothes.
I really like the TPMS on my Challenger. There are very cheap systems on Amazon that actually have Ok reviews. I may consider them for my Cutlass. I doubt the range would reach the boat trailer.
Of all the extra BS that comes on cars these days, I like the TPMS stuff. It was a huge pita 15 years ago but it is finally pretty well sorted out these days.
That system has helped me change a tire in a well lit gas station as opposed to the side of the interstate. The light popped on and I could pull up the pressures on the dash. The left rear was low and dropping so I put the spare on. it worked well then.
I have a TPMS system on my '72. Mainly because my rims are a soft lip so the valve stem is on the inside of the wheel, there's extremely little room between them and the brakes, and the fronts have right angle motorcycle valve stems to clear the brakes. I can barely check the front tire pressure without taking the wheel off. And with larger rim/lower profile tires it's less obvious (visually) when a tire is a little low.
But they sure are pretty.
There are aftermarket units. The easy ones are caps that screw onto the valve stems. Or you can "band" a standard TPMS sensor onto the drop inside the wheel. It will really confuse the tire shop guys, but it works fine. Search amazon for tpms band mount. You can take the stem off of a tpms sensor and with some imagination bolt the sensor directly to the little bracket.
Yes, you get what you pay for. My first cheap no-name kit lasted ~4 years before the batteries died. I'm using the Schrader kit now.
Am I lazy? Sure. but it helped me notice a really slow leak on one tire. Especially when I was only driving the car once every few months, being able to tap a little black box was way better than spending 15 minutes pulling wheels to check pressures.
I have a TPMS system on my '72. Mainly because my rims are a soft lip so the valve stem is on the inside of the wheel, there's extremely little room between them and the brakes, and the fronts have right angle motorcycle valve stems to clear the brakes. I can barely check the front tire pressure without taking the wheel off. And with larger rim/lower profile tires it's less obvious (visually) when a tire is a little low.
Mmmm kay, in your very strange(?) aftermarket configuration it is a benefit.
For the majority of us with regular old wheels it would seem a routine pressure check with a gauge before a drive and - wait for it - people used to actually do this at fill ups. When did we forget this? Check your tire pressure when you’re at the gas station filling the tank. It’s what we and the full service pump jockeys did back in the day.
I could buy ALOT of tire pressure gauges for the cost of installing TPMS. Every one of my vehicles has a gauge in the glove box. Not that my wife or kids know about them, or would use it if they did
I personally wouldn’t pay a dime for a TPMS.
In my 40 years of driving, I can count on one hand the number of tires that have gone flat while driving. However, I’m not sure if I have enough fingers and toes to count the number of nuisance warning lights within the last 6 months. It seems every vehicle that we own or have owned equipped with Tpms is a little too sensitive to temperature change. You set the tires to the recommended pressure, when the weather gets cold the warning light is on. Drive a few miles, the tires get some heat in them and the light goes out. I’m guessing there is probably a way to program the system with a wider threshold.
Most tire stores offer free (or discounted) tire rotation, rebalance, tire warranties, repairs, with the purchase of the tires. Seems to me that would be far more useful purchase.
May 24th, 2024, 07:02 PM
Good thing I was wearing warm clothes.
