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Dam it tpms

15K views 28 replies 13 participants last post by  OldButNotDead 
#1 ·
What is wrong with my tire pressure management system? One day all good next day no rear pressure, day after no front pressure, etc etc some days both work fine?? Batteries or faulty computer??
Thanks guys
 
#5 ·
Mine never match what my gauges show. With that said, I am glad to have it. A couple weeks ago I was riding in a very remote area, no cell service, no towns. Evidently picked up a 1/4" self tapping screw just as I hit a stretch of pavement. 3 miles of twisties, so I wicked it up. Triangle starts flashing. Stopped engine and could hear rear tire hissing. Tire had not broken loose, no excitement while riding. Tire was intact. Was able to remove the screw, plug the tire, and air up. Finished up the ride. Had I not had it, think the outcome would have been much worse.
 
#13 ·
2010 gs still on original batteries

What is the average life of the battery in the sender units?
Mine are original from 2010, and still work as they should.
 
#14 ·
I have been in a conversation on another thread on this topic as well. At my dealer yesterday I talked to a couple of staff members and they told me two things: one, you should adjust your tire pressure to match the display compensated pressure. (the display pressure should be what is printed on the back of the user manual, in my case 36/42) and that the TPC/RDC sensor measures both the pressure and temp of the tire to compute the compensated display numbers. Both of the guys I talked to are people I trust; however, I sure don't see anything that tells me how the sensor works. Anyone ever seen any information on how the sensor actually works?
 
#15 ·
Marc I think you are correct. Apparently you cut into the epoxy resin and replace some watch style batteries. I do believe this is not an available off the shelf product. In saying that taking on the challenge of battery replacement will be a very cost effective alternative to paying $200 per unit for replacement.
I don't mind the senders not giving accurate info because I also check my tyres before riding with an independent gauge, but having a yellow alert on the screen, my get my mind used to seeing it and when something else alerts I may ignore by accident.
 
#16 ·
Self Setting

So a local dealer buggered up my rear wheel (not a BMW dealer) to the point they had to buy me a new wheel from the BMW dealer. Tire mounted and back on the bike. I drove back into town to have the TPS registered at the BMW dealer and on the way in, it self registered!
 
#17 ·
The battery in the TPMS sensors typically last 3-5 years depending on variables, my 2013 with 49k miles has recently had the front TPMS readout fail intermittently, I just returned from a 2k mile trip and the front worked about 1/2 the time.
I ordered 2 new sensors from Ebay for about $34 total when they arrive I'll replace the front sensor and use my GS911 to pair it and hold on to the spare sensor as the rear is certain to fail any time as well.
In the past on other GS's I have cut the epoxy and changed batteries but not had very good reliability for very long periods after doing so.
 
#18 ·
Been thinking about this...

I have the tpms display on the screen all the time. Having said that, it's not bcause of its accuracy, because I'm not sure I really trust that. I have it up to watch for rapid - or any - pressure loss. An early warning system if you like. I still prefer to check the pressures pre ride with an independent decent quality gauge, and say every second fuel stop on a long ride.
Between the two, and the seat-of-my-arse , I reckon I have a fairly good monitoring routine.
Cheers
Greg
 
#19 ·
An unreliable tyre pressure monitor is not the end of the world. After all, we've lived without tyre pressure monitoring for years. My rear tyre sender regularly fails to initialise and their is no pattern to this behaviour. I doubt whether it's a TPM battery problem unless it's a poor connection.
I'll wait until the sender completely fails before replacement.
 
#20 · (Edited)
It seems it can be done, but the procedure is rather difficult.

See someone do it here:



Also, the international version: It shows the procedure much better.



It would appear that the CR2032 battery is a tab type, meaning that there are electrical contacts spot welded to the battery.
This was never intended to be changed out, pity because the CR-2032 has a shelf life less than that of the motorcycle. I would expect the working life of 5 to 7 years.

- John
 
#21 ·
As far as TPMS (actually RDC in BMW talk) accuracy is excellent in that it is always off the same PSI from my known accurate handheld tire gauge, the RDC reads about 2 psi low front and 3 psi low rear, knowing this makes for simple conversion to what I figure is accurate however lately I have started using the RDC system reading to set my tire pressures and on the road I like the extra tire pressure.
 
#23 ·
I'm doing some logging of results on this topic. There are a lot of things that flat squirrelly about this topic. This morning I checked my tires and compared it to the display after running around the block. Close but no cigar. After 5 - 10 minutes the display jumped to new numbers. Later the ambient temp ranged from 60F to 67F and the display didn't move at all. Later I set the tires to give me about 36/42 which turned out to be 34 which changed to 35 and 40 which went to 41. When I ran some twisties it went to 36/42 and stayed there until I got into straighter roads. Temp went to 80F but display stayed around 35 and 41. Front was much more tricky to set but stayed stable once set. Back was much more sensitive to temp. Now that I have seen how screwy the numbers can be I intend to log them better and with a collection plan.
 
#22 ·
Thanks, for all the response on this topic guys. I really love the fact that you can search anything here and get a mature, and educated response. I think I will just wait until the sensor completely fails, as it's still intermittent, and replace when it's finally gone. In saying that for $34 on eBay is it really worth the hassle.
Cheers again:grin2:
 
#25 ·
I plan to use PSI and Fahrenheit but I'll probably do it in a spreadsheet so a conversion should not be that tough.

I know that you should NEVER enter into an experiment with preconceived notions but I have a good idea of what some of my conclusions will be:
1. Don't set your tire pressure "cold" and use it all day.
2. Warm the tires up for maybe half an hour then adjust the TPC/RDC and tires to match.
3. Use the display figures to tell you trends and approximate pressures.
 
#26 ·
BMW claims that this RDC system is temperature compensating and in the GS911 menu you can see that each tire sensor shows it's temperature as well as pressure.
On my bike the RDC system will sometimes show some slight changes in pressure as I ride and the outside ambient temperature changes but for the most part it remains steady.

For those that ride the bike primarily on the road I feel that the recommended pressures (36F/42R) are just a little low for optimum tire life but for stiction in the corners and ride comfort over sharp jarring imperfections anything higher is a negative.
 
#29 ·
BMW claims that this RDC system is temperature compensating and in the GS911 menu you can see that each tire sensor shows it's temperature as well as pressure.
No Chit!!! I'm going to check that out. It will be interesting to see those readings straight from the sensor

On my bike the RDC system will sometimes show some slight changes in pressure as I ride and the outside ambient temperature changes but for the most part it remains steady.
XACTLY. If I maintain my patience on this stuff, reading the sensor output and matching it to the display will be very interesting.

For those that ride the bike primarily on the road I feel that the recommended pressures (36F/42R) are just a little low for optimum tire life but for stiction in the corners and ride comfort over sharp jarring imperfections anything higher is a negative.

Ya know this whole compensation thing is NOT right. If you are riding on a 100 degree day, then you let air out so it equates to 20C pressures, it just doesn't feel right. Just sayin'
Being intuitive may just reflect a lack of IQ points. LOL
 
#27 ·
Just saying...

Really what you want that system to do is alert you if there is a sudden loss of pressure (having a flat tire) while you are riding.
For the pressure monitoring to work properly an outside atmospheric reference is required. The TPMS as far as I can tell does not have this. So, there must be some sort of sealed chamber in the sensor used as a reference. Hmmm. How well is that going to work?
IMHO, the relation I get from the TPMS and my Roadgear tire pressure gauge change depending on...what?. The tire pressure gauge is always right on, but the TPMS varies all over. I am not surprised, really. Anyway..maybe the gauge is all over and the TPMS is always right? Hmmm.

I am going to try and get one of the sensors, perhaps a defective take out. I can analyze it and see what is really going on in there.

- John
 
#28 ·
TPMS (RDC) systems were conceived to provide a warning if tire pressure is low and that is their #1 purpose but with systems as accurate as these there's no reason to limit it's usage to just low tire pressure warning, in fact BMW recommends that you set the tire pressures based on the RDC pressures displayed.
 
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