TPMS sensors on aftermarket wheels

[Darkrider_LS]

Ok....I have a set of 245/70R17 Goodyears i want to put on my TB and since i know they are close to being too tall to clear the UBJ i plan on getting spacers/adapters. Now my question is has anyone ran their tire pressure monitor sensors on aftermarket steel wheels? From what i remember of dealing with the GM sensor it uses an O ring to seal it against the rim correct? Or should i just live with having my warning light on during the summer and run rubber stems on the aftermarket wheels?

 

[mrphoenix80]

The old sesnors use the metal stems and an o ring, but the new sensors have rubber stems. If you have rubber stems you will need new stems ($6) only, don't let them tell you it is a whole sensor. But if you break a metal stem sensor getting it off it will have to be replaced. Other than breaking them getting them off I have had no problem on steel vs. alloy wheels. So if it don't come easy just let it go.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

The old sesnors use the metal stems and an o ring, but the new sensors have rubber stems. If you have rubber stems you will need new stems ($6) only, don't let them tell you it is a whole sensor. But if you break a metal stem sensor getting it off it will have to be replaced. Other than breaking them getting them off I have had no problem on steel vs. alloy wheels. So if it don't come easy just let it go.

Ok the stems on my TB now are the ones that have the silver sleeve on the outside that would be the old style metal ones correct? And the new style uses a replaceable rubber stem?

Either way i can use either type on steel or alloy wheels?

 

[mrphoenix80]

You have the old style tpms sensor and it is one piece with the stem and sensor molded together and then an oring and the sleeve on top is the nut that holds it in. Meaning if you break it you have to replace the whole sensor($70-80ea roughly).Because these sensors are an aluminium alloy they corrode and are almost impossible to remove at least here in the southwestern New York. The new sensors have a replaceable rubber stem and the sensor screws on to the bottom. Most likely if you broke an old sensor you would get the new style when you try to replace it.

Either one will work in either type of wheel.

Another option is to install new sensors in your new wheels. Then when you make the summer/winter swap you simply have to learn the new sensors to the truck. Which needs to be done even when doing a rotation or the pressures on the dash will not be right. For example the RR is flat but the dash says check LF. Another positive of installing new sensor on the new wheels is when you do the swap you will have to break down all 8 tires to move the sensors from one set to the other. The cost of doing this could pay for the new sensors in a few change overs. Also the tool companies have a tool out that allows you to clone your current sensors so when you do the swap your truck never knows it happened.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

You have the old style tpms sensor and it is one piece with the stem and sensor molded together and then an oring and the sleeve on top is the nut that holds it in. Meaning if you break it you have to replace the whole sensor($70-80ea roughly).Because these sensors are an aluminium alloy they corrode and are almost impossible to remove at least here in the southwestern New York. The new sensors have a replaceable rubber stem and the sensor screws on to the bottom. Most likely if you broke an old sensor you would get the new style when you try to replace it.

Either one will work in either type of wheel.

Another option is to install new sensors in your new wheels. Then when you make the summer/winter swap you simply have to learn the new sensors to the truck. Which needs to be done even when doing a rotation or the pressures on the dash will not be right. For example the RR is flat but the dash says check LF. Another positive of installing new sensor on the new wheels is when you do the swap you will have to break down all 8 tires to move the sensors from one set to the other. The cost of doing this could pay for the new sensors in a few change overs. Also the tool companies have a tool out that allows you to clone your current sensors so when you do the swap your truck never knows it happened.

All very good points! Thanks for the info! It was due to wanting to run two sets of wheels and tires which is what led me to this. In fact if at all possible i would like to use the 16" Sawblade style wheels from my '94 Sierra on the truck eventually which the new rubber style sensors will allow me to do! Heh i remember having to do TPMS relearn proceedures on vehicles when they were first coming out. I worked at Kal Tire as a tech at that point then moved to Tirecraft for about 4 months after that before i got out of mechanical work and started working as a security officer which i started in '07. But back then it was just the old style..which at that time were the "New" Thing lol

 

[mrphoenix80]

Glad I could help.

 

[mrphoenix80]

Just hit me what you said about using the wheels from your other truck. I am pretty sure that the lug spacing is different so they wont fit with out an adaptor kit.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

Just hit me what you said about using the wheels from your other truck. I am pretty sure that the lug spacing is different so they wont fit with out an adaptor kit.

Yea i planned on running a 6x5 to 6x5.5 adapter. Was planning it either way since the steel wheels i want to run are also FSC (6 x 5.5 ) pattern.

 

[deekster_caddy]

You should also be able to get a "TPMS Rebuild Kit" from NAPA or such that has the O-ring, seals and valve cap for your OE sensors to move them to new rims. Last set I got was something like $7. If the sensors are really old you might consider new ones anyway. Typically after 5 or 6 years they need to be replaced... corrosion, batteries, etc.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

You should also be able to get a "TPMS Rebuild Kit" from NAPA or such that has the O-ring, seals and valve cap for your OE sensors to move them to new rims. Last set I got was something like $7. If the sensors are really old you might consider new ones anyway. Typically after 5 or 6 years they need to be replaced... corrosion, batteries, etc.

Good to know thanks! Yea my TB is fast approaching the 5 year mark so it may be a good idea to look at new sensors for this project.

 

[mrphoenix80]

Well the problem I have with most of these can't be solved with the rebuild kit. The sensor breaks off of the stem(where the line is) when removing it because the nut siezes to the stem. Or someone puts the aftermarket cap on and that siezes on the end so when you remove it the stem breaks off leaving the end of the valve sticking out. Over all I like the the rubber stems much better, because you can replace them with out replacing the whole sensor.

 

[Sparky]

Frankly if I ever get a new enough TB to have TPMS there is a very good chance that the little light will find itself permanently disabled if/when the sensors go bad
If the computer dings however that could be rather irritating and not as easy to bypass

 

[mrphoenix80]

Nope no dings......yet. Unless you have a DIC then it posts a message on it to
piece of electrical tape inside the cluster and its GONE

Thank you F**d Exploder and Firestone for giving the government a reason to mandate these things.

 

[JHornak]

Mr. Phoenix,

Could you tell me the part# of those new rubber stem TPMS sensors? I have a 2007 Envoy with the OEM# 25774006 and I have been trying to find black TPMS sensors that will work to put on some summer rims. Have you installed those to verify that they work just like stock? Thanks!

 

[mrphoenix80]

OK so here goes the rubber stem sensors are GM P/N 22853741. However the the catalog does not show these as fitting your truck. I can not try to learn them to a truck like the one you have because I don't have one handy. My 06 Envoy does not have the tpms system. However they are converting ALOT of the metal stem sensors to rubber and most if not all 09 and up use the rubber ones.

Or Maybe you can fiind someone who can do this. Because what i have seen these sensors are also rubber stemed.
[video=youtube;ldIMkNLWPKw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldIMkNLWPKw[/video]

 

[Darkrider_LS]

Just bumping this up after rereading the thread. Now that i have watched the vid and seen the pics posted i realise the metal stem sensors use the same seal set up as the metal stems on semi wheels. So i can def see them working on the alloy wheels. So i think i might order some sensors from rock auto for this project and do what was suggested before and that is running new sensors on the new wheel set so i can switch back and forth and at the most have to do a relearn procedure at change over time.