Tire Minder's TPS is an excellent addition to any RV!

Experienced RV'ers know that you should never hit the road without checking the pressure in each tire.  It's a necessary habit to get into before ever leaving the drive.  But, what happens after you get going?  Tire Minder's Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPS) will take the guesswork out of what's going on with your tires after your initial pre-trip safety check.

Don't let tire trouble get you down.  Install a TPS for added safety and peace of mind.

RV Towing Safety with Tire Minder

We began towing our pop-up camper, Peggy Sue, with some very basic tools.  We had a basic tire pressure gauge initially just to feel safe about getting on the road.  And, if you are on a budget, you definitely need this tool!  Later, we added the Ryobi Inflator and Deflator.  This tool will check your tire pressure, and you can set a PSI for the tires to be inflated or deflated.  We still think both of these tools are handy and necessary.  But, the Tire Minder TPS keeps a watch on your tires while you are actually towing and driving down the road. 

The Tire Minder System clearly displays the PSI and temperature of each tire and will alert you of any problems.

What is a Tire Pressure Monitoring System?

A TPM (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) provides data on tire pressure and temperature.  It will also alert you if there is a drop in pressure or a rise in temperature.  Both of these things indicate a problem with your tires.  It gives you the time to slow down and pull over safely on the side of the road before a big problem happens.

Having a major blowout on the road can cause the tire to shred and tear up the underbelly of your RV.  It can also be dangerous and cause an accident.  Finally, any added time for that safety cushion even during a problem.  

Until you start towing a lot and for long distances, this can seem like an added expense, but I can tell you that it is simple peace of mind.  I encourage anyone towing an RV to invest in this system!  Cars already have this technology built-in for tires.  I had a nail in my company car's tire recently.  As soon as the pressure dropped, I was alerted and could find a repair shop.  Tire Minder expands this capability to your RV.  You just need it!

The signal booster connects to the battery of your RV.

Each sensor connects to the tire and has an included battery installed that should last a year.

How does the TPS install?

The installation of Tire Minder's TPS is easy.  You connect the signal booster to your RV battery.  Next, you connect the tire pressure sensors to each tire.  The sensors operate on a small watch-size c1632 battery.  There are even extras included in the kit.  But you can order extras to put in your trailer for when you need them.  

The batteries should last a year.  I would set a reminder on your electronic calendar through Google Calendar or a similar tool to remind you when you need to change them. Set a reminder for 1 year from the original installation, and you are set!

Finally, you charge your monitor.  This monitor can work on a charged connection as well as solar charging capabilities to read the tire pressure while towing.

The instructions for installing the system are simple and can be done in 10 minutes.  It will provide you with peace of mind every time you tow.  And if you have a trailer larger than 25 feet, Tire Minder offers multiple products for larger rigs!

Use the included instructions to set the PSI levels to the correct amount for your tires and rig.  The tire recommended PSI levels can be found on the side of your trailer on a sticker or in your trailer manual.  Our recommended PSI for our trailer tires is 65.  However, if our tires are at about 55 cold before we start towing, this amount increases once in tow to 65 or within a few points.  Remember that the recommended amount is a max number.  You don't want to overfill your tires and have too much pressure.  It's a delicate balance.  

Our rule of thumb is no less than 55 cold before towing and if we see that the pressure doesn't increase, we can always add pressure using our Ryobi inflator and deflator on the road if needed.

While the monitor can mount to your dashboard, we keep ours stored in the console and place it on the dash when needed.

Once you are towing, now what?

The solar monitor we have will mount to our dashboard, but I didn't feel like we needed this in a permanent location in our tow vehicle.  I keep our monitor stored in our tow vehicle console.  The day before our trip, I take it out and lay it on the dashboard to charge with the sun.   This can also be plugged into a USB port to charge with the included cable.  

The monitor has a series of buttons on the top.  Push the middle button to power on the monitor.  It will already be paired to your sensors on each tire.  

If your tire pressure drops too low or suddenly or the temperature rises, you will receive an alert.  The monitor beeps like an alarm and is plenty loud.  An alarm will also sound if a sensor loses connection.  We had this happen once on a bumpy road.  

Having a Tire Minder TPS installed can provide valuable peace of mind.  But, it can also save you money in the long run.  Accidents and mishaps on the road can be very costly.  Don't let it happen to you.  It may be cliche but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  It cannot be more true here.  We love our Tire Minder TPS, and I recommend it to anyone towing a trailer.  It just makes good common sense!

Until next time...

Pin this post to your favorite Pinterest Board.