Replacing our RV’s TPMS – New TST System


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We’ve used a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) for as long as we’ve been RVing.  It’s just a smart thing to do, and I appreciate the added safety.  We started with a TireTraker system long ago in Das Bus.  Then we upgraded to a TireMinder system somewhere along the way in Lance.  The TireMinder system worked well, but there were just enough things that bugged me to make me open to something else.  So NOW, we’re trying out the TST TPMS (from Truck System Technologies).  Check it out in the video:

 

So if you’re wondering why to get a TPMS at all, here are a few reasons.  First, the TPMS that comes with new vehicles is nice, but it usually only warns you when your tires have become dangerously low.  An aftermarket TPMS will warn you if your tires get too hot, if the pressure is too high, if the pressure is too low, if one of your tires is experiencing a slow leak, or a fast leak.  And the main thing a TPMS will do (that the factory one won’t) is to also do all that same monitoring on a towed vehicle or trailer.  Since we sometimes tow our trailer, George, we consider a TPMS essential equipment.

 

Full Disclosure:  The folks at TST did send us their TPMS to evaluate.  They didn’t place any conditions on us other than asking us to try it out.  My opinions about the TST TPMS are mine alone, and have not been influenced by TST.  In fact, they’ll see this video and review when you do.

 

Not to rehash most of the video, but we had been using the TireMinder for a few years with pretty good results.  The thing that finally got to me was what seemed like a too-frequent loss of sensor data.  This was due to a number of things – low battery, cracked sensor housing, etc.  But it got to feeling like every time we went out in the RV, we would wind up shutting the TireMinder off because it just KEPT ON SENDING ALARMS.  There were other issues, to be sure, but they were all pretty minor in the big scheme of things.  Eventually, the TireMinder was left switched off more than it was switched on, and that was a problem.

Time will tell if the TST TPMS is able to maintain solid sensor performance.  I’ll come back to this post and update as I have more miles with the TST unit.  But there were a number of things right out of the box that I liked about their system.

  • The color display.  I didn’t think I cared that much about a bright color display, but wow.  This thing is easy to read, and just a joy to look at.
  • The stub antenna.  Not having to pull up a long telescoping antenna means there are more places you can mount it. (And it comes with multiple mounts!)
  • The SCROLLING.  The TireMinder would go dark after a while, and I guess that saves battery.  But the TST system scrolls through all the available tires, so you never have to ask your partner to read your tire pressure.

Beyond that, we don’t have much time under our belts with the TST TPMS yet, so we’ll update right below here as we do.  One thing I’m curious about right off the bat is how long will a battery charge last with that really bright display and constant scrolling.  I guess we’ll see.

See you on the road!

 



James is a former rocket scientist, a USA Cycling coach, and lifelong fitness buff. When he's not driving the RV, or modifying the RV (or - that one time - doing both at once), you can find him racing bicycles, or building furniture, or making music. In his spare time, he works for a large IT company.


    33 thoughts on “Replacing our RV’s TPMS – New TST System

    1. Troy Swezey

      Just ordered one of these using your affiliate link. Thanks for the recommendation on your YouTube page.

      Reply
    2. Andy & Kim

      By this time you probably have a lot of miles on the TST system, is it still performing to your expectations? Will you be using it on your new Ekko or will you move on to something else?

      Always wishing you two the best ….. oops, sorry Mel, you three!
      Andy & Kim
      Mimi & Jojo – The cats that allow us to travel with them in their 25′ Class C

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        Yes, we do still like it. The battery life is amazing on both the head unit and on the individual sensors.
        We plan to take it with us into our new EKKO.
        Although, I may change sensor types… The dual rear wheels may present some challenges – as I’d have to tighten the inner caps on the stem through small holes in the outer tire.
        They make *internal* sensors that mount to the wheels. I think we may go that way.

        Reply
    3. Lassin Angeles

      Great video and very thorough review, many thanks!

      My only gripe is the huge price tag $400 for 6 sensors – yikes! I did not realize a TPMS was so pricey. It is unfortunate that most things we buy have menu systems that cannot be evaluated prior to purchase. Even cell phones each have different ways to navigate their menus of functions, and some are not user friendly. This is where reviews are invaluable. So much to know. So little time.

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        We’ve been rolling with them since we left home on a 2 week trip to northern Idaho.
        They’ve been working absolutely flawlessly the entire time.
        Even better – I have STILL not had to recharge the display unit.
        (I think I may have to after today though. So what’s that? 12 days worth of drive time?)

        Reply
    4. Nicholas Wells

      James/Steph,
      Thanks for the review of the TST TPMS. Been using the 507 system for a number of years on my truck/5th wheel combo, and it has saved my bacon a couple of times, mainly from low pressure situations I didn’t know were happening. I just upgraded to flow-thru monitors for the truck ’cause I have steel valve cores there, and am so glad I did. One less fiddly-bit.

      Keep up the good work. And tell Steph those sound effects have been heard around the world, in all time zones, day and night. God bless.

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        There’s a max temp recommended in the TST manual, and they don’t recommend you change it.
        You can, though… if you have some other temperature you prefer.

        Reply
      1. James - Post author

        Ooh. Good idea.
        Unfortunately (I just checked) tire pressures are *not* available through the ultra-gauge.
        Some of the vehicles systems run on separate computers, and the TPMS must be one of them.
        Like the thinking though!

        Reply
    5. Wes Hellner

      Been using the TST 510 system for four years and it is great. I have the “five year” battery sensors where you just pay $25 each for new five year sensors…..FYI…. TST has discontinued the 510 system and when the batteries do give out the only recourse now is to buy a whole new TST system with the one year replaceable batteries. This is a bummer but they will give existing customers a 20% discount.

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        The internal sensors they offer still have a 5 year battery.
        (Don’t know how expensive they are though…)

        Reply
    6. Guy

      Could you provide the specific Model number of the TST product you tested?

      Do the sensor valves provide flow through capability so you can fill them without removing the sensors?

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        TST does make flow-through sensors, but they are supposed to be used with metal valve stems.
        We have regular rubber valve stems, so we couldn’t use those.
        Our kit is linked in the post above.
        It’s the TST RV5076C

        Reply
    7. Mary Lynn Monge

      Good timing for us – our TST TPMS just arrived the day you posted this video! Thanks for showing us how the installation will go.

      As always, we really appreciate your videos and this website, and your weekly emails. I love the dose of Mel section, in particular. Our kitty is wonderful in our RV, and we love Mel, too!

      Reply
    8. Gene Story

      Will the TST display be too bright at night? Ideally it has a self-dimming function. Extra points if it can be manually controlled too. Looking forward to your long term use report.

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        Well, I haven’t driven with it at night yet, but it is supposed to dim.
        I see what I believe is a light sensor on the unit, so I think they’ve thought of that.
        Will include this bit in a later report.

        Reply
    9. Roger Bohnke

      I think you’ll enjoy the TST sensor system. We got the same unit from TechnoRV with just 4 sensors for our T last August. We put about 5K miles on them before the COVID shutdown. My only nitpick is that my right front sensor takes a few minutes longer to register on startup, but it’s been perfect otherwise. Love the ability to set my own alert ranges. Since we don’t have a trailer, I didn’t even install the repeater. I am getting close to a year now with them, so I’ll likely be finding out just how long the sensor batteries will last. Being able to replace them myself without sending it in is a big plus too.

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        If it weren’t for the trailer, I don’t think I would have bothered with the repeater myself. And we don’t even tow all the time. I kind of wish the repeater had an on/off switch… I could have added one, but I’m just being lazy.

        Reply
    10. Rich D.

      Great quick review of the new TPMS. Did you have to recalibrate all the sensors after you replaced the batteries or does the unit have a memory?

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        Great question.
        I did not have to recalibrate or “re-learn” any of the sensors after replacing the batteries. The sensors each have a unique, hard-coded ID. That ID persists through battery changes, so the head unit just sees the sensors come back online.
        I did get some warning beeps as I unscrewed sensors and replaced batteries, but those had all cleared by the time I got back into the van.

        Reply
    11. KiNG

      Thanks for the videos that you and Stef make. Always learned something from them.

      My 2 cents on the TST TPMS.

      1. Display all TP at once. If I were driving it is not safe to keep taking my eyes off the road and wait for each tire to display.

      2. Allow a threshold TP to be set and sound an alert. That’s what a monitoring system is supposed to do, monitor and if there’s a problem sound the alarm. On some of my cars, it shows an alert on the instrument cluster if TPs are low or if one is 7 PSI lowered than others.

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        Well, to display all the pressures at once would require a rather large monitor (especially if you have a dually towing a 3 axle fifth-wheel). I think what the TST system does is probably the best compromise you could come up with. It certainly beats the manual scrolling we had to do with the TireMinder.

        I didn’t get into it in the video, but your #2 is exactly what the TST System (and others) do. In TST, you can set high and low pressure alarms, and a high temperature alarm. It’s all done in the unit, and doesn’t make for a very interesting video though…

        Reply
        1. David Thrower

          I have a TyrePro one fitted the in uk. The sensors look the same but the big win is that it displays all 4 tyre pressures and temps in a really small solar powered display. It sits on the dash in a sticky pad. Size wise it’s about 3” wide, 2” deep and 1” tall.
          1 year in I’d highly recommend. Replaced one 2032 battery apart from that no issues.

        2. James - Post author

          Good call out for those who can find one.
          My 10 seconds of searching on Amazon and Google didn’t turn anything up here stateside…

    12. Jeremy Specce

      I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. I REALLY wish you’d open comments on your youtube videos. I get why you want to drive people to your site but there’s also something to be said about the engagement you’ll get on youtube. I personally sit down to watch youtube videos, and don’t want to be jumping from site to site of all the content creators i follow just to engage with them. But your videos often do encourage me to want to engage, follow up, ask a question, add my experience, etc. but a lot of times I don’t feel compelled enough to leave youtube to do so. I’m sure i’m not alone. A quick (not entirely scientific) survey of other videos that have been up for about the same amount of time and had roughly the same viewership had a comment percentage of 1 to 3 percent, whereas your video has less than .01%
      Comments aren’t everything, but i think your content is relatively non controversial so i’d like to hope the trolls would be rare. Just something to think about.
      PS, our TPMS paid for itself on the very first trip we installed it. Got a flat tire and had no idea (this was on a 2 axle trailer), except for the TPMS beeping!

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        First off – thanks for taking the time to come over and leave a comment. And we’re glad to hear that your TPMS came in handy! (Not so glad you got a flat though…)

        We don’t allow comments on YouTube because both Stef and I have real jobs too. This is just a hobby.
        Besides YouTube, we also maintain Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter presences, and most importantly: this web site.
        Constantly monitoring comments across multiple platforms was too much work. Something had to go.

        Every video we post has an associated article on our web site.
        You can find the link in the description, and we do encourage comments here. You can also ask questions on our Facebook page.
        We find that people who are willing to click over generally are willing to leave constructive comments, and the discussion is much better than the typical YouTube video.

        As a test, we did recently try turning on comments on two YouTube videos. One of them is still open, the other got so toxic so fast, we stopped.
        From what we can tell, turning on comments did not affect YouTube’s algorithm in any beneficial way.

        Cheers!

        Reply
    13. Ian F

      “No sound effects…”
      that made me laugh.

      Is there a concern about the weight of the sensor flexing and breaking the valve stem on the trailer wheels?

      Reply
      1. James - Post author

        They list the weight of the sensors in the TST material.
        It’s a handful of grams – I forget how many.
        I didn’t detect any wheel balance issues during my test ride. That would be my first warning sign that something was amiss.
        TST does offer internal band sensors that go around the wheel. That’s my next upgrade if I like the system otherwise. That would completely remove any valve stem problems.

        Reply

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