Appeal for Knowledge (TPMS)

mnxs54 · Jan 3, 2011

There are some really smart people here, much smarter than I am. My question concerns TPMS systems. My assumption has always been that they consist of 2 parts: The "transmitter" part that goes either inside or outside the tire, and the "receiver" part that goes on the dash to tell the rider what's going on.

My question is this: If I got the"tire" part for a GM car application would it be possible to find a "receiver" for it cheaply? I ask because I could get that part really cheap. I assume it's some kind of transponder as I don't see a way of putting a battery in them My guess is "NO" but I thought I'd ask.

Regards,

Mark

sennister · Jan 3, 2011

The problem is that it may be pretty hard to get it to talk to a receiver. Look at how the GM vehicles report the pressure. Most just tell you a message in the DIC saying you have a low tire or which one is low. So unless you could get the computer and everything else from the car I don't thing it would help much.

As far as what you think is involved you are right.

I have the Kissan on my 1300. There are replacement valve stems that are nice because they are 90* valve stems. Then there are the receivers that mount near the sensors to pickup the pulses. That is connected to a small brain box. Then the signal is sent to a display that is mounted somewhere on the bike.

The Kissan isn't perfect. But it does a good enough job for me. I like it because it will tell me if I have a tire dropping pressure. It also lets me see when my tires are warmed up. I can see the temp of the tires come up by looking at the air pressure which is displayed in real time.

st1300r · Jan 3, 2011

You'd need to figure out the chip set used then figure out who uses that chip set in their reciever.
There may be a developer kit and protocol info from the manufacturer but buying a ready made set woul be cheaper.
I'd bet it uses a std protocol and chirps out an id and data string on a fixed schedule and maybe more frequently when it detects a change in psi a/o temp. You would probably be able to confirm that base on the pairing instructions. Seems cheaper than both ends being a transciever.

btw how cheap is cheap?

mnxs54 · Jan 4, 2011

st1300r said:
You'd need to figure out the chip set used then figure out who uses that chip set in their reciever.
There may be a developer kit and protocol info from the manufacturer but buying a ready made set woul be cheaper.
I'd bet it uses a std protocol and chirps out an id and data string on a fixed schedule and maybe more frequently when it detects a change in psi a/o temp. You would probably be able to confirm that base on the pairing instructions. Seems cheaper than both ends being a transciever.

btw how cheap is cheap?

In the neighborhood of $20 each.

RaYzerman · Jan 4, 2011

From my OEM automotive days, there were/are two systems for OEM cars. One that told you if one of the tires was low but not which one, and a deluxe system that would tell you the pressure in each wheel. Siemens and Schrader Bridgeport were the two major manufacturers, but it would be too much trouble to make up the displays IMHO. Plus the sensors are large and too big for inside a MC tire/wrong angle.
I'm on my third TPM system for the bike. SmartTire was the best but you can't get sensors any more. Kisan doesn''t require batteries, but I couldn't get the system to work reliably. Doran is my current choice.

Scooby-Doo · Feb 13, 2011

RaYzerman said:
Kisan doesn''t require batteries, but I couldn't get the system to work reliably.

I am curious why you were not able to make it work reliably. I really like the features of this system. Is there anything else comparable?

RaYzerman · Feb 14, 2011

Photo Man said:
I am curious why you were not able to make it work reliably. I really like the features of this system. Is there anything else comparable?

Long story... After having issues with the first system, Kisan sent me a new system. Accuracy of the readings depends on the gaps you set between sensors and pickups, I could not get accurate readings regardless of what gaps I set, and the second set was a real problem with one of the sensor/pickup combos. IMHO, the technology is not fully developed. The other issue for me was having to remove the pickups every time you change a tire, and of course you can't ever get them back in the same place you had them, requires too much fiddling around. Not a problem for some maybe, but it is with sensitive a sensor/pickup combo. The third issue was the extremely limited access to install/remove the front pickup on my bike due to large brake rotors and limited clearances. Bottom line, too much pain, and the RF systems are more reliable, so went to the Doran.

Scooby-Doo · Feb 14, 2011

RaYzerman said:
Long story... After having issues with the first system, Kisan sent me a new system. Accuracy of the readings depends on the gaps you set between sensors and pickups, I could not get accurate readings regardless of what gaps I set, and the second set was a real problem with one of the sensor/pickup combos. IMHO, the technology is not fully developed. The other issue for me was having to remove the pickups every time you change a tire, and of course you can't ever get them back in the same place you had them, requires too much fiddling around. Not a problem for some maybe, but it is with sensitive a sensor/pickup combo. The third issue was the extremely limited access to install/remove the front pickup on my bike due to large brake rotors and limited clearances. Bottom line, too much pain, and the RF systems are more reliable, so went to the Doran.

Thanks for all the feedback!! It sounds like Doran is the way to go. However I really liked all the features of the Kisan system.

PS even though its a Quebec thing have some Poutine for me!!!!

sennister · Feb 14, 2011

Photo Man said:
Thanks for all the feedback!! It sounds like Doran is the way to go. However I really liked all the features of the Kisan system.

PS even though its a Quebec thing have some Poutine for me!!!!

I have a Kisan TPM. I don't mind having to remove and reset the sensors. It isn't like I am running a NASCAR race and changing the wheels all the time. What I like about it is being able to get an idea of where the pressure is at without checking all the time. Sure if I am doing a trip I check manually but in all honesty most of my miles are daily commuting and running around. I have a really bad habit of not checking the pressure under these conditions. This lets me keep an eye on things. The other thing is that I can see the air pressures come up as the tires warm. This gives me an idea when I can have some fun. This has made me a safer rider as I find myself sliding around on cold tires less. Now all these features are something that any TPM will give you.

As for the other features. They are a PITA to use. It is such a pain to try and change mode and I typically end up in recalibrate mode so I typically just don't bother with it. Oh and the buttons are pretty much impossible to press with gloves on. So I put it in pressure mode and leave it there. I pretty much always have a GPS on so I don't need speed. What else does it do, HP estimate. Never messed with setting it up.

That is what I have found about the system. For me it works. Isn't perfectly accurate but will show a tire as low and that is what I wanted. It will also tell me if I am loosing pressure rapidly in a tire due to a puncture.