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Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
Many of us use FOBO Tire or FOBO Tire Plus.
About a year ago I actually organized a group buy, so a lot of us got the FOBO Tire Plus that way. Even though I now have the ability to see the tire pressures on my model through the Tesla Firmware, I still use the FOBO Tire Plus, as it shows tire temperatures too, and also shows the pressures in increments of .2 PSI.
Edit: Here's the thread. The first post should have a lot of information about what it is, the company, etc.
Group Buy for FOBO Tire Plus - $30 or $50 off, plus free express shipping ($20 value)
(The group buy ended long ago. I'm just posting the thread to provide the info on FOBO Tire Plus.)
roblab
Active Member
In California (or is it Federal??), it is a law that Service Centers must check tire pressures, I guess so that dangerous life threatening blowouts don't occur while traveling at 5 mph on the freeway during rush hour.
From something that used to be so non interesting that nobody cared, now we have to buy special sensors so we can view them on an app and see temperatures, and pressures to 0.2 PSI??? Amazing.
My tires don't go flat that often. As in, Never. They also do not vary in PSI more than maybe a pound in 20,000 miles when I get the next set on. I occasionally look at the tire profile as I walk up. That's about it.
From something that used to be so non interesting that nobody cared, now we have to buy special sensors so we can view them on an app and see temperatures, and pressures to 0.2 PSI??? Amazing.
My tires don't go flat that often. As in, Never. They also do not vary in PSI more than maybe a pound in 20,000 miles when I get the next set on. I occasionally look at the tire profile as I walk up. That's about it.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
Well, you do live in Northern California. The temperature variation you experience there is probably significantly less than the temperature variation I experience in upstate NY. If your temperatures varied 70-80 degrees F, I assure you your tire pressures would vary more than a pound in PSI. In fact even with relatively mild temperature swings, I'd think your pressures would vary some, season to season.
Thank you so much for the detailed reply! I will definitely look into it. I was hoping that some one had an app for Tesla which had other fun stuff including tire pressure information as well like in LEAF and in VOLT.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
I'm probably not as diligent about it as I should be--in particular I don't think I'm very good about letting air out when it gets warmer--but yes, I do try to pay attention to the air pressure in my tires, as affected by temperature. I am pretty good about making sure to add pressure as it gets colder. That is largely due to the fact that I have FOBO Tire set to alert me if any of the tire pressures fall below 43.5 PSI, and that can happen pretty easily as it gets cold.
I just checked, and my pressures right now are 46-47 PSI. I'm not too worried about the fact that they are a hair above the recommended 45 PSI minimum, because for a time Tesla was recommending 50 PSI minimum for my model and wheels. (They went back and forth between 45 and 50.) I am much more concerned with the pressures being too low as opposed to too high, which is probably why I am better about adding pressure when it gets cold.
JPP
Active Member
I have the FOBO Plus on both cars--really love it. On 2 occasions it alerted me to a slow leak (comparing pressures and seeing 1 tire out of range) with a small screw in the tire each time. Yes, a bit ugly, but I'll take function over form. You can custom set upper and lower pressure limits and warnings. You can have the app on 2 or more smartphones and have 1 'master' and multiple 'slaves' that receive and send data. The latest app/firmware adds a 'reference' temperature and calculated PSI so you can see the offset as the tire and ambient temps go up and down. FWIW, I find that the internal coin batteries in the sensors don't really last more than 4-6 months. No biggie--easy to replace. I'm a happy camper...and thanks to Andy for the group buy last year.
roblab
Active Member
Oh, yeah. They vary by temp a fair amount: just driving will up them, as today, from 46 to 50 psi. I'm talking about the tires losing air over time. That doesn't seem to be a problem, and the car will alert you if you gain or lose 15 lb (in my case, about 30 to 60 lb.) When I take a tire off my car, let's say in the fall, it has the same pressure in it that it did last fall, more or less. I inflate to 46. They are always 46 in my garage, which admittedly does not have wild temp swings.
Point being, of course, some people have an obsession to know their tire pressure to 0.2 psi. For why, I wonder. Unless your tire has a nail in it, which your car will tell you about before it gets too low and causes damage, you don't need to know.
dhanson865
Well-Known Member
I do. I have leafspy running all the time and have it set to alarm if my tire pressure goes below 48 psi. If the temp goes down I have to add air 2 or 3 times a year until I handle coldest and then let air back out once or twice going back into summer. So I'm adjusting maybe 4 or 5 times a year but only when there is an unusually warm or cold period.
I wasn't that careful about it on my older cars that couldn't display real time as i drive tire pressure but having leafspy show it as I'm driving I can see if a tire is out of alignment just by watching it heat up quicker than the other 3.
Now that I know what is happening it actually takes less effort to adjust seasonally because I don't bother to check pressure manually on a monthly basis or forget. I see it real time ever day without bothering to unscrew a valve stem cap, without having to bend over a try to read a gauge, without losing a little air each time I check.
It really is more convenient to have the dash or an app tell you what your pressure is.
pilotSteve
Active Member
Not my experience! I've had two "tire pressure dangerously low" messages. Both were nails in the tire. One was a simple free fix at Les Schwab tires, my second one (over a year later) was directly into the sidewall so I've got a new Michelin Primacy 19" tire.
I do have an air compressor in my garage and a temperature-compensated pressure gauge so its pretty easy to top up tires. btw I have a Sig MS so I have the old (original) TPMS.
Bottom line: don't ignore those warnings OR tire pressures that seem to slowly leak down. There is probably something wrong that isn't going to go away on its own.
JPP
Active Member
Older builds do not have the TPMS display (like my 2013--even with current firmware). Also, you have to bring up the display and have a look--takes a few clicks. And the threshold for a low tire pressure on my S is too low for my taste. I like to have control on display, alerts, etc. It even has an Apple Watch app so I get alerts on my Watch too.
JenniferQ
Active Member
I think it's CA law, and I'm fairly certain it's for environmental reasons, and not safety ones that they are required to check the Tire Pressure at all service visits.
Checking Tire Pressure Now Law in California
Thanks, Obama!
gzerninplatz
Member
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