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Model 3 TPMS sensors are junk
- Thread starter voip-ninja
- Start date
It is high. If the tire pressure is supposed to be 45 psi the warning shouldn't even go off till it's at 33-34. This problem is even worse for those of us at higher altitude because the TPMS reads low.
The FMVSS is the lowest allowable/ must warn level, also specifies a time limit for 20 minutes to initially alert on a 1 psi lower than 75% of placard level. (thump thump thump on a real flat) OEMs can set the threshold to a faster/ more conservative/ more fuel efficient/ more annoying level.
DNAPoPo
Member
Ya, I had the same last night, cold, so threw up warning at 38, but tires warmed up and psi shot up to 40/41 and it did not clear until my next time out.... I also wish the app gave TPMS status, my Chevy Volt did, come on Tesla, you are better than this... LOL
perhaps you need a road trip to Fremont (and sea level) to properly calibrate?
Seriously, though, why not schedule an appt with the SC and if you are lucky, the'll send out a mobile service to swap the sensors out.
fwiw: I picked up my M3 in April, but the first cold spell (in SoCal) when temps dropped into the 70's, I got the pressure warnings on the display screen. I used my old analog temp gauge ($15) and pumped up the air. Now, the display screen and TPMS sensors are within 1 (pressure) of each other. Close enough.
Fusion
Member
You have it easy, you're at sea level
If all 4 sensors read the same on the display, and on the handheld gauge (even if different than the gauge), the issue is the car software is not applying the correct altitude ambient air pressure compensation. TPMS sensors only deal in absolute pressure.
I think we've determined that the most likely explanation for the mis-match between what my gauge shows and what TPMS sensors are showing is due to my being at 6100' altitude.
Not necessarily -- it depends on what spec TSLA asked for in the monitoring/sw setup. The federal rule is that it must trigger at not more than 25% differential, but that is not the lower limit.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
FloridaGary
Member
I may me wrong but per the manual, the TPMS reset relearns the sensors when tires are swapped, or allows switching between OEM tire options due to different pressures. It does not appear to allow any changing of the pressure target beyond that.
From the S:
comanchepilot
Member
but thats what you want - you want to fool the computer into thinking the pressures you have a accurate. . . .
It's only two fixed settings though (40 and 42 I believe), not fully adjustable
I've seen a few people mention that the warnings aren't happening or aren't as sensitive in newer software releases but that hasn't been my experience.
I recently bought a new, pretty high end digital tire gauge and inflator. Set all four tires to 41 PSI. A week later temps dipped into the teens and the car showed tires at 37-38 PSI and low tire pressure alarms were active on at least one tire.
I hooked the tire gauge back up and the tires are at 40.5 PSI.
So the TPMS thinks tires at 37 and the expensive gauge shows they are at 40.5.
Tesla needs to fix this. The car has GPS and knows what altitude it is at all the time, there is no reason it can't calibrate the TPMS sensors properly for altitude, it's trivial.
For general reference when actively working with tires: the TPMS sensors do not stream data continuously. Data comes out about one a minute when the tre is spinning, one (a few?) packets if there is a sudden large pressure change, or rarely (minutes between data points) if the tire is stationary.
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