low tire pressure sensors wave of the future

[jenavet]

I was just reading an interesting article about how by september 2005,50% of all new vehicles in this country are mandated by the national highway traffic safety administration to have low tire pressure sensors, and as of the year 2007,they are mandating that 100% of all new vehicles will be equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system.

This has created quite a buzz in the tire industry with alot of issues and challenges this will present...

The tire changer is usually one of the lowest paid individuals in a tire store.The shops will now have to train all these guys on how to spot and change tires on all these different cars without damaging sensors...this can cost a tire shop alot of incurred costs if their guys damage sensors on a tire change...estimating from 100-200.00 per sensor to replace.

There is a big question mark on how fix a flat style additives will affect these tire pressure monitoring systems...to the point where they may no longer be utilized,possibly damaging components of the ltps system

But the biggest concern appears to be if the customer or repair shop disables or removes the tire monitoring system.This first of all would be a violation of federal law,but also could open up the repair shop to a lawsuit in case an accident occurs related to a tire pressure problem.This could happen even if the customer asked or agreed to have the system removed.

I think the corvette is one of the initial us made cars that came equipped with a low tire monitoring system,and currently there are no laws governing the utilization or maintenace of this system.But if these sytems become mandatory on all new vehicles,this could all change!!

[c5vetter]

fix-a-flat definitely F***S UP the sensors

[JohnZ]

Another $100 per car price increase that's being jammed down our throats by the pencil-necked bureaucrats at NHTSA as a knee-jerk reaction to the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire publicity, mandated by technically-inept but politically-astute Congressmen and Senators, to "protect us" from ourselves.