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TPMS with a Color Display

Originally Published in Trailer Life Magazine

TST’s tire-pressure and temperature monitor works for the long haul on tow vehicles and trailers

TST Installation DetailsA family from Ohio is driving through Massachusetts with their travel trailer when someone flags them down. They pull over and find that a tire had blown, and they didn’t know it. The tire carcass somehow wrapped itself around the rear spring hanger, ripping it and a section of the trailer frame apart. End of trip and end of the season, as the trailer had to have the whole frame replaced.

While this true story seems extreme, severe trip-ending damage from blown tires isn’t uncommon. Tires fail for a variety of reasons, and the best way to protect against it, and for added safety, is to use a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

TST Display on Dashboard

We placed the 3¼-inch-wide color display on the center dash well of our F-350 using the rubber dash mount. A glass-suction mount also comes with the kit for placing on the windshield.

A good TPMS monitors tire pressure and temperature in real time, allowing the driver to see pressures at a glance, and also sounds an alarm if pressures or temperature go beyond programmed specs, either high or low, which allows for quick intervention.

Truck System Technologies, or TST, specializes in tire-pressure and temperature monitors for truck and RV use, and we’ve been testing the 507 Series system for the past six months with several round trips from Massachusetts to Indiana, a round trip from Massachusetts to Florida, and some shorter regional trips. We are using the kit with six cap sensors (flow-through and internal sensors are also available), repeater and a rechargeable full-color display.

The display for the 507 contains a lithium battery, which gives the option of running the unit without plugging it in, and in our tests the battery lasted for days of driving without going dead (the company claims five to seven days). A battery minder on the display indicates the state of charge.

TST Complete Kit

The TST 507 Series kit comes with everything needed for installation, including security nuts and wrench, 12-volt DC charging cord, windshield mount and a removable rubber-grip dash mount.

TST Sensors

Kits are available with cap, flow-through or internal sensors in two-, four- and six-sensor packages; additional cap sensors are $58. Stick-on numbered labels are provided. The plain numbered labels adhere to the tow-vehicle sensors, and the T-prefix labels go on the trailer sensors.

Before installing, make sure the display is charged. While you’re waiting, apply the provided stick-on labels to the sensors. Programming of each sensor is simple following on-screen indicators and holding the sensor against the bottom of the display.

Unlike some other brands, TST sensors come with the batteries installed. The sensors don’t turn on until tire pressure is applied, and removal of the sensors from the valve stem turns them off. The CR1632 lithium batteries will last up to two years, are replaceable and are available via the company’s website or other retail outlets.

TST Sensor Placement

For mounting the cap sensor, first screw on the locking nut, then attach the sensor. Reverse the nut until it’s against the sensor, then tighten with the included security wrench.

It’s a good idea to have the tires balanced once the sensors are installed because they weigh minimally more than a standard valve stem cap. If you haven’t done so yet, having your trailer tires balanced is a terrific way to improve tread life and help preserve the rest of the vehicle’s suspension hardware.
Two display mounts are included in the kit: a glass suction mount and a rubber dash mount that rests anywhere it is placed with minimal movement. We used the rubber dash mount in our Ford F-350, keeping the display in the center dash well where it is easily seen but unobtrusive.

The system also comes with a repeater that needs to be installed in the trailer. The repeater takes the signal from the trailer wheels and retransmits it to the forward display. It’s best to install the repeater in the front quarter of the trailer; it will require wiring to a constant 12-volt DC source while the trailer is in use or being towed.

TST Repeater

The 12-volt DC powered repeater unit assures that the signal from trailer-tire sensors reaches the receiver up in the cab.

Since most folks tow with the main battery on, I would wire it to the house system. That way, a quick before-travel tire-pressure check is easy, and when the unit is in storage, the repeater is off, provided the batteries are turned off.

TST Repeater Placement

Ideally, the repeater should be placed between the trailer axles and the main receiver, usually toward the front of the trailer.

TST Repeater Wiring

The repeater can be wired into any convenient 12-volt DC source. An inline fuse is included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The full-color display is clear and easy to read. The pressure and temperature values are large, along with the wheel position being read. Icons on the screen indicate battery level for the display and the sensors, fast leak, high and low pressure, and high temperature.
All the alarm values can be changed based on the owner’s needs. A red LED indicates a warning, and a lightness and motion detector senses when it is dark out and adjusts display brightness accordingly. If the unit is running on its internal battery and doesn’t detect motion, the display will go to sleep until motion is sensed.

While any TPMS is a substantial investment, the cost is negligible compared to the costs associated with a blown tire. The test TST 507 has worked accurately since installing
it last year. If you’re looking for a TPMS for your RV, and you should, then the TST is well worth considering. Available at Camping World RV & Outdoors.

Truck Systems Technologies | www.tsttruck.com

Hands OnNew Productsrv gearTPMS

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  1. Home
  2. Gear
  3. TPMS with a Color Display

TPMS with a Color Display

Originally Published in

TST’s tire-pressure and temperature monitor works for the long haul on tow vehicles and trailers

TST Installation DetailsA family from Ohio is driving through Massachusetts with their travel trailer when someone flags them down. They pull over and find that a tire had blown, and they didn’t know it. The tire carcass somehow wrapped itself around the rear spring hanger, ripping it and a section of the trailer frame apart. End of trip and end of the season, as the trailer had to have the whole frame replaced.

While this true story seems extreme, severe trip-ending damage from blown tires isn’t uncommon. Tires fail for a variety of reasons, and the best way to protect against it, and for added safety, is to use a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

TST Display on Dashboard

We placed the 3¼-inch-wide color display on the center dash well of our F-350 using the rubber dash mount. A glass-suction mount also comes with the kit for placing on the windshield.

A good TPMS monitors tire pressure and temperature in real time, allowing the driver to see pressures at a glance, and also sounds an alarm if pressures or temperature go beyond programmed specs, either high or low, which allows for quick intervention.

Truck System Technologies, or TST, specializes in tire-pressure and temperature monitors for truck and RV use, and we’ve been testing the 507 Series system for the past six months with several round trips from Massachusetts to Indiana, a round trip from Massachusetts to Florida, and some shorter regional trips. We are using the kit with six cap sensors (flow-through and internal sensors are also available), repeater and a rechargeable full-color display.

The display for the 507 contains a lithium battery, which gives the option of running the unit without plugging it in, and in our tests the battery lasted for days of driving without going dead (the company claims five to seven days). A battery minder on the display indicates the state of charge.

TST Complete Kit

The TST 507 Series kit comes with everything needed for installation, including security nuts and wrench, 12-volt DC charging cord, windshield mount and a removable rubber-grip dash mount.

TST Sensors

Kits are available with cap, flow-through or internal sensors in two-, four- and six-sensor packages; additional cap sensors are $58. Stick-on numbered labels are provided. The plain numbered labels adhere to the tow-vehicle sensors, and the T-prefix labels go on the trailer sensors.

Before installing, make sure the display is charged. While you’re waiting, apply the provided stick-on labels to the sensors. Programming of each sensor is simple following on-screen indicators and holding the sensor against the bottom of the display.

Unlike some other brands, TST sensors come with the batteries installed. The sensors don’t turn on until tire pressure is applied, and removal of the sensors from the valve stem turns them off. The CR1632 lithium batteries will last up to two years, are replaceable and are available via the company’s website or other retail outlets.

TST Sensor Placement

For mounting the cap sensor, first screw on the locking nut, then attach the sensor. Reverse the nut until it’s against the sensor, then tighten with the included security wrench.

It’s a good idea to have the tires balanced once the sensors are installed because they weigh minimally more than a standard valve stem cap. If you haven’t done so yet, having your trailer tires balanced is a terrific way to improve tread life and help preserve the rest of the vehicle’s suspension hardware.
Two display mounts are included in the kit: a glass suction mount and a rubber dash mount that rests anywhere it is placed with minimal movement. We used the rubber dash mount in our Ford F-350, keeping the display in the center dash well where it is easily seen but unobtrusive.

The system also comes with a repeater that needs to be installed in the trailer. The repeater takes the signal from the trailer wheels and retransmits it to the forward display. It’s best to install the repeater in the front quarter of the trailer; it will require wiring to a constant 12-volt DC source while the trailer is in use or being towed.

TST Repeater

The 12-volt DC powered repeater unit assures that the signal from trailer-tire sensors reaches the receiver up in the cab.

Since most folks tow with the main battery on, I would wire it to the house system. That way, a quick before-travel tire-pressure check is easy, and when the unit is in storage, the repeater is off, provided the batteries are turned off.

TST Repeater Placement

Ideally, the repeater should be placed between the trailer axles and the main receiver, usually toward the front of the trailer.

TST Repeater Wiring

The repeater can be wired into any convenient 12-volt DC source. An inline fuse is included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The full-color display is clear and easy to read. The pressure and temperature values are large, along with the wheel position being read. Icons on the screen indicate battery level for the display and the sensors, fast leak, high and low pressure, and high temperature.
All the alarm values can be changed based on the owner’s needs. A red LED indicates a warning, and a lightness and motion detector senses when it is dark out and adjusts display brightness accordingly. If the unit is running on its internal battery and doesn’t detect motion, the display will go to sleep until motion is sensed.

While any TPMS is a substantial investment, the cost is negligible compared to the costs associated with a blown tire. The test TST 507 has worked accurately since installing
it last year. If you’re looking for a TPMS for your RV, and you should, then the TST is well worth considering. Available at Camping World RV & Outdoors.

Truck Systems Technologies | www.tsttruck.com

Hands OnNew Productsrv gearTPMS

Subscribe to Wildsam Magazine today, Camping World and Good Sam’s magazine of the open road.

Just $19.97 for a year’s subscription.

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