PSA: Time to Pump Up Your Tires!

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by David Towle, Nov 11, 2019.

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  1. David Towle

    David Towle Well-Known Member

    I assume everyone here is concerned with fuel (gas/electric) economy. Autumn is the time, due to falling temperatures, when you must regularly add air to your tires (preferably first thing in the morning when tires are coldest). In fact I go above the recommended level a few PSI this time of year to make sure I don't fall behind.

    For those interested, this is due to the Ideal Gas Law, PV=nRT. The only letters on this you need to know is P on one side of the equation and T on the other, meaning that when temperature goes down pressure goes down. Air is not an ideal gas but its not far off either.

    Where I live the total difference from summer to winter is about 6 psi so its not minor.
     
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  3. Will the TPMS system tell me when it's needed, or should I check on my own?
    (Today it's a balmy mid 60's, but last week we dropped into the 30's, no TPMS warning yet.)
     
  4. DucRider

    DucRider Well-Known Member

    The TPMS system does not actually monitor tire pressures, it only looks at tire rotational speed and will alert you when one is different enough from the others.
    If all tires are at relatively the same pressure (even if too low) the Clarity assumes nothing is wrong. This type of system uses existing sensors (ABS/Stability Control) instead of a device in/on the wheel itself that transmits pressure readings.
     
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  5. David in TN

    David in TN Well-Known Member

    TPMS works on rotational difference between the tires. If all tires are at 20psi, then they're all the same. Do not rely on it. Check your air pressure. I did last week and found mine were all around 28psi. It's an easy fix. :)
     
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  6. Now we have a feature that is more useless than the Eco Score.

    I check pressure monthly, but will now put the valve stem mounted TPMS sensors on the Clarity, that we use on the vehicle that we tow behind the motorhome. We’ll never use both cars at the same time and it is a 2 minute swap out. Maybe Honda should have called Jeep 5 years ago to learn about this advanced technology.
     
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  8. Groves Cooke

    Groves Cooke Active Member

    I bought one of these a year ago. Happy driver. I've already added air this fall. Also the car's TPMS system has gone on alert when there was no problem. Just did the recalibrate routine.
     
  9. David Towle

    David Towle Well-Known Member

    Not only that, but I think it takes a big difference for the low pressure to show up. Yes it is close to useless, but this doesn't matter to me as I'm an old fashioned manual pressure monitor.
     
  10. Groves Cooke

    Groves Cooke Active Member

    Honda knows about it. I had individual tire pressure read outs on my last TLX. Also had a good rear cross alert on that car.
     
  11. hobbit

    hobbit Well-Known Member

    Not in any modern system. Pressure and temperature are read directly and
    transmitted to the car's pickups. As much as manufacturers tried to do TPMS
    via wheel-speed sensors and clever software, they eventually admitted
    defeat and the NHTSA mandated direct read.

    However, there's this ...

    _H*
     
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  13. Groves Cooke

    Groves Cooke Active Member

    My solution is a whole lot easier than this!
     
  14. TomL

    TomL Active Member

    Good advice. I think it also recommended to recalibrate the TPMS after adjusting tire pressure.
     
  15. Robert_Alabama

    Robert_Alabama Well-Known Member

    I'm another fan of the add-on valve cap TPMS system. These things are cheap, like $20. I bought one on Ebay that has the small solar panel on it. Stick the monitor on the dash to the left of the steering wheel and under the windshield enough to keep it charged with daylight. Never needs power from USB. Automatic shut off at night and turns on based on sound of the door opening (I think that's what seems to activate it anyway). Anyway, had mine about 6 months now and no issues whatsoever...
    It is similar to this one...
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireless-Solar-TPMS-LCD-Car-Tire-Pressure-Monitoring-System-4-External-Sensors/372836527061
     
  16. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    The Clarity actually does check each wheel's speed to see if any tires have inconsistent dimensions. That's why the calibration procedure is required.
    From page 32 of the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid Owners Manual:

    upload_2019-11-11_21-53-43.png
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2019
  17. jdonalds

    jdonalds Well-Known Member

    I understand tires can lose 1 to 3 pounds each month. So they should be checked once a month.
     
  18. A few folks here have posted that Honda uses the rotation method. And Honda put out a video explaining it.

    It definitely is not a “modern” system.
     
  19. Kerbe

    Kerbe Well-Known Member

    Don't forget - Clarity was pretty much designed in 2014/15 - and has all of Honda's latest tech from that date...
     
  20. Jeez, thanks for the replies. I came from a 2007 Tacoma and Prius Prime, both had actual tire pressure monitors in the tires. I guess the upside is that I don;t have to replace the monitors when they break in about 8 to 10 years.
     
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  21. That may be true, but we’re talking about a TPMS that actually measures tire pressure and shows it on a display for the driver. This technology was available and used on Honda/Acura vehicles (and other manufacturers) prior to 2014/15. It’s a pretty simple add-on.

    My car was built in May of 2019.
     
  22. Our 2008 Sorento measures tire pressure.
     
  23. Kerbe

    Kerbe Well-Known Member

    The TPMS in my 2010 Fit - and also in my 2016 VW Golf - required me to balance the pressure in all four tires and then only reported when one or more of them dropped below a certain percent. Those systems did not indicate which tire or how much of a drop in pressure occurred. It the Fit, one of the in-tire sensors went bad, disabling the whole system. My point about Honda tech in Clarity was that the vehicle was a test-bed for many different engineering ideas - like the aluminum body panels and the GFC bumper beam - and, maybe, some engineer thought this would be a new and exciting way to gauge tire pressure.
     

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