iTPMS.
The smarter choice.

As the name implies, these systems measure the pressure directly, using pressure sensors in the wheels (usually attached to the rim). Sounds good, right? Well, it is. In a way. For a while. Because with a direct Tire Pressure Monitoring System, you do get to know the exact tire pressure, as this data is sent by radio to a receiver in the car, so that you can get tire pressure information on the dashboard in your car whenever you like. And yes, some may actually find that interesting.

However, you may find it equally interesting to know that these sensors run on batteries. And batteries, as we’re all well aware, wear out. Meaning they must be replaced. If you’re really lucky, this happens right in time for that tire change that you’ve scheduled with your favorite repair technician. Otherwise, of course, you’d have to remove the tires anyway, just to switch the batteries. If that’s even possible at all, that is. Because you see, most sensors are designed so that the batteries are sealed, meaning they can’t be replaced at all.

So there you are. Instead of replacing batteries, you’re replacing sensors. At 50 euros per unit. Plus, of course, the cost for the service. Oh, and by the way, those winter wheels? Need sensors too. And then, of course, we have the issue of electronic scrap… wait a minute, wasn’t TPMS systems meant to be good for the environment? Perhaps it’s at this point you start asking yourself: do you really, really need to know the exact tire pressure at any given time? Or could you do with just knowing when it’s getting too low? Wasn’t that the whole point of these systems anyway?

There has to be a smarter solution to all this, don’t you think? Fortunately, there is. It’s called indirect TPMS, and it makes costly sensors a thing of the past. Just like the electronic scrap they’ll eventually become.

So, what are indirect Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, and how do they work? Well, we’ll try not to get too scientific – after all, the whole point of them is to make life easier on you, the driver.

Basically, what you need to know is that iTPMS are software solutions. This means that no extra hardware is needed. Instead, these systems use existing signals from the car, such as the wheel speed signals, to draw conclusions about the tire pressure. The general principle is that a smaller tire (i.e. a less inflated one) will rotate slightly faster than the others, and this is how the car will know that a tire is underinflated. Even though there’s not a single sensor to worry about.

But what happens if all four tires are equally under-inflated? How will the car know that there’s an under-inflation issue if all tires are rolling at the same speed? Here’s where it gets interesting, because while the first generation iTPMS couldn’t tell that difference, the second-generation systems can. This is because the second-generation iTPMS use two different systems at once, smartly fusing the wheel speed signals with other information, making it a very robust and reliable solution. But now we’re getting technical. All you need to know is that (contrary to popular belief, it seems) the iTPMS of today will detect pressure drops in all four wheels. In fact, they can even tell which tire, exactly, is underinflated.

So that’s it? Yes, this is basically how iTPMS can make your life on the road a little easier. All you need to do is to push a button once in a while, to reset the system whenever you’ve changed or reinflated your tires. This is so that the system can learn what the nominal pressure is, in order to know when there’s a pressure drop.

Pushing a button. That’s your job. Compared to letting a qualified service technician replace your sensors at a rather hefty cost, that’s something you’d be willing to do, right?

Well, that’s what we thought.

As the name implies, these systems measure the pressure directly, using pressure sensors in the wheels (usually attached to the rim). Sounds good, right? Well, it is. In a way. For a while. Because with a direct Tire Pressure Monitoring System, you do get to know the exact tire pressure, as this data is sent by radio to a receiver in the car, so that you can get tire pressure information on the dashboard in your car whenever you like. And yes, some may actually find that interesting.

However, you may find it equally interesting to know that these sensors run on batteries. And batteries, as we’re all well aware, wear out. Meaning they must be replaced. If you’re really lucky, this happens right in time for that tire change that you’ve scheduled with your favorite repair technician. Otherwise, of course, you’d have to remove the tires anyway, just to switch the batteries. If that’s even possible at all, that is. Because you see, most sensors are designed so that the batteries are sealed, meaning they can’t be replaced at all.

So there you are. Instead of replacing batteries, you’re replacing sensors. At 50 euros per unit. Plus, of course, the cost for the service. Oh, and by the way, those winter wheels? Need sensors too. And then, of course, we have the issue of electronic scrap… wait a minute, wasn’t TPMS systems meant to be good for the environment? Perhaps it’s at this point you start asking yourself: do you really, really need to know the exact tire pressure at any given time? Or could you do with just knowing when it’s getting too low? Wasn’t that the whole point of these systems anyway?

There has to be a smarter solution to all this, don’t you think? Fortunately, there is. It’s called indirect TPMS, and it makes costly sensors a thing of the past. Just like the electronic scrap they’ll eventually become.

So, what are indirect Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, and how do they work? Well, we’ll try not to get too scientific – after all, the whole point of them is to make life easier on you, the driver.

Basically, what you need to know is that iTPMS are software solutions. This means that no extra hardware is needed. Instead, these systems use existing signals from the car, such as the wheel speed signals, to draw conclusions about the tire pressure. The general principle is that a smaller tire (i.e. a less inflated one) will rotate slightly faster than the others, and this is how the car will know that a tire is underinflated. Even though there’s not a single sensor to worry about.

But what happens if all four tires are equally under-inflated? How will the car know that there’s an under-inflation issue if all tires are rolling at the same speed? Here’s where it gets interesting, because while the first generation iTPMS couldn’t tell that difference, the second-generation systems can. This is because the second-generation iTPMS use two different systems at once, smartly fusing the wheel speed signals with other information, making it a very robust and reliable solution. But now we’re getting technical. All you need to know is that (contrary to popular belief, it seems) the iTPMS of today will detect pressure drops in all four wheels. In fact, they can even tell which tire, exactly, is underinflated.

So that’s it? Yes, this is basically how iTPMS can make your life on the road a little easier. All you need to do is to push a button once in a while, to reset the system whenever you’ve changed or reinflated your tires. This is so that the system can learn what the nominal pressure is, in order to know when there’s a pressure drop.

Pushing a button. That’s your job. Compared to letting a qualified service technician replace your sensors at a rather hefty cost, that’s something you’d be willing to do, right?

Well, that’s what we thought.