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Tire Pressure Monitoring Valve Stem Caps + Bluetooth

gmcjetpilot

gmcjetpilot

Well Known Member
So has any one used TPMS made for cars or motorcycles, sold on eBay or Amazon. You use your smart phone to read the pressure.

The FOBO brand is $90 (2 sensors) or $130 (3 sensors). Another brand Leepee is half the cost. If you havecannA-model they sell trike kits w/ three. They both use App on smart phone. There other brands with dedicated display. It will give alarm is you are losing pressure or out of limits. As well these sensors messure tempature. I am going to buy a set for my bike. Shop around prices vary. Also be sure to get latest version. They run on small standard coin battery user replaceable.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2044370435...ez2CNN-SDy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1956319301...ez2CNN-SDy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Went to Triple Tree Aerodrom 16th Annual Fly-In. Woodruff SC (SC001) last week. My 1st time. Highly recommend. There were some speakers, one from a tire manufacturer. Surprisingly the pressures loss allowed by the industry is fairly high. I find I do better. Nevertheless proper pressure is important. I admit I don't check my pressure as often as I like. Industry standard is 1st fight of day. Wheel pants are a hindrance to tire service. You can not judge pressure by looking.
 
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TPMS

We tried it on two RV6As, works ok, but they fit to tight on wheel clearance. Seem to bend a little and let air out or bend the stem. We took them off after 18 hours.
 
There was a thread on this site about a month ago on the same topic. I find the idea really interesting, but someone raised the point that these caps require constant pressure from the tire/tube. If a cap fails/cracks/breaks then you would get a flat tire, potentially in flight.

Yeah, you can get a flat a lot of ways, but the chance that a "made in China" piece of plastic/electronics by a no-name company fails adds a significant risk.

I would love to be able to check and monitor pressure without having to take off the wheel pants, but I'm not sure that introducing this new single-point risk is worth it.
 
FOBO

Works great, I've had mine on over two years. No issues ever. Can see the pressures on the cell ap in the plane in the air. Does not lose any pressure over time, Sat all winter last year dropped only 1 pound per wheel. Fits under Vans supplied wheel pant fine.

Don't understand what others who offered negative reviews were doing wrong, perhasps it was their tubes. I have the more expensive no leak tubes on my 9.

Sure is great not having to remove pants to check pressures.
 
sibriggs said:
Can see the pressures on the cell ap in the plane in the air. Does not lose any pressure over time,
Click to expand...

A good opportunity for some data.
At altitude, is your pressure lower due to the cold or is it offset by the increase in pressure due to altitude?
How much does the pressure change from the ground to cruise at 8000ft?
What is the difference in air pressure before a flight to that just before touch down after long flight?
 
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In the air

Interesting questions, I never paid attention to pressure changes. I'll look at it next time I'm up, just to see what's happening.

Steve
 
We currently work on implementation of TPMS system in to our flight instruments. It is expected to have a monitoring and warning functions for tire pressure and temperature with in the EFIS unit. More information to follow at a later time.
 
I've been looking at the FOBO tire pressure monitoring system. It looks like this thread is about a year old. Does anyone using it have any updated PIREPs on it? I have an RV-10 - can anyone comment on whether there's enough clearance for them to fit comfortably under the wheel pant?

Thanks,

Vas
 
Just my $.02 worth. The TPMS valve caps hold the Schrader valves open. I’ve had far more valve caps fail than I’ve had Schrader valves fail. Schrader vale’s and valve caps give some redundancy for failure. You take that redundancy away with those valve stem systems.
 
vas4vans said:
I've been looking at the FOBO tire pressure monitoring system. It looks like this thread is about a year old. Does anyone using it have any updated PIREPs on it? I have an RV-10 - can anyone comment on whether there's enough clearance for them to fit comfortably under the wheel pant?

Thanks,

Vas
Click to expand...
I've had them on my RV9 for a couple of years, work great. No leaks, don't have to remove pants to check pressure, read pressure right on iphone before flight and get low pressure alert in flight it I should need it, never have needed it.
have had to install new battery in caps one time each wheel, uses watch, battery, lasts about 2 years, warns you when low.

Best thing since the no leaks tubes.
 
I guess I'll write a review -- I bought the FOBO's from a friend of mine. I put 50psi in the tires, and installed the caps as directed, paired with the app and verified that they worked.
Fast forward two weeks and each tire had lost ~3 psi -- no big deal, difference in OAT in the morning vs afternoon, heat soaking in the hangar, etc etc.
Fast forward another two weeks and each tire was now reporting about 43psi (42.4 and 43.2). ?
At the end of two months, my tires are down to ~35PSI. !!?

Since both tires are losing pressure at about the same rate, I believe there is a slight leak in the caps. ...but....fatal? probably not. Nuisance? Well, depends upon perspective -- before the TPMS, I had to look at the tire and make an educated guess about the state of inflation, pull the pants off and verify/re-inflate. Now I open an app on the phone, look at the number, pull the pants off and re-inflate.

Neat-O factor -- 10
Useful -- take 'em / leave 'em.

I suppose the most useful feature is being able to sample the tire pressure in flight, prior to landing. But do I? mmmm...not so much.
 
Apply silicone grease to valve stem thread and apply liberal amount of silicone grease to rubber diaphragm of the TPM. This will stop leaks. I have only lost 4 psig in last 6 months using silicone grease....
 
Piper J3 said:
Apply silicone grease to valve stem thread and apply liberal amount of silicone grease to rubber diaphragm of the TPM. This will stop leaks. I have only lost 4 psig in last 6 months using silicone grease....
Click to expand...
I understand the silicone grease on the threads... But not sure what you mean on the rubber diaphragm. So you mean looking into the business end of the FOBO TPMS where the air would go, put some grease in there? Isn't that asking for the grease to be pushed into the sensor and damage it? Thanks in advance!
 
A big problem with those bluetooth tpms sensors is that they only activate when the wheels are in motion. This is the way they are designed - to wake up only when the vehicle is moving to conserve the battery. The app just remembers the numbers from the last time the tpms were active and would not update until the airplane starts moving. This makes them useless during the preflight, when you need them most :-(
 
isosceles-That is not the way my FOBO system works. When you are logged in to the software the system checks and reports pressure and temperature every couple of minutes when the aircraft is stationary or moving.
These units are smaller than others and fit easily in the recessed area of the main wheels around the valve stem.
Cheers,
db
 
This really seems like a ridiculous idea, like Tinker alluded to above- you’re just asking for an eventual flat and hopefully not when you’re away from home. The risk outweighs the minimal reward and it’s not all that hard to just look at your tires and see that they need air. Granted you need to check the actual pressures occasionally and even if you don’t have any holes on the side of the wheel pants it just takes a couple minutes to take the front half of the wheel pant off and do a proper check.

I made a post yesterday about the EFIS checklist and Dan H properly suggested that simplicity works better in most cases. I created EFIS checklists more for the “Verify” actions and the novelty of it but I end up using the checklists more than I thought. Same idea here for the tire pressure monitors- keep it simple and just check the pressures occasionally.

Your plane so you can do whatever you want but this is one modification I doubt I’ll ever do, YMMV……
 
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“Your plane so you can do whatever you want”-
Accurate statement — and those who have experience with something such as this are usually in a better position to weigh pros/cons against their individual goals.
Cheers
db
 
isosceles said:
That's interesting to know. For the record, I tried leepee brand and it would update the readings only when in motion.
Click to expand...
A buddy put a set on his 4. He can view his pressures from his phone at any time.

For me I like the KISS philosophy. I have a set of 3/4" PVC pipe chocks made with 90* elbows and and a T in the middle with a short handle. The ends are spaced such that the chock just fits when the tire is at pressure on level ground. When I feel the chock is tight installing or removing I know the tire needs air. Mine is made for 45 psi and becomes tight at 40 psi when I need to add air. Small and light for transport as well. I use Leakguard tubes so normally only need to add air once a year outside of my annual inspection. Just what works for me.
 
gmcjetpilot said:
So has any one used TPMS made for cars or motorcycles, sold on eBay or Amazon. You use your smart phone to read the pressure.

The FOBO brand is $90 (2 sensors) or $130 (3 sensors). Another brand Leepee is half the cost. If you havecannA-model they sell trike kits w/ three. They both use App on smart phone. There other brands with dedicated display. It will give alarm is you are losing pressure or out of limits. As well these sensors messure tempature. I am going to buy a set for my bike. Shop around prices vary. Also be sure to get latest version. They run on small standard coin battery user replaceable.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2044370435...ez2CNN-SDy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1956319301...ez2CNN-SDy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Went to Triple Tree Aerodrom 16th Annual Fly-In. Woodruff SC (SC001) last week. My 1st time. Highly recommend. There were some speakers, one from a tire manufacturer. Surprisingly the pressures loss allowed by the industry is fairly high. I find I do better. Nevertheless proper pressure is important. I admit I don't check my pressure as often as I like. Industry standard is 1st fight of day. Wheel pants are a hindrance to tire service. You can not judge pressure by looking.
Click to expand...
I've had a set on my RV-7 for about 5 months now. The pressure loss is no different than before the installation.
I recommend them.
 
I'm puzzled why so many people have to remove their wheel pants just to check tire pressure. Some wheel pants have a little door built in to make that unnecessary. Mine just have a small hole cut in them for that purpose. Not as convenient as the little door concept, but a LOT more convenient than removing the wheel pants for that 5-minute task.

IMG_1282.jpeg
 
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RV7 To Go said:
A buddy put a set on his 4. He can view his pressures from his phone at any time.

For me I like the KISS philosophy. I have a set of 3/4" PVC pipe chocks made with 90* elbows and and a T in the middle with a short handle. The ends are spaced such that the chock just fits when the tire is at pressure on level ground. When I feel the chock is tight installing or removing I know the tire needs air. Mine is made for 45 psi and becomes tight at 40 psi when I need to add air. Small and light for transport as well. I use Leakguard tubes so normally only need to add air once a year outside of my annual inspection. Just what works for me.
Click to expand...

Can you post a pic of the chocks? I like your idea!

Regards,
 
sibriggs said:
FOBO

Works great, I've had mine on over two years. No issues ever. Can see the pressures on the cell ap in the plane in the air. Does not lose any pressure over time, Sat all winter last year dropped only 1 pound per wheel. Fits under Vans supplied wheel pant fine.

Don't understand what others who offered negative reviews were doing wrong, perhasps it was their tubes. I have the more expensive no leak tubes on my 9.

Sure is great not having to remove pants to check pressures.
Click to expand...
+1 for FOBO. Works perfect so far. 75 hours or so.
 
You can see the chock under the wheel pant. No photos of just the chock itself but you get the idea.

image-4.jpg
 
I broke down and installed the Berringer TPMS system. Yes it is pricey, but boy is it nice. Works great, and no worries about the cap leaking.
 
dweyant said:
I broke down and installed the Berringer TPMS system. Yes it is pricey, but boy is it nice. Works great, and no worries about the cap leaking.
Click to expand...
It would be great if it would show on the G3x. Listening Garmin?
I watched a Cirrus land with a flat nose tire, destroying the nose wheel fairing. I’ll bet the Cirrus folks would be interested in this, too.
 
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Would anybody be wiling to post a picture of the fit/clearance of the TPMS sensors on their wheels ? I'm only able to find examples of RV-12 wheels. The sensors looks extremely tight on the rv-12 (i have a 6)
 
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