IN PRAISE OF TYRE PRESSURE MONITORS

The publication of Club Awards (Jacked Up) reminded me of the benefits of Tyre Pressure monitors.

After New Year we went down to the Apollo Bay area for a very enjoyable week. Not too hot or too cold, virtually no rain and plenty of interesting roads and tracks to explore in the Otways. Planning a day along the coast (sealed roads) to look at the sites, I re-inflated my tyres to my standard bitumen pressure of 35 psi. About 20kms west of Apollo Bay, I noticed that the LH rear tyre was now showing 34psi. Kept on driving to find a safe place to pull over and it was down to 33 psi. Better check that the sensor hadn’t gone silly; nope, it was 33 psi whilst the

other tyres were around 36 psi. A friendly resident (whose drive I was stopped in) told me there was a bitumen parking area about another 5kms on, so we headed for that with a view of changing to the spare if required. Made sure the (metal) valve cap was tight and drove on. No further loss of tyre pressure suggested that the problem was the valve. A bit of spit over the valve confirmed the diagnosis. Now safely parked, out with my trusty compressor and re-inflated the tyre, making sure that I blew out the valve to remove any dust or grit.

Valve cap on again and drove the rest of the way to the 12 Apostles and Port Campbell (50+ km). Tyre pressure now stable, and I didn’t have to get out of the car to check. There are other advantages in addition to the detection of slow (or fast) leaks. When you air down, the monitor will tell you if you have all tyres at the expected pressure, same after reinflation. Also gives you accurate feedback on the impact of the pressure you are running whilst driving. Our 2021 Forester came with Tyre Pressure monitors as standard and I generally leave the

dash showing tyre pressure all the time. You can also get kits/systems with sensors and cabin display at Auto and 4WD shops. Some reviews: https://www.whichcar.com.au/gear/electronics-gadgets/arb-tyre-pressure-monitoring-systemreview

https://www.choice.com.au/transport/cars/tyres/review-and-compare/tyre-pressure-monitoringsystems I now also carry spare valves and the required removal tool.