I love my 4WD too, but those tires...

[Doctordestiny]

I have a 2009 Toyota Rav4. I thought the 4-wheel-drive with all-season radials would be fine in winter but I've decided to get snow tires. I'm a big fan of snow tires and think that all-season radials are crap in winter.

Anyway, the dealer tells me that four rims, four winter tires and these damned sensors* will cost me over $1900. *My tires are sensor equipped so that if the tire air pressure gets low a warning light goes off to alert me. What if I don't get sensors on the new tires, I ask? Well, they say, you can do that but then the sensor will light up on my instrument panel all winter.

Do it looks like I'll be paying over $1900 for this crap, unless someone here has a better idea. How do these sensors work? Is there a way around this nonsense?

[Deegee]

Maybe my standards are different, but that seems bloody ridiculous for four tires.

Have you tried somewhere other then the dealer?

[REDVAN]

Just don't get the sensors and deal with the air pressure warning light being on all winter... that'll reduce the price significantly and who really cares?

Old fashioned way of having to check air pressures yourself is way more satisfying anyway.

[Doctordestiny]

I'm going to call the local Fountain Tire dealer also. I know the guy and want to see what he can do and what he advises.

[burn_this_city]

Why wouldnt the dealer just swap the tires out? You dont actually need to buy rims.

[Shazam]

Go down a rim size, get narrower tires on steel rims. Forget about TPMS. It's mostly useless anyways. This will significantly lower your cost.

[dre]

You can get the sensors on ebay for cheap. If you change your own tires you can also get the sensor tool for cheap on ebay too.
I got sensors for my focus for $140.

[Bill Bumface]

Usually it's pretty tough to beat the prices on www.tirerack.com. Your TPMS sensors are more expensive than most, but still with sensors and Pirelli Scorpion winters mounted on 17" alloys it's $1,671 USD. For the cheapest option (16" alloys with crappier tires) it's $1,375 USD. Those prices are with shipping/duty/mounting/balancing included.

[worth]

I have a tire pressure sensor and I have summer and winter rims and tires and my light doesn't come on when switching from one to the next. Maybe different for you, but it works for me.

[4X4]

I've got an '09 Tacoma with the same sensor system. A few weeks ago I discovered that the spare tire trips the sensor, and now I've discovered that my winter tires do too. Screw it. I'm not going to pay hundreds of dollars so that I don't have to look at a yellow light on my dash.
Besides, if I switch the sensor to accommodate my winter tires, I'll have to pay again when I put on my all seasons in spring.

[Shazam]

Yes, 4X4 is correct. You will need to recalibrate the TPMS system every time you change tires. Wonderful, eh?

[The Yen Man]

Maybe I'm just lazy, but I'd just deal with the light on. After awhile, I think I would just kind of stop noticing it.

[united]

I just deal with the light being on. Don't even notice it now to be honest.

[Jedi Ninja]

I downloaded a crack for disabling the TMPS warning light for my vehicle off of a web site.

Here are the instructions:

1. Measure the size of TPMS warning light icon on your dash board.
2. Acquire one roll of black electrical tape.
3. Using an exacto knife, cut piece of electrical tape to dimensions measured in step 1.
4. Carefully apply tape overtop of TPMS warning light icon on dash board.

Enjoy!

[worth]

That's a good tip, but you gotta watch though. Some sites where you download cracks like that have viruses on them. Just be careful man.

[Sliver]

TPMS is so annoying.

[Shazam]

So is PMS.

[Sliver]

And TPS reports.

[Doctordestiny]

Sorry about the double thread. I thought the sensor question was a different topic, but I guess not. I should have read where this thread had gone before posting the other one. Sorry guys.

[TurnedTheCorner]

I have TPMS on my car too, I'll have to ask the dealership about them. The sensor has been going off all the time for my summer tires as the temperature has been fluctuating between very hot (30+ in Lethbridge in August) and very cold (Calgary all October ). I'm going to ask thenm about the sensor in the summer tires anyway, but if I can avoid it for the winter I will - especially it saves some cash.