[MegaMatt3]

Hey folks,

I ordered my winter tire/wheel package a couple nights ago through TireRack, and when I was checking out on the site, they gave me an add-on option to have them install tire pressure monitoring sensors (TPMS) before they're shipped. I think it costed something like $265, which I opted not to do.

But now I'm wondering if I should have. What's the more common thing to do with winter tires: take the TPMS from your summer tires and put them in the winter tires, or buy a separate set and have those in your winter tires? My concern is that transferring TPMS from set to set every winter/summer means take the tires off the wheels (I think) regularly, which isn't good to do.

Should I go without TPMS over the winter, buy new TPMS and have my dealer install those in the winter tires, or transfer my TPMS from the summer tires to winter tires and keep trading back and forth?

[Cyberdemon]

Buy a separate set. Transferring them is not appropriate, you will have to pay ~$160 each time to unmount and remount all 8 tires. The TPMS also has mounting hardware to help properly seal against the wheel and that hardware is meant to be replaced everytime they are removed, otherwise it can leak.

Do not pull them off your summer wheels. Either leave them and don't run TPMS (you will get the error everytime and have no protection if the tires go low) or just spend the money now to buy the TPMS sensors and have them installed.

[sstarrx3]

$265 and $160 dollars is crazy! Down here they will add them on for a less than $15 a tire.

[MegaMatt3]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Buy a separate set. Transferring them is not appropriate, you will have to pay ~$160 each time to unmount and remount all 8 tires. The TPMS also has mounting hardware to help properly seal against the wheel and that hardware is meant to be replaced everytime they are removed, otherwise it can leak.

Do not pull them off your summer wheels. Either leave them and don't run TPMS (you will get the error everytime and have no protection if the tires go low) or just spend the money now to buy the TPMS sensors and have them installed.

Thanks. So then a couple followup questions: where should I buy TPMS sensors? Are aftermarket ok, or should I buy genuine BMW (if that's even a thing)? And I guess at this point, I'm going to have to pay my dealership extra to install the TPMS sensors in the winter tires/wheels after they arrive...

[crbalch]

When I had my winter setup I just used them without TPMS...you will get a small check light in the dash but in the 135i it was barely noticeable, and you can save yourself $300.

[Uridian]

Same. ^^^

Don't run TPMS sensors. Save the $300 and be responsible for your tire pressure.

[Kidu]

Same here... a small white triangle is not worth $300 to get rid of. and I am pretty anal about tire pressures anyway.

[TiM235i]

I'm leaning toward leaving them off for winter tires also. If nothing else, the dash warning is a good reminder to get the winter tires off as soon as possible!

[MegaMatt3]

Interesting. The collective tide has turned since the original answer. Amazing how much your comments can influence my thought process.

As Michael Scott once mused, "Well, well, well. How the turntables........"

[Zooks527]

Get the TPMS sensors, unless you plan to do all the mounting / unmounting yourself.

The NHTSA is enforcing rules against leaving TPMS sensors out against individual tire shops. reputable ones won't deal with your tires if you don't have them.

It's also a foolish economy.

[ABPReader]

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[FIRST1]

When you buy a winter setup from TireRack, do they ship the tires already mounted on the wheels?

[Zooks527]

One more thing to note. If you're using RunFlat winter tires, running them without TPMS is stupidity on stilts. You likely won't notice if the tire is low on air when you get into the car, and the first sign you have a problem may well be when the sidewall comes apart after extended driving on an uninflated tire.

Seriously, someone who's going to spend ~$1100 dollars to put winter tires on a $45,000+ car is going to kick about an extra $265 one-time charge for the first season? If you're going to do winter tires, do it right.

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by FIRST1

When you buy a winter setup from TireRack, do they ship the tires already mounted on the wheels?

Yes, mounting and balancing is free at TR is you buy the wheels and tires together.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by jet_00

$300 every time you change your tires ?
if that is the case, I call it rape!

$265 is the price for the TPMS sensors.

Tire shops charge $X to mount and balance a tire.

If you have 2 sets of wheels - Summer (A) + Winter (B):

If you want to take the TPMS sensors off in the fall:

Remove 4 tires from Set A = 4X

Remove TPMS from set A

Install TPMS and mount tires on Set B = 4X

Come spring, you will need to reverse the process

Remove tires and TPMS from Set B = 4X

Install TPMS and tires on Set A = 4X

That means over the course of 1 season you are spending at least 16 X Cost of mounting to switch TPMS. That doesn't include the hardware cost if they rebuild the TPMS gaskets. So if your shop charges $10 a tire (mine charges $20 to mount and balance) you're anywhere from $160-$320++ to swap.

Yes, you can save $260 and not run TPMS sensors. But you could also save a lot more by not driving a BMW.

TMPS sensors have saved my ass many times - it has nothing to do with being anal about your tire pressures. 2 months ago I left a friends house late at night, and was about to get on the freeway. 2 blocks from the freeway the TPMS alert went on and it turned out I had run over a nail along the way and my rear tire was now completely flat. With low profile tires, and especially if you have RFT's you get very little in the way of indication that the tires are low. I could have easily driven home and gotten stranded on the freeway in the middle of the night but the TPMS made it easy enough for me to turn around, park the car for the night and deal with it in the AM.

Personally I like the fact that I can get an exact temperature and pressure readout on every tire in real time rather than trying to check my pressures in the 10 degree weather once a week.

You don't need TPMS sensors, we all survived without them for years - but they are nice to have when you do need them, and IMO that's worth what is not a big cost in the grand scheme of owning a $40k+ car.

[Sportstick]

DEFINITELY get TPMS.

If I had to, I could/would change a tire on a nice, warm spring or summer day, when my three-season tires were on board.

I would hate to be surprised after a day at work with a winter tire flat on a cold, dark night. That alone makes TPMS worthwhile to get an early warning in time to take earlier action.

I want TPMS all the time, but if I had to prioritize, most critically in winter!

[FIRST1]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Yes, mounting and balancing is free at TR is you buy the wheels and tires together.

The thing is then, if TireRack will mount/balance the tires for free, the only way to take advantage of that is to have them install TPMS as well. Cuz if not, then you'll have to pay a shop to un-mount the tires, install TPMS, then re-mount (negating the point of having TR do it for free). The possibly negative part of that, is that I'd assume TPMS can be had for less than $265 elsewhere (but then you'd have to pay for mount/balance).

Of course if you're not running TPMS for the winter setup, it doesn't matter. Personally though I wouldn't go without them; but to those who are, I think JB4 allows disabling of the CEL for TPMS Malfunction errors.

[ABPReader]

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[FIRST1]

Also, the "Preferred (winter) Package" for my 2015 M235i on TireRack:

17" Package
Tires: Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
Wheels: ALUTEC Grip
(4) TPMS Sensors
Sub-total: $1,376.00

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by jet_00

Sorry, I wanted a BMW not just a car with TPMS. When I ordered my car I didn't know that the car will come with it.

Every car sold in the US in the last 7 years or so comes with them, courtesy of a government mandate.

Originally Posted by jet_00

Based on your example, I think that sensors are related with the rims so it is not as bad as I thought.

Yes, they mount to the rims, and are not changed when the tires are changed (the valve core seals should be changed at that time, at perhaps $3 per sensor). Expected life of the sensors is 7 - 10 years.

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by FIRST1

Also, the "Preferred (winter) Package" for my 2015 M235i on TireRack:

17" Package
Tires: Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
Wheels: ALUTEC Grip
(4) TPMS Sensors
Sub-total: $1,376.00

[German1967]

Originally Posted by FIRST1

Also, the "Preferred (winter) Package" for my 2015 M235i on TireRack:

17" Package
Tires: Bridgestone Blizzak WS80
Wheels: ALUTEC Grip
(4) TPMS Sensors
Sub-total: $1,376.00

I ordered that set-up including TPMS.
The graphite wheels are on back order already and I won't see mine arrive until mid October.