Tire Pressure Monitoring System – Veness Travel Media

It’s probably saying the obvious that a typical RV is a complicated piece of kit. It is packed with different systems, gadgets and other operational parts that then need to survive the “earthquake” of traveling along highways that can be highly unforgiving.*

(* That’s a euphemism for roads that are little more than pot-holed and scarred relics – yes, Alabama, we’re looking at you)

There are plenty of ways they can go wrong, including the all-important tires that keep you rolling down the highway. That’s why many RVers use a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (or TPMS) to keep close tabs on the most vital part of the whole vehicle.

But what happens when your TPMS itself goes wrong? Today, we found out. It’s infuriating.

We’d had a pretty good morning, following a lovely overnight at the Tennessee winery. We had traveled through the pretty rolling hills of eastern Kentucky when we opted for a break at the Pilot Service Station in Jeffersonville, just south of Louisville. The tire repair center was quiet, so we thought we’d see if they could check the pressure and general well-being of our 6 tires after 4 hard-driving days.

No problem. They took it in and had several technicians working on it while we enjoyed a coffee and iced tea, and took Ruthie for a walk. There was a serious issue with the valve on our front right tire, so that needed changing, but everything else seemed OK, and off we went again. For about another 20 miles.

Having just crossed the spectacular bridge into Indiana, we got a warning on the TPMS. Our front left tire had ballooned to 393 PSI. Considering the normal operating PSI is 90, that was a pretty startling figure. And quite impossible. If it had been 393 it would have exploded well before reaching such a bloated figure. So it had to be the TPMS malfuctioning.

OK, we had a standard tire gauge to hand and were able to get off the highway and find somewhere to park. Checking the tire pressure, though, means removing the tricky little monitors on the tire valves, and this one wasn’t having any of it. After removing the monitor and checking the tire pressure (a solid 80PSI), the valve wouldn’t shut off and was fast losing pressure. Simon had to scrabble behind the wheel to try to get the monitor back on, leaving several strips of skin on the tarmac in his hurry to prevent losing too much air.

A quick call back to the Pilot tire center revealed another tire specialist nearby, so that’s where we limped, with our hazard flashers on, to get this new problem seen to.

Fortunately, the Best One Tire & Service Center at Jeffersonville was nearby and they had an empty bay ready to check things out. The outcome? Another tire valve issue and more hassle with the TPMS, getting it off and back on again.

Suffice it to say, it was a highly stressful and worrying afternoon, wondering if we’d even get back on the road again today. We’d also lost a shedload of time in trying to reach our overnight Harvest Hosts stop in Indianapolis and had to scramble to find something else closer by.

Fortunately, Susan found the lovely Ashmoor RV Campground in Scottsburg. Small, quiet and wooded, it was the perfect place to sit and de-stress after the TPMS issues.