Wheel Talk

If you've ever been told to check your TPMS and were unsure of what was being asked of you, you're in the right place! Here at StockWheels.com we will clear up any confusion that you may have in regards to this acronym. TPMS stands for Tire Pressure Monitoring System. It is an electronic system that is used to measure the amount of pressure inside of your vehicle's stock tire. The majority of new vehicles come equipped with this system and can be confirmed by reading through the car's manual as well as simply looking on your vehicle's dashboard. When one or more of the tire’s pressures are low, a warning light such as this or will appear to warn you to check them.

This is one of the most important warning lights to pay attention to on your vehicle's dashboard because it could prevent you from damaging the stock rims of your car or, more importantly, prevent you from getting into an accident. If your tire pressure is very low, the factory original wheels will be put under a lot of stress and could have long-term effects that may lead to a necessary replacement of used rims. Also, low tire pressure has a direct negative effect on your OEM vehicle's fuel efficiency as well as performance while driving. This system is extremely helpful and recognizes the lack of pressure early enough so that you are able to get it fixed before something catastrophic occurs. If you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, you can find the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle by simply looking on the side of the driver's door or in your owner's manual.

There are two different types of factory original TPMS systems, either indirect (iTPMS) or direct. Some vehicles such as the Ford Windstar and the Toyota Sienna have iTPMS. The indirect system uses information through other monitoring devices within the OEM vehicle. This tends to be problematic because it may not detect low pressure within one or more tires if all four are losing pressure equally. Other vehicles, including Corvettes, have TPMS. Direct systems have sensors within each single factory original tire which makes it a much more accurate reading. If anyone tire's pressure gets to be 25% below the recommended number, it will turn on the TPMS light on your dashboard warning you that there is a problem. Whether direct or indirect, what's important is that you maintain your vehicle's tire pressure to ensure your safety as well as the safety of your original equipment manufacturer rims.