Are External Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems Safe?

[LaJack]

External tire pressure monitoring systems pose safety risks as the sensors are directly installed on the valve stems. Prolonged tire usage may lead to air leakage and delayed alarm responses. There are three common types of tire pressure monitoring methods: Direct TPMS: Direct tire pressure monitoring devices use pressure sensors installed in each tire to directly measure air pressure. Wireless transmitters send pressure data from inside the tire to a central receiver module, which displays the pressure readings for each tire. The system automatically alerts when tire pressure is too low or when there's air leakage. Indirect TPMS: When a tire's pressure decreases, the vehicle's weight causes that wheel's rolling radius to shrink, making it rotate faster than other wheels. By comparing rotational speed differences between tires, it monitors pressure indirectly. This system essentially relies on calculating tire rolling radius for pressure monitoring. Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Introduction: This combines advantages of both systems, equipping direct sensors in two diagonally opposite tires while implementing a 4-wheel indirect system. Compared to full direct systems, this hybrid solution reduces costs and overcomes the indirect system's inability to detect simultaneous underinflation in multiple tires. However, it still cannot provide real-time pressure data for all four tires like direct systems do.