Hello, I'm looking to get a set of dedicated winter wheels / snow tires and don't want to outlay the $220 for TPMS sensors for 3 months out of the year.

I'm wondering how the 2011 Countryman reacts to not seeing sensors at all. I know when there's a low tire, it changes the normal square MPH reading area to a picture of the car with an arrow pointing at the low tires and it also turns on the generic light in the speedo. I can live with the speedo light for 3 months, but not with the one on the tach taking the normal MPH area.

Anyone running winters without TPMS care to comment?

Thanks

 

I think i read in another thread that the TPMS system used varies depending on region.
In my case (Sweden), the system used is the indirect TPMS.

If you're in the US you only have access to the direct TPMS - in which case you're screwed :-)
I don't think there is a way to disable it easily !?

 

The alert will come up but if you hit the stalk end button the message should downgrade into the lower portion of the tach. Plus a light on the speedo in the center will come on. It will say inactive.

 

Thanks. Do you have to hit the stalk end button more than once per trip? (i.e. does the TPMS error re-arm?). Where does it say inactive exactly?

 

I got a false low reading a while back and the message kept coming back. You will ware out the stalk and garage the car for the winter to retain your sanity.

My $0.02 - now you need $219.98 more.

Bill

 

Just once IIRC, it not seeing the sensors is less mad than when you have a low tire.

 

I can see how a false low would be annoying... the low tire thing doesn't go away until you "fix" it. I was hoping missing sensors would work differently which yetti96 thinks they might.

 

It should be different. I have had a low tire in the R56 twice, it alerted low pressure and the tire in question. I repaired the tire (plug kit) and pumped it back up, reset procedure, finally reset in a couple of miles.

I bought new tires and wheels but it had the newest gen sensors (sept 09 build and newer, I have a early build '09) And the car would give the inactive warning and reduce back to a small triangle in the tach. I think it also left a light on in the lower left speedo (dedicated TPMS light).

 

Not sure where you are, but Canadian cars don't have them.

 

I just received the shipment from TireRack (Without TPMS sensors). I will report back after they're installed and I figure out how they behave.

 

probably the same thing my 08 MCS does. have the tpms yellow light on all the time

 

I don't have TMPS sensors installed on the winter wheels and tires that I've had on my Countryman for about a month and a half.

When I start the car the TPMS icon appears on the main square in the middle of the tachometer. The car makes a "bloop bloop!" video game sound maybe 5 seconds after. The low tire pressure light in the big center speedometer flashes for a while than turns solid after about a minute or two. The main digital icon disappears after a while as well and displays the speed like normal. However, I can push the BC button and it immediate goes back to speed at anytime.

Hope that made sense.

edit: I should add that oddly enough it took maybe 40 or 50 miles of driving AFTER I installed the wheels for the TPMS system to start popping up.

 

I just got my tires and wheels installed and would like to report that it works exactly like PhillyCooper11 reports on my 2011 Countryman S. It certainly isn't as annoying as a low tire and worth saving the $220 to me.

 

I'm wondering if using wheels without TPMS will cause the DSC switch to be deactivated. I.e. DSC cannot be switched to DTC or OFF if there is a TPMS fault. Maybe you could check that.

 

No, using a wheel and tire combination without the TPMS will not bother the DSC. I can still switch mine on and off without a problem.