I'm in SoCal and it's been a little colder here than usual. Couple days ago I've had the Check Tire Pressure warning light come on and I've been unable to reset it. I've added air and attempted to reset it but it's still no go. It was only showing low tire pressure in one tire originally. Now it shows all tires are fine but the warning light / prompt still comes on.

Is there something that I need to do specifically to reset it? Also, what is the recommended tire PSI that others are putting in their tires. I am in SoCal so it never goes below freeezing.

Any help appreciated.

 

I'm in PHX and we just got the weather y'all just had ... my TPMS went off for the second time this week. I had to add about 5 pounds of pressure to each tyre. Well, actually, I let my dealer add the air.

The first time it went off, this fall, I think the reset procedure was to press the reset button when it was in stopped, and then I had to drive around for a long time while I performed the reset.

This time, I couldn't get it to do the reset at all, hence why I went to the dealer and let them add air to whatever level they thought would be OK but wouldn't be too much once our temps go back up. I hope that makes sense. They brought them up to 33-34 pounds each and that got it to accept the reset.

 

Did you check the manual? That is usually where the instructions are listed for that procedure. I have a CM so can't help you with your model.

 

How are you resetting it?

From the radio (and this is the same whether you have the Visual Boost radio or the base radio), make sure you are going into "Vehicle Info" --> "Vehicle Status". There is an option to reset the TPMS in this menu. You have to be stopped first, but after you trigger the reset, drive away and the system should reset within a few minutes.

If you're running stock tires/wheels, there is a sticker on the frame of your car when you open the driver's door that will list the appropriate PSI for each tire.

YouTube link:

 

So I got it working again. For some reason, one tire was showing a lower figure via the TPMS even though I had added 35 psi to each tire. I had to add a little bit more to that tire. For some reason, right front tire is showing a 2-3 psi different reading than the other tires.

 

I'm in the SoCal also and had the exact same issue - TPMS fault error came up while driving in cold morning.

My first try of resetting didn't work after adding air, but eventually I figured out and was able to reset. Wonder if it would pop up an error message when the weather gets hot since air in the tire would be expanding?!

 

Welcome to the club. 23F outside this morning. Warning came on. I reset it while driving, no issues after that.

 

On the newer F generation vehicles, the reset procedure requires resetting at a full stop and can then require up to 3 miles of driving to fully reset. All models display the reset percentage as you drive, just wait until it gets to 100% and the PSI will be displayed.

 

Dang, you are good!
I need to learn how to do that.

 

Instead of just resetting the tire pressure monitor you guys should actually be setting correct tire pressures again for your car due to loss from the cold weather.

 

I started the reset procedure at a stop light and the warning disappeared after maybe 200 yds. of driving.

I'm sure there are lots of things we all should be doing in a perfect world.

 

Take a few minutes at the gas station to air up an underinflated tire to prevent premature wear or 2 seconds to put a bandaid on the light?

 

Or, take 10 seconds to hit "reset", then keep on driving?

 

with an underinflated tire? sounds smart

 

What if, where you live, the average daytime temps are in the 60's and you keep the tires inflated as per the manual and have no warning light issues, and only get this (annoying) warning during the occasional cold snap? And despite the warning light, the car drives and handles fine at freeway speed?

What's the protocol in that case?

 

Because the cold snap has already dropped the tire pressures to what they are supposed to be cold so it will be underinflated when they are hot.

I live in the same kind of climate where its 50-60s in the day but it gets cold at night and I've seen tire pressures go from a spec of 35psi to the mid 20s.

The car might feel "fine" but the tires will still be underinflated

Theres a reason the TPMS light came on its because youre tires are underinflated. Your tires are the most important part of braking, handling of your vehicle so you should maintain their tire pressures to spec.

 

So, what you are saying is that even if you inflate the tires to OEM specs at the more prevalent temperature for your region, you still need to check them every day and may even have to air them up or let air out, daily?

 

Where did I say that?

If you live in a mild climate and you get a cold snap and your tpms light comes on you should check and adjust your tire pressures accordingly.

Checking tire pressures on a regular basis is good vehicle maintenance in general.

This is coming from someone who sees and works on high performance cars everyday.

But do what you want to do buddy

 

I think that he may be questioning the wisdom of adding air every time a cold snap makes your tires colder than usual, making the air less dense, and therefore lowering the pressure... versus just letting the tires warm back up, less dense air, normal pressure again. Maybe. I don't want to put words in his mouth. I know for myself, the tires would have to be VERY under pressure for me to add air after a cold night if the following day was going to be normal temperature... over-pressure is worse than under-pressure IMHO

Anyhow, had a separate question. Anyone else checked their in car TPMS PSI readings against an old fashioned tire pressure gauge? Curious to see how accurate your system is compared to mine. Seems pretty spot on (although my gauge doesn't read tenths of a PSI)

 

how is overinflated tires worse than underinflated?

 

Disadvantages of Underinflation

An underinflated tire can't maintain its shape and becomes flatter than intended while in contact with the road. If a vehicle’s tires are underinflated by only 6 psi it could lead to tire failure. Additionally, the tire’s tread life could be reduced by as much as 25%. Lower inflation pressure will allow the tire to deflect (bend) more as it rolls. This will build up internal heat, increase rolling resistance and cause a reduction in fuel economy of up to 5%. You would experience a significant loss of steering precision and cornering stability. While 6 psi doesn’t seem excessively low, remember, it usually represents about 20% of the tire’s recommended pressure.

Disadvantages of Overinflation

An overinflated tire is stiff and unyielding and the size of its footprint in contact with the road is reduced. If a vehicle's tires are overinflated by 6 psi, they could be damaged more easily when running over potholes or debris in the road. Higher inflated tires cannot isolate road irregularities well, causing them to ride harsher. However, higher inflation pressures usually provide an improvement in steering response and cornering stability up to a point. This is why participants who use street tires in autocrosses, track events and road races run higher than normal inflation pressures. The pressure must be checked with a quality air gauge as the inflation pressure cannot be accurately estimated through visual inspection.

from TireRack

 

This ^^^

My tires are all at the correct psi when cold (at average temps, not the cold snap we are having), so I don't worry about it. Car drives, brakes, and handles fine. If any of those things changed, I might change my thinking but that hasn't happened yet.

Like many aspects of the F56, I thing the car is too smart for it's own good in this instance.

 

I agree about the low pressure tires wearing worse and being bad... but even in the above description my thinking is born out I think. Bad roads plus over pressure tires equals catastrophic tire failure. The US has terrible roads with tons of potholes, especially here in the south.

 

Bad roads on a underinflated tire will do just as much damage if not more to a sidewall

 

well, I will go ahead and admit, my reasoning actually came from aircraft tires. we had WAY more tire blowouts and more tire replacements due to excessive wear on hot days when the tire pressure got higher, and when we dropped the tire pressure 20psi below manufacturers specs, the tires lasted a lot longer.

not scientific, and perhaps not all that applicable... but that's that...