My tire warning light came on and everything looked fine so I reset the warning light. It has come on in the past when there was no problem. Now I think maybe one of my tires looks a little low but it's hard to tell. Would the light come back on if there is a problem? I hate to waste time running to the tire store if there is no cause for concern. And I'm not handy enough to check the tire pressure myself, lame I know!! Thanks!!!

 

You need to check the tires w/ a pressure gauge, if you are still running run-flats then you will not be able to tell if they are low by looking. The 1st gen flat tire monitor monitors by comparing the rotation of each tire to other tires. If you reset the monitor without checking the pressure to make sure they are all ok, then all you've done is reset the monitor to a new "zero" and it wont go off again until the tire is even lower.

Be safe - check the pressure. I have rarely found the monitor to be wrong.

Good luck,

Nik

 

Yes, if there is a low tire, the warning indicator will illuminate again.
Note that you should check your tire pressure at least monthly (or have it checked.)
The system will only tell you if one tire is low (spinning faster than the others.) It will NOT tell you if ALL of your tires are equally low.

 

Thanks for the great advice. I will have had false alarms with the tire monitor light but will have my tires checked tomorrow just to be safe.

 

If you have a heavier that usual load, like a fat friend, the warning light will go off. It's happened to me. He laughed about it, said it's happened to him before.
The tire pressure monitor on the earlier MINI's actually reads the speed of each wheel, if one was to change, it reads this as low pressure.

 

It is important to point out that tires do lose pressure. The estimates I have heard are about 1/2 lb per month on the average, although heating them with driving and letting the car sit may cause that to vary. Air is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen and 1% other intert gasses including Argon and CO2. The Oxygen and most other intert gas more easily pass through the tire compound than Nitrogen. As the tires age, the rate increases very slightly.

Oxygen also has a damaging effect on most rubber compounds, where Nitrogen does not.

Race car drivers and others fill their tires with Nitrogen and if you tend to forget about checking pressure, you may want to ask about that option at the tire store.

BTW, some doubt the need to inflate tires with Nitrogen, but the science seems to support it depending upon to whom you listen.

 

When I had the run flats on it was a constant problem with false alarms.
Got rid of the run flats and problem solved. It is a good idea to check air pressure on run flats every week. I got in the habit and check the pressure on all my cars, all non- runflats.

 

Wait Sorry to post off topic a bit here but are you saying that the wheels don't have a sensor inside them for the pressure? If so this means i can go out and buy any set of wheels that fit my mini, keep the run flats on the new wheels and the tire sensors will still work since it goes by tire revolutions correct?

 

Correct, there is no pressure sensor inside the tire.

 

Note that this is the 1st gen forum, so the correct answer is that there is no TPMS sensor in the R50/R53.
IIRC the TPMS system became standard in the R56 about six months into the production cycle. The TPMS can be visually identified by metal vs. rubber valve stems.

 

Like others have said - first Gen (02-06) this is true. The newer ones are more of a pain.

Nik

 

Beauty!!! now I can get the wheels I've been eyeballing for the past month!!!

 

I tare one tire down last week as I was changing lanes and suddenly hit a hole in the road (it has been raining a lot)... The tire warning light did not came on as I had to pull over, or as we made it to the tire store... But as a girl I now value and love the run flat tires, they save me from dealing with creapy guys...

 

I had my tires (not runflats) checked out today and one was low. Turns out I had a screw in the tire. I was able to get it fixed at no charge. Even though I have had false alarms in the past with the tire light this one wasn't so I guess it's best to get it checked when the light comes on. I did think it was weird that after the light came on for the first time and I reset it (a week ago) it has not come on since.

 

Glad you checked! I've very rarely had false lights, usually when I rotate and didn't check the pressures. Spinning tires in the snow/ice sometimes causes it too, but usually combined w/ the traction control light.

Glad it worked out for you.

Nik

 

No one else is shocked that the OP can't check tire pressure?
A tire gauge is a must in any car. I don't think I know anyone that cant' remove a tire valve cap and push on a gauge and read the results... I'm almost speechless... well... almost.

 

My kids check my pressure with my digital reader, make them feel responsible and they fight over who gets to do it.... and my tire light has come on once.

 

This use to happen to me, turns out with the weather changes here in canada changes the pressure of the tires sometimes mostly during fall and spring because the temperature varies drastically day by day, filled up the tired with nitrogen and problem solved.

 

How does the sensor read the pressure ? Can someone please explain ?

 

On the first gen (02-06) it doesn't actually read pressure at all. I'll try to explain it the best I can. What the system does is compare the rotation of each tire tire. When one starts going faster than the others, then it must me going flat. (smaller diameter = faster rotation). This system cannot tell you which tire is low, just that there is one that may be low. Ice, snow, rain etc can often "trick" the sensor into a false reading. When I have seen it come on from ice etc, the traction control light usually goes on too.

With this system it is technically possible to get four flat tires and the sensor would not go off. If all the tires were loosing air at the same rate the tire rotation would always be the same (compared to the other tires) and the system would not detect any difference. Very unlikely though!

On the newer systems there is actually a pressure sensor build into the wheel (valve stem) that reads actual pressure. Our honda has this system, and when the weather starts to get colder it always triggers the warning light.

Don't know if I cleared anything up

Nik

 

Just for the record - I know how to check tire pressure. I don't have a guage at the moment but will get one. And I have bigger things to worry about right now as my Mini was hit in a parking lot today and I can't drive her - bad damage to the hood and bumper. This sucks - have been crying. I know she will be fixed and all will be ok but I already miss my car......