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TPMS: How is it suppose to function?

norivian

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I haven’t seen the tire pressure indicators come on yet even for the expected tire pressure seasonal temperature change. Maybe this is a good thing but i am starting to wonder if my TPMS (the whole system) is even functional as designed. How much is the tire pressure change should be when I expect to see a warning notification on the infotainment? The four TPMS sensors are giving me tire pressure readings telling me the sensors are functional.

Edit: I picked up a nail once and started losing tire pressure while my vehicle was parked. I didn’t get a low tire pressure indication then too.

My Tesla prompts/notifies me tire pressure changes even just due to temperature changes - I don’t know the exact amount of change though.
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VSG

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Is this your first car other than the Tesla?
Rivian's TPMS sensors work the same way as the vast majority of other vehicles.
Nothing you said indicates a problem.
And with the built-in air compressor, it's easy to check for yourself if you're worried.
 
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norivian

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My doubt is mostly because I didn’t get a low tire pressure warning when my tire was quite below the recommended pressure. Isn’t that what a TPMS sensor supposed to do?
 

Old Kid

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Mine gets updated to the app and screen a few minutes after I start driving. I had a screw in the back tire and was down 12 psi and didn't get a warning. I just noticed the change on screen when I was about a mile down the road.
Our Volvo won't give a warning until it's really low, like 20 PSI (vs. 36) and it won't tell you which tire....:headbang:
 

Killer95Stang

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I was driving making a slow speed turn and ran over a large screw. I could hear the air escaping the tire, so I made quick u-turn and hauled butt the 3/4 mile it took to get home. About 1/2 way home I got the low tire pressure warning at about 26psi according to the monitor. Seems to have worked as intended. Since the tpms system doesn't appear to function when the vehicle isn't powered on, it doesn't tell you a tire is low if the car is stationary.
 

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VSG

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Isn’t that what a TPMS sensor supposed to do?
Most TPMS aren't active until you traveled for a certain distance.
Curiously, this is similar to fuses on artillery shells.
With my Rivian it takes about 1/2 mile of driving @30MPH before it becomes active and starts to show the current pressure. Until then, it gives you a "last updated on" message to inform you that the numbers aren't current.
 

iamnid

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Agreed. The TPMS system is terrible. I have to drive for about 12 minutes before it updates from the previous drive. I had a flat, didn't see it until I drove out of the parking lot (felt it, never saw it). I pumped it up, drove to a tire shop, had it patched, and drove about 5 miles before it ever updated.

In other cars, I've gotten a tpms light within seconds of driving. With my last car (Tesla), I'd get an alert on my phone that I'd lost pressure in a tire, even if I was at work and it was parked in the parking lot.
 
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norivian

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.., With my last car (Tesla), I'd get an alert on my phone that I'd lost pressure in a tire, even if I was at work and it was parked in the parking lot.
Thank you. That is my expectation from Rivian as well. I suppose that kind of TPMS functionality is still coming to Rivian sometime. My old Lexus RX 450H and (older) Nissan Quest display low tire pressure even while parked.

Anyway, i think you answered my question. Thank you.
 

R1Thor

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Firstly, as others have mentioned, it can take up to 10 minutes for the TPMS to 'update.' I've had it happen within a mile, typically.

Secondly, the sensitivity threshold is pretty wide on these. We picked up my wife's R1S and the Tire Pressure was around 42 psi and the vehicle was fine with it, despite most TPMS going off within 5 psi of target. My Volvo would freak out once you were ~2 psi under.

I just deal with the seasonal temperature (and thus pressure drop) and keep an eye on the numbers--my display isn't entirely accurate all the time (compared to gauge pressure), but it's at least correlative enough that I can tell with confidence when the pressure has shifted enough to warrant a top off (or when it warms up a bleed off).
 

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I know all four pressures are shown, but do these sensors determine low pressure based off a pressure set point or a psi difference compared to the other three tire pressures?
 

CO Riv

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TPMS sensors are just transmitters that broadcast the sensor's pressure, temperature, and battery status. They have a limited battery and do not broadcast continuously so that they will last 7-10 years.

They are triggered to broadcast by vehicle tire motion and do not broadcast until motion is sensed (usually at a speed of 25-30 mph). In motion, they will broadcast about every 60 seconds. They will also send out an emergency broadcast if they sense a sudden rapid decrease in tire pressure change.

The car's computer can also ping them to transmit data, and whether Rivian does this, I do not know. This is how some cars will alert you as soon as you start the car and before you get up to speed.

When and at what pressures the car's warning light illuminates is entirely controlled by the car's computer. Some cars trigger an alert just 4-5 PSI below the set pressure, which easily happens with seasonal temperature changes. Some will not trigger until a much larger offset (up to 25% below normal). It all depends on how the computer is programmed in the vehicle.

I have not had a flat in the Rivian, but the tire data seems to update similar to my previous Tesla. The Tesla did alert me twice with totally flat tires within seconds of backing out of a parking space. I would hope that the Rivian would do the same.
 
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norivian

norivian

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…The Tesla did alert me twice with totally flat tires within seconds of backing out of a parking space. I would hope that the Rivian would do the same.
Rivian TPMS should also do that. I don’t need the TPMS telling me the tire pressure is good. It should tell me when it’s not or possibly not good.
 

SANZC02

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My understanding of TPMS is that older systems that required a relearn procedure when tires are rotated would display the tire pressure sooner. The newer systems that automatically adjust the sensor locations based on distance from the reader take longer to display the tire pressures as they go through a startup process determine where each sensor is every time you start driving.

Most systems should still display the low pressure reading even if you do not see the actual pressure on the readout if the pressure is low based on how the alert is configured. Some manufacturers alert if the tires are 25% under recommended, others might set hard limits like 26psi.
 

Mathme

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I just rotated my tired Saturday in a 5-tire rotation (so the spare is now active). It took about a mile of driving on a 35mph road and then another 5-7 on the freeway for the sensors to update. This has been. Formal for every tire rotation I’ve done.
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