linzman

^^^^^ Everyone had trailer stories. That being said, I have found the trailer TPMS systems to be highly unreliable. Every trip, each tire signal goes out, sometimes several, sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes much longer. I stop, check, everything is ok, and I keep going. I have changed batteries, moved the receiver unit, etc to no avail. I only use it on track weekends, so the receiver is plugged in to USB port for power. That means it powers up when I start my truck. Sometimes, it gives me tire pressure readings in the morning, when I'm leaving the hotel to go to the track, when the trailer has been at the track all night. It is so bad, I stopped using it.

Kein_Ersatz

Not my experience with Trailer TPMS, which brand are you using and what tow set up?

I do get the occasional "stuck" measurement for minutes, but few if ever drop outs. TPMS batteries going on 4+ years. I find the temp reading the best gauge for is the data "fresh". The Dill system (thanks @badabing) looks to be my next replacement which has a "booster" antenna option. YMWV.

The goal of TPMS is a good one for trailers towing track cars :-)

linzman

I got a highly recommended one on Amazon. I think most of the systems use the same channels, so I am going to try a booster next. If that doesn't work, I'll have to rely on good old fashioned routine maintenance and 3-4 year intervals for new tires.

85Gold

It took me awhile to get my Tire Minder TPMS setup. Getting the booster situated in the rear truck window helped.

“”DO NOT LET ANYBODY DISTRACT YOU WHILE LOADING OR UNLOADING, CAR OR ATTACHING TRAILER TO TOW VEHICLE.”””

Quoted for Truth.

Peter

mglobe

Three years MAX for me on trailer tires. The incremental cost for replacing early is cheap insurance in my opinion.

coss1600

I use a system called tst tpms. They are expensive but it works great. I have it on both my Rv and my trailer now

Mussl Kar

2019 F350 tow vehicle with COMPLETE towing package. Yup, bring trailer to dealer and they install TPMS. It also comes with a camera for the rear of the trailer, I ran that cable myself. Tire pressure shows up on the dash after driving short distance. Rear view trailer camera can be selected, but only when backing up. TPMS and camera on the trailer ties in to its own socket on the rear bumper.

badabing

One of my friends towing a pretty long gooseneck was having some intermittent signal loss with the Dill system when it was first installed. He got the booster and now loves the system.

Their technical support is also US based and super knowledgeable and helpful.

Can't recommend them enough.

T&T Racing

Nobody mentions in their posts what the tow vehicle speed is pulling the trailer. Goodyear Endurance are the only trailer tire. Make sure the tires are at 65 psig cold no matter the gross weight of the trailer. Load the car so the weight is evenly distributed between the trailer axles. Adjust tongue weight with tools, etc. Excess speed is not good for trailer tires because they are the shocks and part spring flexing the side wall,. I run at 65mph in high air temps and run at 75 mph if raining or sir temp at 65 F or lower.Always purchase Load Range E. Goodyear Endurance thread wear is higher such that the tires are below legal limit prior to 5 year life.
Check tire pressure before every track event.

Kein_Ersatz

With TPMS you can monitor pressure and temp while towing, so one can be always checking pressures and can see how the tire heats up as you start out and progress. Have observed the sunny side of the trailer usually has a few degrees more then the opposite side. Sold on GE E tires, you pay more, but it is worth the piece of mind. I did have 1 of 4 new tires bubble out on a side wall after first use. Tire was replaced under warranty. Installer commented when removed, that there were way more seams (6) then he had ever seen on the inside of that failed tire. Did have to "eat" return shipping, but Tire Rack / Goodyear replaced. Process was a little frustrating, had to purchase the replacement tire until they determined it was defective, then they refunded the purchase. I guess I could have waited, but it was track season and needed the trailer operational.

DTMiller

Once for giggles when I was sitting around with nothing to do I cross referenced a "how much stuff do you bring to the track" thread with a "how fast do you tow" thread and a "how often do you have a tire blow out" thread and the results were not at all surprising.

Not saying that is what's going on with the OP, but a LOT of the conventional wisdom on tire life and what tires are junk is driven by people very vocally complaining about blowing a tire who tow at 80 MPH while 3000# over the trailer's load limit.

Sboxin

Just another data point - - - we have used 16" commercial truck tires on a 10K rig and towed at 80MPH in West Texas/ NM/ AZ without worrying about a tire failure - - we now have an ATC and testing the Goodyear Endurance 15" tires rated at 117/N that is 87mph for the N and 2833# X 4 = 11,332# capacity at 80 PSI . . .

Soooo . . . if you have the room for a 29.3 inch dia tire then the 16" truck tires would be a good upgrade (we used Bridgestone Duravis 500D - now is 700D and rated for 106 MPH also 80 psi tire )

Wish all of you the best in your trailer towing experiences . . .

Regards,
Roy T (Crew Chief)

Steve Dawson

OP here. Guilty as charged regarding speed. Marathon limit is 65 mph, Endurance is rated for 87 mph. We definitely exceeded 65 mph.

So I now have 5 fresh Goodyear Endurance 215/75-14s. Ran them at 50 psig recently for a short tow to local track. Will adjust to 65 psig before next event.

Also bought a TireMinder TPMS setup. Has a signal booster to relay the signal from the tire sensors to the monitoring unit. Monitoring unit connects to phone app via Bluetooth. I plan to mount the booster on the trailer, the monitor in the rear of the tow vehicle and the phone on the dash so each signal "hop" is short. It checks pressure and temperature every 6 seconds and monitors for absolute limits and rate of change (e.g. "loss of 3 PSI or more in less than 2 minutes"). I'll report back here when I have some experience with it since signal reliability seems to be a common issue.

My strategy is to have fresh tires (no more than 4 years old, including the spare), set pressures before each use and use the TPMS to monitor continuously for low pressure, high temperature and loss of pressure. In the event of a puncture, I have a decent chance to detect it early and at least have a repairable tire (instead of a shredded one). Probably should add a tire repair kit so I'm not dependent on finding an open repair shop (since this will, of course, happen on a Sunday evening when shops are closed).

Thanks to all for the excellent suggestions.

linzman

Don't forget to carry a spare set of lug nuts for the trailer wheels. Of course you can always borrow 1 lug nut from each of the other wheels and hobble to the nearest exit and look for an auto parts store, hoping they have what you need in stock, as the 18 wheelers go whizzzing by you.

coss1600

The same tire system on my tow vehicle and trailer. It just screws onto the tire