TPMS and rubber valve stems...

I think I read somewhere that you should switch to metal valve stems when you use external TPMS sensors on your trailer tires. Made sense to me, but I didn't have time to do it before my long cross country trip a few weeks ago. I am posting this up as a reminder to GET IT DONE if you have anything on the end of your stems. I got lucky. I made it all the way to Salem, OR from Houston and back to Vale, OR before noticing rub marks on my trailer wheels right next to the valve stems. I had checked them at most stops along the way but didn't notice the marks until the end of our first day's drive coming home (more than a week after leaving home). When I saw the mark on one I checked the other three and they all looked the same. I immediately took the sensors off and kept them off for the rest of the drive home. I consider myself lucky that I didn't have one or three or four of them break on me causing me a huge headache and a lot of possible damage. Yesterday I took the wheels off the trailer. Today I took all six of my wheels (I have two spares) to discount tire. $50 bucks later all 6 of my wheels have nice metal valve stems, just in time for our next camping trip. I like knowing the pressure and temp on the trailer wheels. Now I can have that info without worrying about the valve stems flexing as I am driving down the highway! Don't be like me! Get them replaced!!

Any chance you took a picture of the issue you were seeing?

I had a rubber valve stem break on the front tire of my truck about 2 months after installing the TST flow-through sensors. Fortunately, I was unhooked and in an RV park when the tire went flat. The trailer wheels already had metal valve stems. Needless to say, all the truck wheels do too, now.


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Oregon_Camper said:

Any chance you took a picture of the issue you were seeing?

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I didn't take a pic since the valves were all fine when we were stopped. But I have no doubt that it was the sensors making contact with my wheels (while in motion) that left the marks. I'll take pics of the sensors on the wheels next week when I bring the trailer home for our Labor Day camping trip prep. I should also be able to get a good shot of the marks on the rims too and when you see it you'll get the idea of what was happening.

dlw930 said:

I had a rubber valve stem break on the front tire of my truck about 2 months after installing the TST flow-through sensors. Fortunately, I was unhooked and in an RV park when the tire went flat. The trailer wheels already had metal valve stems. Needless to say, all the truck wheels do too, now.


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Click to expand...

Glad your situation wasn't worse!

I wonder if they effect the wheel balance ? It would be interesting to see the difference with and without !

Used the rubber stems on my GMC for about a year an half with no problems.

Used the rubber stems on our Cyclone for about 1 year 5500 miles with no problems.

And of course, YMMV

Back in 2012, we moved one of the TST monitors from our normal wheel to the spare, when we discovered a crack in the wheel. The spare had a rubber stem, but we didn't think about it at the time. Well, we trekked from Gilette, WY to Cody, WY (250 miles) over the Bighorn mountains, in a caravan with our Heartland friends. Just as we got over the mountain and down to more level ground, a tire sensor went off! We pulled over to discover that spare was leaking. With help of others, they found a parking lot up the road for us to pull into. (Road had no real shoulder.) It was determined to be the valve stem leaking.

Is everyone still running with the antitheft cover on the sensors? At one of our rallies, about four or so years ago, a TST representative said that the antitheft covers double the overall weight of the sensor. Talking to him on the side, he said that he would recommend removing the cover if you were going to run rubber valve stems.

JWalker said:

Is everyone still running with the antitheft cover on the sensors? At one of our rallies, about four or so years ago, a TST representative said that the antitheft covers double the overall weight of the sensor. Talking to him on the side, he said that he would recommend removing the cover if you were going to run rubber valve stems.

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Yes we have them on the trailer (with full metal stems), not on the truck (won't fit with them).


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Seems to me if you use 110 or higher PSI, then only metal valve stems will work anyway (G614s and H114s).

If you have a dually truck with rubber valve stems, get them replaced with steel ones. Even if you don't put a TPMS on them.


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Went by the storage lot today to check on the trailer and to take a few pre-storm pics (just in case something happens) and I also snapped a pic of the rub marks on my wheels. You can see where the sensor was rubbing on the wheel and you will now see the new valve stems. Don't mind the strings through the wheels. We tied the wheel chocks to each other through the wheels today to keep the wind from blowing them away.

JWalker said:

Is everyone still running with the antitheft cover on the sensors? At one of our rallies, about four or so years ago, a TST representative said that the antitheft covers double the overall weight of the sensor. Talking to him on the side, he said that he would recommend removing the cover if you were going to run rubber valve stems.

Click to expand...

The covers make taking off the sensors a real pain. To use them on the Ford I have to take the rear wheels off.
Threw the covers away years ago and I can just get my hand through the slot to take the sensors on and off.

I doubt they double the weight, there really is nothing to them.