szewczyk_john
Well-known member
SO for the past 2 weeks I have been trying to get to the bottom of this issue. My new 2017 Ram has a factory installed TPMS with the sensors mounted inside the ties and attached to the valve stem. The first MOD I ever made was installing the TST 507 TPMS for my old Ram and 5th wheel. It has saved me twice and I want to install it on the new truck. My truck has polished front wheels, polished rear outer wheels and steel inner wheels. The polished front and rear have metal valve stems, the steel wheels have rubber. You can not change out the steel sensors. Ram service manager told me that he is not permitted to remove a sensor and that if I did it, the stock system would continue to flash and illuminate the warning system as it continues to search for a signal that it will never find.
Next I went to my tire dealer who also does commercial trucks. He repeated the fact that he is not legally allowed to remove that sensor. I asked him to drill a new hole in the steel wheel and to instal a second valve stem and to make it a metal one. He stated that he can not do that either. Not enough flat spot on the wheel and that it would place a tremendous amount of stress on the wheel having a second hole drilled into it. Especially so with so much weight being able to be placed on to the wheels from the payload. He is a family business that has been in place for decades and very knowledgable. He claimed that this very subject was discussed at his last training seminar that he attended.
So the other day he calls me back and tells me that he reached out to a Ram regional person and that he suggested that I use the factory system for the truck and the TST for the 5ht wheel only. He stated that the sensors that have the metal stems are also not made for the extra weight of the TST sensor. The Ram rep he spoke to stated that the new sensors could develop a wiggle and that the stems are aluminum. they are afraid that the stems could end up failing and then you would have to replace the factory sensor. These sensors are new to the 26 and 17 model years and are supposed to be the most accurate system offered.
I called the TDR guys at Geno's garage and they had no help either. They even stated that I was the first call they ever got about the TPMS or the valve stems.
My first trip of the year is coming up in 2.5 weeks to go to Martinsville. I plan on following the advice of my tire guy as he never let me down before. I will set my cruise control and then switch the screen over to the tire pressure screen so that I can monitor the pressure as I am driving. Thought that I would pass this info along to the others in the group.
Next I went to my tire dealer who also does commercial trucks. He repeated the fact that he is not legally allowed to remove that sensor. I asked him to drill a new hole in the steel wheel and to instal a second valve stem and to make it a metal one. He stated that he can not do that either. Not enough flat spot on the wheel and that it would place a tremendous amount of stress on the wheel having a second hole drilled into it. Especially so with so much weight being able to be placed on to the wheels from the payload. He is a family business that has been in place for decades and very knowledgable. He claimed that this very subject was discussed at his last training seminar that he attended.
So the other day he calls me back and tells me that he reached out to a Ram regional person and that he suggested that I use the factory system for the truck and the TST for the 5ht wheel only. He stated that the sensors that have the metal stems are also not made for the extra weight of the TST sensor. The Ram rep he spoke to stated that the new sensors could develop a wiggle and that the stems are aluminum. they are afraid that the stems could end up failing and then you would have to replace the factory sensor. These sensors are new to the 26 and 17 model years and are supposed to be the most accurate system offered.
I called the TDR guys at Geno's garage and they had no help either. They even stated that I was the first call they ever got about the TPMS or the valve stems.
My first trip of the year is coming up in 2.5 weeks to go to Martinsville. I plan on following the advice of my tire guy as he never let me down before. I will set my cruise control and then switch the screen over to the tire pressure screen so that I can monitor the pressure as I am driving. Thought that I would pass this info along to the others in the group.
