Does Tire Rotation Affect TPMS?

There was a time when car owners did not consider rotating their tires a necessity, however, after observing the benefits that come with this in terms of extension of the tire lifespan, there is an increasing number of people who practice tire rotation.

Issues related to tore rotation include the proper way to rotate a car tire and whether rotating the car tire poses any threat to the TPMS.

So, does tire rotation affect TPMS? essentially, rotating your tires will not cause any damage to the TPMS, it may however cause the TPMS to give a wrong reading and a false alarm.

When the tires are swapped, the TPMS assumes the old tire is still in place and judges the new tire with the preset value for the original tire that was meant to be at that particular wheel.

Unfortunately, the psi for the front tire is different from that of the rear tires. This implies that when the front tires are swapped with those at the rear end, the TPMS at the rear wheels analyses the tire pressure about the preset values for rear tires.

Given the difference in their optimal pressure, the TPMS may think the tire pressure in the front tires which are now switched with those at the rear as being either overly inflated or under-inflated.

Therefore, when the light shows up on the dashboard implying a low tire pressure, you may be surprised to find that the first is in perfect shape.

This happens because the TPMS system is essentially a dummy, it simply cross-matches the tire pressure with what the manufacturers have set as the normal or optimal tire pressure.

By so doing, it considers values above or below this reference point as abnormal without putting into consideration whether the tires have been swapped or not.

Being aware of this possibility, that is, the situation where rotating your tires may cause a false reading or false alarm by the TPMS will make you more vigilant of the situation and not get frantic when your dashboard signal for low tire pressure comes on. You will not also think the TPMS faulty when on inspection you see all four tires in great shape.

Here in this article, the goal is to explain why this happens, as well as how to circumvent it.

What is TPMS and how does tire rotation affect it?

There is hardly any vehicle out there on the road without a TPMS. But it has not always been this way, before 2007, car owners and drivers probably had to depend on observers to tell when the car tires are low in pressure or wait until the tire goes completely flat, during which time the steering begins to vibrate and the car starts swaying off the road to realize they have a flat tire.

Driving with low tire pressure is incessantly spoken against by all and sundry, this is on the account of the damages this could cause to the tires as well as the rim. TPMS makes sure you key a hawk’s eye on the tire pressure even while driving. The moment the pressure is low, you will be able to tell from the dashboard.

The sensor is installed into the car rim from where it is wired onto the dashboard to signal the driver about the state of the tires. Its drawback is the inability to indicate the particular tires with low pressure. There is no way of telling the tire indicated until a close examination of all four tires is done.

How does the TPMS know that the tire pressure is low? Well, all TPMS has an assigned pressure that is considered the reference pressure.

Any pressure outside this in either direction, that is below or above is considered abnormal and signaled by the system. However, TPMS is commonly seen with low tire pressure. Under certain instances when the tire pressure is exceedingly high, it may also be able to signal this as well

TPMS is of varying types, there are generally two types of this sensor. The first is the direct type, which is more accurate although a little bit more expensive. Is however preferable to spend more for an accurate sensor than to spend less or go for an inexpensive sensor that may not detect the tire pressure even when all tires are flat.

As for the working mechanism of the direct type of TPMS, it accesses the tire pressure directly as the name implies and reports this on the dashboard.

The indirect type is said to be less accurate and untrustworthy because it does not access the actual tire pressure, rather, by comparing the rotational motions of the tires, it regards the tire with relatively slow motion as low in pressure and flags them as such. This is however not an accurate method of determining tire pressure.

What is the need for tire rotation and how necessary is this practice?

Given that tire rotation may potentially mess up with the TPMS, one may wonder if this is truly necessary and how frequently it should be done.

Irrespective of maintenance practices, tires eventually get worn out. However, depending on their location, each tear wears out differently. The primary determinant of the rate at which a tire gets worn out over time is largely dependent on the amount of weight such tire bears.

Each car tire bears a different weight of the car, depending on its location, and thus determines the amount of frictional force generated and consequently the rate of wear.

Front tires are saddled with the weight of the engine, therefore, the frictional force created between the tires and the road is much greater than the rear tires.

When a heavy object such as the refrigerator is pulled across the living room, the drag on it is much greater than when a much lighter object such as a table is moved this way. This example shows that the amount of friction depends on the weight of the object.

This explains why the front tires wear faster than the rear ones. Also, most modern cars have the FWD type of drivetrain, which means it is the front tires that drive the car.

This further makes them more prone to getting worn out faster. Once a tire becomes worn out, complications such as deflation, and lack of firm grip on the road which affects driving amongst others ensues.

To prolong the tire lifespan and delay the rate at which the tires are worn out, tire rotation was recommended to car owners and drivers. This way, the front tires can be moved from this highly demanding position and swapped somewhere else to slow the process of wear and tear.

A single tire common is moved, rather, the process involves moving all four times at the same time. the swap is done in an ordered pattern known as the figure 8 pattern. This is not a random switching of tires, rather, it is a meticulously crafted pattern that suits all types of the drivetrain.

Drivers and car owners who wish to implement car rotation should first learn about this pattern and follow the manual and laid down guidelines in doing so. Although the benefits of tire rotation are well established, this does not, however, rule out the possibility of it causing complications, especially if not properly executed.

How do you properly rotate your tires without affecting the TPMS?

There are numerous reports from car owners and drivers who noticed that the car’s TPMS began malfunctioning following a tire rotation. Although the tire rotation was beneficial in terms of improving the lifespan of the tires and helping to test the health status of each tire, it cost them their TPMS.

Losing the functionality or accuracy of the TPMS is a steep price to pay in exchange for the potential benefits that may come from rotating the tires. This may count as one of the discouraging factors preventing most people from considering tire rotation

Thankfully, you do not necessarily have to lose the TPMS as a result of tire rotation. Before executing the rotation, make sure to check the position of each TPMS in the rims. Follow the instruction manual after the swap to reprogram the TPMS.

The simple way of dealing with the TPMS following a tire rotation is therefore to have it reprogramed. This allows the TPMS not to judge the front tires with the preset optimal tire pressure of the rear tires and vice versa. Once this is done, the chances of an erroneous reading are greatly reduced and the signal can be trusted afterward.