It resolved itself, I was going mad trying to figure it out

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I used to have a Mini that the TPMS would go off all the time, to the point I thought I had a bad sensor. As it turns out, really dramatic air temp change and potholes can set the sensors off and trigger a warning. The air temp change is obvious the pothole one confused me until I thought about it. A sudden jolt could set it off I realized. I live in LA so the potholes are occasionally evil here!

 

Has anyone had any issues with the TPMS?

Last week, a yellow symbol came up on the dash indicating that the back RHS tyre pressure was down by -3psi.
I have 34psi in the front and 36psi in the rear.
I checked the pressure and all was OK, but the error stayed on.
Rang Porsche and they said come straight in which was a problem because I live 2 hours away from the dealer.
Went to a reputable tyre shop and they pulled off the wheel and submerged it in water - no bubbles.
Took the tyre off and found no internal damage.
After another day or so the indicator turned itself off, so it has been determined as an electrical glitch.
has anyone had a similar experience?

 

Technically it was down by 3PSI if you MFA was set to full load, pressures should be 36 and 39 (if full load) and 33 and 36 (part load).

You can check the MFA by going to TPMS and clicking it with the wheel.

Full load is considered having more then 575 pounds in the car.

This is for cold tires (the tire under 68* F). The tire pressure will rise 2-3 pounds when hot.

 

I've been watching the TPMS and noticed that for me the tire pressure actually goes down about 2 psi on my short 5km commute. It's because I park indoors where temp is +10 Celsius, whereas outside it's -16 Celsius. So I've increased my tire pressures to 35 & & 38, and watch it drop to 33 & 36 on my commute. Not sure if it's the right thing to do, but it makes sense to me.


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Sounds like your gauge is set for full load and you are running with partial load pressures. Reset the gauge (see the manual).

 

I am in a similar situation with the heated parking and cold outside.

Have been tracking the pressures for a while now, I took these pictures on Dec 11. Since then the trend has continued.

In the cold (-28c) I have seen pressures in the front tires as low as 25 psi. But when I go into the fill info screen the car is recommending a change of 0 psi for partial load.

I have never had a sensor alarm go off, despite the pressures being significantly lower than recommended.

The blue inserts are the pictures of my accutire gauge, the sensors seem off to begin with, I have not worried much about it as the alarms are not activating.

I might just fill my tires with nitrogen instead of air because the 45c temperature swing is a huge on the pressure.

 

I am in a similar situation with the heated parking

I might just fill my tires with nitrogen instead of air ...

]

Somebody mentioned Nitrogen to me. But how much of a difference would it make? Isn't regular air already 78% oxygen?



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I find that the readings are accurate. It did freak me out when I was nonchalantly checking it on my drive to work last year and the left drivers side rear started dropping pressure. I just managed to get it into the parking lot. Nice nail through the side wall.
I hope I never see the 10 psi reading again though !

 

Just had a costly experience myself. Tire pressure warming light came up on a cold day, so I topped up the air, but got the same warning again. Called the roadside assistance who installed the spare. Dropped off the car at the dealer and they claim that it was a nail in the tire... almost 500 bucks for one tire. yikes. however after reading some posts it seems that I would have been better off by checking the tires at local tire shops or checking the TPMS... oh well.

 

You were smart to call road side service.Inflating and installing the space saver spare wasn't fun.I just wanted to get it to my Dealer.I did get a new tire installed under my tire warrranty. It would have cost $353.00 plus tax and installation charge.

 

If you live in the north, I would highly recommend nitrogen. A few years ago we took December delivery of a new X5. Before I could get the Nitrogen changeover on a 17 degree morning all four tires were screaming red. After the change, even at below zero temperatures, never had the problem. Nitrogen inflated tires are better in the summer as they do not heat up as much. It has been awhile, but our last 911 came from the factory with Nitrogen.

 

Also good in the South....at the Dentist's office


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My Porsche service manager says Porsches are full of such little quirks, inaccuracies and such. My speedometer is off by 3 mph, he says they all are. I said a 1974 Dodge had a more accurate speedometer, he says tango sierra. Tire pressure system is also "quirky." My door lock will unlock from the outside only if I use my right hand, not my left, quirky. I think the service guy is quirky! I love the car, a Macan, quirky though it is.

 

TPMS Low Tire Warning

I had the same issue - after driving thru a heavy rain storm, the TPMS warning came on saying my right rear tire was 4 lbs too low. I did check the tires and one was low, but I could not get the warning indicator to go out. Finally, read here about the reset of the TPMS by changing the tire size and load - and then back. Started the car and drove 2 miles and the indicator went out. Thanks all.

 

TPMS Low Tire Warning

I had the same issue - after driving thru a heavy rain storm, the TPMS warning came on saying my right rear tire was 4 lbs too low. I did check the tires and one was low, but I could not get the warning indicator to go out. Finally, read here about the reset of the TPMS by changing the tire size and load - and then back. Started the car and drove 2 miles and the indicator went out. Thanks all.

I owe you a shot!!! I was totally freaking out about the warning symbols! And, nothing wrong with my tire or pressure. If you're ever in S. Denver:🥃🥃

 

Unless yu are hauling stuff, make sure your load setting on the PCM is set to "Partial load" . It sets the monitor to 33 front and 36 rear. I run 33 front and 35 rear for max traction with no warnings. Sometimes if it gets cold at night I have 31-32 psi in the front and the tpms still accepts this as normal with this setting (-1 or 2 when you check the fill info). Gets up to 33 psi after about a minute of driving. Will prob add air when the temps drop and run closer to full load (36/39) when we get snow in a couple months.

 

Keep in mind that the recommended CTP is based upon 68°F ambient.

So, when ambient temp is significantly different you must adjust.

+/- 2% per each 10°F

 

TPMS sensors in the Macans (and all newer Porsche models) measure air temperature and compensate accordingly. May be the reason some are seeing a different pressure displayed between the main and fill screens. That or they're just aren't resetting the system after adding air. Any pressure adjustments should be followed by resetting the system. Any reference to pressure specs are always cold inflation specs.

 

TPMS is a government-mandated system due to the Firestone fiasco some years back. While it might be a TPMS fault, the sensors have transmitters and they are susceptible to RFI. That interference could be from an electronic device you might have on board or an outside source, even high voltage lines, unshielded electronics from a passing vehicle, etc.

 

anyone of you guys experience problems with your tpms?


this happens to me regularly. air on my tires are ok. tpms signals i need to put air on it. then i reset the system then it'll be fine for the rest of the trip up until i shut down the engine then it'll give a sign that i need to add air again. then i reset it again then it goes over and over..


any one experience this?

 

@Jellybean: Set It Yourself

@Jellybean:

The first thing I would do is check and set the tire pressures yourself.

1) Buy an accurate gauge,

I have some experience buying and using these gauges over the years, because I'm fairly persnickety regarding pressures in my motorcycle tires. When I wrote a review of a motorcycle TPMS add-on system four years ago for webBikeWorld, I took a picture of some my gauges then:

I had been migrating, over the years, from dial gauges to digital ones.

I recommend you buy one of these (and since you have a Macan, and I recall reading that you get it detailed, etc., I imagine you can afford to splurge a little here, in the interests of accuracy):

A) K Tool's KTI 89001: KTI89001 | Air Compressors | Shop Tools and Equipment | Product Categories | Tools | K Tool International Site

In our range of pressures, this is accurate to within c. 0.9 PSI. I've owned this for three or four years, and is my "go to" gauge when I'm at home, in the garage. (It has an inlet for a large air compressor line, which you probably won't be using, but in any case it's a nice gauge, with a user-friendly chuck for checking pressure.)

You can get it via Amazon: www.amazon.com/K-Tool-International-KTI-89001-Digital-Inflator/dp/B00CG674GY/

B) Motion Pro 08-0684: https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0684

Motion Pro sells quality tools (mostly motorcycle oriented), and this should be no exception. It is a little more expensive, and a tiny bit more accurate at 0.6 PSI. It dispenses with an air inlet, i.e., it is for measuring only.

It's also available via Amazon: www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-Digital-Pressure-Batteries/dp/B07GCS9ZCM/

2) Use a plug-in, i.e., 12V air pump.

If you don't have a plug-in cigarette-lighter-socket pump (or if the Macan didn't come with one -- I think some of them do, for some models or in some countries, etc.), go buy one for $20 or $30. Most auto-parts stores have these, or I see that Charleston has a Harbor Freight store (which has a bunch), etc.

You won't need a super high quality pump, because you won't be using it much.

3) Check and adjust the pressures some morning.

Before you drive anywhere, e.g., in the morning, after the car's been sitting around, check the pressures with your new gauge.

And adjust them, if necessary, with your pump ... but using the good gauge, e.g., mostly ignoring any built-in gauge in the pump. If the pump does have a gauge, you can pump them a few PSI higher than desired, and then use the good gauge's bleeder button to let some air out, so you wind up with the desired pressures. If you're not familiar with the "clip-on" outlets attached to most 12V pumps, have someone show you how they work, i.e., push straight on, and solidly so, and then move the clip in place to hold it on. Similarly, if you don't understand how to use the bleeder function on one of those gauges, enlist some help and instruction from a DIY type of friend.

And speaking of desired pressures, let's set the pressures based on, say, 35 degrees F (since I gather that would be about the coldest it gets in Charleston for the next few months, right?). When it's warmer, your pressures will be a bit -- but not ridiculously -- higher than our target, and that's acceptable.

Our target pressure, for that lowest temp, will be 33.0 front and 36.0 rear.

Let's see, using this spreadsheet I constructed for this work a while back in LibreOffice Calc ...

If you're doing this work on a 70-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 36.4/39.6.
If you're doing this work on a 60-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 35.4/38.6.
If you're doing this work on a 50-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 34.4/37.5.
If you're doing this work on a 60-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 33.5/36.6.

That sort of thing.

This works backwards, too. So, if the temp over the next few months happens to get up to 70, your tires will be 3 or 4 PSI over-inflated, which, as I mentioned, is no big deal for typical cars used in typical ways.

Now, because of the amount of air in those big tires (as opposed to, say, motorcycle tires), you should be good to go for several months. That is, unless something is actually physically wrong, e.g., you hit a massive pothole, or smashed a rim into a curb, or picked up a roofing nail, etc.

4) Make sure the Macan is set for a normal load.

You want to make sure that Full Load is NOT checked on the car's setup. (I'm guessing that you don't generally drive the car with three passengers and other stuff to be hauled around, or pulling a trailer.) Check out Page 173 | 2017-2018 Macan Manual | Porsche iManuals and the next few pages to read about this, if you're not familiar with this setting.

Note that when you have the right-thumbwheel turned so that you see the pressure for the four tires you will not see the pressures until you've driven for a few miles. And it may take another mile or two after the display starts showing numbers for the numbers to sort of stabilize (I think there's some averaging going on in the sensors, but I'm not sure). Of course, if you drive for an hour, and especially aggressively, the shown pressures should go up a few PSI, as the tires flex and the air inside heats up (per Gay-Lussac's law, as you'll recall from high school physics or chemistry) -- this is much more dramatic with motorcycle tires, as the increase during a ride may be 15 PSI or more.

Hope this helps get you started. After this, if there still seems to be a problem, take it to the dealer. But my overall suggestion here is to set things up in a controlled manner beforehand -- not after driving around -- using a good gauge on cold tires.

 

Curious what PSI you guys are running in the winter on the 20” tires?

 

@wspollack - are those numbers backward? Why would you lower the TP when it’s colder?

 

@wspollack - are those numbers backward? Why would you lower the TP when it’s colder?

Nope, they appear correct to me. But perhaps I didn't explain the situation clearly.

I assume that your talking about this part of my post:

If you're doing this work on a 70-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 36.4/39.6.
If you're doing this work on a 60-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 35.4/38.6.
If you're doing this work on a 50-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 34.4/37.5.
If you're doing this work on a 60-degree morning, you'd set those F/R pressures to be 33.5/36.6.

And here's perhaps a clearer explanation. Recall that our target was to have the cold tire pressure be 33/36 F/R at 35F outside temp.

If you're setting the cold tire pressure when it's warmer outside than your target temp, but your goal is to have the target pressure at the target temp, then you have to pump up the tires greater than the pressures desired at the target temp. That's because as the ambient temp drops -- it's, say, 60F this morning, when you're doing your pumping and measuring, but in two months it will be, say, 40F -- so will the pressure inside the tires also drop.

Put another way, if your target is 33/36 F/R at 35F outside temp, and you're checking and optionally adjusting your cold-tire pressure, and it's actually 35F outside when you're doing this work, then you'd set the pressures at your target, i.e., 33/36 F/R. That makes sense, right? Well, the next morning it's a heat wave outside, and those internal gauge pressures of air in your tires would be higher (because the air in the tires is also warmer); for instance, if it were 70 the next morning, and you put a gauge on the tires (having adjusted them the day before, when it was 35F), you should get a reading of 36.4/39.6, instead of 33/36. What I have posted is just the reverse: it's, for example, 70 outside, but you want to have your tires at the correct pressure (33/36) when the ambient temp is the coldest it will be for the next couple of months.

But the closer it is to the low-expected temp (35F in our example) when you're doing the actual checking and adjusting, the closer you will be to setting the tires at the pressures (33/36) desired at that low-expected temp.

Does that help?

 

I agree, being a female does not mean that you cannot learn to check your TP manually yourself. It is easy! Get a box of disposable gloves to keep your hands clean.

I set my Macan to "Part load" which is (for 19" Summer tires) 33F, 36R @ 68 degrees.

I do not rely on the TPMS to tell me the true pressure or the true +/- since it changes & not always explainable by cold vs. driving for miles or ambient temp.

Sometimes it will say I am 3# low in RF tire & 5 min later will say I'm perfect, right at "0."

I use my gauge.

I also bought a great compressor that I carry & use instead of having to find a gas station that has air. I NEVER let dealer or tire shop do my TP (unless getting new tires or repairing a leak)

Slime 20247 Digital Tire Gauge
Bought @ Walmart $8.87
Part # 2247 10.06.14
UPC Bar code: 7 16281 50717 5
Made in China
www.slime.com
Accessories marketing, Inc., a division of ITW, Inc.
125 Venture Dr., Suite 210, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Most of these gauges are accurate to ~ +/- 1#.
Just be consistent, use the same gauge & same person (you) to check/fill all 4 tires.

I like to go over by 0.5-1# & then release a bit to get it exact.

I recommend:
Viair 78P Compressor
It is relatively quiet.
Fast
Has a case
was $41 on Amazon when I purchase in 2017.
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Viair-78P-VIAIR-Portable-Compressor/dp/B01N224N1U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500701219&sr=8-2&keywords=VIAIR+77P+PORTABLE+COMPRESSOR[/ame]

Most people do not put the correct pressure in their tires. A common error is to use the MAX pressure on the tire sidewall. (Don't) Use the pressure in the owner manual.
Virtually no one seems to know that the recommended pressure is for 68˚F ambient temperature & you need to adjust your target pressure.

(No, the gas station guy does not know this!)

Read about temperature adjustments:
https://www.macanforum.com/forum/wh...m/wheels-tires-suspension/165522-tire-pressure-tpms-inaccuracy.html#post2451332

Also read:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=73

 

...

Also read:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=73

I think you must have edited your post, or done some other manipulation of the URL (which doesn't work, because those ellipsis dots shouldn't be part of the actual URL). I believe the TireRack link you meant to post is this: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=73

 

@wspollack thank you so much for your detailed response, I truly appreciate your time and advice to help me.

I do have a cheap gauge that lives in the glove box that will be replaced ASAP. My dad did teach me to check the tires in high school after he had to come and meet me to change many of them. He changed so many that he got my AAA coverage so I would be covered. My awful tire luck unfortunately continues to today. Dad lovingly called me a tire hit woman back in high school.

Thankfully I haven’t had to use road side assistance for any issues, keeping fingers crossed.

Again thank you for your time and links.

 

Well I am not losing my mind. I took my S5 to the Audi dealer for her annual service and I was asking my favorite service advisor if they had time to check the GTS that day since I really didn’t want to go back the the Porsche dealer about the tire. So I run the GTS to Audi and Jim found the nail with just a quick look. He filled up the tires for me, marked where the nail was and sent me on my way.

So I’m hanging out at the dealer now hoping that it can be repaired since the nail is dead center of the tire, or the world will go on if I have to buy a new tire. I had the same service advisor help me today as the guy who just poo pooed me 2 weeks ago and couldn’t be bothered to listen to me. Didn’t recognize me which I thought was good, and didn’t ask who marked the tire where the nail was.

So my awful luck with tires continues

 

Well I am not losing my mind. I took my S5 to the Audi dealer for her annual service and I was asking my favorite service advisor if they had time to check the GTS that day since I really didn’t want to go back the the Porsche dealer about the tire. So I run the GTS to Audi and Jim found the nail with just a quick look. He filled up the tires for me, marked where the nail was and sent me on my way.

So I’m hanging out at the dealer now hoping that it can be repaired since the nail is dead center of the tire, or the world will go on if I have to buy a new tire. I had the same service advisor help me today as the guy who just poo pooed me 2 weeks ago and couldn’t be bothered to listen to me. Didn’t recognize me which I thought was good, and didn’t ask who marked the tire where the nail was.

So my awful luck with tires continues

Hah: "That is, unless something is actually physically wrong, e.g., you hit a massive pothole, or smashed a rim into a curb, or picked up a roofing nail, etc." (post #26 ).

Good to know that you're not losing your mind! Maybe the same can't be said of the SA who didn't recognize you; well, he may not have lost his mind, but he's certainly not very observant.

I still recommend that you buy one of those two gauges -- ah, spring for the Motion Pro one, life's short -- so you can see what's going on, really set your tires accurately, etc.


Happy trails.

 

Why are people going to the Porsche dealer for tires?

Are there no Discount Tire shops or equivalent in your area?

DT will sell you a road hazard tire warranty even if you did not buy the tire there (For new cars)
I did this a couple days after taking delivery of my Macan & plan to do the same for my 911.

Yes, it will not cover damage to wheels. I can use the thousands in savings from not buying Porsche W&T insurance, to pay for wheel repair if I ever scrape a curb. How likely is it that a wheel will be completely ruined & require replacement ...that is NOT the result of a crash that regular insurance covers anyway?

To those members who just paid Porsche for new tires, just for fun, check Tirerack.com & Discount Tire & other tire shops for the price of the same exact tire that you just purchased. Who knows, maybe it is the same or less but, I doubt it.

 

Why are people going to the Porsche dealer for tires?

Are there no Discount Tire shops or equivalent in your area?

I'll tell you why I prefer getting a new tire from the dealership opposed to purchasing one from TireRack or some discount tire place...

First - cost. Did you notice on my dealership repair bill I posted how much they charged me for the new tire? $285. TireRack's price currently is $307. Yes TireRack's price includes road hazard, but you're paying for it...that and now you have to deal with getting the tire put on the wheel, see number two...

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...&autoMake=Porsche&autoYear=2018&autoModel=Macan GTS&autoModClar=Standard Brakes

Second - installation. I have NEVER received wheel scratches or wheel damage from a high-end dealership...a MAJOR pet-peeve of mine. From discount tire shops in the area though, most of the time I would get nicks or scratches around the lug bolt holes or wheel rim. My wife the other year had to get two new tires replaced on the passengers side of her Jaguar after hitting a flipped over water main cover, and both wheels now have fine scratch lines on the outside rim edges from the tire machine used by the tire shop she went to...and most of the time an air ratchet is used to torque down the wheel bolts, not a torque wrench. I've seen first hand technicians using torque wrenches on wheels at the high-end dealerships. As a matter of fact, Town Fair Tire wouldn't even take in my old 2016 Mercedes C450 with 19" AMG wheels. The Porsche dealership used an EXTREME amount of tire soap...it still hasn't all washed off...but there's not one scratch on the wheel, and the wheel weights looks similar to what was on the wheel originally...PLUS there's less weights on the wheel than before. I either lucked out on a good wheel/tire combo, or the dealership might have taken the time to break the bead again and rotate the tire 180 degrees before throwing it back on the wheel balance machine like I was taught to do many years ago.

And this is why I prefer to purchase a new tire from a high-end dealership. Paying the extra bit of money to have the job done right is worth it for me.

 

@Masscan I feel for your wife! What awful luck driving over and picking up that hunk of plastic.

Luckily the dealer was close and was able to get you all fixed and on the road with a mini hiccup. It does seem strange that they didn’t have tires in stock.

I was very surprised today that my dealer got me in and out within an hour since when I pulled in the service bay was 6 cars deep, but they were all Infinity’s. Right now until the new building is built, Porsche is sharing room with the infinity dealer. Color me surprised that they didn’t charge me to repair the tire. I even offered to pay them two different times for the repair since I didn’t have any kind of tire insurance. Maybe the service advisor did remember me and felt bad he sent me on my way without listening the first time I was there. There is not many carmine red GTS’s in my city especially one with a sea turtle trailer hitch cover.

 

Just wondering will a faulty TPMS sensor cause no reading from all 4 tires?

I replaced my stock 20" with aftermarket 20's with winter tires, along with aftermarket TPMS sensors.
All was well with my sensors until I got a flat tire (one week old tires and I get a nail in it...not impressed).


I had the tire repaired and TPMS sensors were fine.
24 hours later I get no readings on my sensors so I'm wondering if the sensor on my repaired tire was damaged and if a damaged TPMS sensor causes the system to not provide a reading from the other 3 tires.

If a TPMS sensor is damaged/faulty, will it affect all readings or only the tire pressure reading on that one wheel?