The Do It Yourself section is used provide assistance with mods and fixes. Whenever you are making a change to your car please take pictures and notes. Let others know what to watch out for and any useful tricks you learn. If you are starting a post in this section from scratch please hold it to a higher standard than you would for other forum posts. i.e. technical detail and even grammar.
Please post about issues or problems in the Technical Support & Problem Troubleshooting forum.
Ronzuki wrote:Before TPMS, rubber coated metal valve stems were the norm on 3/4 and 1 ton trucks such as my suburban. Metal to handle the much greater tire pressures (80psi) and rubber coated to provide the seal to the rim. Lasted forever. The 20 year old original stems are still on there after nearly 190,000 miles. The monkeys replaced them at the first tire change with the standard automotive all-rubber ones. I went back in and said wtf? They said they didn't have new metal stems like the OE so I made them put the OE ones back in. Why must these damn things be so over-engineered? A rebuild kit for a valve stem...really? If/When mine fail, the rubber ones are going in.
The only problem with an all-rubber stem is that its not compatible with the factory sensor, so you'd need new sensors. Plus, I'm not sure if on these sensors can replace the valve stem or you have to replace the whole sensor, which would add up over time.
Suzuki did a good job engineering the system considering what else is out there. At least the sensor is pretty standard.
redmed wrote:The Schrader 28308 sensor
looks to have a rubber coated brass valve stem. If so, I would expect it to be more durable than the aluminum stems.
I have 4 extra OE steel rims that I got as part of the purchase deal from the dealer. I may use these in the future to mount a set of snow tires. I would be inclined to use the Schrader 28308 sensors expecting the rubber to protect against salt and dissimilar metal corrosion. The rubber coated brass should be stronger than the weak aluminum stem allowing tire monkeys to tighten the valve tighter. If someone has used the Schrader 28308 sensors on their Kizashi I would like to know.
What size are your steel rims? If they're 16", I highly recommend the General Altimax Arctic in 215/65/16. I have the 215/60/16 and they were terrific, but the 60 profile lowered the car about another inch from the sport height once the load was on the tires.
Those sensors sound great, but I don't think they would eliminate the problem of overtorquing--just prolong a failure as the brass part could break, but still be held together by the rubber. It would still fail.
bodhibro wrote:Over torqued what though? The nut at the base of the stem? The valve needle core? The plastic cap itself?
Sorry, I should have been more specific. They overtorqued the valve needle core. This can crack or stress the stem from the inside and eventually it can fail like how it did for you. No other reason it should have failed near the cap like that.
bodhibro wrote:red I guess you missed my post on the previous page haha.
I just had a Schrader 28308 sensor installed this past weekend. After they installed it I did the air release trick with learning mode and my Kizashi read it like a normal sensor. I highly recommend it if you're looking for rubber coated stems.
SamirD wrote:There's no way this is due to corrosion unless someone changed the caps to metal. At any point in time if those tires came off the wheel, there's a chance someone overtorqued them. There's no other reason for them to fail consistently like that.
Over torqued what though? The nut at the base of the stem? The valve needle core? The plastic cap itself?
The valve needle core. I watched a mechanic work on my tire and when he reinstalled the valve needle core he tightened it like always. Neither he or myself thought anything was wrong. I took the tire/wheel home and installed it on the car. The next morning the tire was flat. I re inflated the tire and searched for the leak. Found a hairline crack on the aluminum stem just below the valve needle core. When reinstalling the valve needle core on these aluminum stems you have to be careful otherwise the aluminum stem will crack like mine did.
You beat me to it! Thank you for sharing the firsthand experience!
redmed wrote:bodhibro, thanks! Yes I missed that the Schrader 28308 sensors worked on your Kizashi. I'm going to make a note to use them next time I need a sensor.
Since you've got a whole winter to build you a set of snow tires, you can grab the sensors when you find them on sale/discount, then the tires when on the same deal. Then be sure they get installed by someone reputable. I found tirerack's installer directory to be good. I used one of the top people on their list and they did a great job on the sensors.
redmed wrote:bodhibro, thanks! Yes I missed that the Schrader 28308 sensors worked on your Kizashi. I'm going to make a note to use them next time I need a sensor.
Since you've got a whole winter to build you a set of snow tires, you can grab the sensors when you find them on sale/discount, then the tires when on the same deal. Then be sure they get installed by someone reputable. I found tirerack's installer directory to be good. I used one of the top people on their list and they did a great job on the sensors.
Now that I have the Harbor Freight tire changer
I can mount, change or repair tires myself. Pretty simple.
redmed wrote:Now that I have the Harbor Freight tire changer
I can mount, change or repair tires myself. Pretty simple.
That works too.
I'm sure you won't overtorque the sensors. You can actually get a special tool kit for just sensors. And it even has the appropriate torque wrench.
I got a Snap-On torque wrench at a auction years ago for only $2. I thought I had a quite a deal until I discovered it was in inch pounds instead of foot pounds. I never had a use for it until I started working with these sensors. Now I'm glad I got it. The sensor parts (#20013) are $1.99 at Autozone I bought spares.
redmed wrote:Now that I have the Harbor Freight tire changer
I can mount, change or repair tires myself. Pretty simple.
That works too.
I'm sure you won't overtorque the sensors. You can actually get a special tool kit for just sensors. And it even has the appropriate torque wrench.
I got a Snap-On torque wrench at a auction years ago for only $2. I thought I had a quite a deal until I discovered it was in inch pounds instead of foot pounds. I never had a use for it until I started working with these sensors. Now I'm glad I got it. The sensor parts are $1.99 at Autozone I bought spares.
I believe that every thing that happens in life is for a reason and for the greater good in the end.
That torque wrench is probably even worth more now that there are tpms sensors. Amazing how 'mistakes' work out isn't it?
SamirD I have to thank you for your in-depth research of the TPMS system. I had been watching Ebay for a VT55 for months and almost spent more than $500 a couple times. Luckily I was outbid in the last few seconds. When I replaced my broken TPMS sensor I thought I would try letting out air from the tires but did not expect something so simple to work. I decided I would try letting the air out three times, if it didn't work I would get serious about getting a VT55. It worked the first time I tried!
