tmark

Hi,

I have a set of winter tires, mounted on rims with the tire pressure monitor sensors. Right now they are in storage at my dealer, who charges me $200 to store and swap them with my all-seasons.

I was just wondering if swapping the tires is easily doable by an average person or if it is not worth the bother. I don't know anything about how the pressure monitor works with the car or the tires.

thanks !
terry

AMUA6

iTrader: (7)

Don't do it.. think of the difficulty changing a motorcycle tire and multiply that times 500. Unless you have the proper equipment and aren't using tire irons

Wait, are you talking about swapping tires between two pairs of rims or swapping the whole setup for another setup on your vehicle?

tmark

Sorry if I wasn't clear - I've got winter tires mounted on steel rims in storage, and all-seasons mounted on whatever rims the MDXes came with. Both sets have the tire pressure sensors.

thanks !

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

If you don't have a lift, it's time consuming. But, I wouldn't pay $200 to do that. If you're just changing out to a different set of rims, I say DIY.

You wouldn't pay someone to change a flat tire on the side of the road...would you?

tmark

Well, the $200 is an annual storage fee and includes swapping the tires (if mounted on rims).

How do the pressure sensors connect to the car's electronics ?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

They are "sensed" by the car's sensor. This is the easiest way to put it. All four corner tire pressures are sensed and you can access the pressures via your MID.

I still wouldn't pay $200 for that. Just keep them in your garage.

tmark

Thanks princelybug - I thought about how the connection work and the only conclusion I could come up with is that it would have to be wireless ?

There's a big snowstorm coming up and I KNEW I should have put my winter tires on sooner

Rexorg

I think the $200 storage and mounting fee is reasonable. Also, think about the two tire rotations you are getting. You could DIY, but why bother?

BAGII

Its really not terrible. Think of it as putting on 4 spare tires. The hard part is going to be the sensors though. They do operate wirelessly. And if you're going to swap over wheels, tires, and sensors, the other sensors will have to be relearned to the TPMS control unit. That's something that you need a special tool to do. But in all honesty $200 isn't terrible.

db22

If both sets of wheels have TPMS sensors then just swapping the wheels is easy and the new wheels will talk to the car no problem. What tool are you refering to?

2010blackonblack

I agree with db22. We have another full set of rims/snowtires with TPMS and the MDX automatically senses the new tires. No tools required except a jack and 7/8" socket. $200 is rediculous to change tires IMO......unless you live somewhere w/o a garage and the necessary tools. Then you're out of luck and have to pay.

Joe5.0

Its not a complete ripoff since they are storing the extra set of wheels for the entire year.

I have a full set of steelies/winter tires that I just keep in my basement closet during the warm months. I dont have a lift, but I do have an air compressor and impact wrench and also a torque wrench. I can swap all four wheels in 10 minutes if I really rushed it, but at most even taking my time its a 20 minute job.

If you jack up the car at the side of the car you dont have to worry about the car rolling, and with the impact wrench it cuts out all the time of taking off/bolting on the lugs.

NBP04TL4ME

Just did mine yesterday. Took about an hour total to do the swap and put everything away afterwards. I have a Sears 3 ton floor jack and a basement to store the second set. $200 / year adds up pretty quickly, but again it depends on if you have somewhere to store the extra set.
As mentioned above, the TPMS will synch up with the MID very quickly, no tools needed.