5th matching wheel/TPMS report

[charwest]

We finally got around to putting together a matching 5th wheel and the forum had been quite helpful in answering my questions. As there was still some uncertainty out there and the TPMS 42 OEM sensor is currently out of stock, I figured i would post up so others might benefit from my process.

First, we bought a matching rim from an online used parts place. Cost us 120 dollars or so for the aluminum 17" rim. unfortunately it did not come with a TPMS sensor. So then I went to find a OEM TPMS 42 sensor, but ford website said they were out of stock, the dealer did too, and i called the used parts place and asked if they had any used ones that matched the wheel.

Because they had originally said they would send the TPMS sensor with the wheel, they kindly just said 'we'll take care of it and send you one', but what showed up was a brand new chinese made unknown brand. 'sunwolf' F2GT-1A180-AB 315Mhz sensor. it did look pretty much identical to the TPMS 42, but obviously i was concerned. I did some googling and some websites suggested this model was an appropriate replacement for TPMS 42, but some didn't. I called the rep at TPMS.com who kindly told me it would probably work fine, and the reason i wasnt finding TPMs 42 was that it may have been phased out by ford. good to know. he seemed kind and knowledgeable and I would go to him to buy in the future.

https://www.tpms.com/Lincoln-Schrader-33500-EZ-Sensor-TPMS-Sensor-p/ezs0280-lincoln.htm

I then had the fifth matching tire mounted on the rim with this sketchy looking TPMS sensor, and cycled it into the 5 tire rotation. the dealer did this, and did not have to reprogram the sensor. Happily, this sensor seems to be working well enough.

of note, the dealer rep and the mechanic thought a 5 tire rotation was the craziest thing they had ever heard of and had to have it explained 8 times. here is the recommended rearward cross 5 wheel pattern for a 4wd truck:

the OEM sensor in the spare bay stays quiet and is ignored by the car. the sensors that are on the four mounted wheels register to within 1 PSI of my pressure gauge. the OEM ones take 1-2 minutes to register, and the new chinese knockoff takes about 4 minutes to register. For example, after I air down or air up, I always have to wait five minutes to confirm the knockoff sensor is at appropriate pressure. I guess that does mean if I have a flat and don't realize it i will figure it out much slower with the knockoff sensor.

to protect the spare wheel from damage, i have it mounted upside down (no access to the valve). this puts the aluminum face away from the road debris so it might not get dinged offroading. i dont care about no valve access because our truck always has an air compressor in it so i dont need to check tire pressure or top off while just living life. to protect the aluminum from the steel bar holding it in place, i have a square of hard rubber (a scrap of conveyor belt) that i cut a hole and s slot in to protect the aluminum from the steel. hopefully this will result in less scratching and less corrosion.

I have put about 3k miles on the new set up and it is consistent in the above TPMS behavior. hopefully it lasts. hopefully that is helpful to someone out there.

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[quangdog]

Thank you for this write-up. I've just ordered a 5th matching rim from a parts recycler, and am planning to do the exact same setup as you.

One question: Does the factory spare include a TPMS sensor? I still have the factory spare, and could easily have the tire shop swap the sensor to the new wheel when I get the new tire mounted...

Thanks!

 

[Frenchy]

In general I understand the 5 tire rotate pattern but at the same time prefer not to follow it myself even with a true matching spare. Why you ask? Well as we know tires are expensive and I would rather replace 4 instead of 5 at a time, with the exception of getting the spare replaced to match the rest. That said at least it's not a dually

 

[charwest]

Thank you for this write-up. I've just ordered a 5th matching rim from a parts recycler, and am planning to do the exact same setup as you.

One question: Does the factory spare include a TPMS sensor? I still have the factory spare, and could easily have the tire shop swap the sensor to the new wheel when I get the new tire mounted...

Thanks!

thats a darn good question. i honestly dont know the answer. i thought the factory spare did NOT have a TPMS in it, but i never checked with my own eyes. that rim went into a parts bin somewhere in the desert unfortunately so i lost the opportnuity to check. the place that mounted that tire was a chaotic mess.

that woudl definitely save some fuss. maybe someone knows? many people that actually ended up using a spare would probably know, as many spares probably get low on air and that would trigger teh tpms errors, letting you know that there was indeed a spare tire TPMS installed.

if your spare doesnt have a tire mounted, it will be easy to look inside and see instantly. a TPMS has a distinctive look to it compared to a plain old shrader valve, on the inside of the rim. if the tire is mounted, cant see that.

or you can check yourself by putting the factory spare on and seeing what the car says its running at? to be sure you might want to deflate the primary wheel to 20psi or something so you are sure you are getting the signal from the correct wheel.

 

[charwest]

In general I understand the 5 tire rotate pattern but at the same time prefer not to follow it myself even with a true matching spare. Why you ask? Well as we know tires are expensive and I would rather replace 4 instead of 5 at a time, with the exception of getting the spare replaced to match the rest. That said at least it's not a dually

ive heard that repeatedly, but we just have different priorities.

if your priority is ease, stick with four tire rotation
if your priority is $$, probably stick with four tire rotation

if your priority is safety, five tire rotation should keep you with five matched identical sized/weight wheels, ready for offroad or the highway with no compromises.

last spring we were twenty five miles onto a jeep trail in the mountains of mexico, probably two full days highway driving on potholes from the US border, and i felt GREAT knowing that i was carrying a matching spare.

anyways, an extra 200 bucks is one of the smallest investments you could make in this truck. im assuming you also save money by not modding the lift/suspension and keeping the factory tires, right?

 

[quangdog]

thats a darn good question. i honestly dont know the answer. i thought the factory spare did NOT have a TPMS in it, but i never checked with my own eyes. that rim went into a parts bin somewhere in the desert unfortunately so i lost the opportnuity to check. the place that mounted that tire was a chaotic mess.

that woudl definitely save some fuss. maybe someone knows? many people that actually ended up using a spare would probably know, as many spares probably get low on air and that would trigger teh tpms errors, letting you know that there was indeed a spare tire TPMS installed.

if your spare doesnt have a tire mounted, it will be easy to look inside and see instantly. a TPMS has a distinctive look to it compared to a plain old shrader valve, on the inside of the rim. if the tire is mounted, cant see that.

or you can check yourself by putting the factory spare on and seeing what the car says its running at? to be sure you might want to deflate the primary wheel to 20psi or something so you are sure you are getting the signal from the correct wheel.

With the uncertainty, I went ahead and ordered an OEM sensor to install in the wheel I ordered. The wheel should be here this week, as should the sensor. Gotta schedule a time to get a new tire mounted - might happen this week, but maybe not. Before I do so, I may try airing down one of my tires, making sure it registers on the dash with the new pressure, then swap in the spare (and leave the original in the garage) and take a short drive. That would tell me pretty quick if there is a sensor in there or not.

On a completely unrelated note: anyone want / need a factory steely spare? ?

 

[charwest]

With the uncertainty, I went ahead and ordered an OEM sensor to install in the wheel I ordered. The wheel should be here this week, as should the sensor. Gotta schedule a time to get a new tire mounted - might happen this week, but maybe not. Before I do so, I may try airing down one of my tires, making sure it registers on the dash with the new pressure, then swap in the spare (and leave the original in the garage) and take a short drive. That would tell me pretty quick if there is a sensor in there or not.

On a completely unrelated note: anyone want / need a factory steely spare? ?

post up your results- im sure others will have the same question. but i do worry that with the occasional spotty truck to truck consistency just because your spare comes with a TPMS doesnt guarantee the next batch does too.

 

[alcohenusa]

Thank you for this write-up. I've just ordered a 5th matching rim from a parts recycler, and am planning to do the exact same setup as you.

One question: Does the factory spare include a TPMS sensor? I still have the factory spare, and could easily have the tire shop swap the sensor to the new wheel when I get the new tire mounted...

Thanks!

There is no TPMS in the factory spare. I did the same thing where I got a used matching Lariat wheel dirt cheap and now have a fully matching spare.

I got a TPMS sensor from Discount Tire when I bought the fifth tire and have had no issues with the truck knowing what tire is where when I have the tires rotated.

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