[chillywilly]

Thinking of getting a full-sized spare for my 2008 Forester 2.5X. I also want to use it in a five tire rotation to keep the treads all within the 1/4" circumference limit for AWD.

Question: If I have a TPMS sensor installed in the spare will it automatically be recognized by the TPMS module once it's in the rotation or will the dealer have to perform some type of TPMS reset for module to "learn" this new sensor?

If so, any idea what a TPMS sensor learn will cost each time I rotate a different tire out of the back? Will a simple ECU reset accomplish the same thing? I'm afraid I already know the answers: "costs too much" and "no it won't."

Don't mind spending extra money for a sensor in the spare. Don't want to have to go to and pay the dealer to reset after each rotation.

And yes...black tape to put over the blinking TPMS light is already standing by...

Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

[Peaty]

To get the $ensor regi$tered you need to take it to the dealer. AFAIK there are only 4 slots for the pressure info. Even though it does not tell you the system knows which tire is where when registered. I don't think you can add a fifth. If you rotate in a tire and it does not have a TPMS I'm not sure how it will work. 80% of the time you will have one tire on there that does not have a sensor, and the one as a spare I'm not sure how that will work since the stem part wakes up after it starts moving (going into sleep mode when you stop to save the batts) That alone might throw a code, seeing three and no info from the fourth tire. Some info here:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?p=31631

 

[lfdal]

I bet you get the TPMS light. Whether or not its blinking to indicate a system failure or not is a good question.

My dealer activated my steel rimmed snow tires for free as a good will gesture, but said that its going to be 0.5 hr labor each time from here on out.

 

[singincanary]

but said that its going to be 0.5 hr labor each time from here on out.

That's actually pretty cheap. The dealers around here hit you for a full hour, $86.

That, combined with the initial cost of the monitors, and the fact that I carry a 5th wheel/tire in the rotation and swap between summer and winter tires made it easy to decide to just live with the TPMS light on during the winter months in our Tribeca.

 

[lfdal]

Yup it wasn't cheap - it added $175 or so per set of tires for the TPMS sensors through tirerack.

Nice of the dealer to charge an hour's labor for a 15 minute job. Nothing like a 400% markup.

 

[madhun]

Any updates on this thread? I'd like to buy a full-sized spare for my 09x, and i'd also like to include it in the rotation if possible, but that silly TPMS thing is an issue. Anyone have any real info from Subaru on this?

 

[flstffxe]

This is the bulk of the information from Subaru and the Manufacture of the TPMS system used by Subaru.

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f72/tpms-sensor-replacement-33939/#post394376

 

[madhun]

Thanks. Lots of good info, even if it doesn't give me the answer I wanted to hear...

Now if I were Red Green, I would just attach the extra tire/wheel with the TPMS transmitter to a mounted wheel, with duct tape of course, and the problem would be solved!

 

[flstffxe]

^^ I know, but it is here to stay.

 

[adc]

Daughter's car had the TPS activate on a 350 mile trip home yesterday. All tires were 32 psi when they checked the pressure. It activated after about 300 miles. The vehicle was heavily loaded.

After stopping for a bathroom break (and checking the pressure) it reset itself.

Thoughts?

 

[jonandshari]

Just did the 6000 mile Oil Change and Tire Rotation the other night. Rotated the 5th tire in like manual says to do. Now the TPMS dash light is on and there are no tire pressure readings in the Menu Screen. Tried doing a few of the maintenance screen resets and have driven for at least 15 miles tonight (wife has probably driven more) at over 20 miles per hour (highway speeds) but the system has not reset on its own. Could not find any reset info in the owners manual and it refers me to a dealer if any issues. Tires are all correct pressure and again no tire pressure is reading on any wheel. I would think in a system "this smart" that it would realize the 5th is rotated in and would "automatically" reset.

Any thoughts or other real world experiences on resetting for this particular model? Dealer is 2 hours away. I have always done my own work like this and the dealer said they are OK with me doing maintenance and not having issues with warranty as long as I kept records.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[DesertTwang]

Random guess: is there a possibility the spare tire may not be equipped with a sensor?

 

[SESubie]

Any thoughts or other real world experiences on resetting for this particular model? Dealer is 2 hours away. I have always done my own work like this and the dealer said they are OK with me doing maintenance and not having issues with warranty as long as I kept records.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I think you'll need to go to the dealer or maybe a tire shop that has a TPMS programmer and have the system reprogrammed. The system needs to relearn the sensor positions and I don't think Subarus do that automatically.

 

[Menel]

Random guess: is there a possibility the spare tire may not be equipped with a sensor?

Another user reported that their full size spare was equipped with a sensor.
Dealer had to plug it in to machine and reprogram.

Subaru doesn't make their tire swaps easy if you care about TPMS.

 

[JessD]

Just like others have said, the spare is equipped with a TPMS sensor, but it is not programed to the car by default. Should just be able to go to any tire shop and have them reprogram the TPMS sensors. Takes all of a minute in the parking lot.

 

[FozzieBalou]

I wonder if this means that even though a Wilderness has the full size spare that in reality the TPMS system can still only monitor 4 tires at a time. Maybe when they redesign to the next generation (SL?) they'll have a redesign to the center display to show all 5 tires AND have a system that can register all 5 tires. Then they'd be able to offer a full-size spare across the board as an option for all other models beyond the Wilderness.

 

[Menel]

I wonder if this means that even though a Wilderness has the full size spare that in reality the TPMS system can still only monitor 4 tires at a time. Maybe when they redesign to the next generation (SL?) they'll have a redesign to the center display to show all 5 tires AND have a system that can register all 5 tires. Then they'd be able to offer a full-size spare across the board as an option for all other models beyond the Wilderness.

Correct.
Subaru's never planned for people who live in winter environments and swap winter tires either. Maybe it's not their target market.

 

[FozzieBalou]

^^^^ uh ^^^^^ that was tongue-firmly-in-cheek, @Menel - yeah? I mean given that prior to maybe 10 years ago the biggest market (and probably still is) would be the PWN and the NE of US and then - of course - all those crazies north of the 49th parallel...?

While I love my Forester (and my other previous Subaru)I know that they still are quirky and not really 100% mainstream and so some of their design and engineering work is still quirky.... Which is why we get all the former RAV4 and CRV owners and the like coming in and complaining about this or that not working like they would be used to...

But that's going off topic and so ...

 

[whobodym]

Discount Tire will do a TPMS reset for free, while my local PNW Subaru retailer as of 2017 charged $65 even when they knew that I knew that Discount Tire would do it for free.

 

[jonandshari]

Good info from all and thank you! I think she is going to stop by a tire shop in a town just 15 miles away (she has an MD appointment anyway) and they acted like they would do it quickly for her. Let's hope all it needs is a ping. Quirky design yes, and that's OK but I wouldn't have thought it would have take too much more engineering to make the system ping each tire when it is not getting a reading and then it would know if it has a real problem or not.