EezTire T515 Review

The TPMS system is finally installed. It is an EezTire T515 made by Eez RV Products. It has the capacity to monitor 22 tires but I only plan on monitoring eight tires. Four on the truck and four on the trailer. I may start monitoring the spare tires later as additional/replacement sensors are available from Amazon. It came with a windshield suction cup mount and a permanent screw mount. I opted to mount it high in the cab on the overhead console so the radio signal from the sensors mounted on the trailer tires to be "seen" by the receiver.

The box included both a fused power cable that could be permanently wired in as well as one that uses the cigarette lighter socket. The challenge with the overhead console location was finding a 12 volt switched power. I ended up tapping into the power for the clearance lights on top of the cab. To get to those wires, I needed to remove the overhead console, the passenger sun visor, passenger grab handle and then partially lower the headliner. A little more than I wanted to do when the truck was parked outside. The wires powering the clearance lights are running along the passenger side "A" pillar and were easy to cut and tap into. Now the TPMS system charges whenever I turn on the parking lights, which, for me, is usually right after the engine starts.

The TPMS display unit has an internal, rechargeable battery and can be powered on using a slide switch on the side. The battery will power the display unit for up to 60 hours according to the documentation and the manufacturer recommends not leaving it plugged in all the time to extend the life of the battery. It has a motion sensor and an ambient light sensor so the unit goes into sleep mode when the vehicle stops moving and the backlight shuts off during the day. The pressure and tire readings seemed a little erratic during our cold spell and I wasn't sure if that was due to the sensors or whether the tire pressure really did change by 8 psi from just driving around town.

The sensors include these anti-theft covers. Their use is optional though the manual suggests coating the seam on the sensors with silicone if you opt not to use the covers. The "T" handles wrench is used to tighten the sensors if you use the covers. I installed the sensors without the covers but will probably put them on when the weather warms up and the roads get sloppier. The wrench is kind of a hassle as you tend to lose air while trying to install the sensors as quickly as possible. The manual also recommends a tiny bit of anti-sieze on the valve stem which I did use when installing the sensors.

I've heard too many stories of trailer tire blowouts caused by low quality trailer tires. What makes it worse is that you can't really feel or hear the blowout and when the tire starts to shred, it can cause a lot of damage. A common cause of blowouts could be under inflation or overheating. The EezTire 515 monitors temperature as well as pressure. It would still be prudent to check the tire and brake temperatures every time you stop. These days, radiant thermometers are readily available for a reasonable price.