# TPMS Functionality



## THEREED (May 21, 2018)

I have an Atlas SE w Tech RLine. Is there a screen that shows individual tire PSI? I see a screen that allowed me to enter the psi of the tires but it appears just to store the info and i assume alert you if it drops below a certain level. I was hoping i can view a screen which shows psi per tire at any time. The dealer didn’t configure this so trying to determine the functionality. 


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## domsg60 (Oct 6, 2004)

No, unlike the Touareg which showed the psi, the Atlas just stores the pressures and alerts you when it drops below a certain threshold. 


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

^^^Incorect. No pressure measurements. It uses an indirect system...no sensors in the wheels. It is look at relative changes between the wheels using the ABS system i.e. how fast one wheels spins vs. the others. Lower pressure will slightly lower the size of the tire and register. You put the pressures where they should be (35 psi) and set it through the infotainment menus. Done.

http://www.tirereview.com/indirect-tpms-imports/


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## THEREED (May 21, 2018)

Thanks - that is interesting....

I see the benefits of both types of systems, but would prefer direct as I like to have real time view of individual tire pressures. Oh well, at least I learned something new!


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

THEREED said:


> Thanks - that is interesting....
> 
> I see the benefits of both types of systems, but would prefer direct as I like to have real time view of individual tire pressures. Oh well, at least I learned something new!
> 
> ...


Yeah, nice to see them but also nice not to have mess with bad sensors, pay extra when you replace tires, etc. I have always just used a digital gauge and I check them once a month.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

THEREED said:


> Thanks - that is interesting....
> 
> I see the benefits of both types of systems, but would prefer direct as I like to have real time view of individual tire pressures. Oh well, at least I learned something new!....


You didn't learn all this from reading the OM?


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## mike2018 (Sep 3, 2018)

in fact the TPM in Atlas is not effective. 

I was driving at high speed when I hit an object on the road that created a big hole in the rear tire. it was big enough to get a pen inside it.

I didn't know that i got puncture till hearing rough sound when driving on lane separators. I guess i drove more than a mile with a flat tire.

TPM did not show any warning!

you can not rely on it.


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

mike2018 said:


> in fact the TPM in Atlas is not effective.
> 
> I was driving at high speed when I hit an object on the road that created a big hole in the rear tire. it was big enough to get a pen inside it.
> 
> ...


This could be because you didn't set the system in the first place.


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## mike2018 (Sep 3, 2018)

mhjett said:


> This could be because you didn't set the system in the first place.


It was set in the screen several months ago after i checked pressure of all tires.

TPM recognized that i have a problem only after i fitted the emergency spare tire and started the car.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

mike2018 said:


> It was set in the screen several months ago after i checked pressure of all tires.
> 
> TPM recognized that i have a problem only after i fitted the emergency spare tire and started the car.


I think I would trust the vehicle's system more than the owner whining about the system.


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## *DesertFox* (Sep 26, 2017)

mike2018 said:


> It was set in the screen several months ago after i checked pressure of all tires.
> 
> TPM recognized that i have a problem only after i fitted the emergency spare tire and started the car.


Audi/Volkswagen tpms isn't the best. I also hit something on the road and the tire lost air pressure quickly. The tpms didn't give me a warning.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Yeah - I did a test a while ago. Dropped the pressure in one tire to 15....drove around...never gave me a warning.


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## *DesertFox* (Sep 26, 2017)

The best thing to do is to check the tire pressure once a month. If a tire is low this will give you an early warning that something might be wrong and fix it. Better than being stranded on the road.


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

mike2018 said:


> It was set in the screen several months ago after i checked pressure of all tires.
> 
> TPM recognized that i have a problem only after i fitted the emergency spare tire and started the car.


Wow, that's strange. The sensor-based systems -- like the one in my Jetta -- are far more accurate but are quite annoying when you discover how expensive it is to replace a sensor when the battery dies.


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Ive accidentally shown positive results twice with the TPMS and its accuracy for detecting a problem. Even though it is rotational based vs pressure based.

1. In one case, I was experimenting with tire pressure for comfort and lowered from 35psi to 30psi on the tire pressures. I forgot to reset TPMS when I did this. It detected a low tire pressure while still driving out of neighborhood.

2. In another case, when I did a tire rotation front to back. Again while driving out of the neighborhood, TPMS flagged the rears as low due to the more worn front tires (tiny diameter decrease) now being in the back.

Mine works very well and am confident if there is a slow leak or a fast leak that it would detect it. Always make sure to reset TPMS once you have correctly set the tire pressure to give it a proper baseline to go off of.


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