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[inTgr8r]

I know I saw something about this.....
I think fleet commented about the tire pressure sensors in the wheels is USA only.

Can anyone confirm that Canadian cars are the normal system (not in the wheels).
This may concern those ordering winter setups now.
If true, then no need to install sensors from Tirerack.

[E90Fleet]

Its for a USA requirement, but Canadian cars are listed under USA on the parts system, so they probably have them

Hopefually Canadian members can confirm

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Its for a USA requirement, but Canadian cars are listed under USA on the parts system, so they probably have them

Hopefually Canadian members can confirm

Thanks Fleet;

I just thought it may be possible since Canadian are built with different option pkgs than US cars.

eg we can get the 19"230 wheels, & jade grey interior....
Also, I think we have different bumper standards etc...

[mindmoxie]

I already took the risk and bought my winters without the sensors. Not to mention my dealer in Montreal wanted to sell me a winter package and it certainly did NOT have the sensors, therefore either they're correct, stupid, or misinformed (still not sure which). However here is some info from other posts:

Originally Posted by arbitrage
Hey guys...For Canadians user Neill over at bimmerfest posted this information this morning. He is a dealer in Calgary and has been looking into the issue for the past couple weeks. Here is the link http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...9&postcount=48
and he basically says....

Awaiting me in my email from BMW Canada this morning:

"Canadian cars are still using the Tire Pressure Warning/Flat Tire Monitor, which monitors the rolling circumference of the tires.

US cars are in fact different. As of MY07 US regulations require that all cars have Tire Pressure Monitor, which uses pressure sensors in each wheel."

So, for Canucks, last year's winter set is a go.......
For our US counterparts, you will need individual sensor equipped wheels if you want to not have the flat tire warning lamp lit all winter....

So there is your answer and Neill is a trustworthy guy so I'd say you can go with this info and order any winter tire/wheel that you know will fit (same as last years e90)!

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by mindmoxie

I already took the risk and bought my winters without the sensors. Not to mention my dealer in Montreal wanted to sell me a winter package and it certainly did NOT have the sensors, therefore either they're correct, stupid, or misinformed (still not sure which). However here is some info from other posts:

Originally Posted by arbitrage
Hey guys...For Canadians user Neill over at bimmerfest posted this information this morning. He is a dealer in Calgary and has been looking into the issue for the past couple weeks. Here is the link http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...9&postcount=48
and he basically says....

Awaiting me in my email from BMW Canada this morning:

"Canadian cars are still using the Tire Pressure Warning/Flat Tire Monitor, which monitors the rolling circumference of the tires.

US cars are in fact different. As of MY07 US regulations require that all cars have Tire Pressure Monitor, which uses pressure sensors in each wheel."

So, for Canucks, last year's winter set is a go.......
For our US counterparts, you will need individual sensor equipped wheels if you want to not have the flat tire warning lamp lit all winter....

So there is your answer and Neill is a trustworthy guy so I'd say you can go with this info and order any winter tire/wheel that you know will fit (same as last years e90)!

Thanks for the info.... that's great news

[Jackson]

Spoke to the sales manager at Performance BMW in St. Catharines yesterday and he confirmed that Canadian cars (2007 E92 335i in my case) did not come with Tire Pressure Sensors. Also, when I spoke with Gary at TireRack today to order their recommended winter tire and wheel package, he said that as far as everything he had heard, the Canadian cars did not come with the sensors - therefore, not necessary in the winter tire package!

[inTgr8r]

^^ thanks for the confirmation.
I'm in the process of ordering aftermarket summers for next year.....
nice to know I don't need sensors.

[tctic]

Isn't the the monitoring of relative tire rotation rate between the 4 wheels adequate? Or is the US mandatating use of physical tire pressure sensors?

[treublue]

how does it measure the air pressure then?

[ctgazer]

i dunno but the tire pressure sensor seems to work for my aftermarket wheels...one morning one wheel was a little low on air and RING RING the car told me i had a flat...i topped it up and that was the end of that...stupid thing is, it doesnt tell you what wheel is low..you have to go out and check all the wheels with a tire pressure guage..awkward..

[Norsk]

Hi Guys,

This is great info; I had been looking for this all over the place.

Did you order your wheel packages from the dealer or other sources?

The dealer quotes me: CAD$2,895.00 + Tx for 4x Style 158 wheels + 4 Blizzak LM22RFT), to go on 2007 E90 335i.

Thanks to gerapau for pointing me here.

[arbitrage]

Originally Posted by Norsk

Hi Guys,

This is great info; I had been looking for this all over the place.

Di you order your wheel packages from the dealer or other sources?

The dealer quotes me: CAD$2895 (4 style 158 wheels + 4 Blizzak LM22RFT) for a 2007 E90 335i.

Thanks to gerapau for pointing me here.

You have two main options for winters, 1)Tirerack in the US which I would advise shipping via UPS as my Fedex shipment has been delayed at the border for almost 1.5wks, for ASA JH3s and Dunlops or Bridgestones you will pay ~1800-1900CDN but you will pay GST and PST included in that price (except myself in Alberta with no PST). 2)1010tires.com or Tiretrends.ca which are both based out of vancouver and have some replica BMW wheels, old e39 style M5 replicas and Dunlops will work best and also cost around ~1800-1900 CDN and you will save PST (except in Quebec/Atlantic??).

No canadian cars have in wheel TPMS, only ABS which can be reset via the computer once the new tires are on (just follow the manual).

You can always spend more for better wheels and even a bit more for tires like Michelin Pilot Alpin RFT that aren't available in the US but are in Canada. No point in buying the dealer option because they overcharge for the tires and the rims are the really expensive part.

[arbitrage]

Originally Posted by tctic

Isn't the the monitoring of relative tire rotation rate between the 4 wheels adequate? Or is the US mandatating use of physical tire pressure sensors?

The legislation in the US actually only needs either ABS or in wheel systems, so its is strange that BMW switched just the 07 coupes when the ABS system is adequete. The in wheel can tell you which wheel has the problem where as ABS system can't but its pretty easy to find out with just a pressure gauge. Plus the hassel of having sensors put in winters or aftermarket tires is an added cost and pain in the ass. The US legislation actually doesn't come into affect til Sept 07 (the new 2008 models) but that means every single new car from Kias to Bentleys will have to have some sort of system but it doesn't have to be in-wheel!!

[Norsk]

Originally Posted by arbitrage

You have two main options for winters, 1)Tirerack in the US which I would advise shipping via UPS as my Fedex shipment has been delayed at the border for almost 1.5wks, for ASA JH3s and Dunlops or Bridgestones you will pay ~1800-1900CDN but you will pay GST and PST included in that price (except myself in Alberta with no PST). 2)1010tires.com or Tiretrends.ca which are both based out of vancouver and have some replica BMW wheels, old e39 style M5 replicas and Dunlops will work best and also cost around ~1800-1900 CDN and you will save PST (except in Quebec/Atlantic??).

No canadian cars have in wheel TPMS, only ABS which can be reset via the computer once the new tires are on (just follow the manual).

You can always spend more for better wheels and even a bit more for tires like Michelin Pilot Alpin RFT that aren't available in the US but are in Canada. No point in buying the dealer option because they overcharge for the tires and the rims are the really expensive part.

Hello Arbitrage,

Thanks for the reply and great info and advice.

I haven't found much that really lit me up on Tirerack; it also bugs me the fact that it's hard to find 17x8 wheels ... size recommended by BMW.

Also, I will not order them with the TPMS devices.

I'll keep looking.

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by tctic

Isn't the the monitoring of relative tire rotation rate between the 4 wheels adequate? Or is the US mandatating use of physical tire pressure sensors?

There was an excellent article (I thought) in the Toronto Star of Saturday October 21st by Jil MacIntosh, jil@ca.inter.net, one of their freelance automotive writers. The title of the article was “Tire pressure alert system will be complex and costly”.

A few of the interesting things I learned from her article were;

On direct systems (sensor mounted inside wheel at the valve) reading the tire pressure directly, alarms are set at 25% below the recommended tire pressure. On indirect systems: (external sensor detects reduction in tire diameter) alarms are set at 30% below recommended tire pressure. At 25% below, the tire pressure would be about 26 psi actual versus say, 35 psi specified. Cripes, how safe is that?

Direct TPMS is not compatible with tire sealants which can damage the sensors. This is a big deal for me since I use the M-mobility system as a backup for my runflats in case of a flat.

Quoted from the article, “It’s a nickel-plated valve stem, and if an untrained technician uses the wrong valve core it can fuse with corrosion.”

The article said that the NHTSA (National Highway Transport Safety Association) went against all recommendations of tire manufacturers, tire dealers, and tire industry associations in setting the threshold (i.e., 25% below). The reason they set it so low apparently was to avoid the alarm going off too often. Their thinking is that if it alarms too often, people will just ignore it.

I talked to a couple of tire shops last year about runflats, just after the E90 rolled out. Their experience at that time had been only with the previous generation of wheel mounted sensors and they did not have anything good to say about them - not reliable, too finicky to install, easily damaged etc., etc. Intuitively, it seems to me that the external sensors as used on Canadian E90’s should be a far more bullet-proof.

Canada cannot have a different car from the USA for long, our market is too small. So, the rules in the states are bound to migrate here sooner or later and we too will be forced to have wheel mounted sensors. The total number of cars sold in Canada is less than in just one state, California.

[MINNOW]

Originally Posted by Norsk

I haven't found much that really lit me up on Tirerack; it also bugs me the fact that it's hard to find 17x8 wheels ... size recommended by BMW.

How about the BBS RK in 17" x 8"?
They're not cheap, but correct centrebore and offset, very light weight and BBS quality.

[Bimmerista]

Originally Posted by xyz123

There was an excellent article (I thought) in the Toronto Star of Saturday October 21st by Jil MacIntosh, jil@ca.inter.net, one of their freelance automotive writers. The title of the article was “Tire pressure alert system will be complex and costly”.

A few of the interesting things I learned from her article were;

On direct systems (sensor mounted inside wheel at the valve) reading the tire pressure directly, alarms are set at 25% below the recommended tire pressure. On indirect systems: (external sensor detects reduction in tire diameter) alarms are set at 30% below recommended tire pressure. At 25% below, the tire pressure would be about 26 psi actual versus say, 35 psi specified. Cripes, how safe is that?

Direct TPMS is not compatible with tire sealants which can damage the sensors. This is a big deal for me since I use the M-mobility system as a backup for my runflats in case of a flat.

Quoted from the article, “It’s a nickel-plated valve stem, and if an untrained technician uses the wrong valve core it can fuse with corrosion.”

The article said that the NHTSA (National Highway Transport Safety Association) went against all recommendations of tire manufacturers, tire dealers, and tire industry associations in setting the threshold (i.e., 25% below). The reason they set it so low apparently was to avoid the alarm going off too often. Their thinking is that if it alarms too often, people will just ignore it.

I talked to a couple of tire shops last year about runflats, just after the E90 rolled out. Their experience at that time had been only with the previous generation of wheel mounted sensors and they did not have anything good to say about them - not reliable, too finicky to install, easily damaged etc., etc. Intuitively, it seems to me that the external sensors as used on Canadian E90’s should be a far more bullet-proof.

Canada cannot have a different car from the USA for long, our market is too small. So, the rules in the states are bound to migrate here sooner or later and we too will be forced to have wheel mounted sensors. The total number of cars sold in Canada is less than in just one state, California.

The sensors we have amount to a software programming issue - not expensive at all to have in place. The US NTSB snesors ARE expensive and require hardware (the valve stems), so I actually think that in Canada BMW would not switch to keep cost low.

[Bimmerista]

Originally Posted by arbitrage

1010tires.com or Tiretrends.ca which are both based out of vancouver and have some replica BMW wheels, old e39 style M5 replicas and Dunlops will work best and also cost around ~1800-1900 CDN and you will save PST (except in Quebec/Atlantic??).

.

With these options you save provincial sales tax in the provinces which have them EXCEPT of you are from BC, which is where both these providers are based. I ordered from Quebec and saved my provincial sales tax

[Norsk]

Originally Posted by arbitrage

You have two main options for winters,
1)Tirerack in the US which I would advise shipping via UPS as my Fedex shipment has been delayed at the border for almost 1.5wks, for ASA JH3s and Dunlops or Bridgestones you will pay ~1800-1900CDN but you will pay GST and PST included in that price (except myself in Alberta with no PST).

2)1010tires.com or Tiretrends.ca which are both based out of vancouver and have some replica BMW wheels, old e39 style M5 replicas and Dunlops will work best and also cost around ~1800-1900 CDN and you will save PST (except in Quebec/Atlantic??).

Hi Arbitrage,

Thank you for all the pointers; I decided not to get the style 158 wheels from the stealerships; as I think they smoked some real good stuff. On average they are 1.2K more than any other good and viable alternatives.

I found some wheels that I like and I will go with 18"
http://www.**********s.com/product.a...=Miro_Type_346

As for the tires, I was thinking of the Michelin's; but I think I will go for the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 ... better Light Snow and Deep snow traction rating. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=0

Keep you guys posted to total cost, quality and some pics.

This forum and it's members are just awsome. :rocks:

[txusa03]

Originally Posted by Bimmerista

The sensors we have amount to a software programming issue - not expensive at all to have in place. The US NTSB snesors ARE expensive and require hardware (the valve stems), so I actually think that in Canada BMW would not switch to keep cost low.

This is a very interestig topic and I am somewhat confused after reading all the comments. I have an 06 e90 (US model). I think I really like the tire sensor I have, it is controlled by reading the spin rate on the tire (not sure the technical term here). But if you have a tire that is going flat, it will have a smaller diameter and will spin more and that will trigger the RFT alarm. Granted it does not tell you which tire is getting flat. Now, why could they just use this technique and have to go and add some funky little sensor on the tire itself?

[arbitrage]

Originally Posted by txusa03

This is a very interestig topic and I am somewhat confused after reading all the comments. I have an 06 e90 (US model). I think I really like the tire sensor I have, it is controlled by reading the spin rate on the tire (not sure the technical term here). But if you have a tire that is going flat, it will have a smaller diameter and will spin more and that will trigger the RFT alarm. Granted it does not tell you which tire is getting flat. Now, why could they just use this technique and have to go and add some funky little sensor on the tire itself?

Thats the ABS system used in the US for 2006 and still used in Canada for 2007. Actually the ABS system is still in the e90 for 2007 (at least in the first months shipments, later shipments may change to the coupes in wheel sensor). In wheel is better for being able to tell you which tire is flat and as stated above is set to be a little more sensitive (25 vs 30%) but in-wheel is costly and annoying when switching to winter tires or even getting new tires. I think the ABS system is good enough for me. Also the US legislation goes into affect for 2008 cars (Sept 2007) and Gary at tirerack posted that the legislation is for either system so not sure why BMW switched.

[txusa03]

I hope they use the ABS system (cheap and works for me).