TST doesn't alarm on blowouts

[Golfmedik]

I told you guys I would update you on the TST system not responding to my blowout on the way to the rally, after I talked with TST. During the rally, Mike from TST asked me to meet him outside the lecture areas to discuss the problem, so I did. What he had to say, well, was maddening. TST sensors DO NOT detect what he likes to call "Instantaneous Pressure Loss". Meaning, if you hit something in the road and tear a large hole in the tire, chances are, it will not detect it! Apparently the tire sensor industry likes to advertise their products will detect, "Rapid Pressure Loss", leading the RVers to believe they would detect the sudden blowout which greatly damages our rigs. This is NOT the case. In fact, NO SYSTEM on the market does this!!! Read that again!!!! What the product will do is detect a "Fast leak" their new terminology, which will detect a leak of 2 psi per minute or greater.
The TST system is designed to monitor four parameters, high heat, high pressure, low pressure and fast leak. The cause of most RV tire blowouts is low tire pressure, which when driven on, produces heat, which then raises pressure, which then leads to blowout. This is what the system will detect. This was the case for many years with the larger RVs being placed in E rated tires that couldn't support the weight. These tires would "unzip" which means that the tread would separate from the carcass and leave the "road alligators" everywhere. This was common with the foreign made E rated, 10 ply tires. The newer G, and higher rated tires rarely do this which is the reason they are in such demand nowadays. But these tires will "detonate" with a huge hole at the junction of the sidewall and tread.
I wasn't too happy with the reps answer, so I received a call from the VP of TST after a friend put him in contact with me. He reiterated much of what Mike had said here the rally. We had a long conversation and explained that since this is the case, I feel many RVers are being mislead. Folks, there is not a Big 3 truck on the market that allows you to see the rear tires of your trailer while traveling on the interstate. So, if you are running along and you don't hear the blowout until great damage is done to your RV, or someone tells you to pull over, it can go undiscovered for miles.
I explained that I'd had the system save prior to this blowout, but using the monochrome monitor. One was a failure that's eerily similar to this, and the other was a bolt stuck in the tread. But, he states that in around 1% of all failures, the sudden blowout, it will NOT inform you. The system checks each sensor every 12 seconds and even though it read a pressure and temp when it last checked, it will NOT tell you when it tries to check it again and the temp and pressure isn't there!!! The reason for this is because many systems have a sensor that drops out of coverage while going own the road and if it were to recognize the sensor wasn't there, it would be giving out too many false reports.
This information has been really troubling to not only myself, but others at the rally as well. The industry uses words to make us think it is all encompassing coverage, when in fact, it covers "most" RV flats. If you were to be traveling at night and suddenly ruptured the right side tire of a fifth wheel, as I said before, you could drive on it for miles without knowing it if you didn't hear it. Thus doing great damage to your unit.
I've had TST products on my fifth wheels for 12 years now partly due to the fact they were the absolute first system on the market to give us the tire temperature when scanning. I loved that feature and still do. This has made me very wary of any on the sensor systems. The manufacturers of these types of systems apparently have made their own industry out of the fears of RVers and by playing on words or descriptions. However, I still feel the need for a TPMS. I'm not affiliated with TST or any other system as many have suggested. And yes, I've promoted this system for years after saving me twice, but I believe system manufacturers need to find a way to detect the incidents that you can see and don't hear, as this is most RVers greatest fear.
After talking with the two members of the TST team, and doing a lot of research the last few days, I'm going to stick with the TST system. The reason is that I'm familiar with it and since no other system has an advantage, this one is already in my truck and on my unit.
I've had many people ask for an update, so I had time this morning to put my thoughts in order.