Honest, I searched...

Do all Clubmans come with the tire pressure monitor (TPMS)? The one I drove on Thursday was a non-S model, and there was a warning light on the dash, that the MA said was due to the system not being calibrated yet. But in the "youified" brochure I downloaded, it says the TPMS is only on S models. Can anyone fill me in?

 

All Clubmans have a TPMS. In fact, all new cars have the TPMS system, it's a new NHTSA requirement.

 

MiniClubman has it correct.
I think US cars have it as a mandatory item since 2007.
Some had it earlier.

 

Can you actually monitor the tire pressure? I haven't found this feature yet..

 

Nope the light just comes on when your pressure drops below a certain PSI.Not sure off hand what the amount is though.

 

Thanks, I thought it was a mandated feature, but the brochure was ambiguous.

 

Ow so you can't actually monitor the pressure in real time?

 

The system monitors pressure drop relative to "normal" by checking distance v. wheel revs. (I think the trigger point is -6psi, but I'm not certain.)

So it's important to check the pressures cold to whatever you regard as normal and to then reset the TPMS as explained in the manual before driving off.

 

Mine comes on ALL the time....kind of annoying. Even the slightest tire pressure change sets it off

 

There are 2 types of TPMS. The cliff notes version of the 2:

• direct = sensor in each rim that monitors the pressure and is capable of indicating the actual pressure of each tire. Pros - exact. Cons - expensive
• indirect = TPMS sensor monitors the rotational speed of each tire. If one falls below a certain threshold it will trigger the alarm. Pros - inexpensive. Cons - imprecise, will not indicate if all 4 tires are low on air (you still have to monitor your own tire pressure to optimize tire wear and fuel economy)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_pr...itoring_system

Edit because I was wrong: I guess our Clubmans have the direct version w/Beru senders in each rim.

 

Which brings up the question: Can you disable the system?

 

Don't think so - it's federally mandated in all 07+ cars so it's highly unlikely there would be a kill switch. You might find that turning off the DSC also disables it but that's just a guess on my part.

Are you planning to put drag radials on your Clubman?

 

No, it's just a piece of electronics to be fiddly, from what I gather. I'm real attentive to tire pressures anyway, so it would just be an on-the-road safety feature, which is good, I suppose.

 

The TPMS module is in the left boot sidewall(white box behind the access panel) that you could unplug BUT that's if you dont mind a chime and blinking light every time you start your MINI.

 

And I think it would be a criminal offence here in the UK to drive on the public highway with an OEM safety feature that had been disabled deliberately. It would also invalidate the driver's mandatory insurance. So that would be two reasons why the cops would take an interest in the event of an accident!

 

I just replaced the wheels and tires on my cooper clubman.. Beru sending units in the wheels. There is a set up page for the car. I have a gps so it is real easy.. go to the Set up section.. vehicle/tires... TPM... hit reset.. it poles the sensors and notes what the current pressure is.. I believe it fires somewhere around 10%...

The dealer does not have to reprogram the car for different sensors..


just more stuff to go wrong......

 

How does your GPS come into play in the TPMS system?

I stand corrected on the type of system that our Clubmans have - I guess it's a direct system w/Beru senders in each rim. Sorry for the misinformation.

 

The direct one-sensor-per-tire version is what's mandated by NHTSA. They rejected the cheaper and less reliable indirect version. Some pre-2007 cars may have that version.
One thing MINI could have done is indicate which tire is low. Instead, the alert only tells you that a tire is low, it does not indicate which tire, nor does it provide an actual PSI reading. A minor inconvenience, but many other TPMS systems tell you which tire has an issue.

 

all of my settings menus are in the gps monitor.. I get a vehicle representation of which tire has an issue...

 

OK - are you saying that you have the Navi option and there's a graphic for the tire pressures or do you have an aftermarket GPS?

Excuse the seemingly obtuse questions - I don't have a Navi but will have a Garmin Nuvi 760 next week for Father's day

 

Factory NAV...

most of the settings that non nav users have to use the set/info button for are on the gps nav screen......

 

I have a 2012 Clubman S with 36k on the odometer and just started getting a "TPMS Inactive" warning and it will not let me reset the system. I have scanned each wheel sensor and get the ID number and psi for that wheel so I am believing that the TPMS control module is at fault. I called the stealer, I mean dealer, and they quoted me $100 to diagnose and $308 for just the control module. And of course there is labor on top of that. Well the nearest stealer, I mean dealer is 3 hours away. Does anyone know if the control module needs programming or if just the wheel sensors need to be relearned to the new module then reset or what? Because my car was sold in 2011 as a 2012 my warranty expired in 2015.