What Tegger said. Meanwhile, get acquainted with the low
tire pressure indicator system. I have been learning about
one on a friend's 2005 Toyota. Some caveats:
1. Look up info on the system in your owner's manual.
2. What is the correct tire pressure? It should be posted on
the driver's door jamb or in the glove compartment. Only
check tire pressure after the car has sat at least four
hours.
3. There is a reset (calibrate?) button for the low tire
pressure indicator system on some or all newere Toyotas. See
if your owner's manual also talks about one.
4. Remember your spare tire may be monitored, too. So it has
to be at the correct pressure.
"Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote in news:8M2Kk.56$V35.20
@newsfe14.iad:
> What Tegger said. Meanwhile, get acquainted with the low
> tire pressure indicator system. I have been learning about
> one on a friend's 2005 Toyota. Some caveats:
>
> 1. Look up info on the system in your owner's manual.
Excellent advice, which I should have given in the first place.
The Owner's Manual has copious information on both the Low Tire Pressure
warning light AND the TPMS warning light.
I failed to have the OP ascertain whether it was the TPMS or the Low
Tire Pressure light which had illuminated, a distinction of critical
importance. Apparently it was the LTP light, since the lamp has
extinguished with the OP's correction of pressures.
These new government-mandated tire pressure monitoring systems are
extraordinarily needful of correct pressures, so it really pays to read
the relevant sections of the Owner's Manual exceedingly carefully in
order to find out just how to achieve correctness. And it's not as
obvious as you might think...
> 2. What is the correct tire pressure? It should be posted on
> the driver's door jamb or in the glove compartment. Only
> check tire pressure after the car has sat at least four
> hours.
It's very wise when checking pressures to make sure some tires have not
been subject to conditions not seen by the others, such as one side of
the car having been in full sun while the other side was in shade. This
would affect pressure readings.
> 3. There is a reset (calibrate?) button for the low tire
> pressure indicator system on some or all newere Toyotas. See
> if your owner's manual also talks about one.
Unless I've missed it, the '08 Civic's doesn't.
> 4. Remember your spare tire may be monitored, too. So it has
> to be at the correct pressure.
The spare in the '08 Civic is not monitored.
And for the record, the '08 Civic has a sensor in each wheel.

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Elle - 18 Oct 2008 01:34 GMT
> These new government-mandated tire pressure monitoring
> systems are
> extraordinarily needful of correct pressures,
One thing I learned today while reviewing a factory service
manual excerpt on newer Toyota Tundra systems: The system's
computer looks for a threshold pressure in each tire.
Anything above it, and the warning light will not come on.
Nor, from my reading, does it seem to detect large
differences in pressures between two tires, as long as they
are both above the threshold pressure.
> so it really pays to read
> the relevant sections of the Owner's Manual exceedingly
> carefully in
> order to find out just how to achieve correctness. And
> it's not as
> obvious as you might think...
>> 2. What is the correct tire pressure? It should be posted
>> on
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> in shade. This
> would affect pressure readings.
Absolutely so. I was checking my friend's tires today, with
one side facing east in the morning and the other west. I'd
just set the pressures the other day in a shady area at a
high elevation in the mountains, so the temperature was low.
Today we were at low elevations, and it was hot out. The
pressure was up about the same on all four tires, but there
was also a clear one psi difference between sides.
>> 3. There is a reset (calibrate?) button for the low tire
>> pressure indicator system on some or all newere Toyotas.
>> See
>> if your owner's manual also talks about one.
>
> Unless I've missed it, the '08 Civic's doesn't.
I just checked the '08 manual and agree. It seems like a
design flaw, though. What about those folks who sacrifice
ride quality for fuel economy and so drive with overinflated
tires and so want to know when one goes lower than the
personally preferred pressure?
>> 4. Remember your spare tire may be monitored, too. So it
>> has
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> And for the record, the '08 Civic has a sensor in each
> wheel.
The other interesting thing I learned is the Toyota systems
use a transmitter (at each wheel), antenna, and receiver to
send tire inflation pressure info to the system's computer.
I figure that it takes time for the information to transmit
and process, and this is why a person has to drive a few
miles before the warning light goes out.
I can say so far I like the Toyota design and have not found
it cumbersome to work with. Undoubtedly it saves fuel.
I am assuming the sensors etc. do not break easily, though
or are not expensive to replace when they do break.
Tegger - 18 Oct 2008 01:37 GMT
"Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote in news:xaaKk.896$JT3.273
@newsfe03.iad:
>> These new government-mandated tire pressure monitoring
>> systems are
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> manual excerpt on newer Toyota Tundra systems: The system's
> computer looks for a threshold pressure in each tire.
What is that threshold? And what is the /specified/ pressure?
Or are the two the same?

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Elle - 18 Oct 2008 01:42 GMT
> "Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote
>>> These new government-mandated tire pressure monitoring
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> pressure?
> Or are the two the same?
On the 2005 Toyota Tundra and some other Toyotas, one can
use the reset button to specify the current pressure in the
tires as the threshold pressure. So the manufacturer's
specified tire pressure and threshold pressure may be
different on this Tundra.
From my reading, and by contrast, these two pressures are
always the same on the '08 Civic. It really does not seem
reasonable. I am wondering if the factory service manual
gives a way to reset the threshold in the '08 Civic.
Tegger - 18 Oct 2008 02:18 GMT
"Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote in news:khaKk.898$JT3.874
@newsfe03.iad:
>> "Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote
>>>> These new government-mandated tire pressure monitoring
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> specified tire pressure and threshold pressure may be
> different on this Tundra.
So, theoretically, you could set the tires to 10psi, press the reset
button, and 10psi would become the threshold? That's a bit...odd.
> From my reading, and by contrast, these two pressures are
> always the same on the '08 Civic. It really does not seem
> reasonable. I am wondering if the factory service manual
> gives a way to reset the threshold in the '08 Civic.
If I (as a Canadian resident) were able to purchase a subscription to
American Honda's Techinfo site, I could find that out in a flash.
Unfortunately, AMH will only sell subscriptions to buyers with US mailing
addresses, so I am SOL. And Honda Canada offers nothing at all online
outside of dealerships.

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Elle - 18 Oct 2008 02:48 GMT
> "Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote
>> On the 2005 Toyota Tundra and some other Toyotas, one can
>> use the reset button to specify the current pressure in
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> button, and 10psi would become the threshold? That's a
> bit...odd.
I was thinking only in terms of setting it higher than the
manufacturer's recommended pressure for fuel economy
reasons, so I do not know.
Is there any reason a person would want to go as low as 10
psi and drive on this for a long time?
>> From my reading, and by contrast, these two pressures are
>> always the same on the '08 Civic. It really does not seem
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> all online
> outside of dealerships.
Maybe I will look it up via Mitchell On Demand next time I
am at the library.
Tegger - 18 Oct 2008 03:20 GMT
"Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote in news:ffbKk.2911$YN3.1822
@newsfe12.iad:
>> "Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> Is there any reason a person would want to go as low as 10
> psi and drive on this for a long time?
No reasonable reason I can think of. I was just considering possible
extreme stupidity on the part of owners, which I'm /quite/ certain Toyota
was NOT trying to encourage.

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Timothy Stoughton - 28 Oct 2008 23:52 GMT
tegger you can use my address to access the american site. pob 1661
anthony nm 88021