Do i or dont i

[cfcdoc]

I have contisport conti 3 all round, today i needed to make a 120 mile round trip so i thought i would check the tyre pressures, now some background is that i have had nothing but problems getting air into these gits using supermarket petrol station forecourt air machines so my patience with them is borderline running out. I check the psi and all are about 36 apart from the rear nearside. I need to inflate it a bit so i go in get change, air costs now, and come out, apply the pump(ooh err) and half the thread on the metal valve sheers off. Multiple attempts later i have a flat tyre as again air only appears to travel in one direction with these gits. A long wait for a flatbed later its at soton audi and i am seriously thinking of dumping the lot of them and getting ps2 all round. Do i order tpms aswell or not, the car runs and luckily still someone at audi who started and moved it but no warning of low pressure, does the sensor make it this difficult to get air into these utter bastards or is it the tyres or is it me. I have never ever had problems inflating bloody car tyres. Aaargh, no spacesaver either.

So do i change to ps2 and do i get tpms valves and sensors especially if a flat tyre gave no warning....or do i get 2 new contisport 3 across the rear axle, dump the tpms altogether and invest in a private tutor for lessons in how to get air into the contis .

[TechNick]

Could be wrong, but sounds more like naff valves (especially if thread sheers off as well).
Might be worth getting the rubber valves replaced on one or more as a test, before getting too carried away with it all!

[rich_5259]

I have Conti CS3's on my S5 and never had any problem getting air to go in the right direction - as above, check the valves 1st

[Mr Footlong]

Absolutely, totally and utterly nothing to do with the tyres my dear chap ( I think you know that but the way your post is written makes me think otherwise?). Sounds like the valves have fought a good fight and it is time to replace them.

If you are going to have to pop the tyres off again then you could of course buy some new TPMS (cheap links have been mentioned on here fairly recently) or just have the TPMS modules ripped out and standard valves stuck in.

Either way, make sure that the tyre place clean up the tyre and rim surfaces accordingly and use any seal gunk they see fit to help avoid leaking.

EDIT - Cheap (well, as cheap as one can expect...) sensor thread link - http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 5&p=526376

[cfcdoc]

Could be wrong, but sounds more like naff valves (especially if thread sheers off as well).
Might be worth getting the rubber valves replaced on one or more as a test, before getting too carried away with it all!

To be honest its now out of sight out of mind, the tyre chap southampton audi use isnt in till monday so a few days to decide, lots of tread left on the rears but the fronts are on the breadline therefore i was considering swapping the fronts to ps2 sooner rather than later but now the rear gave up the ghost its got me thinking. The consensus appears to be the valves, mine were metal though so maybe its the valves. I want to keep tpms and given no alert came up when the rear is flat then its lucky iwasnt motoring. If the ps2 are considerably better i will change to them and have the conti as spares as there is no spacesaver.
I didnt realise you could keep the tyre and just change the valve

Is tpms worth it anyone?

[Shoppinit]

Is a crash helmet worth it given that it may never be of use?

[cfcdoc]

Is a crash helmet worth it given that it may never be of use?

At least when youve got a crash helmet on you know its on.. I have tpms but no alerts to say it wasnt working and no alert when the tyre was flat.

[TechNick]

I have tpms but no alerts to say it wasnt working and no alert when the tyre was flat.

Sounds likes a VAG-COM may be in order... i.e. perhaps they're deceased/non-existent sensors and have been coded out. VAG-COM can show you indicative life remaining, etc. (assuming they're there and communicating, of course!). Do you have them showing in the DIS?

[Shoppinit]

Get some PS2 or PSS on there, and repair your TPMS. It only needs to save your life once.

I bet it's been coded out. You can read the live pressure data with the Vagcom.

[Mr Footlong]

Do you have them showing in the DIS?

THIS.

I was wondering if you had disabled notification in the DIS due to the sensors being kaput?

[cfcdoc]

Do you have them showing in the DIS?

THIS.

I was wondering if you had disabled notification in the DIS due to the sensors being kaput?

would love to let you lads know but unfortunately its now with the stealers who charge an hrs labour to plug vagcom into the car..Sheesh

Shop, I think its going to have to be ps2, technick had an idea about changing the valves but I honestly didnt think you could without changing the tyre. The biggest issue ive got with the contis isnt really the handling as it does what i ask but its getting air into the damn things, i feel like my wife must do when shes trying to inflate the tyres on our clubman

If changing the valves is going to be a bit of a false economy as I end up with the same fricking problem, I`ll cry as it`ll be the mirror and some soul searching.

I asked MRC to check the tyres for me before I left last time and they had no problem although their compressor end screwed over the valves from memory instead of being pushed like the standard petrol forecourt jobbies.

[Shoppinit]

Never had any problems with my valves. Old or new. I got some from alloywheelsdirect at about £10 a pop. You definitely need to take the tyre off to replace them. Doesn't mean you have to throw the tyre away, though. Although you really should if they are contis.

[cfcdoc]

Never had any problems with my valves. Old or new. I got some from alloywheelsdirect at about £10 a pop. You definitely need to take the tyre off to replace them. Doesn't mean you have to throw the tyre away, though. Although you really should if they are contis.

I remember when i first picked the old girl up and you said get rid of the contis...made me chuckle but if truth be told, ive never forgotten that and am always half expecting something sinister to occur. What have you got against them exactly and is it based on any objective evidence.

[Shoppinit]

They're just not as good as the other tyres you could put on. Nothing sinister.

[cfcdoc]

update from soton audi, unbeknown to me, previous owner didnt choose tpms as an option. allegedly doesnt have it and cant be added as a retrospective option and that explains the lack of alert. has run flat sensors which allegedly work on rotation so assuming the short distance it was manouevered didnt set sensors off. In any case ordered 4 new ps2 at not too unreasonable price according to a brief google search..