ajodhasingh

Hi All,
I've recently picked up my second E60. I did a search throughout the forum and other sites and didn't quite find the information I was looking for. My first E60 was bought brand new, was an LCI, stock, and i only had it for 8 months so i never really learned about it in depth.

This second E60 is a 2006 550i with 48k miles. I recently mounted some OEM Style 172 which came off an LCI. My shop installed them for me since the car was already there having some work done and they removed the TPMS as two of them were damaged. As i learned recently, cars before 2007 had the Flat Tire Monitor (FTM) with the rubber valves, with later cars having the metal valves which were more detailed. As i have no TPMS installed, i have the "Flat Tire" message that is constantly on. I know i will have to install new TPMS for the message to go away. My questions, however are:

1. Will i simply need to install the same kind of sensors (pre-lci) for them to work? If so, do i need to purchase OEM ones or will any others work/be as reliable?

2. Is there a way to install the newer ones (2007+) and have them work, with or without coding? or having to change a module for them to work? I like how the newer ones give more specific readings, but i can live without it if its too complicated.

Regards.

seanjordan20

You can buy aftermarket just make sure they are a good brand and the shop will know what to do.

If you upgrade there is a lot to do to get them to work. I think too much money and time to just get upgraded information but I don't know how you view it. But you would have to change your iDrive system, and the sensor module afterwards code and software update everything. You may be able to get away with just updating software on the iDrive instead of swapping it out but I doubt it. Someone with more knowledge can give you that answer.

ajodhasingh

This is what I was thinking may need to be done to get the newer TPMS information. I intended on putting on RFT's on my new wheels but couldn't find the appropriate sizes from the same brand. Plus, the wheels i got came with a brand new set of rear tires so it was easier and cheaper to just get new ones for the front. For me, it feels odd to have non-rft's as I've become so used to it with my other cars, even though i know the ride is much smoother. The car i bought didn't come with the spare wheel so i ordered one with the mobility kit from ECS tuning.
I suppose i'll be ordering a new set of sensors soon. Thanks for your help!

FormerE30Owner

The FTM system doesn't rely on tire pressure monitors, so just reset the system in the i-drive after you have set the tire pressures. That should work. After all the FTM system was working for the original wheel/tires on the 2006 550i, wasn't it?

donpb

So if you didn't get the warning with the damaged TPMS valves, then just get new valves. Any tire shop can install them and code them for free.

FormerE30Owner

But he did get a warning since no TPMS valves were installed and he hadn't reset the FTM in the i-drive. The FTM doesn't work with TPMS valves and doesn't even "know" if they are installed or not. The FTM system simply compares all of the wheel rotation relative speeds (a flat tire will rotate at a higher speed since its diameter becomes smaller) and alarms if one or more of the wheels' speed varies more than 10 %, thus the need to reset or initiate the system when the pressures are all set.

At any rate, I doubt if the OP is still interested in this, since the thread is about 5 months old! I just noticed that after I posted my reply.

donpb

Then why didn't he get the FTM notification when all TPMS sensors were in place?

FormerE30Owner

He did get a warning (Flat Tire) - he just can't get rid of it because he hasn't reset the FTM in the i-drive. No sensors on the wheels are necessary with the FTM warning system. The FTM works off the ABS system which monitors the rotational speed of all the wheels. Whether TPMS sensors are installed or not, the FTM doesn't "know" and doesn't care. Could be his mechanic just wants to sell him a bunch of sensors and then will reset the system in the i-drive and charge him for "programming" etc.

donpb

I re-read the original post.

Yeah simply changing tire size can trigger FTM due to the difference in rotational speed. I remember the first time I got that warning after hitting a bump, I went to the dealer to have them reset it. Haha. But the weird thing is they were able to reset it with the car standing still. I've long since learned how to reset the FTM but the car has to be rolling. I have no idea what magical trick the mechanic did to reset it without rolling.

FormerE30Owner

The car does not have to be rolling to reset the FTM. I reset my FTM every week after checking and adjusting my tire pressures. The start key position just has to be in the engine running position. The i-drive tells you that when attempting to reset the FTM. Resetting the FTM simply "tells" the system that this is the relative difference in rotational speeds among the wheels now and if these differences become greater than 10%, raise a warning (flat tire).