Tyre pressure monitors - the anti-disaster device every caravanner needs

Two years ago, Lauren and Aaron Wood were towing their caravan through South Australia when something felt off. The caravan was swaying more than usual, and they put the movement down to the wind. Next thing, a motorist drove up beside them, rolled down the window and told them they had a flat caravan tyre.

“We pulled over and saw we had absolutely shredded the tyre. Had been driving on it for hours!” Lauren says. “We went and got some monitors straight after that!”

The Wood’s story is not uncommon. Social media is peppered with tales of towing woe from caravanners who have worn their tyres almost to the rim, following an un-detected blowout.

My family had a lucky escape. A few years ago we rolled into a Kununurra caravan park with a flat. We were towing a double-axle caravan and were none the wiser. Fortunately, it hadn’t been flat for long, as it was the end of a short journey and our tyres were in good shape when we set out. But we shudder to think what could have been…

Why tyre pressure monitors are a must

Tyre pressure monitors (TPMS) are an essential piece of kit for every caravanner, especially if you have a double-axle caravan, when a flat on one of four wheels is less readily detected than on a single-axle trailer. TPMS are reasonably inexpensive and could save you buckets in the long run. Apart from boosting safety, they can also improve fuel economy, because spongy tyres are less efficient.

Monitors had been on our must-buy list ever since that unsettling Kununurra incident but then – shame on us – time and kilometres slipped by… Four years later, we finally installed a set of Promata TPMS. They were embarrassingly quick to DIY fit, easy to use and very effective. Why had it taken us so long?

The Promata Mata 2

Promata Automative has three types of monitors. The base Mata C ($149) plugs into the cigarette lighter socket and is only for car tyre monitoring in vehicles that don’t have built-in sensors. The Mata 1 (from $179) is solar powered and has automatic smart trailer detection. The Mata 2 (from $199), has similar specifications to the Mata 1, but the in-vehicle console has a more sleek design and negative LCD display (white digits on a black background), which makes it easier to read at night.

We opted for the top-of-the-range Mata 2. It comes with either internal sensors – slightly more expensive and requiring professional installation, but longer wearing – or external sensors that you can DIY install. Four sensors are included, which was all we needed as our Ford Ranger has built-in TPMS. The unit supports up to 10 sensors – enough for the car, dual-axle caravan and two spares. Promata recommends buying a booster if using six or more sensors.

The installation

Installing the sensors was almost as quick and easy as screwing on a dust cap. The sensors – like small knobs – are clearly marked, and it was simply a matter of matching the FL sensor with the front-left tyre, RR with the rear-right and so on. After removing the dust cap, you thread an anti-theft nut onto the valve, screw on the sensor, and then use the provided spanner to tighten the nut against the sensor. It’s a fool-proof process that takes less than a minute per tyre. You can spray a soapy water solution over each sensor to check for air leakage.

True to the marketing, the factory-paired sensors connected to the bluetooth console automatically, providing instant psi and temperature readings. We had charged the console on the dash for a few hours beforehand (it comes with double-sided tape) but it’s also USB-C charge compatible.

The display enables you to choose between bar or psi (as well as Celsius or Fahrenheit) and set a high- and low-pressure and temperature alarm threshold. When a tyre crosses the threshold, a beeping alarm sounds and a warning indicator flashes on the display.

The unit can be customised to four sets of settings: car front/rear tyres and trailer front/rear tyres. The screen allows you to toggle between car, trailer and spare tyre display. Spare tyres do not, however, have programmable warnings. The system also comes with a low-battery warning, and the sensor batteries are easily replaced with off-the-shelf CR1632 button batteries. Sensors can be added and removed from the system and new ones paired if they need replacing.

The road test

Watching the caravan tyres’ psi increase as they warm up is something of a spectator sport. It’s also a good measure of how reliable the Mata 2 is in providing real-time data. We set off on a brisk morning when our tyres were about 11°C and about 42 psi. Twenty minutes up the road, and they were 48 psi. We set the threshold low to test the warning system, and sure enough the display beeped and flashed when the alarm triggered.

Of course, TPMS won’t prevent us from getting a flat tyre, but they will mitigate the damage if we do. They’re an early warning system designed for peace of mind to keep us – and our caravan – safer on the road. The difference between a repairable puncture (or slow leak) and a shredded tyre might only be a few hours. If you’re lucky.