Post by Hoovie on Sept 11, 2018 14:40:00 GMT
Won't be of any relevance to vehicles anyone here drives I think, but lots of you guys like gadgets and gizmos, so thought you may be interested in this product I installed this morning on my Camperbus....
I like Tyre Monitoring Systems and bought a 6-wheel system for my LT Dually. I had problems with it as the extra weight of the sensors on the Valve extenders tended to cause the elbow extender to loosen and so loose pressure. The extender actually has loosened a couple of times without the sensors so was a hassle.
I searched around the internet for options and came across the Crossfire system and really liked the sound of the features.
This is the manufacturers web page on the problem - Crossfire - Dual Dynamics
You need to choose a kit that matches the Pressure you want to run at - they are no adjustable. When I first looked at these I was not sure what pressure I would be running the rear tyres at as didn't know my final running weight. Once I had near enough completed the conversion, loaded up with the most I planed to carry (which is quite a bit in the garage sometimes), took to the weighbridge and from that weight reading and further research, decided 65PSI would be the pressure of choice for my rig.
So looked for a 65PSI Crossfire kit and as luck would have it found a nearly-new pair of 65PSI units on Ebay.com (US Site). The units with postage and import duties came to around £60 which is very good.
Installation was a bit trickier then the instructions and youtube videos would have you believe though (at least on my vehicle). In order to properly secure the hose on the inner wheel I had the remove the outer wheel to allow room for the 13mm spanner to tighten the hose nut. The sequence of fitting like this means you lose pressure while the Crossfire is partly disassembled (but not a big problem and actually means you get to check its operation as part of the install
)
Overall, including jacking up the van each side, removing a pair of wheels, installing the kit and refitting wheels, retorquing, dropping jack and packing away took maybe 60 minutes.
Once Installed this is what it looks like on a LT/Sprinter Dual Wheel
Crossfire Installation by David, on Flickr
When at the pre-set Pressure, the display is Yellow and there are two black marks that line up with the marks on the surround
Crossfire Installation by David, on Flickr
This shows the Yellow section coming into view as I am inflating the tyres up to pressure
Crossfire Installation by David, on Flickr
When the pressure is 10PSI below the pre-set, the display is black. This shows mostly black as I am at around 55PSI
Crossfire Installation by David, on Flickr
Not tried this feature yet, but if the pressure is 10PSI OVER the preset the display shows red. This is quite possible to happen due to the way tyres warm up and it is more of a informational display rather then a problem one.
What I really like about this system is not just it tells you at a glance the pressure is at the setting you want when you do your walkround before driving off, but it keeps the tyre pressures matched between inner and outer tyres, plus it gives you just one fill valve for both tyres which is dead handy I think.
(to pre-answer one common question on this system, the unit is monitoring both tyres and if one tyre suffers rapid deflation, the valve shuts off. For a slow leak, the valves shut off when the pressure drops 10PSI below the preset (so 55PSI for me))
One thing which I am wondering a little about is if the extra off-set weight on the wheel will introduce any vibration? I suspect however it won't be noticable.
I might fit the TPMS sensors from the unit I already have to the central valves as I do have the system anyway and so could use the 2nd set of rear sensors on my little trailer.
I like Tyre Monitoring Systems and bought a 6-wheel system for my LT Dually. I had problems with it as the extra weight of the sensors on the Valve extenders tended to cause the elbow extender to loosen and so loose pressure. The extender actually has loosened a couple of times without the sensors so was a hassle.
I searched around the internet for options and came across the Crossfire system and really liked the sound of the features.
This is the manufacturers web page on the problem - Crossfire - Dual Dynamics
You need to choose a kit that matches the Pressure you want to run at - they are no adjustable. When I first looked at these I was not sure what pressure I would be running the rear tyres at as didn't know my final running weight. Once I had near enough completed the conversion, loaded up with the most I planed to carry (which is quite a bit in the garage sometimes), took to the weighbridge and from that weight reading and further research, decided 65PSI would be the pressure of choice for my rig.
So looked for a 65PSI Crossfire kit and as luck would have it found a nearly-new pair of 65PSI units on Ebay.com (US Site). The units with postage and import duties came to around £60 which is very good.
Installation was a bit trickier then the instructions and youtube videos would have you believe though (at least on my vehicle). In order to properly secure the hose on the inner wheel I had the remove the outer wheel to allow room for the 13mm spanner to tighten the hose nut. The sequence of fitting like this means you lose pressure while the Crossfire is partly disassembled (but not a big problem and actually means you get to check its operation as part of the install
)Overall, including jacking up the van each side, removing a pair of wheels, installing the kit and refitting wheels, retorquing, dropping jack and packing away took maybe 60 minutes.
Once Installed this is what it looks like on a LT/Sprinter Dual Wheel
Crossfire Installation by David, on FlickrWhen at the pre-set Pressure, the display is Yellow and there are two black marks that line up with the marks on the surround
Crossfire Installation by David, on FlickrThis shows the Yellow section coming into view as I am inflating the tyres up to pressure
Crossfire Installation by David, on FlickrWhen the pressure is 10PSI below the pre-set, the display is black. This shows mostly black as I am at around 55PSI
Crossfire Installation by David, on FlickrNot tried this feature yet, but if the pressure is 10PSI OVER the preset the display shows red. This is quite possible to happen due to the way tyres warm up and it is more of a informational display rather then a problem one.
What I really like about this system is not just it tells you at a glance the pressure is at the setting you want when you do your walkround before driving off, but it keeps the tyre pressures matched between inner and outer tyres, plus it gives you just one fill valve for both tyres which is dead handy I think.
(to pre-answer one common question on this system, the unit is monitoring both tyres and if one tyre suffers rapid deflation, the valve shuts off. For a slow leak, the valves shut off when the pressure drops 10PSI below the preset (so 55PSI for me))
One thing which I am wondering a little about is if the extra off-set weight on the wheel will introduce any vibration? I suspect however it won't be noticable.
I might fit the TPMS sensors from the unit I already have to the central valves as I do have the system anyway and so could use the 2nd set of rear sensors on my little trailer.
checked the batteries and all but one was under 3V (uses 3V batteries).
So this is what I did! Recoded one of the spare sensors to become the Spare Wheel sensor, and left the last sensor without a battery (so it isn't been picked up and showing as low pressure) to keep as a general spare.
