GabrielleSymone

I just bought a 2012 Civic LX back in June and I finally have some money to upgrade my wheels and suspension.
I plan on upgrading from 15" wheels to 16" and when looking at tires there are a lot of options. What's the best fitment?

Another question, which is more important, my car has a TPMS and EVERYWHERE I look to buy possible wheel/tire packages they want me to purchase another TMPS for $200 that they will install because apparently it's really hard to re-install the factory system. To be honest the factory one I have now barely works and I just don't know if it's worth the extra $200 that I could use for something else....
Did anyone just forget the whole TPMS all-together, reinstall the factory, or should I buy this new system with a wheel/tire package?

ezone

The factory TPMS works just fine if you understand why the (!) light comes on every time the temperature drops.


You have a few options that will keep the system intact

1) remove and reuse the original sensors in the new wheels (if they will fit)... Obviously, you won't have them in the original wheels now.

2) get 4 brand new sensors and have them programmed after they are installed on the car. Then you still have the full set of original wheels if you need them.
Downside: The sensor IDs need relearned to the car every time you swap wheels.

3) get a set of aftermarket "cloneable" sensors. This entails getting the ID information from the 4 original sensors (can be read electronically) then programming those ID's into the 4 new sensors.
This is probably the best plan if you plan on keeping and using 2 sets of wheels and tires, like we do up here with winter tires.
All you have to do is bolt the other set of wheels on-- and the car recognizes the sensor ID's as its own, no reprogramming/relearning every time you switch.



And the option that won't keep the system intact: have standard rubber valve stems put in the new wheels, and deal with the light on the dash and the darn warning on the IMID screen every time you start the car.