What is Direct TPMS?

We get this question a lot. There are two types of tire pressure monitoring systems on the market today, Direct TPMS and Indirect TPMS. Direct TPMS is the more common of the two tire pressure monitoring methods.

Direct TPMS uses tire pressure sensors installed in each wheel to measure pressure in each of the four tires. These sensors transmit pressure data via a wireless transmitter to a central receiver unit. The receiver unit then interprets the data and relays the information to the driver. Some vehicles are equipped with systems that are able to display individual pressure read outs for each tire, while other vehicles only display the tire pressure warning light when one or more tires are under or overinflated.