Tags
Caravan, Caravan Tyres, Fit2Go, RoadPro, tow vehicle, Towing, TPMS
A couple of weeks ago while we were at the Chapel Lane Caravan Club site Andy Harris from RoadPro came over and brought a new product for us to try. It had been launched to the caravan and motor home market at the NEC show in October and while talking to Andy at the show he introduced me to a couple of people from Fit2Go to chat about the product. I really liked the idea of it as there were no wires involved, little set-up or programming and more importantly it was easy to install the dash display in any vehicle as the unit fitted on the windscreen and was the same size as the old tax disc. No suckers…. no bean bag thingy…. no screwing mounts to the dash or finding a space to install the display.
Here’s a video we made…
Initial thoughts after a couple of weeks use…
Well I still really like it! If you watch the video you can see it was really really easy to install the whole system and I recon now I could do it in under 5 minutes tops. I really like the display, it’s not distracting and all I see it the power light flash every few minutes to tell my the system is working. At night the quick flash is not distracting and having installed it at a point in my normal driving peripheral vision it doesn’t really draw attention to itself in normal use.. However I would notice it if any of the alarm lights illuminated. Thankfully I’ve not had this happen…. yet!
The basic unit comes with 4 sensors and for a caravan or trailer you can purchase additional pairs of sensors for each axle.
The big plus point for me towing caravans and trailers is the ease of hooking up the caravan or trailer. Some systems you need to tell the unit you have hitched up… or unhitched. With the Fit2Go it picks up the sensors around it a minute or so after you have started to move, so if the caravan or trailer is there it picks up the sensors. You don’t have to do anything. If the caravan is not there, you still don’t have to do anything.
- NO Need for pairing of sensor to receiver (even with replacement sensors).
- NO Need for inputting tyre pressure values
- NO Need for assigning sensors to wheel locations (no NF / OF / NR / OR)
- NO Need for buttons on the receiver (except wake up button when first fitting).
- NO Need for wires, batteries, car chargers, USB connectors on the receiver, etc.
- NO need for assembly.
- NO Need for taking space on the dashboard.
The other selling point for me is the fact it doesn’t look like anything special. With the other unites we have tried I was always removing them when we parked up as they did look like GPS units or other expensive bits of kit.
Downsides
Well really there is only one for me. If I want to actually check the tyre pressure I have 
to remove the sensor and use a regular tyre pressure gauge. Which will slow things down when doing my pre trip checks. But there is an answer. Fit2Go will shortly be releasing a handy tyre pressure checker (expected early 2017) unit that uses near-field-technology to read the current tyre pressure and sensor information when you move the device near the sensor. I don’t know much about it at the moment, but Andy has promised to send me one when they are available.
The only other downside I guess is having to remove a sensor to adjust the tyre pressure although it is ridiculously easy to do so using the supplied tool to release the locking nut. There are some sensors that install inside the wheel that allow you to inflate the tyre with the sensor fitted, but this requires you having to have the tyre removed from the rim, the sensor and new valve stem installed and the tyre put back on the rim… which will add to the cost and you will have to go through this process again when the batteries need replacing!
I also found it less fidley to remove a Fit2Go sensor than using a small allen key wrench to release a set screw that some manufacturers have adopted.
Would I buy this system over other systems on offer? A definite YES. It was so simple to install and easy to use over anything else I have tried. It does the job and doesn’t make your vehicle a target for thieves as it’s not really noticeable from outside (or inside) your vehicle.
RoadPro kindly supplied me with the Fit2Go system for our tow vehicle and caravan and you can find the products in their shop – click here and when checking out if you enter “Fit2Go10” in the shopping basket you will get 10% discount (Offer available up to Jan 14th.
Caravan Chronicles 
I bought one 6 mths ago with 4 sensors for car and 2 for caravan All ok until I noticed that the monitor stopped flashing. Tried to contact trident towing that supplied me but they only refered me to fit2go website . I asked the question but to date no reply. the old old story once they have your money its a case od tough
Contact Fit2Go, I’m sure that they will replace it for you.
Pingback: Fit2Go Tyre Pressure Checker… | Caravan Chronicles
We changed all our Tyrepal sensors form the new type with the locking nut and all seems to be well now. I do like to be able to see the tyre pressures which you cannot with the Fit2Go.
Hi Ian
The Tyre Pal system was information overload as far as I was concerned. As I check the pressures before any towing event (and after, as I usually adjust down again… and before off roading which usually requires a change) all I need to know is a deviation from the pressure I set. I didn’t need to have the same info as an F1 pit crew do. I guess they are really designed for the person that only has their tyres checked at the annual service.
My other issue with the one I tested was it was fiddly undoing the set screw each time. The current Fit2Go is the simplest I have tried (except one system sold in America which I really liked).
The Tyre Pal was originally an American product and the sensors they supply over there seem a superior unit as they have a number of options and one is a flow through unit… https://www.amazon.com/EEZTire-Tire-Pressure-Monitoring-System/dp/B009BFMUHQ
I have bought the Fit2Go and fitted it, but I have a nagging feeling that it’s not actually working. Maybe I have missed something in the instructions. There doesn’t seem to be anyway of making sure that the receiver is actually receiving anything from the sensors. I appreciate that the distance is up to 7m, but what about any obstructions. I could be using the system thinking that everything is ok and it’s not actually working at all.
Hi Nick
When the unit receives signals form the sensors, a small white LED to the left of the three warring LED’s will flash every minute or so to tell you it is working OK. The sensors only ‘wake up’ and transmit after about 3 or 4 tyre revolutions.
Simon
Thanks for the quick response. The white power light flashes once every minute when I’m towing and when I’m not towing (I only have sensors on the caravan) . I think that this light simply states that the receiver is functioning but not that there are comms between the receiver and the sensor.
Ahh… I have sensors on the vehicle too, so assumed it only flashed when receiving signals from the sensor. I’ve not sat in the vehicle when stationary for long enough to see it flash when not moving. I’ll go and have a look 🙂
I have exactly the same concern as Nick and have emailed Fit2Go asking the question but it’s too early yet for their reply. If there is a soothing solution out there I’d be very happy to hear it.
Reply from Fit2Go:
Go to the FAQ’s on the Fit2Go website and to the question that says “my wheel position is greater than 7 meters” and carry out the instructions.
In my case there did seem to be a problem but I’m not sure yet whether it was something I did or a genuine malfunction.
My only problem with my Fit2Go is the locking nuts. I’ve had two sieze onto the valve stem due to dirt and corrosion. They are very thin so hard to get a grip on.
One was fairly easy to lube and free up but the other required several doses of WD40 and a socket wrench while gripping the valve stem with a mole wrench. Nearly ended up having to get a new valve.
I suggest checking them regularly and giving a squirt of WD40 or silicone.
Hi Tim
Might be worth checking that you haven’t got aluminium stems. This could cause corrosion issues due to dissimilar metals.
So far I’ve not had any issues, after I fitted them for the video I did go back and remove them and add a light smear of teflon grease.
Thanks Simon as thinking of selling the Tyrepal one and buying the Fit2Go especially as it will have the remote reader available in March.
Hi Ian
Thats the best bit for me… I can still walk round and inspect my tyres and check the pressure on each one personally without having to remove any sensors.
We have the virtually useless Tyrepal system. Yesterday on removing the caravan from storage as we go over several sleeping policeman, the sensors woke up and alerted us that a tyre was low on pressure. We then noticed that it locked onto this tyre and we were unable to determine if any other tyres were low on pressure. Just to be safe we then checked all the tyres which meant removing the sensor with the fiddly allen key and pumping up each tyre and then refitting the sensor. BTW after less than 18 months usage on the caravan one of the sensors is not responding. Flat battery perhaps?
Anyway I am now wondering if the Fit2Go will alert you to low pressure on more than one tyre i.e. front and rear tyres on offside are low pressure or will it just show the one tyre as being on low pressure. With the Tyrepal I can see the pressure reading on the monitor.
Hi Ian
The main unit with the Fit2Go system alerts you to a tyre being low, you simply then walk round and visually check the sensors and the one (or ones) that have low pressure have a pair of red LED’s that flash. I have found after using both systems the Fit2Go to be much easier to remove and reinstall compared to the TyrePal sensors. The only advantage the Tyre Pal sensors have as far as I’m concerned is you can replace the battery. However I have never done it so don’t know if that has any issues or problems. The Fit2Go sensors are quite cheap in comparison and on reflection I would prefer to replace the whole sensor so I know that the calibration is spot on being a new unit.
HI Stephen i liked your review on the t.p.s.m The only thing that puts me off is having to replace sensors later down the line…when there are other products that you can replace the battery and keep for possibly double the life span and cheaper,,keep up the good work on your blog cheers darren
Hi Darren
With some of the other offerings, as long as the tyre sensor is a valve fitting type, then changing the battery is simpler, however these units tend to be over twice the cost and as some caravan manufacturers are installing internal sensors on the rim to work with these units, it involves having the tyre removed to replace the battery which bumps up the cost somewhat too.
The Fit2Go price point is cheap enough and a complete change of sensors on a vehicle and caravan still comes in at under the competitors cost for the same period.
Simon
Looks a neat system but i was just wondering how the temperature is measured and what does it measure, ambient air temp or valve temp ? I don’t see how it can measure tyre temp.
Hi Stephen
Not sure!
I know that air in a tyre is not static and there is quite a bit of turbulent air flow inside the tyre when it is rotating and flexing, but as to how it measures it, not sure. I assume it measures it the same way as most of the other systems and maybe there is a correlation between valve stem temp and tyre temp and it is interpolated from that.
Maybe a question to ask of the manufacturers. I’ll drop them an email.
good review. We bought the Tyrepal system about two years ago and have had endless hassles with it. Sometimes it can take as long as 30 minutes to give readings on all four trailer wheels. This is a nuisance if you leave your storage site and enter onto an A road and are unable to stop for several miles when the reading shows that the pressure is low on one of the tyres.
The other hassle is that you have to remove the sensors to read the tyre pressures if you want to check them before setting off. It would be interesting to know the wake up time for the Fit2Go sensors as that would be a deciding factor whether to dump the Tyrepal. Our Jeep has a built in TPMS so the sensors would only be for the twin axle caravan.
Hi Ian
The unit seems to detect the sensors within the first minute or so… to be honest I don’t even notice it happening.
I think the big innovation will be the small do-hicky to read pressures by placing it near a sensor. It should be available early 2017, I’ll let you know how I get on with it.