Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
 

Has anyone used tire pressure monitoring devices like the one sold by Tire Rack? Comments?

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/smartire/smartire_all.jsp

I've read enough discussions here about how hard it is to feel (from the driver's seat) when a low-profile tire goes flat, and about street and track accidents resulting from blowouts and flat tires, to wonder if this might be a good use of $300. About the cost of a steering wheel or a new radio.

I recently took a trip of about 130 freeway miles at night, in rain. When I arrived, I discovered I had only 15 psi in my right rear. Never felt it from the driver's seat. (Oddly enough, on another day when I had one of the rears inflated appx 8 psi more than the other, that was quite noticeable. Maybe I'm just getting more "attuned".)

I rented a Caddilac (All they had left) in LA last week. While sitting in traffic I was playing with the buttons and found it indicated 4 tire pressures. Wondering how this function worked, a web search turned up that this transmitter setup is standard on Cattleshack and Corvettte. The batteries on the valve stems are supposed to be good for ten years.