[cowandavid]

Hi,

Just got my Passport last Friday, and being in Canada, it is mandatory to put winter tires.

I actually chose to also get another set of wheels so I easily swap between winter/summer tires on my own. When I took delivery of the car, the dealership told me that since I don't have TPMS sensors on my winter wheel/tires, I'll see the TMPS light turned on, and I won't be able to disable the VSA. I was a bit surprised, as it was the first time I heard such thing.

I did some research on my own back home, and surely there are some forum postings that mention this behavior. Some other posts say that it is a myth or untruth. I couldn't find any reliable source of truth, either in the owner's manual or any Honda's technical documentations.

I can turn off the VSA on my Passport just fine, and I can see on the driver info display that VSA has been disabled. Does that mean TPMS won't affect the VSA on the Passport? I didn't get a chance to really test the VSA by forcing the tire to spin on snow or ice just yet.

I read that Honda has direct and indirect TPMS system. I am assuming that on the Passport it is the direct system, as there's no calibration button or options.

 

[rebeccaramos]

If you download the "Owner's Manual" from Honda Owners Site, there is a little bit more information about VSA and TPMS than the "Owner's Guide".

Correct regarding the Passport with a direct TPMS system. That is, there are sensors on each wheel (air stem assembly). They have a finite battery life and will have to be eventually replaced (5+ years?).

The dealership's comment about TPMS and VSA may be true for some models. I remember that it was in the manual for my previous Accord. It does not mention this limitation in the Passport Owner's Manual.

 

[cowandavid]

If you download the "Owner's Manual" from Honda Owners Site, there is a little bit more information about VSA and TPMS than the "Owner's Guide".

Correct regarding the Passport with a direct TPMS system. That is, there are sensors on each wheel (air stem assembly). They have a finite battery life and will have to be eventually replaced (5+ years?).

The dealership's comment about TPMS and VSA may be true for some models. I remember that it was in the manual for my previous Accord. It does not mention this limitation in the Passport Owner's Manual.

Thank you for your reply.

I did look at the electronic version of the owner’s manual and didn’t find any reference of it. I was worried that Honda would not mention it, but in reality the VSA would never disengage, even if the VSA light was on.

Did you ever have to disable the VSA without the TPMS?

 

[rebeccaramos]

No, I never had to disable the VSA on my 2009 Accord. I had a second full set of winter wheels with TPMS sensors which were great in winter conditions with FWD. The winter conditions are probably not nearly as bad in Massachusetts versus Canada. When I swap wheels, I had to reprogram the via the OBD-II port with a special tool from ATEQ-TPMS because each sensor had a unique ID with Honda's previous TPMS. I have not yet determine how the TPMS system works on the Passport.

 

[rebeccaramos]

Did some research. If the Passport is the same as the Pilot, the TPMS sensors are basically a "plug & play". Compatible TPMS sensors will automatically pair with the vehicle. No programming or adjustment required.

 

[cowandavid]

Did some research. If the Passport is the same as the Pilot, the TPMS sensors are basically a "plug & play". Compatible TPMS sensors will automatically pair with the vehicle. No programming or adjustment required.

Oh that's great! I remember on my father's Accord he had 2 sets of TPMS for summer/winter wheels and the dealer was charging him twice every year to reprogram them. Once they even charged him but didn't do it, so he had to go back.

I was hesitant about getting another set for my winter tire, but if the programming is automatic that's a game changer!