Has anybody here tried those Legacy Gas Saver Valve Caps? See here.
They are made for 36 and 32 psi.
The 36 will turn red from green at 31 PSI. The 32 will turn from green to red at 27 PSI. They are cheap at Wal*Mart, $4.95 for a set of four.
I put them on a few of my cars, but I am not so sure if it's a good idea. Some people have had trouble with them where they will leak and cause the problem they are designed to prevent. This is according to old messages (several years old) in other forums. Hopefully they are now improved, but since they are made in Taiwan, I am not sure if I have a lot of faith in them.
-Don-
I will guess that those are on their way out, Don. More and more new cars are supplied with sensing valve stems that alarm on the dash when pressure drops.Originally Posted by DonTom
Granted, at $5 these caps are much cheaper than the $50 sensing stems, but the sensing stems let you know when pressure is low - you don't have to remember to walk around and survey the valve caps.
Dennis - Tucson
My car has electronic tire pressure monitors. Now, maybe those caps might be a good idea on my two golf carts. But the pressure in those tires is only 20psi.
Won't work. I put them on all my four wheel vehicles except for my 1996 Saturn. The Saturn tire PSI is only supposed to be at 26 PSI, which is too low for the Legacy caps to work. They only have two sizes, 32 and 36 PSI.
Walking around the cars is no big deal to me. I have a half dozen cars to keep track of and these caps make the job a lot easier. Especially for the cars that have been sitting. I've noticed a lot of tires lose air when sitting for a month but not when being used a lot .
-Don-
Last edited by DonTom; 02-01-2009 at 10:06 PM.
The Legacy is four valve caps for less than five bucks (at Wal*Mart). The sensors cost fifty bucks EACH.
-Don-
Less than $5.. Sounds like a cheap and convenient purchase. I might get a set for my commuter car. I know the other deals require the tire to be busted and the module inserted on the inside of the rim. That is unless there are different ones out there nowadays.
"Tutto nello Stato, niente al di fuori dello Stato, nulla contro lo Stato " -Mussolini
All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.
Don,
Those caps looks very handy to have installed. Looking at the picture, I can't tell how long each cap is. My Chevy has factory installed wheel covers and I have 1-1/2 inch long valve cap extender on each wheel and I couldn't imagine what the total length of each valve cap would be if I installed the Legacy caps. Please clue me in on this point.
Regards
Larry
They are quite small when screwed in. They won't stick out more than about a quarter inch or so more from what you have. But they are a bit thicker.
So far, I like them and have had no problems. But it might be a good idea to replace them all every year or so.
What I don't like is the fact that they have to keep your valve open at all times. This means you have to rely on these caps to hold your air in the tires. So they better always be in good condition.
-Don- San Francisco
It may only be a small point, BUT, valve caps are actually the primary air seal. The Schraeder valve is a secondary seal and prevents air loss until the caps are securely fitted - or so I was taught by my auto engineer grandfather..
Extract from Motrax data sheet;
It is widely believed that the cap on a tyre valve is mainly a dust cap. It is certainly important to protect the delicate components of the tyre valve from the effects of dust, dirt, moisture and road salt. However complete pressure security can only be achieved by means of a good fitting with a proper rubber seal.
Ken.
Die dulci fruimini!
Ken.
Wolds Bikers, Lincolnshire, England.
What I don't like is the fact that they have to keep your valve open at all times. This means you have to rely on these caps to hold your air in the tires. So they better always be in good condition.
Thanks for the caveat. Larry
Now that I am home and looking at one, they are more like a half inch longer when installed.
-Don-
I don't think I can use them on my Chevy since I have valve stem extensions on each wheel. The Legacys have to screw on the standard valve stem which makes it impossible to use the extensions. See the picture in your mind ?
Larry
Last edited by Larry Adachi; 02-02-2009 at 08:18 PM.
I don't see why not if your extensions have standard size valve thread. These Legacy caps are much like any other valve cap but are a bit larger and keep your valve open.
-Don-
Well then I'll go and see if my local Wal*Mart has them in stock and if they do, then I would be able to see if I can use them on my Chevrolet. Larry.
Tom & I went to a Camping World RV store today (South of San Jose) and noticed another make of these tire thingies. These were made for RV's, of course, and were from the 60 to 110 psi range which are common psi for RV tires (my RV requires 80 psi in the four rear tires, but 65 psi in the two front tires).
But when I got home, I checked their website and discovered they make these for many different tire pressures including lower PSI than the Legacy's.
These are more expensive but look like they are MUCH better quality than the Legacy Gas Savers I purchased from Wal*Mart.
However, the Wal*Mart ones have been holding up just fine on five of my six cars. I would like to have them on my Saturn too, but Legacy doesn't make them for PSI that low (27 psi).
So I just ordered a set of these 27 psi Tire Minders for my Saturn. I am now in the habit of walking around my cars each and every time I get in them, just to look at these thingies. So far, all my tires have held their PSI as shown by these tire thingies.
I missed not having them for my Saturn. Now, all my cars, SUV and pick up truck will have them.
But my RV has a Pressure Pro System.
-Don- SSF, CA
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