I am planning to get a dedicated set of snow tires/wheels for my GX470. They will be used only in the winter months and i don't expect to put more than 3-4k miles per year on them.
We live in warm winter climate (N. California) but we also take frequent 500mile round trips to the high mountains (Lake Tahoe) where the weather can be pretty nasty. I am a bit nervous driving in the snow with 3 kids in the car on my all-season Michelin LTX M/S2. ....Or maybe a snow set is an overkill?

I just got a brand new set of 2012 Tacoma 17" take off OEM wheels and they came without the TPMS.

I know that there will be a warning light lit on my dashboard, but aside from that, will there be any other 'side effect' if i run my snow tires set without TPMS? I also know that on some cars, if the tire pressure light is on, some other systems such as ABS and traction control may be affected.
Is there such thing with the GX470? Anything else i should be concerned about, other than the annoying warning light?

On a related note, if i decide to buy a set of USED TPMS from Ebay ... would that be a good idea? Are most Toyota TPMS compatible with the Lexus or should i look for a specific brand/model/part number sensors?


Thanks!
Dan

 

The GX has two TPMS sensor sets, controlled by a push-button down under the steering wheel. This lets you have your summer and winter sets and change between them without a dealer visit (other than the first time) to program the sensors to the car.

In other cars I've had, if the TPMS light was on it would change how the stability/traction and ABS system worked (negatively). No idea if the GX does the same thing, but for liability & safety sake, I wouldn't drive far with the light on.

Chip H.

 

TPMS has no effect on other systems in the vehicle, just the TPMS dash light will be lit up. I actually disabled my entire TPMS system a long while ago.

 

yup besides the light, it has no other effect