Aftermarket TPMS w/ temp?

A while back I saw something (maybe on this site) about an aftermarket tire pressure-and-temperature monitoring system. Has anyone tried one? Where did you get it? What did it cost? Does it work reliably?

I'm geeky enough to think it would be kinda cool to watch how pressure and temperature change over the course of a trip and with varied driving styles. And I'm getting new wheels & tires soon, which would make installation easier than usual.

Digging up an old thread here I know, but it was all I found when looking for info on aftermarket TPM systems, so...

So has anyone taken the steps to fit one of the aftermarket Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems? And if so would you care to comment on your research, purchase and operating experience?

There seem to be three main players. Hella's TC-400 at $219.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/accessories/product_images/medium/hella_tpms_WithBox.jpg

Orange Electric's P409S at $179.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/accessories/product_images/medium/orange_electronic_retrofit_m.jpg

And 3rd Eye at $249.

http://www.vivaperformance.com/catalog/images/3rd_eye4.jpg

http://www.mmsean.com/volvo/photos/3rd_Eye.jpg

Edit: Schrader also offers a system that can be had for [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Schrader-AirAware-20257-Hardwired-Retrofit/dp/B002EH99CW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1256663155&sr=1-10]$129[/ame].

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51svtpUQc2L._AA280_.jpghttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BzevSWKjL._SL500_AA280_.jpghttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417nUuE9G-L._AA280_.jpg

Note: SmartTire, one of the pioneers in retrofit systems no longer sell or support passenger car systems, though I wonder why one of their RV systems couldn't be used if you wanted to.

Orange Electrics seems to be dedicated to TPMS system research through racing and other avenues, and supplies sensors for a large number of OEM systems. This would seem to indicate a level of refinement that may be a step above some others. Their Display also allows all four tire pressures to be displayed at once, but is a bit big and clunky looking in my opinion. I was considering mounting it in the drop down sunglass holder, since my shades don't fit in there anyway...

Hella is of course a long standing player in the vehicle electronics field, and also supplies a number of OEM's, though it is my understanding from reading around that their system has been redesigned due to issues a couple of times. The Hella Display only allows one tire pressure/temperature to be viewed at a time, and has a separate control box that needs to be mounted within the vehicle, in addition to the display (and there is a connection wire between the two that has to be routed throughout the interior as part of the install). It also has a feature the others don't seem to called 'fast loss' warning, which gives a separate warning if pressure loss per time interval exceeds a certain level. Again, not a fan of the display design aesthetics, and would likely mount in the sunglass holder again..

The 3rd Eye system seems a bit sketchy based on their home website, and limited distributorships. Maybe it is just me, but I'm concerned as a result about its reliability, particularly from the standpoint of the stem sensors. Their display also shows only one tire's information at a time, however, it is the slickest looking display in my opinion, and looks like it could mount nicely right above the rear view mirror and almost look OEM...

The Schrader system looks to be very similar in Display layout as the 3rd Eye system, but in a standard box style enclosure instead of the sleeker 3rd eye enclosure.

Open to any and all experiences, and even opinions. Thanks...

__________________

~Scott & Nadia

'05 Outback 2.5i Wagon

Willow Green Opal/ Moss Green Metallic

225/60HR16 Bridgestone G009's

Hey, thanks for answering my question. What took you so long?

I'm pretty sure the 3rd-Eye system is what I was thinking of when I posted this thread. It's kinda disappointing that my Google search only turned up results from about 2006, because I really like the looks of it. Hella seems like a better bet though... they may have had some trouble in 2007 it seems, but Tire Rack still sells them, and I'm guessing they wouldn't if they had a lot of unsatisfied customers.

Reopening this dead thread because I had a few questions about this.

1. do these work with the stock subaru gauge cluster or are they a separate system? Basically, I dont want that stupid little light to come on.

2. Do these fit aftermarket wheels?

3. Does the stock tpms (on an 08 Spec B) fit aftermarket wheels (also 18" wheels [enkei raijin 18x8])