I’m happy to announce a new collaborative relationship with Sensei 6, the wheel shop that I mentioned in an earlier post. So here’s how it all works: Sensei 6 sells and repairs wheels, and I get to be their guy for anything tire-related. Together, we’re able to sell wheel and tire packages for customers. Nice!
The first lucky co-customer for the collab was Albert, who just purchased some NICE Work VS-XX wheels for his Prius.
First, Ben from Sensei 6 arrived with the sparkling new set of wheels. This was a very interesting setup because each wheel has 2 valves. Imagine this — you’ve got aftermarket wheels with 90-degree valves on the normal location. But you’ve also got the TPMS valves mounted to the back of the barrel. This way, you could use the OEM Work valves on the front without losing TPMS functionality. Clever!
Just to note: there are a couple of alternative ways to solve this issue. Some manufacturers attach the TPMS sensor to the middle of the wheel’s barrel using a metal strap. Other wheel makers have bracket adapters that allow you to mount your sensor to the inside of the wheel onto their valve. You essentially end up with a valve mounted to another valve with the sensor on it.
To start this project, I had to take the TPMS sensors from Albert’s stock Toyota wheels and attach them to the back of the custom modified VS-XXs. Because I would have to flip the wheel upside down to do this, I decided to protect the polished lip with a few layers of plastic wrap.
Here’s how Albert’s Prius sits with the new wheels mounted to the car. Sexy-looking and no tire light illuminated on the dash — that’s satisfaction. And yes, this Prius is on adjustable air suspension. This is becoming more common than Priuses with OEM suspension. The days of, “O.m.g. your Prius has stock suspension??” are just around the corner haha.
Of course, I had to do an obligatory gap check. Ah yes, very nice. 😉
edit: Not long after, Albert decided to switch to a different style of wheels. What kind? Who knows! But maybe we’ll see one day.
