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[abugiacomo]

i recently bought an e90 (2009) m3...i'm replacing the 18s that were on it with a set of 19s (220s) from an '09 e93...i'm buying the 19s sans tpms sensors, but i assume that i'll simply be able to use the tpms sensors from my 18s -- is that a correct assumption?

generally speaking, i'm wondering how the tpm system works (at a high level) and what components it's comprised of (i know about the sensors in the tires, but i've also heard about sensors in the wheel well...do cars generally have either-or?...both?...are there other parts of the system?)

thanks in advance!

[Brosef]

yes, you can transplant the TPMS sensors from your 18's to the new 19's no problem.

not sure of the location of the TPMS receiver(s) in the wheel well.

[ben@tirerack]

Yes you can transfer them from one wheel to the other. If you switch back and forth between 2 sets with some regularity, you might want to have 2 sets of sensors. If the new 19" will be on full-time, then you will be fine just using the existing set.

There is a valve service kit that provides fresh seals to make certain that there is no leakage at the valve stem. Most shops that handle TPMS will have this hardware. Tire Rack sells the kits for $4.50/wheel if you cannot find a shop that has them. They can only be ordered by phone, part # for the BMW hardware is KITBERU.

To partially answer your question, the cars that have units in the wheel well, which includes M3 before 2010, also have sensors in the wheels. The newer sensors 2010 and up, do not require the units in the wheel wells. I do not know the exact location of the wheel well units.