Tire pressure gauges

[Jones]

I have 3 tire pressure gauges. All are high quality. All are analog. I get 3 different readings and not just a half a psi off.

 

I hear digital is OK now (they didn't used to be.) What, per your experiences, would be a good one that I can trust?

 

All I want is a good gauge with a reliable accuracy.

[Quinn]

While you're asking, is there one that won't leak out a couple of pounds while seating it? I just have a hard time with the RT wheels getting around the spokes and brake discs.

[boatzo]

While you're asking, is there one that won't leak out a couple of pounds while seating it? I just have a hard time with the RT wheels getting around the spokes and brake discs.

 

Me too!

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Not unusual to find that they don't agree and, it doesn't even matter much. Pick one, call it good and toss the others under the bench someplace. You can check the gauge against a calibration standard but I have no idea where you might find one.

 

For you other guys, it really is a matter of technique and finding a gauge that has a right angle connector or something close. You just need to angle the gauge such that the input is perfectly even with the top of the valve stem and not touching anything else, then a firm push down. I just carry a pencil type gauge when on the road and, with the tire valve at the very bottom, angle it up so the extension points up between the disk and the rim.

[NoHeat]

Motorcycle Consumer News (MCN) had a product comparison:

page 1 of MCN article

page 2 of MCN article

page 3 of MCN article

page 4 of MCN article

[NoHeat]

is there one that won't leak out a couple of pounds while seating it?

 

I've found that I can usually avoid the leaking by using the Roadgear gauge (page 4 of that MCN article) and holding it just a certain way. See the photo below. I hold it near the stem (not on the handle), and I angle it so that:

1 the angle 1 is a tiny bit less than 90 degrees

2 the butt of the handle is on the corner of the rim.

And I apply force suddenly, not gradually.

 

just have a hard time with the RT wheels getting around the spokes and brake discs

 

Using a right-angle gauge helps a lot.

 

[Gregori]

I have three of the Radioshack branded vesrsion of the MCN recommended gauge. All are within .5 psi of each other after a year or more of use. (I figure the variation is more likely due to the tire pressure change as I'm comparing them than to a difference in the units.)

 

I'm happy with them, though I admit that I SHOULD use them more often than I do...

[steve404]

 

A factory certified unit with a nice 90º tip is just right for those wanting a bit more certainty than others need.

 

 

 

 

 

$300.00

[bakerzdosen]

Well, they can be off a bit... I have an Accu-gage EZ-Air tire gauge that's WAY off. I filled the tire to 42psi and it reads 49 on a BMW gauge. I've really gotta get around to getting another one, but the thing is just so convenient, and now that I know how far off it is... I just don't know if it's consistent over time. If it is, I may just keep and continue to use it.

[Linz]

The little BMW electronic gauge ($25.50) and the brass elbow ($11.58) from Sierra BMW do the job for me. Seems very accurate.

 

Gauge:- http://www.sierrabmw.bigstep.com/item.jhtml?UCIDs=820323%7C1224087&PRID=958637

 

Brass elbow :- http://www.sierrabmw.bigstep.com/item.jhtml?UCIDs=820323%7C1224087&PRID=1027582

 

 

Cheers,

 

Linz

[11101110]

Buy a really good air guage and put it on your air tank or compressor and do a transfer calibration to your pocket guage. If it is within a psi or two you're fine. I know tire pressure changes more that that in the course of a day.

[bakerzdosen]

So, I know Intercomp makes some nice digital ones, but let's be honest, $300 is kinda pricey.

 

Would one like this still be overkill?

[11101110]

My only concern is that there still is a hose. You loose a lot more air using something like this on a bike tire. But I would use it to verify your pencil guages.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

My only concern is that there still is a hose. You loose a lot more air using something like this on a bike tire. But I would use it to verify your pencil guages.

 

Have you done the math on that? Assuming zero leakage when applying the gauge, the pressure change will be proportional to the change in volume of the system.

 

To simplify, assume the tire is a torus with an internal diameter of 4" and a radius from the center of the wheel of 10.5". That has roughly a 1295 cu in volume. An 8" section of 1/4" ID hose has a volume, when straight, of 6.25 cu in.

(1295/1301.25)x40 gives a pressure drop of 0.1 PSI. Trust me, you won't feel it.