Tire Gauge, Mine is off 10% which one should I get

[The Cheese]

Any gauge can be fairly accurate till they fall onto a hard surface. No matter you get the best advice is to treat it well.

Here is what I use. Almost 3 years old and seems to work well still. Glow in the dark. Bleed off valve. Holds reading till you release the air. 45° rotating tip. Real nice, real cheap. Reads the same as my other gauge, a CyclePump.

Amazon.com: JACO ElitePro Tire Pressure Gauge - 100 PSI: Automotive

Buy JACO ElitePro Tire Pressure Gauge - 100 PSI: Tire Gauges - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[ST Gui]

I've got this one but I have no idea of its provenance:

Amazon.com: Joes Racing 32307 (0-60) PSI Tire Pressure Gauge: Automotive

Buy Joes Racing 32307 (0-60) PSI Tire Pressure Gauge: Tire Gauges - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[mello dude]

I understand the bleed valve, but what's the advantage of having two??

Um, I dont know! But it glows in the dark!

 

[ST Gui]

1) Pressing both buttons bleeds off twice as much air than using one button. Overfill a tire a then use both buttons to get it in the ballpark. Then use one button for fine tuning.

 

[drtyrrel]

Ok, I'll bite... A while back when I got pissed off at the cheapo gauge I had been using and took a sledgehammer to it, I decided to get something stupid outrageous for replacement and got this Longacre gauge with a 3 1/2 inch dial. It holds pressure until you release it, and 2 bleed valve buttons on the head, and the chuck swivels to fit wherever you need it. Its a bit OCD, but I get a certain giddy satisfaction of using something that works stupid outrageously well.

I like those big numbers. Hard for me to read mine now that I'm old and need reading glasses.

 

[dwalby]

1) Pressing both buttons bleeds off twice as much air than using one button. Overfill a tire then use both buttons to get it in the ballpark. Then use one button for fine tuning.

that's logical, but so is overfilling the tire less so that one button would be sufficient to adjust it. Might come in handy in a racing pit, probably not so much in our garages.

 

[T_C]

If I have access to a Gauge I always add 10-15 psi extra just in case I pick up a nail or something.

I'm assuming you will realize you wear out the center of tire sooner so the nail in the tread is a moot point.

 

[ST Gui]

Might come in handy in a racing pit, probably not so much in our garages.

I don't know that it was marketed to the casual rider as well as a racer. Think of it as a perk and not a make or break detail and don't worry about it. I think it was mentioned not because of the dual buttons but because it 'works outrageously well'. No need to overthink it.

 

[mello dude]

It was suggested from an automotive publication.. I'm an engineer by trade and I wanted something that there was no question about the quality and accuracy of the product. I definitely like the thing. It was a bit spendy but I don't care.....

On the buttons... I think one is a slow fine bleed, the other is faster.....

 

[heffly]

I require absolute accuracy on something that alternates 10-20 percent on average. I use a zero to 50 so there is more resolution.

 

[dwalby]

back in the mid-90s I was in southern Italy and a gas station there had an air hose, and next to it a tire pressure gauge that was a glass tube vertical column of mercury about the diameter of my finger. Never had a clue that anything like that even existed before I saw it.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Used to have a Milton as well, but with the heat down here the nylon indicator bar on mine started to slightly warp over time, just enough to stick and cause the reading to be off.

Because this topic came up again in another thread it got me thinking about this. This is a problem that I have never encountered. I also have an old Milton pencil gauge that has a metal (aluminium?) indicator bar that would take care of that problem. I know some of the big heavy duty ones that are made for higher pressure truck tires are still available with a metal indicator, but I haven't seen a typical automotive pencil gauge with a metal indicator bar in a donkeys age. Wondering if anyone has seen them around still.

 

[core-aggie]

, but I haven't seen a typical automotive pencil gauge with a metal indicator bar in a donkeys age. Wondering if anyone has seen them around still.

I don't even think Milton sells them anymore, based on their listings at the website.

You'd probably have to go to an old school ma-n-pa hardware store and check their stock ... or maybe some auto parts store that's independently owned (if that even exists)

 

[Igofar]

“He who owns two watches never knows the time.”

Yes, but even a broken watch is correct twice daily

 

[Igofar]

The 4 Best Tire Pressure Gauges

We scoured the tire gauge market before buying and testing 8 of the best options head-to-head. Running the right tire pressure reduces wear and tear...

www.techgearlab.com

 

[Kevcules]

I'm done with common indicator bar gauges (even Milton) that were commonly off from one to another.
I'm sticking with a digital gauge.

 

[MidLife]

Checking tire pressure at any given moment only tells you what the gauge pressure is at that moment under those conditions.

And this really is all you need to know at this given moment (preferably before the ride). This gauge pressure IS your current tire pressure under current atmospheric conditions and that's all you need. No advanced degree required.

Good info here:

https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/does-altitude-change-tire-pressure?gclid=CjwKCAjwge2iBhBBEiwAfXDBR9Acx3P5YxxaLvPGz4-rjUR0nv5EmdDn6Aq7LmXDfCWOj35YgpFwwxoCXu8QAvD_BwE&ef_id=CjwKCAjwge2iBhBBEiwAfXDBR9Acx3P5YxxaLvPGz4-rjUR0nv5EmdDn6Aq7LmXDfCWOj35YgpFwwxoCXu8QAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3756!3!!!!x!!&gclsrc=aw.ds

For instance, here in Houston, it is not uncommon to have cold fronts coming through in winter, dropping the temp by 40 deg in a few hours. So you may take your car to work in the morning with a 32 psi gauge reading and only have 28 psi indicated on the gauge (or TPMS) in the evening on the way back from work because of the temp drop. Hence the mile long line at the Discount Tire pressure check bay (or Costco) for people wanting their tires pumped back up.

Or, a proactive rider would watch the weather forecast and anticipate the temp drop and add another 4 psi to his tires in the morning and be fine on the way back in the evening. Really that simple.

 

[Larry Fine]

I still think a TPMS beats any manual gauge. It's real-time, always active, shows you pressure increases with heat, alerts you to leaks, you can monitor topping up, and otherwise not have to crawl around.

 

[TotaledTL]

Because this topic came up again in another thread it got me thinking about this. This is a problem that I have never encountered. I also have an old Milton pencil gauge that has a metal (aluminium?) indicator bar that would take care of that problem. I know some of the big heavy duty ones that are made for higher pressure truck tires are still available with a metal indicator, but I haven't seen a typical automotive pencil gauge with a metal indicator bar in a donkeys age. Wondering if anyone has seen them around still.

I have one of those metal pencil type also. Had it a long time. Never seen another one.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I'm done with common indicator bar gauges (even Milton) that were commonly off from one to another.
I'm sticking with a digital gauge.

Being digital has nothing to do with it being more or less accurate. A digital gauge is only the interface between the measuring instrument and the user- you. It has absolutely nothing to do with the accuracy of the measuring instrument.