tire pressure gauge accuracy

huffmuds9320 · Oct 28, 2006

I was wondering which type of tire pressure gauge is considered to be the more accurate one. Comparing pencil type, dial or digital. The digital one is the most expensive of course and pencil the least.

I have a pencil kind and a dial type, I found that they don't read the same. The dial one reads higher than the pencil one. Are digital tire pressure gauges the most accurate? I was considering getting one at Kragen, ~$12-15. Any comments thanks.

Kestas · Oct 28, 2006

I believe Consumer Reports did such a study. They found that nearly all gauges are good to 1-2 psi accuracy, even the lowly pencil-type gauges.

GC4lunch · Oct 28, 2006

Quote:

I was wondering which type of tire pressure gauge is considered to be the more accurate one.

Are digital tire pressure gauges the most accurate? I was considering getting one at Kragen, ~$12-15. Any comments thanks.

Digital tire gauges generally are more accurate and less subject to damage from jarring, etc., than analogue tire gauges.

Just as important, however, is mating the gauge chuck to the tire valve. The ubiquitous Accutire gauges (identical but for packaging units are sold as Monkey Grip and Ace Hardware gauges) are notorious for being difficult to obtain a repeatable non-leaking connection to the tire valve. Bottom line: the one you want is this: Campbell-Hausfeld digital gauge. The Campbell-Hausfeld model AU1102, which is sporadically available, is even better (for having a cast zinc, instead of plastic, body).

huffmuds9320 · Oct 29, 2006

I didn't know that Accutire gauge are repackaged Victor/Monkey Grip. That brand is commonly seen at Kragen. Some gauges I have used were difficult to use, you had to get the exactly angle to avoid that air leak. I'll give that CH gauge a try. Thanks.

GC4lunch · Oct 29, 2006

Quote:

I didn't know that Accutire gauge are repackaged Victor/Monkey Grip. That brand is commonly seen at Kragen. Some gauges I have used were difficult to use, you had to get the exactly angle to avoid that air leak. I'll give that CH gauge a try. Thanks.

I guess that it would be equally accurate to say that Victor/Monkey Grip are repackaged Accutires.

When I ordered the pressure gauge from Campbell-Hausfeld, I "amortized" the irreducible shipping costs by ordering this nifty little inflator at the same time. It's a handy piece of equipment to keep in the trunk for a road emergency.

grampi48 · Oct 30, 2006

The Accutire gauges are supposed to be accurate to within .5 psi.

GC4lunch · Oct 30, 2006

Quote:

The Accutire gauges are supposed to be accurate to within .5 psi.

I have no basis or reason to doubt that claim -- if you can get a decent seal between the gauge chuck and the tire's valve stem to get repeatable readings. Where the Accutire/Monkey Grip/Ace Hardware gauges are lacking is in the design of the chuck, not the internal accuracy of the pressure mechanism.

grampi48 · Nov 1, 2006

Quote:

Quote:

The Accutire gauges are supposed to be accurate to within .5 psi.

Click to expand...

I have no basis or reason to doubt that claim -- if you can get a decent seal between the gauge chuck and the tire's valve stem to get repeatable readings. Where the Accutire/Monkey Grip/Ace Hardware gauges are lacking is in the design of the chuck, not the internal accuracy of the pressure mechanism.

I take 2 or 3 readings of each tire when I check my pressure and I've never had a problem getting consistant readings.

GC4lunch · Nov 2, 2006

Quote:

Quote:

Where the Accutire/Monkey Grip/Ace Hardware gauges are lacking is in the design of the chuck, not the internal accuracy of the pressure mechanism.

Click to expand...

I take 2 or 3 readings of each tire when I check my pressure and I've never had a problem getting consistant readings.

Some have. (link) amazon.com reviews by James G. Gibson and by Ishan Bhattacharya; and (link) more amazon.com reviews (different page) by Steve Rice and by Michael Montague. As always, YMMV.

alreadygone · Nov 2, 2006

Most accurate gauges are and allways will be the "master" gauges manufactured by Schrader, Milton, Bridgeport, etc. that are intended to be used to check accuracy of all the other gauges in a commercial tire service facility (don't necessarily mean all such facilities have one though!)

In real world applications, don't think it makes a lot of difference as long as they're within a couple of pounds, as long as they are CONSISTENT from tire to tire.

Bob

GC4lunch · Nov 2, 2006

Quote:

Most accurate gauges are and allways will be the "master" gauges manufactured by Schrader, Milton, Bridgeport, etc. that are intended to be used to check accuracy of all the other gauges in a commercial tire service facility (don't necessarily mean all such facilities have one though!)

But of course.

Quote:

In real world applications, don't think it makes a lot of difference as long as they're within a couple of pounds, as long as they are CONSISTENT from tire to tire.

I must disagree there. If a gauge is imprecise, it is also inconsistent from measurement to measurement.

I can definitely tell a difference of two pounds between two tires opposite on the same "axle": the car wants to wander to one side. Subjectively, I think the threshhold is close to, but slightly less than, a pound. If my tires opposite each other differ by a pound, I am fairly (but not 100 percent) certain that I do feel the difference through the steering wheel. With 0.5 pound accuracy, I am certain I cannot tell the difference through the steering wheel. In any event, two pounds is too gross.

Of course, if a gauge is very precise but also very inaccurate (that is, it consistently reads 45 +/- 0.5 pound pounds when the actual reading should be 30 pounds), we both could be right, but I do not think such a scenario is realistic.

alreadygone · Nov 2, 2006

You probably haven't thrown away 8-10 guages yearly for the last 30 years.

Bob

GC4lunch · Nov 2, 2006

Quote:

You probably haven't thrown away 8-10 guages yearly for the last 30 years.

By golly, you're right!

televascular · Nov 2, 2006

This is the tire pressure gauge that I bought recently:

Accutire MS-5510B

It claims to be the "most accurate tire gauge available", and it measures in tenths of a PSI. It is accurate, and it has a locking nozzle and bleed valve. The only downside is the price, and the fact that it takes 10 seconds to automatically re-gauge the pressure after you bleed some air. I end up having to disconnect and reconnect because I'm impatient, but the locking nozzle makes that easy.

GC4lunch · Nov 2, 2006

Quote:

This is the tire pressure gauge that I bought recently:

Accutire MS-5510B

It claims to be the "most accurate tire gauge available", and it measures in tenths of a PSI. It is accurate, and it has a locking nozzle and bleed valve. The only downside is the price, and the fact that it takes 10 seconds to automatically re-gauge the pressure after you bleed some air. I end up having to disconnect and reconnect because I'm impatient, but the locking nozzle makes that easy.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef017dc

oil pan 4 · Nov 4, 2006

I spent $8 on a dial tire gauge. It reads 1psi high.
It is good to have access to master gauges at work.

Kestas · Nov 4, 2006

Quote:

I must disagree there. If a gauge is imprecise, it is also inconsistent from measurement to measurement... Of course, if a gauge is very precise but also very inaccurate (that is, it consistently reads 45 +/- 0.5 pound pounds when the actual reading should be 30 pounds), we both could be right, but I do not think such a scenario is realistic.

You've touched upon the subject of precision and accuracy, which is an important subject for anybody who subscribes to the quality system in a manufacturing environment. It is very possible that a device can be precise but not accurate.

Lonnie · Nov 5, 2006

It might also be important when you check your tire pressure, like cold before you drive away. I wonder if the tires facing the sun will read differently than the other side that's in the shade?

UncleS2 · Nov 8, 2006

Lon, that can make a bigger difference than many people might believe. I've seen differences of 4 & 5 psi on my own cars in extreme circumstances.

ChrisW · Nov 10, 2006

either of the deluxe digitals and even the std digital from here would suit me best. I would very like to get the $300 digital with memory functions, but the deluxe digital would suit me just fine. http://www.longacreracing.com/catalog/catlist.asp?catid=8

tire pressure gauge accuracy

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