Tire Pressure Gauges...

[ChrisW]

This place and this place sells some really nice gauges.

I myself use a combination of a pencil gauge, and a digital accutire one. I would like to, however, buy this gauge: deluxe digital with memory if I had the money.

 

[lyle]

I've been using a digital gauge called the NEOTECH 500 for about 25 years now. I don't think they make it anymore as I can't find any information on it anywhere. It uses two button cell batteries available everywhere for about 2 bucks apiece. This thing reads to the nearest 0.2 psi.

"Hey, my right front reads 32.4 and my left front reads 32.6, better get some more air into that right tire."

This is the perfect gauge for those of us who worry about the difference between 11.8 cSt@100C and 12.1 cSt@100C

 

[1sttruck]

I keep the dial gauges in the tool box and the pencil type in the cars. The dial guages seem more consistent with higher presssures, as I sometimes use up to 70 psi on the truck.

 

[jsharp]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jelly:
What about the issue of dial-type gauges becoming inaccurate if dropped?

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I had an expensive dial type with the rubber sleeve around the gauge, bleed off valve etc. It had never been dropped but yet the calibration was off by about 5psi in just a few years.

You couldn't give me a mechanical tire gauge at this point. I've worked around modern instrumentation too long. I'd put the accuracy of the $10 electronic gauges I have ( 4 of them ) against any mechanical tire gauge no matter the cost. IMO, things with a bunch of little gears and levers just can't compete with something that's solid state and trimmed on the line...

[ February 07, 2005, 04:26 PM: Message edited by: jsharp ]

 

[vwoom]

quote:

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Originally posted by jsharp:
..IMO, things with a bunch of little gears and levers just can't compete with something that's solid state and trimmed on the line...

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I remember the in-vogue thing two decades back or so of going digital on auto dash tach/speedo gauges and such(so '80s..)from years of analog readouts...even the average wrist watch then was going digital. It was the in thing after all...

Well, two decades later(at the dawn of the 21st)guess where we are now...

How does one read the road and engine speed while driving...does your $18-25k Rolex President need any batteries?

 

[vwoom]

quote:

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Originally posted by ChrisW:
This place and this place sells some really nice gauges.

I myself use a combination of a pencil gauge, and a digital accutire one. I would like to, however, buy this gauge: deluxe digital with memory if I had the money.

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Yeah Longacre, Summit, etc..they're everywhere. But unless you're into racing..these fancy gauges are just way overkill for most of us daily drivers just to take regular psi checks...I'd rather get a real good $10 or so analog gauge and invest the $290 instead in a good stock/mutual fund than to pay attention to these...but that's just me.

[ February 07, 2005, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: vwoom ]

 

[jsharp]

quote:

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Originally posted by vwoom:

quote:

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Originally posted by jsharp:
..IMO, things with a bunch of little gears and levers just can't compete with something that's solid state and trimmed on the line...

---

I remember the in-vogue thing two decades back or so of going digital on auto dash tach/speedo gauges and such(so '80s..)from years of analog readouts...even the average wrist watch then was going digital. It was the in thing after all...

Well, two decades later(at the dawn of the 21st)guess where we are now...

How does one read the road and engine speed while driving...does your $18-25k Rolex President need any batteries?

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Believe it or not I love analog readout gauges. They're faster to read at a glance where the utmost in accuracy isn't needed but speed is. You can glance at something like an oil pressure gauge and get a good idea if it's ok without needing to think much.

My comment was more on how easy it is to make a really accurate solid state gauge vs. a mechanical one than it was a vote for digital displays. Heck, I even wear a watch with hands. Controlled by digital electronics of course...

Springs and levers and gears and escapements?

 

[97tbird]

quote:

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Originally posted by vwoom:

quote:

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Originally posted by Eddie:
ed

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I got it from this site:

autoaccessories.com

Tire Gauge

No price change(after all these years)..though the brand now is Professoinal Products..quite possibly a signature clientele of Auto Meter coz it looks identical to the model #2343 gauges I got from them.

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that place still has the Autometer #2343 for $21.
if you go down on the list if tire gauges, you'll see it about 7-8 items below the Prof.Products gauge.

I went to Autometer website, and found a place that sells the #2343 gauge; some kind of performance shop.

it's about 15 min. away from me in Fuquay Varina, NC.

I'm sure the much cheaper Wallyworld gauges work fine..but that Autometer gauge looks SOOO gooood!

[ February 12, 2005, 09:51 AM: Message edited by: 97tbird ]

 

[vwoom]

quote:

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Originally posted by 97tbird:
..that place still has the Autometer #2343 for $21.
if you go down on the list if tire gauges, you'll see it about 7-8 items below the Prof.Products gauge.

I went to Autometer website, and found a place that sells the #2343 gauge; some kind of performance shop.

it's about 15 min. away from me in Fuquay Varina, NC.

I'm sure the much cheaper Wallyworld gauges work fine..but that Autometer gauge looks SOOO gooood!

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$21! What a jump in price!....Good thing I got two some years back for half.

 

[srivett]

I bought a low pressure dial guage to set the pressure in motorcycle forks. The forks have a very small volume and I ended up putting too much pressure in them. This completely screwed up the expensive dial guage I was using.

All they are is a rack and pinion so the pinion kept on spining after the rack moved passed max pressure. I had to take the thing apart to get the dial to 0 but I'll never know if it is accurate. I no longer trust it so I wasted my money.

Steve

 

[Chimay]

I use a digital tire pressure guage by Accutire model# MS-4000 rated #1 by Consumer Reports for accuracy. It has a five year limited warranty. Very easy to read.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Anaolg all the way! If it does not have a bordon(sp) tube inside I do not want it! It is the anal german in me!!! My Dad uses tghe stick kind due to convince!

The older bordon tube type with anaolg read out can easily be calibrated. All you need is a screw driver and a reference presure source that has been calibrated and certified. Every tool that has an indicator needs to be recalibrated from time to time! The Army has an MOS devoted to calibrating various test eqipment from a torgue wrench to an ociliscope!

 

[UncleS2]

I'm still using my old Milton-brand pencil-type gauge. I have two, one is 21-25 yrs old, the other is a few years "younger"- bought it when I mislaid the first one, then found the missing gauge a month later.

I don't know how accurate they are, but both seem to be *very* consistent. They still read 1 lb apart on a given tire at a given time(ie, gauge #1 will read 32 psi, gauge #2 will read 33 psi), & have done this for as long as I can remember. I normally use the one that reads lower for my car & keep the other in Mom's Mercury.

They've very rarely been dropped, & usually ride in the glove box or change tray. So long as they read consistently, I figure why buy a new one?

 

[Tireman]

I have found some pencil gauges to be OK +/- 2 psi but some are also very inconsistent +/- 8 psi or hard to read.
I have access to certified and calibrated gauges and have checked about 20 different personal gauges. I have found the digitals to be +/- 0.5 lb with the worst to be +/- 1 lb.
Some gas station gauges are well known to be off by 5 lbs or more.
There are some good analog gauges with bleeder valves which I have used when racing.
For my daily driver and weekly checks I use Accutire digitals.

Whatever you do just be sure to check your tires frequently. Check them "cold". Do not blead down if hot or you previously checked and they were OK.
Remember all tires leak down at about 1 psi per month. and a change in ambient temperature of about 10°F will result in about 1 psi change.