Anyone recommend a good digital tire pressure gauge? I've been using a standard "analog" one my whole life w/out any recourse until my wife bought a 2007 VW Passat. The thing's tire pressure sensor goes off w/in 1-2 lbs. Anyhow, I've been reading some VW threads on other sites and what I've summed up is that analog gauges can be off by up to 4 lbs. What do you all think? What's an accurate great tire pressure gauge?
Tire Gauge: Analog vs. Digital
- Thread starter kneisska
- Start date
one cannot say 'analog's are off' or 'digitals are accurate'. racing of almost any kind (that relies on tires) lives and dies by tire pressure, and the vast majority of them use analog. that said, its because they can be accurate and reliable - no batteries or 'sensor' in the electronic sense.
motorcycle consumer news did an article on tire pressure gauges a while back and came up with some rather interesting conclusions. 1) the 'pencil' style gauges, even the cheap ones you pick up off the parts counters at FLAPS, are actually pretty accurate and consistent. 2) there is a ~$15 digital gauge from radio shack that is excellent, 3) with ANY gauge device, you should check it against a 'known good' standard on a regular basis to ensure it remains at least consistent. 4) accuracy and consistency are two very different things, and really, consistency is the more important criteria.
all that said, i used the radio shack digital until their batteries died - the 2 i had were both accurate and consistent, although fragile. i have since switched to an analog gauge - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VZ9CL2/?tag=atomicindus08-20. i've bought a half dozen of them and tested them all against a calibrated/certified test stand and all are within 1/2 pound of accurate and consistent across 10 readings. @ $20/ea, they are a bargain for a quality chucked, accurate and consistent gauge IMO.
ahm
motorcycle consumer news did an article on tire pressure gauges a while back and came up with some rather interesting conclusions. 1) the 'pencil' style gauges, even the cheap ones you pick up off the parts counters at FLAPS, are actually pretty accurate and consistent. 2) there is a ~$15 digital gauge from radio shack that is excellent, 3) with ANY gauge device, you should check it against a 'known good' standard on a regular basis to ensure it remains at least consistent. 4) accuracy and consistency are two very different things, and really, consistency is the more important criteria.
all that said, i used the radio shack digital until their batteries died - the 2 i had were both accurate and consistent, although fragile. i have since switched to an analog gauge - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VZ9CL2/?tag=atomicindus08-20. i've bought a half dozen of them and tested them all against a calibrated/certified test stand and all are within 1/2 pound of accurate and consistent across 10 readings. @ $20/ea, they are a bargain for a quality chucked, accurate and consistent gauge IMO.
ahm
Ray-CA
Well-known member
I finally bought this one (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00062YVPW/?tag=atomicindus08-20) after trying a bunch of others (pencil, digerati, mechanical) It give good repeatable readings (as long as I don't loan it to my sons who tend to drop, misplace or just plain lose things.)
Ray
Ray
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
I'm not a fan of digital because they require a battery and there is no reason they should inherently be more accurate (as a retired engineer, I know that most electronic pressure measuring methods are subject to other influences, mostly temperature).
But regradless of if you go analog or digital, look at Accu-Gage. Personally, I love the S-series 60 PSI with swivel chuck, push button bleeder and the optional rubber guard ! ($14.50 plus shipping)
And they have a Lifetime Warranty (at least on the analog gauges; mail in with $3 for return postage).
Also MADE / TESTED / ASSEMBLED IN THE USA
Get some buddies together (or buy one for each car and a spare for the tool box) and save on shipping !
How can you go wrong !
But regradless of if you go analog or digital, look at Accu-Gage. Personally, I love the S-series 60 PSI with swivel chuck, push button bleeder and the optional rubber guard ! ($14.50 plus shipping)
And they have a Lifetime Warranty (at least on the analog gauges; mail in with $3 for return postage).
Also MADE / TESTED / ASSEMBLED IN THE USA
Get some buddies together (or buy one for each car and a spare for the tool box) and save on shipping !
How can you go wrong !
sammm
Well-known member
while certainly not statistically significant, of all the gauges MCN tested, the ONLY one that was significantly off accuracy-wise..was an AccuGage. i also can't use those hose-less models as you can't get them on the stems of many bikes (or my dually's inners).
ahm
ahm
I'm mirroring SAMMMM and amolaver.
Longacre is where you go if you want an extremely high quality pressure gauge. If you think Snap-On tools are better than, say, SK or Armstrong or Cornwell, then you need a Longacre gauge.
Also, it really doesn't matter if a gauge is "accurate" or not. Just repeatable. I used to have a gauge that read 2 psi higher than most other folks. I just remembered to subtract 2 from everything and I was good.
I like analog gauges with a bleed-down. You can follow the dial and know exactly how far you're bleeding.
Longacre is where you go if you want an extremely high quality pressure gauge. If you think Snap-On tools are better than, say, SK or Armstrong or Cornwell, then you need a Longacre gauge.
Also, it really doesn't matter if a gauge is "accurate" or not. Just repeatable. I used to have a gauge that read 2 psi higher than most other folks. I just remembered to subtract 2 from everything and I was good.
I like analog gauges with a bleed-down. You can follow the dial and know exactly how far you're bleeding.
my wife bought me a fancy Cman digital one years ago but it's too slow- press the button, wait....... I'm not much of a fan of HF, but I bought a $3 HF dial one, agrees with the cman, much faster to use. Next I bought a HF one for all the cars to put in the gbox and they all agree with each other and the cman digital.
Could be that you're still analog in the states, but I haven't seen an analog gauge in years in professional motorsports in Europe. The reason for that is that a proper digital one has corrections built in for temperature changes, which gives you repeatability, the analog ones can never give you that feature.
This is the one everybody uses in F1, DTM and top single seater series this side of the pond: http://m-a-horne.co.uk/products/gauges.php
Gr8 piece of kit, built like a tank and "only" about £220, it's a really good buy.
This is the one everybody uses in F1, DTM and top single seater series this side of the pond: http://m-a-horne.co.uk/products/gauges.php
Gr8 piece of kit, built like a tank and "only" about £220, it's a really good buy.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
With TPMS being on everything these days, we got these astro pneumatic versions to replace regualr tire inflators at work two years ago, and they are vastly more accurate than the Milton units they replaced and still going strong. http://www.tooltopia.com/astro-pneumatic-3018.aspx
They are rebadged for many tool trucks and much easier to read.
They are rebadged for many tool trucks and much easier to read.
briggsguy17
Well-known member
I have this one: http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1665&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog .
While it is very expensive it is also very well built with an easy to read, accurate gauge. It has performed flawlessly. I bought it on sale when I was looking for a USA made inflator that wouldn't fall apart after a couple of weeks.
While it is very expensive it is also very well built with an easy to read, accurate gauge. It has performed flawlessly. I bought it on sale when I was looking for a USA made inflator that wouldn't fall apart after a couple of weeks.
The mac daddy of all tire pressure gauges is the intercomp. Dead accurate and used by most top flight racing teams in top series (F1, ALMS, NASCAR, etc). It ain't cheap, but it always works. The main issue with many other gauges is that if your drop them or knock them, they lose calibration. And you don't figure this out right away, until you're going 2 secs a lap slower because you're TP gauge is reading 3lbs off.
http://www.intercomp-racing.com/Products/9999_PSI_DIGITAL_AIR_PRESSURE_GAUGE_704.cfm
http://www.intercomp-racing.com/Products/9999_PSI_DIGITAL_AIR_PRESSURE_GAUGE_704.cfm
shampoop
Well-known member
Unless you're a serious racer, there's no reason not to just use a pencil style.
tonydanzah
Well-known member
**** OG all the way
My view, the only time tire pressures are really critical is when racing, and then anything less than a temperature compensating gauge is a bit pointless.
OTOH for my normal cars all I require is repeatable reading on cold inflation, and some google showed the Accutire MS4021B for $9 at amazon.com as the best choice. I've got one for each car now.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00080QHMM/?tag=atomicindus08-20
OTOH for my normal cars all I require is repeatable reading on cold inflation, and some google showed the Accutire MS4021B for $9 at amazon.com as the best choice. I've got one for each car now.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00080QHMM/?tag=atomicindus08-20
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Got to admit, even those cheapie pencil type gauges are better than no gauge at all. !
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Interesting, because the other AccuGage dial was "Recommended" and I'll bet they use the same "guts".
If you are looking at an AccuGage, get the S60XA. It has the swivel chuck that was missing from the one they tested.
shampoop
Well-known member
O really?
The real question is how precise do tire pressure measurements need to be on a road car. And the answer is not very. I'd guess that if you round up a random group of 10 completely different pencil style gauges and tested all of them, they would all be within +-1psi from one another. Realistically it makes very very little difference if all of the tires on your car are 32psi vs 34psi.
it might depend on the car. Like I said in the original post, the '07 Passat TPMS is quite sensitive. My reccomended tire pressure is 40 psi. I've been using a "pencil" style gauge that has been rolling around in the glove box for the last 5 years. I've never been able to compare it to anything that is accurate. A mechanic at the dealership said the TPMS on this model would go off if the tires were 1-2 lbs off. In MN durring spring, the weather changes like crazy. So this damn thing goes off like every other day. I went with another analog, one with a bleeder on it. At least i will know if the tires actually have the psi they need now. Thanks for all the responses as they have been a great help. Cheers-
Super Cholo
Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
- Messages
- 24
I am using an old Marvel analog gauge that I received as a Xmas present in the mid 50's. It checks accurate to approx. 1# using a mercury column. John--Las Vegas.
craftsmanfann
Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2011
- Messages
- 10
i use a pcl mk3 inflator gauge very accurate and sturdy it was a steal too it only ran me $62.00 all together from tooltopia.com.
shampoop
Well-known member
New VW's are an exception to the rule. There is no practical value to having a system that is that sensitive. If you didn't have a tpms system, you could never feel the difference in the way it drove, in the way it performs, or the way the tire wears, just by changing the tire pressure by 1 or 2 psi. Under extreme conditions, (sports car, huge wheels with no sidewalls, rock hard suspension, very perceptive driver) someone might be able to tell a slight difference on the street.
The newer tourag tpms systems actually have a lot of issues. The dealerships have a lot of problems trying to get them to work properly and keep the light off. Other models may have similar problems as well.
dede2897234
Well-known member
Ugh, just what we need
Well, I'll test the new tool when I get it and update for anyone interested!
Theloniousmonk
Well-known member
nissan
acura
subaru
honda
toyota
bmw
mb
volvo
tpms are all just about that sensitive from my experience. 32 vs 34 CAN throw a light. But the variance is probably a tad more, due to gauge discrepancies (actually 30 or 31 vs. "32")
Regarding if there is an issue w/ a couple psi variance between tires... YES, there is an issue. I can definitely feel the pressure difference in drag when driving the benz, but I do have the benz set up in a rather interesting alignment... leaving one side lower than the other over a long period of time will definitely cause uneven tire wear too...
equalizers are great, I use a homemade one w/ an oil filled Peoria (old) gauge 0-100psi.
PS: I absolutely hate tpms.
Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but...what the hell! 
I ended up with a Joe's Racing 32307 Glow In The Dark 0-60psi Tire Pressure Gauge
I used it on the '07 Passat, found out that the tires were all at about 37.5psi. (which read 41 psi on my $5 pencil-style gauge). Pumped 'em up to 40psi and voila! No more low tire pressure! Whodathunk?
Thanks everyone for the suggestions - got what I needed with that device!
I ended up with a Joe's Racing 32307 Glow In The Dark 0-60psi Tire Pressure Gauge
I used it on the '07 Passat, found out that the tires were all at about 37.5psi. (which read 41 psi on my $5 pencil-style gauge). Pumped 'em up to 40psi and voila! No more low tire pressure! Whodathunk?
Thanks everyone for the suggestions - got what I needed with that device!
shampoop
Well-known member
Are you talking about one side of the car having a lower pressure than the other side? If so, that's not really relevant. Because even if any particular pressure guage is inaccurate by 1 or 2 psi, it will still be precise (consistent) so that all of the tires would be exactly the same 1 or 2 psi off in the same direction.
And i personally don't like the idea of being forced to pay for a TPMS system if I wanted to buy a new car. I would definitely sell the sensors right away. But I do think that it's a great idea though for the general public. Most people are such terrible drivers and are so disconnected and unaware of differences with their car that they don't even notice that they have a flat. It's really scary how many times when i've worked at a dealership that a customer will come in and say their tpms light is on for some reason when they have a completely flat tire. They don't say "O hey i have a flat can you fix it?" They don't even notice the flat and just say "I want the light off."
I wound up buying the same Joe's racing gage after this thread, it's awesome. One thing that I did find though, was that my cheapy Slime digital gage was consistently reading only 1 lb higher than the new Joe's Racing gauge, which was reassuring.
engineer2
Well-known member
This is what all NASCAR teams and Indy car teams use.
www.cecomp.com
Gauges are $279, no hoses since everyone wants something different.
High amounts of moisture in race car tires is the real enemy. Compressed air is at 100% relative humdity (even with aftecoolers), bottled nitrogen is up to 40% RH. As moisture changes from liquid to gas phase with pressure and temperature, tire pressure variations are greatly enhanced.
www.cecomp.com
Gauges are $279, no hoses since everyone wants something different.
High amounts of moisture in race car tires is the real enemy. Compressed air is at 100% relative humdity (even with aftecoolers), bottled nitrogen is up to 40% RH. As moisture changes from liquid to gas phase with pressure and temperature, tire pressure variations are greatly enhanced.
greasemonkey44
Well-known member
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200320841_200320841
works good and is dirt cheap(6$), i use it for tpms trouble shooting
its not very ergonomic tho but is guaranteed to be no more than 1% off .5 psi
got tons of the pencil style too btw glad they arent inaccurate, ill keep checking them off the air regulator @ work
works good and is dirt cheap(6$), i use it for tpms trouble shooting
its not very ergonomic tho but is guaranteed to be no more than 1% off .5 psi
got tons of the pencil style too btw glad they arent inaccurate, ill keep checking them off the air regulator @ work
michiganmike
Member
I'm curious as to where an individual would go to have their gauge "Tested against a Known Good Standard" or find a "Calibrated/Certified Test stand" ??
Chuck122
Well-known member
My favorite gauges are the analog with a large dial that hold the reading after it is removed from the valve
bob_the_builder
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2010
- Messages
- 404
Has anyone had experience with a Tool Aid tire gauge.
Link: http://www.toolaid.com/content/tire-inflator-dial-gage
I am been thinking about picking one up and just were wondering what others thought of it.
Bob
Link: http://www.toolaid.com/content/tire-inflator-dial-gage
I am been thinking about picking one up and just were wondering what others thought of it.
Bob