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Comments
tidester, host
My favorite gages are Accu_Gage tire gages, made, not imported, by G. H. Meiser & Co. in the U.S. since 1906. I particularly like the RH60X series dial gage with hose. (R = Rubber case, H = Hose, 60 = max psi, X = straight end, not swivel, not 90º) Has pressure bleed valve and holds reading.
If you compare two similar gages by Accutire and Accu-Gage side-by-side, you will see the difference in quality.
Unless you are running nitrogen, it is pointless to measure to 0.1 psi, as the pressure fluctuations with air (because of its moisture content) swamps that precision.
Anyone who spends $100 or more for a tire gage has more money than brains, IMHO.
Finally, you can calibrate your gage at any truck stop. It's a service most truck stops provide to truckers.
The ability to to fill the tires through the gauge looks nice.
Any feedback out there?
You would have to send it in to have the battery replaced postage paid and they recommend insured.
So probably just as well to buy your own battery instead.
Good thing about lithiums, they have an excellent shelf life. So it really should last quite a while.
When I compared it to my others and found up to a 5 lb. difference, it dawned on me, which one do I trust and how do I calibrate the others?
I talked to my local tire shop to see how they have theirs calibrated and was shocked to find they not only didn't calibrate theirs but recommenced a cheap $5 pen-type to use. And the tire manufacturers are the ones that stress keeping your tires filled to the proper pressure level and that even one or two lbs. can make a difference in tire performance, wear and safety!
Does anyone out there know of a place that will calibrate tire gauges? The research that dhcopp started Jun-27-01 and completed Jul-14-2001 was excellent (thanks dhcopp!), but I'd like to locate a place where I can see how accurate the ones I already own are.
Maybe a type of business that most of have in or near our towns, like an industrial or commercial place that deals with pressurized tanks or other pressure equipment that must be pressure tested and certified.
Any ideas? Thanks everyone for your input!
As long as you use the same gauge on the same vehicle and monitor the tire performance, you can adjust for gauge accuracy. eg - if you see the outside of the tread wearing faster than the centre (even on each side), then you are probably underinflating.
And my final word - What makes you think the vehicle/tire manufacturers pressure recommendations are the best for your use? We've already seen one case where there are questions to be raised!
Brookstone still carries a similar model, also almost certainly a Meiser Accu-Gage: link title That one lacks the hose, but partially makes up for it by having a swivel chuck instead of the straight chuck of our model.
I like the pencil gauge better actually. It fits better over the valve and takes an instant reading. I can do two tires in the time it takes the digital to do one. Of course, it does not have a techie digital display
If you really knew how to measure tire pressure you would know that you are to measure "cold" and that does not include being warmed by the sun if you want to be accurate.
RE Stick type gauges I have measured a number and found some to be off by 25%. Depends on how much dirt has gotten into the works.
I do believe that in general digital gauges are likely to be more accurate than analog ones. The two digitals I use have been checked against an ISO calibrated master gauge and one was + 0.5psi and the other - 0.5psi.
Now If you check your tire inflation at least once a month and if you never run less than the minimum specified by the vehicle manufacturer you are probably OK. Of course that assumes the vehicle mfg did not specify an inflation that only has a 1 psi margin of safety.
I agree 100%, but I hope you realize you are responding to a post that is almost 4 years old.
BTW, we have a lot in common. Would love to talk to you. Contact me at www.barrystiretech.com.
Currently <$9 at Amazon
I bought a $5 or $10 digital gauge a few years ago. Recently the case turned into sticky goo, and it quit working. I wasted an hour trying to clean it up; I then replaced all four of the batteries, to no avail. So I checked two old fashioned tire gauges (one was at least 15 years old) against the digital readout in my Mercedes. All three readings were dead-on at 34 psi.
Moral of the story. Forget about modern "super technology" that will tell you your tire pressure to +/-0.1 psi (probably wrong). Buy two 2-dollar gauges at Harbor Freight, and keep one in each car. Every five years, make sure that they agree. If they don't, buy a new one and pitch the bad one in the trash. Save bucks and time. It doesn't matter whether you are running 34 psi or 36 psi on a given day, but 25 psi may cause a blowout and ruin your day or your life. Check your tire pressure every month, like less than one percent of all drivers do. Inflate every tire to the prescribed specification on the driver side door post. I see drivers with obvious severely low tire pressure at least a half dozen times every month. At 70 mph the tires are probably hot enough to boil an egg.
And when you get new tires or a new car, never assume that any tire or auto dealer will bother to adjust your tires to anything remotely close to what your vehicle manufacturer recommends.
Don't forget to check the spare. I recently bought a 20-year old Mercedes SL500 that had the original Pirelli in the trunk. It had never been on the ground. Just for laughs, I checked the pressure, and it was about 10 psi. When I tried to inflate it, the valve stem blew off. Thankfully, it's illegal for any tire dealer to sell or 'repair' a 20-year old tire.