How accurate should a tyre pressure gauge be ? I see Axminster Tools are selling a digital one with an accuracy of +/- 1.5 p.s.i. which doesn't impress me.
I prefer the old pencil/pen type one. I imagine it to be more accurate.
Are there any good digital ones which are accurate and hold the reading
Paul Mc Cann
Hum quite, the book pressure for my fronts is 28psi but if you run at that you get the classic under inflation wear pattern. At 30psi you don't...
I've got one, Halfrauds branded, reads in 0.5psi steps but seems accurate. Display shows pressure for 10 or maybe more seconds after removing it from valve. What I don't like is the rather hard plastic seat for the valve stem to seal on. You have to get the thing almost perfectly square/true and press quite hard to prevent leaks. Even a tiny leak knocks psi off the reading.
I have the RAC branded one, it was cheap in Lidaldi a while back, spec says +/- 1% which I think is close enough given variations for temperature, it gives consistent readings.
I wrote off a set of types because mine wasn't (pumped up too high). Apparently, any accuracy they migh have had is instantly lost when dropped (which might happen before you even buy it).
I bought one of these (it was half price at the time)...
No excuse for that. Keeping an eye on tread wear patterns is just as important, if not more so, than keeping the pressures "correct".
See my other post, the book pressure for the fronts on my car is too low by a couple of psi, it shows in the tread wear after a few thousand miles.
Other cars have similar "incorrect" book pressures some too high some too low. Watching tread wear will pick these up *and* problems with the geometry of the steering/suspension.
Dave, when I cared about these things I would compare and adjust pressures with data from various sources. The handbook was but one. Other manufacturers of tyrs with different tread stiffnesses would recommend different. I even went wild on pressures and up them to racing levels at one point. All very interesting, and for sure 'optimum' pressure was very much about the load in the car, and the actual tyre, in terms of tread wear, anyway.
In short there is no one 'correct' pressure. lower presures work better on soft off road surfacess - higher pressures work best on a race track where wear is all happening under high load. Neither are the same as trundling along a motorway at 70mph and hoping to get the best lifetime.
There is no 'correct' pressure.
Going back about 20 or 30 years, Sheffield City Council , Weights & Measures Department used to check and set the pencil type Tye Pressure Gauges for FREE. Jim G
Get a BS marked dial type. They are easy to read in low light and survive being dropped and kicked. And don't need a battery.
Seconded.
I've had one of these for years:
You'll find it cheaper elsewhere, e.g. fleabay at £2.49, but I didn't post that link in case you thought it was cheap rubbish. It's not.
That's the jobbie, leave it rattling around in the boot or toolbox and it will serve you well for decades. I wondered about it not having a holding function, but then I thought, it's BS marked, these things have been worked out. It's readable at arms length and not having a holding function means that one cannot get confused as to which tyre the reading refers to. In reality I know by feel whether the tyre pressures are drifting and just use the gauge to check my feel at the wheel. So if I feel that the front left is a little down, I know I can take it up to 38psi but will run it all the way down to 34psi without particular worry if in a rush on a short journey. Whatever the pressure when I first detect it low, I'll up by at least 2psi. The gauge is good to find where those tyre pressures really should be at instead of trusting the book/charts and some dodgy forecourt gauge on a hose. I've had a forecourt gauge reading 48psi and another at 22 psi, for the same tyre pressure of around 36psi. A BS gauge solves all the problems related to reading tyre pressures. Tracking errors and loose steering joints may feel like soft tyres so a feel at the wheel of heaviness and innacuracy can be quickly seen whether the tyre pressures are responsible, if not, get the rest of the steering checked out. Do not use an exhaust and brake fitter for this, either work it out yourself or use a qualified motor vehicle technician.
My old one had that problem - eventually the plastic had worn so that a good seal was almost impossible.
I bought a more expensive one
wondering if I was paying over the odds, but have found it performs much better. The seal area has a metal housing and rubber seat.
Chris
That seems to be identical to one I got from Half Frauds a couple of years ago, but labelled "Halfords" instead of an "sp" logo. The same BS reference.
Around 8 or 9 quid, ISTR.
I've never tried dropping or kicking it. Should I?
The same BS does cover the 'pen' type too
Mines OK ATM, a small O ring down the orfice would cure it. Must keep an eye out for the O ring packs that aldle do on occasion an se if they go small enough.
high).
No "fits all" pressure that is for certain but most people aren't doing off roading, racing or changing the load very much. IMHO the "correct" pressure is the one that produces even tread wear for the way the vehicle is used, this automatically compensates for the tyres stiffness.
And as I said keeping an eye on the wear pattern may well bring to attention problems with the steering/suspension geometry. Caught a kerb or hit a pothole a bit hard, bent something, failing ball joints etc.
Trouble is these days I bet most people just put fuel in and don't do any other maintenance it just goes in for a service every 10,000 miles plus. Modern cars don't need anything like the molly coddling they did 30 years ago.
In message , Dave Liquorice writes
Huh!
Try telling that to Ford who want brake fluid changed at 2 years!
regards
>
The set I bought from lidl goes from 3.1 mm to 49.5 mm. What size do you need?
Probably not, intentional misuse could cause it to go into a depression. I did apologise to mine immediately following the acts of violence against it and it seems that it has forgiven me.
Water I think brake fluid has always been hydroscopic. Brakes these days work a lot harder than they used to and get a lot hotter, you don't want any water in the brake fluid boiling and forming gas... At least that is I have heard (bit like "its on the internet it must be true"). B-)
It's water content. Citroen dealership quoted £125 to change brake fluid. My local garage chap charges £27. I trust him and he says that it's best to change it every 2 years on a "better alive than dead" basis though, non-attributably, he says do it every 3 years which is what I do.
Cheers, Jake ======================================= Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay where the four seasons are salt,pepper,mustard and vinegar.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.