Dial type vs. Pen type tire gauge

[restituto]

I use dial type since 1998. Haven't encountered any problem. Just preserve your gauges by releasing the air on the gauges after you takenote of the readings. Lately, I have read this article in the net:

[SIZE=3]Lies, damn lies, and tyre pressure gauges.[/SIZE]

Whilst on the subject of checking your tyres, you really ought to check the pressures once every couple of weeks too. Doing this does rather rely on you having, or having access to a working, accurate tyre pressure gauge. If you've got one of those free pencil-type gauges that car dealerships give away free, then I'll pop your bubble right now and tell you it's worth nothing. Same goes for the ones you find on a garage forecourt. Sure they'll fill the tyre with air, but they can be up to 20% out either way. Don't trust them. Only recently - since about 2003 - have I been able to trust digital gauges. Before that they were just junk - I had one which told me that the air in my garage was at 18psi with nothing attached to the valve. That's improved now and current-generation digital gauges are a lot more reliable. One thing to remember with digital gauges is to give them enough time to sample the pressure. If you pop it on and off, the reading will be low. Hold it on the valve cap for a few seconds and watch the display (if you can).
Generally speaking you should only trust a decent, branded pressure gauge that you can buy for a small outlay - $30 maybe - and keep it in your glove box. The best types are the ones housed in a brass casing with a radial display on the front and a pressure relief valve. I keep one in the car all the time and it's interesting to see how badly out the other cheaper or free ones are. My local garage forecourt has an in-line pressure gauge which over-reads by about 1.5psi. This means that if you rely on their gauge, your tyres are all 1.5psi short of their recommended inflation pressure. That's pretty bad. My local garage in England used to have one that under-read by nearly 6 psi, meaning everyone's tyres were rock-hard because they were 6psi over-inflated. I've yet to find one that matches my little calibrated gauge.
One reader pointed something else out to me. Realistically even a cheap pressure gauge is OK provided it is consistent. This is easy to check by taking three to five readings of the same tyre and confirming they are all the same, then confirming it reads (consistently) more for higher pressure and less for lower pressure.
One last note : if you're a motorcyclist, don't carry your pressure gauge in your pocket - if you come off, it will tear great chunks of flesh out of you as you careen down the road....

[gearhead000]

Only recently - since about 2003 - have I been able to trust digital gauges. Before that they were just junk - I had one which told me that the air in my garage was at 18psi with nothing attached to the valve. That's improved now and current-generation digital gauges are a lot more reliable. One thing to remember with digital gauges is to give them enough time to sample the pressure. If you pop it on and off, the reading will be low. Hold it on the valve cap for a few seconds and watch the display (if you can).

Just bought a digital type gauge from Handyman (guess they are also available in True Value), the Lotus LTG-095 Digital Tire Gauge. Comparing with the digital gauge in our Shell gas station, reading differs by about 1-1.5psi. Mine reads higher by that amount. Pero one time ko pa lang na-compare so it may be a difference in the temperature. Magkaibang araw kasi ako nag-measure. Anyway, mahirap din pala sa digital, nagiging OC ka masyado. Like one tire may read 30psi, while the opposite tire maybe at 29.5psi. Naku, suddenly you feel unbalanced ang car mo, na parang mas mababa sa kabilang side. Hehe. You want them to read perfectly equal, unlike sa analog na a difference of +/-2psi between tires doesn't really matter much. You really don't sweat much about it.

But it's a nice tool to have which doesn't cost much than a good quality analog equivalent. I have also checked for consistency and okay naman. If you get to seat the valve properly at once, you will get same readings. Kung medyo some air has escaped before it has seated, syempre you'll get lower readings na. Also, you have to really sample the air, not pop on and off, for it to read correctly. Minsan nga pag sobrang bilis nag-stay lang sa 0.0psi.

[kokey]

using pen type since my dad VW days... pamana sa akin, PCL brand made in england.... most of the digital gauge installed in gasoline station also are PCL brand.

[gearhead000]

^ have you tried to compare the readings between your pen type gauge from the gas station digital gauge?

[andrewnathaniel]

Up lang mga bro.

Nakabili ako sa Handyman, Dial type, Elevo ang brand. Hindi accurate. Minus 8 psi sya, nagpapalit kasi ako ng tire then pinainflate ko ng 30psi lahat ng gulong. Ang reading lang sa nabili ko eh 22 psi. So naisip ko agad na etong binili ko ang hindi accurate kasi yung iba din naming sasakyan eh 30psi din, ang reading lang din eh 22 psi.

Wala ba talagang tire pressure gauge ang mabibiling accurate? Yung pen type ko, minus 5 naman. Kung digital kaya, accurate? TIA

[Ry_Tower]

Up lang mga bro.

Nakabili ako sa Handyman, Dial type, Elevo ang brand. Hindi accurate. Minus 8 psi sya, nagpapalit kasi ako ng tire then pinainflate ko ng 30psi lahat ng gulong. Ang reading lang sa nabili ko eh 22 psi. So naisip ko agad na etong binili ko ang hindi accurate kasi yung iba din naming sasakyan eh 30psi din, ang reading lang din eh 22 psi.

Wala ba talagang tire pressure gauge ang mabibiling accurate? Yung pen type ko, minus 5 naman. Kung digital kaya, accurate? TIA

Yung reputable brands like stanley nga ay okay. Or yung ginagamit nang mga tire shop na metal pentype kaso mas mahal.

Sadly, you get what you pay for ika nga. Ako since alam ko na minus 5 siya, inaadjust ko na lang ang paglalagay hangin. 35psi sa pentype ko, means actully ay 30psi lang siya. hehe

[StockEngine]

Interesting insight regarding inaccuracy. I travel 5000km/month. I guess I need to get something good.

[dr. d]

Up lang mga bro.

Nakabili ako sa Handyman, Dial type, Elevo ang brand. Hindi accurate. Minus 8 psi sya, nagpapalit kasi ako ng tire then pinainflate ko ng 30psi lahat ng gulong. Ang reading lang sa nabili ko eh 22 psi. So naisip ko agad na etong binili ko ang hindi accurate kasi yung iba din naming sasakyan eh 30psi din, ang reading lang din eh 22 psi.

Wala ba talagang tire pressure gauge ang mabibiling accurate? Yung pen type ko, minus 5 naman. Kung digital kaya, accurate? TIA

using a permanent marker pen, write on the clear plastic cover, the "correct pressures". this is the easiest way to "correct" your erroneous tire pressure gauge.

[andrewnathaniel]

using a permanent marker pen, write on the clear plastic cover, the "correct pressures". this is the easiest way to "correct" your erroneous tire pressure gauge.

Hahaha. Nice one bro