Reliable Tyre Pressure Guage

[MikeE]

I've been using one of those pencil type pressure guages for years to set my cold pressures to 17-18PSI on my ACB10s. I checked the hot pressures at a trackday last week and was surprised to see that they had only risen to 19-21PSI.

 

So first I definitely want to buy a decent pressure guage, where's the best place to buy a analogue dial guage from 🤔

 

Second does this small increase in pressure indicate anything about the original cold pressures other than I wasn't working the tyres hard enough (trying hard enough 😳) 🤔

 

cheers

 

R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

[Tony C]

Nah - about 10% increase from cold is pretty standard.

 

I got a nice dial type gauge from Demon Tweeks: 0 to 30 psi

 

BRG Brooklands SV 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

[Graham Perry]

I have 2 or 3 of both types and the pencil type ones seem to be as accurate as the dial ones. I did a test a while back and there was damn all between any of them. The pencil ones were of a good make though (Dunlop & PCL)

 

I also have this reference one here which is about a foot long and is reckoned to be accurate at all pressures. Ours is about 40 years old as well and still going strong

 

Edited by - Graham Perry on 8 Jun 2005 14:11:29

[Super_Rich_Bernie]

I bought a 'Masta' gauge from GP Racewear as a present for my father when I lived next door to them, so 15 years ago. I now use it and it has served well. Easy to read and accurate.

 

Jonathan

[stephen grant]

 

Like Graham, I have a selection and the only ones that are way out are those that are on a foot pump, but then you knew that.

 

My pencil ones and my analogue ones give the same readings as far as I can see. Even the cheap plastic dial jobby.

 

stephen

 

[rgrigsby]

I have a HUGE Intercomp dial gauge that seems to pretty good, it's more consistent than the other gauges I've tried.

 

Rob G

www.SpeedySeven.com

[Top Hose]

A useful comparison of a few gauges can be found on the Auto Express web site.

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product_test/48124/tyre_pressure_gauges_an.html

 

 

Alan

[Frying Pan]

Mike

 

I bought a Longacre 0-30 PSI dial guage from GP Racewear at Silverstone which I'm very pleased with. Has a built in air bleed button which makes fine adjustments easy. About £25 IIRC.

 

Recommended

 

See you tomorrow

 

Guy

 

See some pictures of the build here. 6000 miles completed!

[Alex Wong1697456877]

Another for the longacre 0-30psi guage.

[Dickie Normuss]

Slight Hijack

 

Last weekend I took the g/f's tin top the garage for a quick wash and tyre check. Put air in the tyres then washed it. While washing I realised I'd put the wrong pressures in so went back to the air pump, it's one of the digital automatic ones most forecourts have and all pressures varied by upto 2 psi, some up, some down on what I had put in not 5 minutes earlier Are thet all this inaccurate / unreliable

 

Seek forgiveness, not permission.

Rules are for the interpretation of wise men and the obedience of fools.

[Bricol]

I think if they don't charge you for it, there is no particular requirement as to accuracy. If they charge . . .

 

Have you ever tried to use one of those fully automatic things to blow completely flat tyres up? Had a square tyre on a 4 wheel trailer - didn't notice until we were on the road -stopped at a BP garage, fed the 20p in and couldn't get the damn thing to put any air in - seemed a bit confused by the lack of pressure in the tyre - whereas before - grab the inflator, connect to tyre, press lever - air into tyre - easy!

 

Bri

[susser]

I stuffed some air into my tyres at a garage on a holiday route in Pembs, then checked the press against my Hailfrauds digital (which I know is accurate to .5psi @ 10-90). The garage guage was waaaaay off, reading low by 10psi. I told the bloke in the filling station and he said it had been checked 'cos they have to be (20p machine), only that day. I can only assume that the check was done with an uncalibrated guage. Bit scary, that.

[Tony Martyr]

Once worked in a tropical part of the world where pressure guages were rare and most people went by the shape of the tyre. I had a sort of batman who came into work one morning and saw that the tyres on the boss's Holden Truck were 'flat'. So he fixed them up to the workshop airline (100 psi max) and made them the 'right shape'.

He was not aware that I had worked most of the night with a gang to remove a big mill shaft bearing which was around 2 tons in mass and was lying under the tarp in the back of my utility truck.

So I drove very carefull the 10 miles to a shipyard where the bearing was unloaded and in the evening when we had poured the new white-metal I set off for home at a fine gallop. The tropical rain had slicked the big bend where the road ran between the sea and a cliff. It was there that i lost it. Much later - in fact the next day, when we got the Ute back in the workshop and cleared out the debris, I found I had 95 psi in both rear tyres and a contact zone the size of a small pencil.

[susser]

Yes

As I understand it, it's all down to the correct shape and flex that determines the running temperature and pressure, though not neccessarily in that order. The exact pressure to produce the perfect shape is only right at that specific temp. If the road gets hotter, then the air in the tyre expands, causing higher pressure, less flexing and so less heat generated by hysteresis and a smaller contact patch. Assuming it was right to start with. I always thought that some of the karters I used to race with were wasting their time with all the fancy Nitrogen. Sounded good.

Bottom line could be; If it looks right (at the time) then it is.

I guess.