Forum Discussion

sarhvac1's avatar
sarhvac1
Explorer
Jun 17, 2016

air pressure gauge reading wrong

so had my first flat ever checked all pressures before we pulled out all good at 80psi 1 year old tires 10 miles down the road blown tire no- problem changed to spare run the pressure up on our way get home take the tire to get replaced tell the guy inflate to 80psi get the tire home check pressure before putting it on bam 70psi?? take the tire and my gauge to the shop guy checks says nope its 80psi takes my gauge 70psi checks a few other tires with mine all show 10psi low so I have essentially been running 10 lbs to high he says yeah hats just as bad if not worse than 10lbs low... so morale of the story check to make sure your gauge is good I thought I had a good one...wrong
  • laknox's avatar
    laknox
    Nomad
    Jun 18, 2016
    FWIW, a lot of the chain tire stores, and most car/truck dealerships, have to have their gauges calibrated as part of their liability coverage. My dad took 3-4 gauges down to the local Chevy dealer and checked them against their calibrated gauges, then engraved the correction on the barrel of each one.

    Lyle
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jun 18, 2016
    I buy the cheaper digital gauges when they run them on sale. The Slime ones seem to work great when I can get them for around 8 dollars. I've thought about one of the digital ones for the dually wheels, but can't bring myself to spend the money. So I just got a stick type for the dually wheels. I figure it's accurate to plus-minus a couple psi.

    Wow, the board won't accept the plus-minus sign either.
  • Joe_Way's avatar
    Joe_Way
    Explorer
    Jun 18, 2016
    sarhvac1 wrote:
    ...so I have essentially been running 10 lbs to high he says yeah hats just as bad if not worse than 10lbs low...


    Horsefeathers. I would ten times rather be 10 pounds over than 10 pounds under. Burst pressure of typical automotive/light truck tires is maybe 200psi. Worst that can happen is a rough ride and accelerated wear in the center of the tread.

    I am a big fan of the old-school pencil gauge--particularly the MILTON S921 These weigh about 2-3 times what the typical cheap gauges weigh.
  • sarhvac1's avatar
    sarhvac1
    Explorer
    Jun 18, 2016
    I had a dial type went with a pencil type all metal as per the advise of the tire guy and also the NAPA guy they had some for $10 to $75 I went middle of the road around $28 as per the NAPA guy after recheck of tires they all read the same after letting air out @ 80PSI
  • CC_Crabman's avatar
    CC_Crabman
    Explorer
    Jun 18, 2016
    How do you tell a good gauge from one that is off? Is it simply the cost of gauge?
  • TXiceman's avatar
    TXiceman
    Explorer II
    Jun 17, 2016
    You typically have to replace air gauges every year or two, especially the pencil type. I like the dial gauges better.

    Ken

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