Tyre pressure gauges

Thats not uncommon you need a gauge thats been calibrated and comes with a certificate , Halfords sell them , i would trust anything uncalibrated on my bike

The message from "Trevor" contains these words:

Out of curiosity, why does it matter whether it's spot on to a particular value as long as it's repeatable. When I had a bike I didn't take a lot of notice of the "correct" pressure, but adjusted it till I got the mix of grip/ride/handling that I liked and kept it at that. It was rarely "correct" but it suited me.

I bought one of these on the rationale that (a) accurate tyre pressures have got to be safer (b) make the tyres last longer (and therefore pay back the 'investment'):

Seems to work well! There's also one with a flexible 'head' thingy, which may be a bit easier for bikes.

Now all I have to remember is to actually use it!

Pete

The message from "Peter Boulton" contains these words:

Sadly, neither is likely to be true. In my experience running at the specified pressure makes tyres wear prematurely on the shoulders no matter how gently you corner. As for safer - I doubt that, too. The pressures stated by the makers are a compromise and probably not the best one for any subsequent fitment of tyres, either.

Guy,

I neither agree nor disagree with your point! However, surely the manufacturers must have some reasonable / scientific basis for coming to their recommended pressures? I.e. best for MOST drivers in MOST conditions? And whilst you may indeed have the riding/driving awareness to arrive at your 'ideal' tyre pressure, sadly most people, myself included, probably don't.

I would also be concerned that what 'feels' right isn't necessarily safest.

I don't want to start a flame war - I just weigh up the research etc. divisions of the motor/tyre manufacturers against expertise you may have on a personal level and think, well, for the rest of us it surely must be safest to follow the manufacturers' recommendations.

Pete

It'll be a compromise. Acceptable for MOST drivers in MOST conditions, but probably not the BEST for any driver.

I suppose it depends on what you think "feels" best.

The message from "Peter Boulton" contains these words:

If you read the manual you'll find the range of pressures specified for your model is quite wide, under various conditions. Certainly wider than even a sloppy gauge.

What certainly does matter is side-to-side balance, but for that a gauge only need be repeatable, not accurate.

Guy, I understand now! Thanks for clarifying.

Pete

I've got a Wilkinson's digital one which was only a tenner. Ok it's not calibrated but it did agree with the gauge on the tyre inflator we used at Cheltenham hospital for wheel chair tyres (kept stored away inna box so it wasn't knocked and dropped like garage ones). As it agreed I assume that either they're both inaccurate to the same extent or both close to what they should be. Of course that's no gaurantee that the next one will be as good.

I run my bike tyres slightly under the pressure given in the Haynes BoL because it seems to handle better that way.

FWIW I run the rear tyres on my Pug 406 estate a couple of psi higher than recommended. If I run them at recommended I find they seem to wear on the edges more than the middle.

Crikey! I'm not adept enough at being able to play around with my pressures.Just want to try and get close to what the makers say are the best pressures,mainly for my bike. Had a look on the Halfords site but couldn't see any gauges that claimed to be calibrated. I'll have a look instore.Will also check out my local car spares shop,see what they have.

Thanks guys,

Trev

My escort should be 32/38 for the original tyres. I run 35/41 and find it a lot more responsive and comfortable. Fuel economy isn't affected nor is tyre wear.

pressures,mainly for my bike.

Neither am I really. I tried the recommended pressure and found the back end seemed to be a bit skittish and the ride a bit harsher. Filtering down the white line became a bit more exciting. Dropping the pressure a couple of psi seemed to fix it and doesn't seem to have affected tyre wear

-- Malc

Several years ago I had access to sophisticated pneumatic calibration equipment at work. I cobbled together a rig to test tyre pressure gauges. I used a couple of gauges I already had, bought a cheap one and an expensive one from Halfords, and borrowed a few from colleagues.

The results were suprising.The only one that was reasonably accurate over the whole range of pressure covered was the cheap one from Halfords. This didn't even have a replaceable battery; it had to be thrown away when the battery was exhausted, yet is was within one half of a psi over its range.

Some of the others tested were more than 10% wrong at some readings!

IMO, the only way to know if a gauge is accurate is to test it against equipment calibrated to a known standard. As that is impracticable for most, it becomes a gamble.

My experience certainly shows that buying the most expensive one available will not give you a better chance of accuracy.

Chris

Lidl have an electronic one for a few quid at the moment. As well as switchable psi and bar it does tread depth too. Mine is spot on compared to my decent 'mechanical' one.

The message from Chris Whelan contains these words:

You'd be amazed at what batteries can be replaced if you've a mind to! I tend to take ideas like "Not replaceable" as a challenge.

Yeah, me too, but I was intending to make the point that it was an "el cheapo" one.

It's still working ATM...

Chris.

For what it's worth AutoExpress did a review last year:

I've got the Race-X Pro gauge and have been very happy it. Feels very good quality, is easy to use/read and whilst there's no calibration certificate the aforementioned observations (and review) don't leave me any doubts as to its accuracy.

I got it from

for =A38.99 inc. P&P (looks likethey've added a quid since). Mathew