Most accurate tyre pressure gauge

[MakaveliX]

What do you guys think is the most accurate way to check tyre pressure. I've been using using analog clock style draper for the past year and seems to give consistent readings.

I did hear however, that these can lose calibration over time and therefore digital guages are best. Is this the case?

I found a decent looking michellin one which also has a bleed function unlike most other digital ones I've seen.

Thanks

[ninjag]

I've been using an analogue Race-X one for while now and happy. Results seem consistent.

[Yazza54]

I use a longacre 30 psi one, when I started racing I tested a fellow competitors longacre gauge against the draper one I was using and it was 2psi out Vs his. In the bin it went.

[Tony1963]

How did you know the Longacre was accurate?

[Yazza54]

Tony1963 said:

How did you know the Longacre was accurate?

Knew that was coming.

Tested a few.

[E-bmw]

This is a generality, but as I have worked in instrumentation, for over 30 years, it is one with lots of history behind it.

In general digital are more robust & more accurate over a much greater range of situations.

In general analogue need to be treated with kid gloves to maintain accuracy and even then they should be calibrated regularly as they are mechanical inside & will wear/suffer internal stiction/suffer from spring stretch over a period of time.

When we used to use 12" calibrated gauges to read accurately, we needed to calibrate them every time we used them, which could be 3 times a day, and they were transported in padded boxes and cost over £1000 each.

The digital ones we now use we carry around in tool boxes, they suffer abuse & get checked each year, and cost around £150.

[Lemoncurd]

I know the guy that makes these. They are popular with the race teams as it is really easy to accurately record lots of tyre pressures/temperatures in one go. Admittedly this might be one for the frivolous purchases thread if you are just checking your tyres at home!

https://www.fastmateracing.com/

[CrgT16]

That looks really good!

I have an analogue Longacre one. For analogue ones always ensure the pressures you need sit in the middle of the dial where it is more accurate.

I contacted them a few years ago to see if they have a calibrating service but they don’t. It doesn’t matter for road tires that much. If I ever change will go digital. But there is something nice about an analogue dial.

[sjj84]

E-bmw said:

This is a generality, but as I have worked in instrumentation, for over 30 years, it is one with lots of history behind it.

In general digital are more robust & more accurate over a much greater range of situations.

In general analogue need to be treated with kid gloves to maintain accuracy and even then they should be calibrated regularly as they are mechanical inside & will wear/suffer internal stiction/suffer from spring stretch over a period of time.

When we used to use 12" calibrated gauges to read accurately, we needed to calibrate them every time we used them, which could be 3 times a day, and they were transported in padded boxes and cost over £1000 each.

The digital ones we now use we carry around in tool boxes, they suffer abuse & get checked each year, and cost around £150.

What are the digital ones you use (also work with instrumentation)?

[QJumper]

I got one of these for my bike, but works well enough for the car too. It checks pressure and tops up if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XZCLGVQ/ref...

[Tony1963]

Yazza54 said:

Knew that was coming.

Tested a few.

That's an unclear, incomplete answer.

[Yazza54]

Tony1963 said:

Yazza54 said:

Knew that was coming.

Tested a few.

That's an unclear, incomplete answer.

I tested a few proper branded ones borrowed around the paddock very early on in my racing "career" they were all comparable, my draper one was not. Simple as that.

I am happy enough to trust the fact that everyone else's being more or less the same and generally of more reputable brands was enough of a reason for me to ditch mine and buy one like theirs.

The draper one went to 60psi, longacre only up to 30psi. Whether that aids the accuracy, I don't know.

I certainly don't lie awake at night thinking about it though.

[jm8403]

Yazza54 said:

The draper one went to 60psi, longacre only up to 30psi. Whether that aids the accuracy, I don't know.

It doesn't

[Yazza54]

jm8403 said:

Yazza54 said:

The draper one went to 60psi, longacre only up to 30psi. Whether that aids the accuracy, I don't know.

It doesn't

How do you know?

I know that it shouldn't... But I'd imagine that the greater range it works across the more chance of inaccuracy especially if not a particularly premium gauge.

[Yazza54]

QJumper said:

I got one of these for my bike, but works well enough for the car too. It checks pressure and tops up if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XZCLGVQ/ref...

The thing is, if you haven't benchmarked if against anything of any reputable brand, how do you know it works well. Just because you pop it on the valve and it spits out a reading?

I suppose it doesn't matter for a road car/bike so much, but it does on the track.

Edited by Yazza54 on Sunday 3rd July 13:00

[Fusion777]

Like any instrument, unless it's calibrated and/or comes with some sort of certification, you can't really rely on it if you need a very high level of accuracy.

What level of accuracy do you need though, unless you're racing professionally?

[cuprabob]

Based on the number of threads the OP creates about tyres, I suspect they have a rubber fetishism

In all honesty, we're talking about a Yaris running on Landsail tyres here, therefore a pressure gauge reading a few psi either way is really irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

[Tony1963]

Yazza54 said:

How do you know?

I know that it shouldn't... But I'd imagine that the greater range it works across the more chance of inaccuracy especially if not a particularly premium gauge.

In engineering, the general rule for analogue gauges is that they are most accurate around the mid-range.
Put yourself in the position of an auditor.
We use gauges at work that are calibrated annually. They are encased in thick rubber, but if we drop one onto the hangar floor, we have it sent for checking.

However, does it really matter for most applications? Probably not. Most of us, even if doing track days, would be more than happy with a consistent gauge that is 'close enough'.

[Yazza54]

Tony1963 said:

Yazza54 said:

How do you know?

I know that it shouldn't... But I'd imagine that the greater range it works across the more chance of inaccuracy especially if not a particularly premium gauge.

In engineering, the general rule for analogue gauges is that they are most accurate around the mid-range.
Put yourself in the position of an auditor.
We use gauges at work that are calibrated annually. They are encased in thick rubber, but if we drop one onto the hangar floor, we have it sent for checking.

However, does it really matter for most applications? Probably not. Most of us, even if doing track days, would be more than happy with a consistent gauge that is 'close enough'.

Well, given that the mid range of the long acre gauge is exactly where I run my tyres on the race car that would indeed lend itself to be more accurate than a gauge that goes 35psi higher than I'll ever need!

[Mars]

I ended up with 6 digital ones all different from 4 different manufacturers. None of them worth more than a tenner if bought retail (I didn't - I knew the importer).

Five of them were within 0.5psi of each other with tyre pressures between 25 and 38. The 6th read consistently 1psi lower.

The biggest problem was that they just weren't very robust. The nozzles got chewed up very easily on one particular valve type - rigid ones rather than the rubbery type. They would have been fine if they'd had metal nozzles.