Ok, most of you probably already have one, but I thought I'd put together a little post to let everyone else in on what I've been introduced to.
I've known for years that the tire pressure gauges that they put on the pump at the gas stations are a joke. So, I have a couple of those gauges that are about the size of a pen with a clip on them so you can put them in your shirt pocket. Whenever I go to the station to check my tire pressure, I used my own gauge. I was confident that these gauges were fairly accurate. Then, a friend gave me a DIGITAL TIRE PRESSURE GAUGE. So, I went the the station to check my pressure. Just for a little test, I compared the station gauge, the pen style gauge and the digital gauge. The station gauge was 20 pounds under and the pen style was 10 pounds under the digital one. I used the digital gauge to set my tires 1 pound over the recommended pressure. OH MY GOD WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It's like a new car! It's handles so much better and I'm getting 2 to 3 more miles per gallon. Not to mention the smoother ride. If any of you are relying on one of those pen style mechanical gauges or worse yet, on the one at the gas station, ditch the zero and get with the hero. I'm sure sold!

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Kyle De Priest
2007 e320 Bluetec
2013 GLK 250 Bluetec

I used to have a digital gauge that read out to .1 lbs. It failed after a few years. I got a new one and it reads out to .5 psi. Checking the spec, it reads to .5 psi and is accurate to +/- 1 psi. I highly recommend the ones that read to .1 psi, as they are accurate to +/- .2 psi. Anyone know which ones do so?

Ride quality and vibration can change with even a small change in pressure. The tag in my car shows to add 1 psi for sustained speeds over 100 mph. Even 1 psi can make a noticeable difference.

Steve
’85 500SL Euro

I thought that a LOWER psi actually gave a smoother ride? Of course, with that comes a price...more friction, which translates to heat, which translates to less efficient performance, which translates to poorer fuel economy...

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

pray tell....what companies sell the digital tyre pressure gauge?
Do they have the bleed function too?

Blackmercedes;

Where would one find the Accutire.

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Mark
82 300SD 110k
91 Caprice SS
92 Jetta TD
97 Cadillac Concours(300hp)
84 Celebrity 4.3L diesel

Which brings to mind some questions. How would you calibrate a tire gauge? Also is tire pressure relevant to altitude? I would think tire pressure is measured at standard temperature and pressure but then again what practical use is THAT? Except for a few of us in Minnesota where it's frozen half the year, who cares about STP? Engineers, please feel free to jump in.

Kuan

You will get the most accurate pressure if you measure the pressure prior to driving the car (tires are cold). In addition, I think you will get the best results if you measure it at outside ambient conditions - that is leave the car outside the garage overnight and measure it in the morning prior to driving unless your garage temp is the same as the outside air temperature. I think that the difference altitude would make is insignificant.

I think the only ones that you could possibly calibrate would be the ones with a real analog pressure gauge on it. I did purchase a digital after reading the initial post on this thread and I do not see any pressure difference between it and the regular "stick" pressure gauge that I have been using for years.

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Jim

i prefer the regular mechanical dial-type pressure gauge. Initially, i considered the digital one, but on reading the operating instructions, it indicated that you have to press it against the tire nozzle for a few seconds to get an accurate reading.

now this is not convenient if you are setting the tire pressure, since you will want to overinflate it then bleed it gradually. You will want to check the pressure, release some air, then check again, repeating the procedure a few times. With the mechanical gauge, you get an instantaneous reading, and there is a bleed button that you can press so you can leave the gauge pressed against the tire nozzle. With a digital gauge, you have to wait a few seconds everytime you measure the pressure.

At least this was with the digital gauge i saw. Maybe not all are like this.

as for mechanical gauges, invest in a high-quality, properly-calibrated unit.

Accutire can be found at:
http://www.clorders.com/measurementspectire.htm
or on amazon.com

Gary