Accurate pressure gauge?

[Dave Smith]

I need to buy a new tire pressure gauge and wonder if anyone has any recommendations. I'd like to
also be able to also use it for my Miata which is pretty sensitive to tire pressure, so it would
have to be both presta and shrader and be accurate down to 26 PSI.

I'm looking at the digital Topeak Smart Gauge. Anyone hava any thoughts?

 

[Richard]

Uh, why so accurate at that low a pressure?

Anyway, I have a Topeak. My 2 complaints:

1. It can sometimes be difficult to pull back off a Presta valve

2. (Dumb!) The on/off switch is where you're likely to hit it trying to remove the gauge from a
stubborn Presta valve (thus requiring another reading).

Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> I need to buy a new tire pressure gauge and wonder if anyone has any recommendations. I'd like to
> also be able to also use it for my Miata which is pretty sensitive to tire pressure, so it would
> have to be both presta and shrader and be accurate down to 26 PSI.
>
> I'm looking at the digital Topeak Smart Gauge. Anyone hava any thoughts?

 

[Dave Smith]

On Fri, 20 Jun 2003 01:58:29 GMT, richard <[email protected]> wrote:

>Uh, why so accurate at that low a pressure?

Thanks for your reply, sorry I wasn't more clear. I drive a Mazda Miata and like to keep its tire
pressure adjusted accurately as it has a significant effect on its handling and ride. I figured
since I was getting a gauge, maybe I could get the most utility out of it if I also could also use
it for the car. I don't trust cheap auto tire gauges and most bike dial gauges are tough to read
down to one pound.
>
>Anyway, I have a Topeak. My 2 complaints:
>
>1. It can sometimes be difficult to pull back off a Presta valve
>
>2. (Dumb!) The on/off switch is where you're likely to hit it trying to remove the gauge from a
> stubborn Presta valve (thus requiring another reading).
>
>Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>> I need to buy a new tire pressure gauge and wonder if anyone has any recommendations. I'd like to
>> also be able to also use it for my Miata which is pretty sensitive to tire pressure, so it would
>> have to be both presta and shrader and be accurate down to 26 PSI.
>>
>> I'm looking at the digital Topeak Smart Gauge. Anyone hava any thoughts?

 

[Matt O'Toole]

"Dave Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I need to buy a new tire pressure gauge and wonder if anyone has any recommendations. I'd like to
> also be able to also use it for my Miata which is pretty sensitive to tire pressure, so it would
> have to be both presta and shrader and be accurate down to 26 PSI.
>
> I'm looking at the digital Topeak Smart Gauge. Anyone hava any thoughts?

Inexpensive pencil-type guages from your local auto parts store are accurate to within 0.5 PSI.
That's good enough for people who drive real race cars on real race tracks at very high speeds.

If you want to be completely anal about it, check Consumer Reports to find the best one.

Matt O.

 

[Tom Paterson]

>From: "Matt O'Toole"

>Inexpensive pencil-type guages from your local auto parts store are accurate to within 0.5 PSI.

That hasn't been my experience. More like two pounds' difference between at least one pair of pencil
gauges I compared, using the gas station pump's sliding gauge as a reference. Two in agreement (at
32 psi, anyhow), one out by a couple of pounds, at least one is wrong.

>That's good enough for people who drive real race cars on real race tracks at very high speeds.

They're talking about 1/2-pound pressure adjustments on TV NASCAWR race coverage, so I don't think
they're using Auto Zone counter clutter in the big money domestic races. And F1?

My dad had some kind of dial gauge for car tires. Maybe it cost enough to be accurate, esp.for the
pressure range/valve type it was marketed for. Suggest the OP get a similar, one-purpose tool, keep
it safe in the car or garage (dial gauges being somewhat fragile).

For bike tires, I've had (and lost) two of those old chrome Dunlop presta pencil gauges that agreed
with my Silca floor pump gauge that agreed with another Silca fp gauge. Those seem to be OOP and
unavailable, but were a good deterrent from settling for 80 lbs.of frame pump pressure out on the
road. --Tom Paterson

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article <9TtIa.1047287$Zo.241681@sccrnsc03>, [email protected] says...
>Uh, why so accurate at that low a pressure?

For his car tires
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)

 

[x]

RE/
>I need to buy a new tire pressure gauge and wonder if anyone has any recommendations.

How about this: any old gauge, then calibrate it yourself at a couple of commonly-used pressures?

Maybe somebody who knows something can chime in here - but that's what I do. My Zefal dial gauge and
my (TowPeak?) Joe Blow floor pump are a little over 5 lbs out of wack with each other. Tried a few
others at the LBS and results weren't all that much better.

I have no idea if one is right, the other is right, or neither is right - but I do assume that they
give repeatable readings...so I just remember that like my rear Mutano Raptor at, say, 40 on the
floor pump and 46 on the gauge...
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[Marcus Coles]

Matt O'Toole wrote:
> "Dave Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>
>>I need to buy a new tire pressure gauge and wonder if anyone has any recommendations. I'd like to
>>also be able to also use it for my Miata which is pretty sensitive to tire pressure, so it would
>>have to be both presta and shrader and be accurate down to 26 PSI.
>>
>>I'm looking at the digital Topeak Smart Gauge. Anyone hava any thoughts?
>
>
> Inexpensive pencil-type guages from your local auto parts store are accurate to within 0.5 PSI.
> That's good enough for people who drive real race cars on real race tracks at very high speeds.
>
> If you want to be completely anal about it, check Consumer Reports to find the best one.
>
> Matt O.
>

In my experience pencil gauges degrade in accuracy over time and have a tendency to get bent, at
least with my abuse.

That said I use the floor pump pressure gauge for my bike with a cheap pencil gauge in my bag for
emergency use.

For my street car I use the pump gauge at the gas station or the gauge on my compressor.

While it is possible to find a wide range gauge that will cover both automobile and high pressure
bicycle tires, rightly or wrongly, I would wonder about the accuracy at the extremes.

For any kind of serious motorsport, If you can afford to race you can afford a decent dial gauge
with a flexible hose and a release button. Not to forget a decent tire pyrometer.

If you want a decent schraeder type pressure gauge for car tires, a racing oriented "speed shop" or
tool suppler will probably have a few to choose from.

Marcus

 

[James Messick]

"Tom Paterson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >From: "Matt O'Toole"
>
> >Inexpensive pencil-type guages from your local auto parts store are
accurate
> >to within 0.5 PSI.
>
> That hasn't been my experience. More like two pounds' difference between
at
> least one pair of pencil gauges I compared, using the gas station pump's sliding gauge as a
> reference. Two in agreement (at 32 psi, anyhow), one
out by
> a couple of pounds, at least one is wrong.

That's why you only want one. As they say, a man a watch always knows what time it is, but a man
with two watches is never sure.

 

[Eric]

[email protected] (Tom Paterson) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> >From: "Matt O'Toole"
>
> >Inexpensive pencil-type guages from your local auto parts store are accurate to within 0.5 PSI.
>
> That hasn't been my experience. More like two pounds' difference between at least one pair of
> pencil gauges I compared, using the gas station pump's sliding gauge as a reference. Two in
> agreement (at 32 psi, anyhow), one out by a couple of pounds, at least one is wrong.
>
> >That's good enough for people who drive real race cars on real race tracks at very high speeds.
>
> They're talking about 1/2-pound pressure adjustments on TV NASCAWR race coverage, so I don't think
> they're using Auto Zone counter clutter in the big money domestic races. And F1?
>
Those guys use pressure sensors located on the inside of the rim, and monitor the tempature and
pressure constantly. Remember, they are running thier machines right up to the point of failure all
the time, so they need to know when they are about to blow a tire.

Consumer version available on the newer Corvettes, some Cadillacs and at
http://www.smartire.com/fl/.

 

[Jasper Janssen]

On 21 Jun 2003 09:41:25 -0700, [email protected] (Eric) wrote:

>Those guys use pressure sensors located on the inside of the rim, and monitor the tempature and
>pressure constantly. Remember, they are running thier machines right up to the point of failure all
>the time, so they need to know when they are about to blow a tire.

Though of course, they no longer monitor this from pitside. The info can only go to an onboard
computer, and so is much less useful. I wonder of they do in fact still monitor these things this
season, now pit<>car telemetry is outlawed.

Jasper

 

[Stu]

>Though of course, they no longer monitor this from pitside. The info can only go to an onboard
>computer, and so is much less useful. I wonder of they do in fact still monitor these things this
>season, now pit<>car telemetry is outlawed
if you are still talking about F1. Car>pit telemtry hasn't been outlawed, its the pit>car
telemetry(i.e the changing of engine and gear box maps etc)that has been outlawed. that why we are
back to steering wheels with 20 buttons again

 

[Eric]

[email protected] (Tom Paterson) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> >From: [email protected] (Eric)
>
> >Remember, they are running thier machines right up to the point of failure all the time, so they
> >need to know when they are about to blow a tire.
> >
>
> Point of failure at all times? Don't think so. I believe the on-board readings are used more for
> slow leakers to prevent going off, and to help setup and running changes. Tire pressures don't
> increase until a tire blows or the driver backs off. NEXTELCAR doesn't do on-board, IMS, and they
> dont' seem to have blowouts at the end of them long runs.
>
> On the upmarket street cars, a clean-handy reminder to prevent rim damage (and save gas, if that
> doesn't sound unpatriotic). --Tom Paterson

Well, you know what I mean. Most racers you see on Sunday are there to win, and winning sometimes
means running flat out.

However, if I were drafting someone at 150 MPH, I would want as much information about my vehicle I
could get, including tire pressure.