Dial type vs. Pen type tire gauge

[TireWhisperer23]

I use pen because its the most handy and cheap, I'd double or triple check anyway and the tyre pump comes in dial gauge for quick comparo.

Tyre pressure need not be soo accurate- even a margin of plus minus 10 percent is very acceptable, not unless you are on a race track or you have a worn tyre that can blow anytime and you just want to make use of its remaining tread life up to the point of getting bald.

I guess I've had some practice then, on a variety of gauge types.

The brands I described allow me to set exactly 32psi all around on my Honda Accord with little difficulty, so why not lol!

Riddle: Which handles better - the new Mercedes with four different indicated tire pressures, or the Accord with all tires within half-psi of each other?

[oj88]

I use pen because its the most handy and cheap, I'd double or triple check anyway and the tyre pump comes in dial gauge for quick comparo.

Tyre pressure need not be soo accurate- even a margin of plus minus 10 percent is very acceptable, not unless you are on a race track or you have a worn tyre that can blow anytime and you just want to make use of its remaining tread life up to the point of getting bald.

Call me OC, but from experience, the pen type is very susceptible to dirt, grime or other contaminants interfering with the rod mechanism. The way it is oriented, in relation to gravity, also affects the readings. If I take multiple measurements on the same tire, I get different results every time.

Also, 10% tolerance is unacceptable. By that measure, a nominal 30 PSI tire could measure anywhere between 27-33 PSI. That's too wide, IMO.

I need an instrument that is precise and consistent, that's why I opted for a good digital tire gauge.

[12vdc]

Having driven for a veery long kms, accuracy is least of my concern when it comes to tyre pressure.

It concerns me most of the decreasing pressure by 1st visual inspection then 2nd verification using the gauge VS the tyre pressure range written by the manufacturer on the door jamb.

So far using the pen-gauge all turned consistent with its readings, it tells me when to check the tyre for possible pinhole caused by a stuck object that made thru the rubber, or a leaky tyre-mount sealing.

[oj88]

I'm OC then... :D

The main reason I want a more precise tire gauge is because I want all four tires to read the same PSI on the TPMS (while cold). That will establish the baseline pressure for all tires before I start driving. It's not unusual for the front tire temperatures to increase more than the rear tires, and along with it, their pressure. But again, they pretty much increase symmetrically to a few degrees and 1 PSI off... nothing crazy.

Through regular use, all tires should 'leak' around the same amount of air every so-and-so weeks. If one tire is reporting a few PSI lower than the rest (after corelating with its temperature), I would know to keep an eye on it. Quite likely that said tire has developed a slow leak. This happens well before the PSI drops to critical level (to which the TPMS also sounds an alarm).

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