<VV> Fwd: Reality check WAS Need tire pressure gage buying advice

[Frank DuVal]

While I can not say an accurate gauge is not a good thing to have, what 
is accurate? Ken is more right than you give him credit for. Depending 
on the gauge, +/- 1 psi is hard to achieve. That is +/- 1 psi from NIST 
standards! Now if your gauge is not repeatable, you need a new gauge. 
+/- 5 psi is a little wide, but it will not kill you.  OK, if you use 
the original 15 psi front tire pressure in your Corvair, you will feel 
it, and you shouldn't take it to handling limits!

5 psi lower than recommended door jamb pressure decal would not have 
made an Explorer roll over.  The TPMS came about because people would 
run tires until they were flat.  Self service stations don't check your 
tires for you. Most drivers gas and go, never checking tire pressure, 
oil, washing windows, you get the idea. People didn't take 
responsibility to maintain their cars, so the Feds are ramming it down 
our throats.

Note, if +/- 5 psi was so important, why is there no indicated fault for 
overpressure on a TPMS system?

And if tire pressure varies by 1 psi per 10 °F, then you can get a 4 or 
so psi change in our current daily weather! TPMS lights coming on all 
over the beltway?

The actual number of psi in your tires is not as important as how a 
particular pressure feels to the driver. Who cares if the best feel is 
20, 30, or 40 on some arbitrary gauge, as long as you can repeat it? 
NIST traceability is not important here.

Rambling too much? I could continue the transformer oil discussion!

Keep your very accurate gauges. I will continue using my collection of 
gauges that vary by over +/- 3 psi. That's close enough to keep my cars 
off the ground and in good operating range. My butt is not that 
sensitive! I have pencil gauges (long and short, 50 and 120 psi max), 
dial gauges sold as tire gauges, and industrial 3" gauges with adapters 
to read schrader valves. Oh, and the calibrated finger! Not so good at 
actual pressure, but good at comparing all 4 tires on the vehicle. When 
they feel soft, I pull out a gauge.

Flame suit on. ggg

Frank DuVal

On 2/7/2012 10:43 AM, Bryan Blackwell wrote:
> No, it's *best* to keep an accurate gauge in the glove box of each car and compare them on a regular basis, as Matt suggested.  Then when something doesn't quite seem right you can check and see if it's the gauge or your butt that's out of whack.  If you don't want to spend the money for one for each car, at least get two so you have a way to compare them.
>
> Yes, I'd know if the tires weren't at 30, but were at either 25 or 35.  Or 40 vs. 35, or 20 vs. 25.  That's because I have more than one gauge and I cross reference them.  Most people might not consciously notice, but if you put the tires to a set pressure based on some actual criteria for that choice they would like it better.  The original question had to do with a gauge that was becoming erratic, BTW.
>
> I stand by my statement.  Telling people they don't need an accurate tire gauge is terrible advice.  Ask Ford if 5 psi matters (ref: Explorer rollovers).  Ask the feds, TPMS is now a mandated piece of safety equipment on new cars.  The *only* thing that keeps your car on the road are the tires, IMHO it's impossible to overstate their importance and it's worth bothering to know the actual tire pressure you are using, whatever it is.
>
> --Bryan
>
> On Feb 7, 2012, at 9:59 AM, Ken Pepke wrote:
>
>> Completely disagree?  Well, plus or minus 5 would be, in your example, an 'ideal' pressure of 30 PSI, a choice you may make for the rear of your Corvair.  If you set the pressure with the SAME GAUGE it would be really quite easy to get them within one or two PSI of each other with any gauge.  If, unknown to you, the gauge reading was off 5 PSI would you know the tire pressure was off by that amount?  Perhaps, but most would have no idea.  If one did notice they would, more likely, decide the tires should be at 28 or 32 PSI and adjust them to the new number.
>>
>> Ideal tire pressures are just not an exact science.  Best to keep a pencil type gauge in the glove box of each car and use only that gauge for that car.
>>
>> Ken P
>> Wyandotte, MI
>> Worry looks around; Sorry looks back, Faith looks up.
>>
>> ***************
>>
>>> From: Bryan Blackwell<bryan at skiblack.com>
>>> Date: February 7, 2012 9:04:49 AM EST
>>> To: Ken Pepke<kenpepke at juno.com>
>>> Cc: Vair Views<virtualvairs at corvair.org>
>>> Subject: Re:<VV>  Reality check WAS Need tire pressure gage buying advice
>>>
>>> Sorry, I disagree completely - plus/minus 5 is a 10 psi swing from top to bottom, I can most certainly feel the difference on all the cars in ride and handling between 25 and 35.  Usually I find a 3 psi difference noticeable, that's about my minimum.  If it's just one tire it takes more like 5, but at that point I start wondering what's going on.  Plus or minus 1 psi is acceptable, but no more.
>>>
>>> --Bryan
>>>