Tire Gauges?

[NickST]

I've been chatting with other owners of my car who are Autocrossing in the US, and It has been brought to my attention that perhaps the reason I run such high pressures is because my tire gauge is reading higher than it ought to be. In retrospect, I probably should have invested in a better tire gauge.

Does anybody have some suggestions for gauges? I really don't have the first clue about what a reliable brand would be.

[Reijo]

Longacre ....  Or see Shawn Bishop at rallysport.ca ... he has some other ones that I think were pretty good.  A good tire pressure gage is very important so that they read not only correct pressures but also reads consistently.  A good one will last a lifetime ... cheap if you think of it that way.

[Reijo]

I should add Shawn has been a part of the Calgary motorsports scene since about 1978 ... won the Cdn. rally championship and is one of us ... so I like to support him in his motorsport business.  Never mind that he is a genuinely nice guy!   


BTW, I have a Longacre gage myself ... works really well ...

[NickST]

^^Thanks!

Yeah I bought a CG lock from him back when I had my Fit!

[PedalFaster]

Stephen was rumoured to have said:  "Before you buy a new gauge you should compare yours to someone else's (or better yet, a calibrated air source) to see if yours is actually reading correctly. I generally don't trust setup advice found on the internet unless it's from someone who consistently runs at the front in American national-level events."

But, but, but it's on the internet, it MUST be true, eh?   

Yeah, and even some of the front runners may do strange things sometimes ... better to know what to do and then set the tire pressures for your particular setup and surface you run on ...

Personally I like slightly higher pressures for less roll-over and a sharper, more "on-edge feel" but they still seem to be more or less  the same as other front runners I have compared notes with ... but not always.  Might be time for you to experiment.  Note also that if you can get a bit more camber you might be able to run slightly lower pressures for purposes of preventing rollover.   

[PedalFaster]

^^^
I think one of you edited my post by mistake, as I didn't write any of the above other than the quoted text at the beginning. 

[Reijo]

^^^
I think one of you edited my post by mistake, as I didn't write any of the above other than the quoted text at the beginning. 

Oh, Gawd!   The modify and quote button are too close together for me late at night!  My apologies Stephen!  Thankfully I did not lose your "quote"!   

Credit to you added etc.

R

[majormojo]

I had a one of the pricier Longacre gauges and after much confusion and testing, it turned out to be reading +5psi off. I returned to Longacre ($23 shipping) and they wanted something like USD$30 to repair it and USD$30 to send it back. I said forget it and I bought an Intercomp from Tire rack for less and it seems to work fine.

Advice from others (internet or in person) is fine for a starting, but I think you should still do your own testing with your own gauge and preferably a pyrometer or your own keen senses if you have them (I don't). Find what works for you using your equipment. You'll be OK if your gauge is at least consistent even if it's off from the "true" reading.

[MurrayPeterson]

It's easy to see if your guage is badly out of whack -- just go around and ask to borrow a bunch of other guages and see what they all read on the same tire.  If most of them agree with yours, then it's good.

[NickST]

I noticed a discrepancy when I measured against Dan's in grid last time, but it was between runs and I didn't really have time to look into it more.

It is my old trusty digital one I got from Canadian Tire for like 14$ about 5 years ago, I wouldn't doubt it isn't the most accurate, or consistent product out there.

I think I might get a Joe's Racing gauge

[Canuck]

I just invested in a Longacre gauge as my old one was ± 2 PSI (it was hard to read the dial and not very repeatable...thanks China) and was annoying in general.  I looked up what they had in the scratch and dent section of their catalog and they had the one I was looking for.  Digital 0 - 60 PSI 0.1 accuracy.  I`ve tested it a few times when Tom and I were out working on my tire set up and it`s worth the $60.  Spot on every time.  Unlike Jim`s experience, I called them and spoke with a nice guy in Everett, WA...and aside from having him almost not sell me parts because he asked for a prediction of who would win in the Sharks vs Blues (I said Sharks) - it was seamless and he only charged me what the USPS charged him for shipping. That`s about all you can ask for these days!

[Tuna]

My pressure gauge is merely a guideline. I go by driving feel and I honestly don't give a shit what the numbers are. As long as I'm in front of Nick.

[NickST]

You're alive! 

Now, when are you coming back!

[94boosted]

Longacre .... 

x2 just picked up a digital Longacre gauge

[zero10]

Don't you guys just chalk the corners of your tires and crank up the pressure until they either stop rolling over or explode?  Tire pressure gauges are overrated

Oh who am I kidding, they never stop rolling over.