Thursday, February 23, 2012

Is Your Tire Pressure Gauge Accurate?

I often talk about the point of checking the inflation pressure in tires, but is your tire pressure gauge giving you definite information?

An Rver said, "I understand that tire pressure in an Rv is crucial and can cause serious problems if not inflated correctly. Well, the question is this, how do you know if the tire gauge is accurate? I have seen two tire gauges show as much as 16 psi difference on the same tire. Is there a suggestion as to which tire gauges are the most accurate?"

Tires Air Pressure

What's funny about this is for many years, as a Maintenance warrant Officer in the Army, I was responsible for tool calibration programs. clear tools required regular calibration to ensure accuracy. I use a ability tire pressure gauge, but after reading this quiz, realized that after any years of using this gauge I have never had it checked for accuracy.

Is Your Tire Pressure Gauge Accurate?

Many of the categorically reasonable gauges () you can purchase can't be calibrated, and if the reading is inaccurate the gauge is worthless. This is why you should spend a petite more (-) and get a ability pressure gauge that can be calibrated. I am a real believer in the old saying; you get what you pay for.

If you have any doubt about the accuracy of your tire pressure gauge there are a couple things you can do to check it.

1) You can check the air pressure in a tire with the gauge in quiz, and then check the same tire with someone else gauge. If there is a considerable difference in the readings (4 or more psi) in the middle of the two gauges one or both gauges may be inaccurate. If both gauges read within 1 to 2 psi of each other the gauges are more than likely accurate.

2) If you want a more definite method for checking the accuracy take the gauge to a local tire dealer or fleet truck maintenance premise and ask them to check it using a devotee gauge. A devotee gauge is a gauge that is certified to be accurate. But I caution you there are lots of tire dealers who don't have their own tire pressure gauges calibrated.

Note: Don't depend on pressure gauges at gas stations to be accurate. These are commonly abused and neglected, raising concern over accuracy.

There are any separate types of pressure gauges ready on the market. One foremost thing to keep in mind is the pressure the gauge is rated for. Most automobile tires are inflated to around 32 psi, so a 0 to 60 psi gauge is sufficient. On the other hand some motorhome tires are inflated to 100 or more psi. It is important, for accuracy and to prevent damage to the gauge, that you get the right gauge for the job. A normal rule of thumb is to find a gauge that can read double what the inflation pressure is set at. This isn't always inherent especially with tires inflated to 100 psi, so find a gauge rated for high pressure, like 160 psi.

Possibly the most coarse type of pressure gauge is the plunge or pencil type. Some of these are calibrated and some of the economy ones are not. As a normal rule a coarse plunge type gauge you would purchase will be definite to + or - 3 psi when it is new. The accuracy of these type gauges are also affected by temperature, humidity and altitude.

Note: always check the tire pressure when the tires are cold, before traveling. If you check the tires when they are hot you will get a false (higher) reading and if you let air out of the tires they can be seriously underinflated when they are cold.

Like everything else these days' things are switching from analog to digital. Analog tire pressure gauges were the proper for many years, but advancements in digital technology have improved on that standard. Analog dial gauges are about as definite as the ability pencil type gauges. In numerous tests comparing separate type gauges digital gauges were the most definite tested.

Regardless of the type of gauge you choose there are high ability and low ability gauges available. Buying a cheap digital gauge would be the same as buying a cheap pencil type gauge. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to tire pressure gauges.

1) Spend a few more dollars and get a ability pressure gauge.

2) If the gauge will be used for checking dual wheels on a motorhome the chuck end of the gauge should have a dual foot form to make the job much easier.

3) always select a gauge rated higher than the inflation pressure of the tires you are checking. Applying more pressure than the gauge is rated for can damage the gauge and influence the accuracy. If you over-pressure a gauge have it tested for accuracy.

4) Try not to drop or jar the gauge. Store the gauge in some type of protective covering or case and in an area where it won't be hit or damaged.

5) Periodically have the gauge tested for accuracy. At a minimum collate it to someone else ability gauge to see if both read the same, or close to the same pressure.

6) Most importantly, once you purchase a ability pressure gauge use it on a regular basis to check your Rv and automobile tires.

Remember, properly inflated tires are safer, increase the life of the tires, heighten fuel efficiency and lessen the chance of unexpected and premature tire failure.

Happy Camping,

Mark Polk

Copyright 2009 by Mark J. Polk founder of Rv education 101

Is Your Tire Pressure Gauge Accurate?Tsar Bomba - King of the Bombs - 57000000 Tonnes of TNT Tube. Duration : 2.98 Mins.


The Tsar Bomba _______________ October 30th 1961 - The Tsar Bomba, King of the Bombs, Царь-бомба or Big Ivan. This footage is courtesy of the documentary "Trinity and Beyond", directed by Peter Kuran, and other footage is courtesy of the Discovery channel. The original footage was from declassified Soviet Archives. The music used is from The Planets Suite composed by Gustav Holst. The movement is 'Mars: the Bringer of War' Before I get into the details of the test, I want to clear up something very important. The title of this video is "Tsar Bomba - King of the Bombs - 57000000 Tonnes of TNT". Understand now that this test wasn't the result of a detonation of 57000000 Tonnes of TNT, but rather the nuclear yield EQUIVALENT of a detonation of 57000000 Tonnes of Trinitrotoluene. The actual weight of the device was 27 tonnes. And coincidentally, one tonne is taken as a metric tonne, or 1000 kilograms - (2200lbs). All units used in physics are metric. The reason the yield equivalent system is used is because the energy released from the explosion of a set amount of TNT is a constant. Second to that: I KNOW THE SCREENSHOTS AT THE END ARE OF THE CLOUD OVER THE GROUND. The reason I made a mistake was because when I made this video I was using a 6 year old CRT monitor with numerous problems, some of which with the shading. I greatly regret it butI cant be bothered removing/re-uploading the video again so Ill just live with it. The bomb was designed as a 100 Megaton device, not a ...

Keywords: Tsar, Bomba, King, of, the, bombs, megaton, nuclear, hydrogen, thermonuclear, atomic, russia, cold, war, USA, explosion, Stalin, United, Soviet, Socialist, Republic, USSR, kiloton

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