If you repair a puncture on your tyres by yourself and even if you fill up air in your tyres at home then you should get a tyre pressure gauge. For accurate measurement of the air pressure in tyres, it is best not to rely only on the inbuilt gauge on the tyre inflator.
Analog and digital tyre gauge
There are two types of tyre gauge. One is the traditional analog type which has a magnetic needle which points out the air pressure in your tyre. In a digital tyre pressure gauge, the meeter is digital. That is, it shows the numbers.
You get a digital tyre pressure gauge in a number of places like many cars have sensors and the instrument cluster shows tire pressure reading. But the analog one mostly comes with a manual handy device and it is also fitted on many air compressors or tire inflators too.
One tip to follow is always measuring the driver side wheel as reference when comparing the digital and analog tyre gauge.
Also, it is advised that you check the pressure and refill when the tyres are cold. That is, you should not check the pressure in your tyres after driving for some good distance to avoid over inflating or under inflating. When you have driven some distance then the air inside the tyres gets heated and expands. So, you will get more reading.
When manual tyre gauges are used against the inbuilt car’s sensors.
When we tested manual tyre pressure gauges against a car’s inbuilt air pressure detection system we had this result:
Manual tyre pressure gauges are also available in two forms- the digital one and the analog one. We can’t say which one is cheaper as both almost cost the same but digital is generally costlier.
When we checked the reading for the driver side wheel in the instrument cluster of a car, we found out the reading to be 32. Now, it could be 32.5 or just 32. We also wanted to compare it with tyre gauges.
With the manual analog, we got a reading of about 33-34 every time. But with the manual digital tyre pressure gauge, we consistently got a reading of around 31.5 and 32. So, clearly a digital tyre gauge is more in tune with the inbuilt sensor of the car.
Another factor which makes the digital tyre gauges more accurate is the reading. In analog tyre gauges, it will be difficult for you to take an accurate reading. Like a 31.5 PSI may seem 31 or 32 to you if you have good experience. But for inexperienced users, it may seem 30 or 33 above.
So, an analog tyre pressure gauge is basically difficult to read. Digital tyre gauges on the other hand are precise and more accurate than their analog counterparts. And since a slight difference in the position of the needle in the analog tyre pressure gauge may seem vastly different for the reading, the analog ones are not so consistent.
Another place where we see tyre gauges are on tyre inflators themselves. A good tyre gauge has auto cut off function and once it reaches that air pressure, it shuts the air delivery. For this, it needs a sensor to detect the air pressure inside the tyre.
So, we can have reading with tyre inflators too. Here also the same thing applies. The tyre inflators or air compressors which have a digital meter will be more precise and so whenever you are buying a tyre inflator, buy one with a digital meter of tyre gauge.
Best tyre pressure gauges
- Michelin Digital Pressure Gauge- This product is really accurate and is Amazon’s choice when it comes to tyre pressure gauges. Products which have an Amazon’s choice label are the ones which have been getting good reviews consistently. It has a rating of 4.5 stars.Michelin is undoubtedly a renowned brand which gives quality products. Michelin also has tyre inflators and if you are planning to get one, you can definitely look into it.
- Analog Tyre pressure gauges- There are a lot of analog tyre pressure gauges in the market too. Cheap ones include S.I Tyre pressure gauge or DeoDap. These are cheap but please be aware that these are not very accurate.
Basically, no analog tyre pressure gauge will give you consistency and accuracy like a digital one. So, try to stick to a digital tyre gauge.
How does a tyre pressure gauge work?
It works on a simple phenomenon. When we push the nozzle of the tyre pressure gauge against the nozzle of our tyre, air rushes into the pipe of the tyre pressure gauge. This pressure of air gives a travel to the needle of the gauge and it shows a reading.
To sum it up, digital tyre pressure gauges are more accurate without a second thought. It is worth the extra money over the analog counterparts. Be sure to check out the other car accessories that we host in our store and get the best deals from us!
