Triedaq:
Don’t remind me! I carried a plunger/stick gauge in my shirt pocket, for practical purposes, and projecting a ‘Jack of all Trades’ appearance.
Alas, it slipped out of my shirt pocket, presumably while at work, never to be found again. It was a freebie nonetheless, with the merchant’s logo on it, but fairly repeatable.
I would never wear any tire gauge I actually plunked down money for, so now I go without. (Until another freebie comes along!)
The lack of a 6" scale would disprove that theory 
Reminds me of the guy interviewing for a mechanical position. We had so many applicants that were clearly ill prepared or lacking the necessary skills we started asking silly questions. Like pulling a 6" scale out of pocket and asking, “How many thousandths are in an inch?” No lie, one guys says, “I don’t know but there must be a million of them”. That has lived on in infamy since…
Well, nobody took you up on the quiz! OK, I’ll bite! The one on the left?
glasspiliot:
Oh that, I was just showing it as part of my educational tire series.
But you’re correct, the value should be right up against that tiny sliver of inner boot that sticks out from the case of the gauge. Some gauges it might be red, others, black, etc.
In that example, the 33 tick mark is half showing - or 33psi exactly.
For 30psi, the bottom half of ‘30’ would be showing.
So this type of gauge requires a little more patience and dexterity to arrive at the desired set point than, say a dial/clock style, with a bleeder button on the neck.
Maybe there were no takers for the quiz is that it just doesn’t matter that much .
For reference, the FMVSS standard allows for as much as 25% under inflation activation threshold. So the tire pressure can drop as much as 25% below the recommended inflation pressure before the TPMS alerts the operator of a low pressure tire. Puts some context around the criticality of the pressure setting… I have a very accurate 3" 60 PSI dial gauge with 1 PSI scale markings. If I’m within -0 +2 PSI, good enough for me.
As long as you set it to the exact tick mark representing the pressure you need, it should be, yes, within 1-2psi actual.
V70:
Perhaps Mario’s January 19th post needs revisiting:
"*Volvo:
*Please refrain from comments like these. It negatively *
*affects all of us on this site, and it drives valuable contributors *
away.
We can all learn from each other. But that can only happen with *
a free exchange of ideas.
Thank you.
That’s my point. If I’m within +2PSI on the gauge, I consider that good enough. Even though the gauge has a pressure relief valve and I could set it exactly, I’m not that concerned, frankly. FWIW- the gauge was a gift from a friend in the gauge industry and is way overkill. NIST traceable and I have verified it at work a few times for kicks. We send most of our equipment there out for calibration. It has a very robust shock cover and the guy bragged it would never go out of cal. So far, I have not been able to refute that claim in more than 20 years… 
If you don’t mind, what is the make of this gauge?
I have not the concern you guys do. if the tpms goes off I plug in the portable compressor and trust its gauge. TPMS gives me pressure to a pound. You guys are a rare breed to be so obsessed with tire pressure, probably 5% of the driving public!
5% of the U.S. driving public that is!
I’m sure in some other countries, like in Germany, where they make 55mph look like pushin a baby stroller, they check their tire pressures once per week.
I drive German(keep right except to pass) and check tires European style!
Well don’t drive German in Indianapolis. Contrary to general opinion, it is not a speedway.
Most vehicle owners neglect their tire pressure maintenance, the warning light is off, but the tire pressure is 3 to 5 psi low. Tire wear is noticeably greater on vehicles that operate just 5 psi low.
Some years ago, the state of California began requiring all auto service providers to check and inflate the tires on each vehicle checked in for any type of service. This program is in the interest of reducing fuel consumption and pollution. Car needs a light bulb, inflate the tires, car needs a wiper blade, inflate the tires. Millions of people have no interest in their vehicles tire pressure unless one tire is totally deflated.
I see this type of thing at least once each week;
Those factory installed tires only last 35,000 miles, whose fault is that?
Observe my ^edits^…!
bing:
Driving ‘German’ means obeying the rules of the road. (oops, did I utter the word ‘rules’ in America?)
Keep right except to pass, and don’t cruise in the passing lane/s. Keep left in British territories.
Problem is, Staters don’t like being told what they can do in which lanes… Or being told what to do, in general!
It’s a Wika gauge. Not a commercial off the shelf gauge they sell but is built with one of their best gauges.
TwinTurbo:
I looked at their site, and on other sites where one can buy their gauges.
E-Bay also listed an actual Wika tire gauge, blue rubber protector arount the face, sold.
It seems one must now provide the coupling, hose, and chuck to the appropriate gauge head from Wika, to produce a complete, usable kit!
Their product looks like quality stuff, but the complication comes in my prior sentence.
Yeah, this one has a short brass stub with a swiveling connection and a pressure relief valve. Makes it easy to fit onto any stem even though it has a relatively huge gauge diameter. I wouldn’t like a long hose attachment, this one is very portable and has a nice small zippered pouch as well. I actually have two but the first one does not have the swivel so it is far less useful. The reading does not drop at all when removed from the stem so you can take a measurement and then relieve the gauge pressure afterward.
He had this made for me as a gift along with a bunch of Cejn air hose couplings and quick disconnects. I cherish both of those gifts and the fact I have not had one issue in more than 20 years says a lot.
