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In *general*, a good dial gauge will be better than a stick gauge - certainly easier to read. Digital gauges have the problem that eventually their batteries will run down. Price isn't necessarily a measure of how good they are. Apparently Consumer Reports found one company that made expensive yet inaccurate gauges.
In *general*, a good dial gauge will be better than a stick gauge - certainly easier to read. Digital gauges have the problem that eventually their batteries will run down. Price isn't necessarily a measure of how good they are. Apparently Consumer Reports found one company that made expensive yet inaccurate gauges.
I have a digital gauge that still works fine after ten years so battery life isn't an issue. In my opinion digital is the way to go and they are around ten bucks. They are pretty accurate. The gauge reads exactly what the TPMS read.
I have used a dial type for a long time and they are my choice. Pencil types are too inaccurate and digital eventually lose battery power (mine did).
Mine was an off brand a long time ago, but I found the same ones marketed by two different companies. Summit Racing has both of them. One is a Summit brand for about $10 and the other is an Auto Meter brand for about $20. They look identical to each other with a dial and a short stem to an angled tip to fit over the valve stem.
These particular gages can be recalibrated too, although they don't advertise or recommend that. If you look in the center at the location of the dial needle there is a support tab that covers the center of the needle and goes down to the face where it is attached with two screws. Simply bending the tab will change the calibration. I discovered this because I damaged one 10 years or so ago. I took it apart and found that it could be repaired/recalibrated. Once reassembled, the tab is under the glass lens and is tamper proof. I was the Quality Manager at a 17025 calibration shop at the time so it was easy to get the correct setting. Since then I bought a couple of the Summit gages and they are the same type. I have not had to adjust any of them since the one I damaged. They have been quite easy to use and consistent.
I have a digital gauge that still works fine after ten years so battery life isn't an issue. In my opinion digital is the way to go and they are around ten bucks. They are pretty accurate. The gauge reads exactly what the TPMS read.
I was poking around the internet and it seems like the Accutire MS-4021 gets good reviews almost everywhere in terms of digital.
I have a Victor brand dial gauge that I found at Advance Auto Parts for about $9 (0-60 pounds). It's small with a bleeder valve and I can carry it anywhere. I agree that dial gauges are more accurate than pencil-type gauges.
I bought a digital guage at Autogeek a couple of years ago. I think the brand name is Michelin, about 20some bucks.
I like it. I think the battery is a large watch type battery, which some last 5 years, or so.
I like that you know if you have 30.3, or 30.7 lbs, you can easily get your tires all the same pressure; exactly.
I have one that is digital and audioable my wife got me from QVC, fits in palm of your hand. It will give you the digit reading and a lady's voice will audioable tell you the reading as well. Battery operated
I was poking around the internet and it seems like the Accutire MS-4021 gets good reviews almost everywhere in terms of digital.
That's the one I have, and I recommend it. Has worked well for me every time I've used it. Got it for about 8 bucks on Amazon a little over 2 years ago. I guess the price has gone up a bit despite our supposedly barely-existent inflation rate.
Last edited by thisMSGgood4me; Apr 3, 2014 at 11:38 AM.
I run a truck and a ranch and recently used one of this style, they are very flexible for all the odd and unaccessible places that I find, I do keep a small cheap digital in the c5 for for on-the-road checks.