Tire Gauge?

Elle Navorski wrote:
> Is there a super-duper tire gauge on the market?

> I have been using a pocket protector tire gauge for years.
> I bought an air compressor last summer and now check my
> tires' pressure at least once a month. I have found the
> pocket gage cumbersome to use. I can't consistently
> fit it exactly on the tire valve to get a reading.

Most guages now have a long recess in the chuck to let it fit more
easily over the tire valve.

All electronic tire guages are highly accurate, virtually dead-on, and
are cheap from places like AutoZone, Pep Boys, Checker/Shuck's/Kragen,
and Wal-mart.

Pencil-type guages are the most rugged, provided they're made of metal,
but some are chrome plated, and you can't always check with a magnet
because many good guages are made of brass rather than steel. Plastic
guages are prone to cracking where the chuck fits into the tube if the
chuck is pressed in rather than screwed on.

Dial guages can be as accurate as pencil guages, but when Consumer
Reports last tested guages, in 2/1993, all of the least-accurate guages
(off by +- 4 PSI average) were of the dial type, and no pencil-type
guage erred more than +- 2 PSI. The most accurate pencil-type guages
have shims at the end of their coil spring for calibration.

Some good brands of mechanical guages are Schrader, Acme (not the
Company that sold junk to Wiley E. Coyote), NAPA, Tru-Flate, and Camel.

Some tire dealers, like Discount Tire, give out OK pencil-type guages
for free.