What do you trust more? TPMS or tire gauge?

[Free2roam]

I've noticed a difference in cold pressure. TPMS says 29 but my tire gauge says 33-34 psi.
Which gauge are you using? What's do you trust more?

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[loganjeeps]

old fashioned tire guage like this. i've yet to see a TPMS be as reliable in all conditions. including several of my wife's mercedes which are pretty darn good.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I've noticed a difference in cold pressure. TPMS says 29 but my tire gauge says 33-34 psi.
Which gauge are you using? What's do you trust more?

My TPMS always matches what my gauges say. I've got a decent digital gauge, and another dial/analog gauge that is very accurate. If the cluster says the tire is 35, when I measure with my gauge, it's 35.
It's very unlikely ALL sensors are reading bad (high or low) at the same time.
Why not check your gauge against a standard?
I have yet to see a Jeep TPMS be inaccurate. If my wife tells me that her Jeep is alerting her to a low tire and I check it, it's likely to be spot-on.
I don't trust stick gauges - I trust dial gauges or digital. And mine all match.
I can measure the tires on my Jeep, and my wife's Jeep, and all of the readings will be within a psi or so and considering rounding of digital displays and the parallax of dial gauges, that's damned good.

 

[Rusty PW]

Mine have been close. 1 psi in either direction with my gauges. I never trust a stick gauge. I've seen them be off at least 5 psi.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Mine have been close. 1 psi in either direction with my gauges. I never trust a stick gauge. I've seen them be off at least 5 psi.

I stopped using them years ago. Friction and other factors can really throw them off.

 

[Free2roam]

I have a decent dial gauge. But when I get in it's off and when I get going it must be off as well. I set them off the tpms last week. What's your go to digital gauge then?

 

[Rusty PW]

I have a decent dial gauge. But when I get in it's off and when I get going it must be off as well. I set them off the tpms last week. What's your go to digital gauge then?

I got my gauges from the power plant that I worked at. Had them calibrated. All gauges at the plant had to be calibrated. So I got a couple of them.

 

[Sweetums]

Depends on the gauge. One of those plastic stick things? I'd trust TPMS.

If it's my calibrated liquid silicone filled gauge for motorcycle racing? I'm trusting that over the sensor.

 

[Mad Mac]

Help me out here.
Which gauges, specifically
by make and model
are consistently accurate
at an affordable price point,
easy to use and read,
and represent a good value?

 

[HooliganActual]

Help me out here.
Which gauges, specifically
by make and model
are consistently accurate
at an affordable price point,
easy to use and read,
and represent a good value?

Obviously there are a lot options but here's the reality; if it hasn't been calibrated to NIST standards then it isn't calibrated and isn't technically reliable.

Even the highest quality, best gauge that has been properly calibrated can be "knocked out" of calibration by even the slightest tap or jarring motion (such as bouncing around in the back of the jeep).

I spent years in the nuclear power industry using gauges, torque wrenches, pyrometers, etc. that all had to be appropriately calibrated on an annual basis (typically) and what my personal experience is...even the ones that failed calibration weren't off by large margins, maybe +/- 5%. That's too much deviation for a nuclear plant but not the end of the world for your tires. We had a saying "it's directionally correct and precisely wrong."

As others have already said, the stick gauges are probably the least reliable, next would be a non-liquid filled gauge and best would typically be a liquid filled gauge (the liquid fill helps to dampen vibrations and pressure pulses).

If you buy it brand new and it doesn't specifically say that it was calibrated to NIST standards, then you really have to assume that it is not calibrated. We never placed a new gauge into service until it was first formally calibrated by our calibration team.

Honestly, close enough should be good enough for your tires. Any gauge you buy will be directionally correct and precisely wrong. I want my gauge to tell me that the tire pressure is 35# and not 5#. I'm less interested in knowing that it is 35 vs 36.

Food for thought...

 

[IPRoutes]

I have two different brands tire pressure gauges that show the same reading. I use those two as a standard. TPMS matches the mechanical gauges within 1 psi. On mechanical gauge you can see fraction of a psi whereas TPMS I guess rounds it off to the closest integer (I assume).

 

[Lost1wing]

tpms is pretty reliable. You have 4 independent sensors. If one doesn't match the others, then it's time to check with a backup. In my opinion, it's even better, because if your digital, dial gage or stick is off, all of your tire pressures are off. I use a digital gage to verify each wheel at rotation oil change and when the temperature suddenly drops. Comparing is the best option.

 

[Lunentucker]

Help me out here.
Which gauges, specifically
by make and model
are consistently accurate
at an affordable price point,
easy to use and read,
and represent a good value?

I always take these things with some skepticism, but...

https://www.motor1.com/products-services/auto-products/tire-pressure-gauge/

 

[Chunky White]

I have an analog gauge that I have used for 20 years or so. I have seldom had a vehicle that the TPMS was the same as it and I use it to set all of the tires the same and have double checked it using the tire pump I have that has a gauge. So either all TPMS sensors are off or two analog gauges which read the same pressure are off. I don't really worry about it and my front tires on the JTR always show 1 lb more than the rear on TPMS

 

[Free2roam]

I always take these things with some skepticism, but...

https://www.motor1.com/products-services/auto-products/tire-pressure-gauge/

Looks legit and then I saw Amazon ratings. Thoughts on those ratings are for me anyways not so accurate. I have also looked at different types of companies who test things. Just looking at Milton gauges which say they are ANSI certified. Any thoughts. Seems like the Jaco ElitePro Tire Pressure Gauge gets all the thumbs up. But makes me wonder who they paid to get that?
Edit:
Milton has been around forever. Doesn't mean that they have a better mousetrap. But I would think that they must be doing something right.

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