What do you trust more? TPMS or tire gauge?

[HooliganActual]

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.

Ultimately the gauge may be well built and accurate, but that doesn't mean that at any given time it is reading the accurate pressure in the tire...unless it is regularly calibrated. Buy a good gauge, like the Milton, and take care of it by storing it in something that will minimize jarring shocks to it. But realize that a week, a month, a year down the road it is likely no longer "accurate". It may be close; real close...but not truly accurate.

Here's the key thing: even if it is off by 1#, it is off by 1# when reading all tires. It will be consistent from tire to tire (and that's what's really important) but it will likely deviate from the TPMS sensors by some margin, and the gauge I use by some margin, and the gauge they use at your Jeep dealership, and the gauge that they use at the Discount Tire down the street, and the gauge that they use at the Discount Tire on the other side of town, and the gauge at the air pump at the local gas station, etc.

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[Free2roam]

Ultimately the gauge may be well built and accurate, but that doesn't mean that at any given time it is reading the accurate pressure in the tire...unless it is regularly calibrated. Buy a good gauge, like the Milton, and take care of it by storing it in something that will minimize jarring shocks to it. But realize that a week, a month, a year down the road it is likely no longer "accurate". It may be close; real close...but not truly accurate.

Here's the key thing: even if it is off by 1#, it is off by 1# when reading all tires. It will be consistent from tire to tire (and that's what's really important) but it will likely deviate from the TPMS sensors by some margin, and the gauge I use by some margin, and the gauge they use at your Jeep dealership, and the gauge that the use at the Discount Tire down the street, and the gauge that they use at the Discount Tire on the other side of town, etc.

So digital has less moving parts. Than and analog one with a dial. Does it stand to reason that a digital should be more accurate in the long run taken care of properly?

 

[HooliganActual]

So digital has less moving parts. Than and analog one with a dial. Does it stand to reason that a digital should be more accurate in the long run taken care of properly?

The "common wisdom" out there is that digital gauges can stay calibrated more reliably than analog. But again, there is no absolute here unless you intend to regularly calibrate it. Remember, that if your gauge is off by 1# on a tire that it really means nothing. I'll guarantee that your fuel gauge is way less accurate than the Milton gauge and you trust it to tell you you're at 1/4 tank and not actually at 1/8.

 

[willys 41]

JACO ElitePro Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
readings up to 100 PSI w/ precise readout resolution of 0.10 PSI
Best tire gauge on the planet. I own 3 of these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VV78RZ1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also carry a mechanical gauge as a back up

 

[SargeDiesel]

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.

Yeah, one good drop and they are typically useless after that.

I use several, but I really like my digital JACO, it matches my mechanical JACO.

What I find helpful is .. when I know I will only ever need to measure 30-40psi (unless aired down) It more precise to use a 0 - 60 psi gauge rather than a 0 - 100 ... or so.

 

[SargeDiesel]

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?

JACO

 

[GFA2]

Hi all, my 2022 gladiator tire pressure when new was so high it was hard to drive, so after trying many different pressures along with tire temp. I’ve found that tire pressure goes up between 3 and 4 psi when tires get hot. So I’ve found that 37-38 psi is a good drivable pressure. I drove it on the highway until each tire pressure stopped climbing and pulled over and adjusted them to 37 psi using a digital tire gauge. Now when they are cold they are 35 psi and all max out at 37 psi. This seems to be the best so far.

 

[Free2roam]

So my wife bought me this little air compressor for Christmas last year. Never used it. Plugged it into my DC outlet on Jeep and set pressure to 36. My gauge reads 38 so I'm in the process of getting a Milton digital gauge. See what the TPMS reads when I get going today.
Edit:
Super helpful company. Ordered directly from them. No shipping and no taxes. And less than Amazon!

 

[Rusty PW]

99% of gauges are most accurate in the middle of the scale. Less accurate reading on the ends. If you have a 0 to 100 psi gauge. The reading around 50 is the most accurate. Readings near zero and near 100 are Less accurate. So it's best to buy a gauge with the middle of the scale near your running psi. If you run 25 psi. Buy a gauge that maxes at 50. If you run 50. Buy a 100 psi gauge.

 

[Alan SOBX]

My TPMS has been spot on so I stopped using the gauges. I compared them both for a while and they were mostly spot on but always good enough.

 

[Blade1668]

Beating the dead horse here, I'm with almost everyone else. No stick air gauges, dial type or digital, oil filled "shock proof" better. TPS in my JT is almost the same as the guages I have. IMHO: the stick out guage is best placed in trash. Don't trust one's on air compressor until verification with other separate one of know consistency and quality. The guage on one of my compressors is off, but I know it is, so a separate one is used.

 

[SargeDiesel]

99% of gauges are most accurate in the middle of the scale. Less accurate reading on the ends. If you have a 0 to 100 psi gauge. The reading around 50 is the most accurate. Readings near zero and near 100 are Less accurate. So it's best to buy a gauge with the middle of the scale near your running psi. If you run 25 psi. Buy a gauge that maxes at 50. If you run 50. Buy a 100 psi gauge.

Thas basically what I said in post #20. I run low 30's so the 0-60 works well for me.

 

[SargeDiesel]

Beating the dead horse here, I'm with almost everyone else. No stick air gauges, dial type or digital, oil filled "shock proof" better. TPS in my JT is almost the same as the guages I have. IMHO: the stick out guage is best placed in trash. Don't trust one's on air compressor until verification with other separate one of know consistency and quality. The guage on one of my compressors is off, but I know it is, so a separate one is used.

Agreed
The only "stick" type thats ever worked for me is one I got from a buddies old school gas station... it's brass.
My JACO gauges work great and they match my TPMS.

 

[kb5zcr]

I have an old school Milton stick guage that I bought because it reminded me of the one I used as a young man working at a full service gas station. Pretty expensive at the time but seems to work fine but its not been calibrated.

I've also bought the below Jaco dial gauge to keep in the jeep, I liked it so much I've bought quite a few of them as Christmas gifts for family and friends.

Looks like a quality piece and keeps the pressure reading until you press a button to release pressure. Very cool gauge.
I don't want a gauge that takes a battery.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010A6B6KG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Blade1668]

Agreed
The only "stick" type thats ever worked for me is one I got from a buddies old school gas station... it's brass.
My JACO gauges work great and they match my TPMS.

Well, I will give that quality brands of chromed brass of days past are okay. But few available for reasonable cost now, in The Army I had good ones as BII. But definitely not what most people would spend the $$$ for vs being able to spend $3-5 for, or $10-15 for oil filled dial guage. Especially after I've had a few lifted from my Jeeps.

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