tire gauge - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

msethk · #1 02-26-2003, 11:42 AM

I've been looking for a new tire gauuge to put in my c280. I have looked at the digital gauges from MB and am not too impressed. Which gauge will be more accurate... digital or needle ? Does anyone know where I can find a good quality needle gauge with a pouch or hard case with a mercedes emblem on it? without an emblem on it?

thanks

cbdo · #2 02-26-2003, 05:10 PM

It's not MB-identified, but I picked up a digital gauge from Brookstone that I like. The readout's lit so you can see it easily day or night, it reads to tenths of a pound, and it seats very easily on the valve.
Had some leftover vinyl from an unrelated project, and I sewed a roll/pouch for the two top handles and the tire gauge. Ties into a compact bundle, sits in the glovebox and doesn't rattle around.

#3 02-26-2003, 05:54 PM

the digital readout is "probably" more accurate PROVIDING that it is properly calibrated. i looked at several at NTB recently, and was very impressed by the accuracy they quoted. i think it was on the order of 0.2 psi. IF that is true, that is fantastic!

i prefer to use an older dial type with the "bleedoff" feature. i air-up all tires to approx 40 psi at nearby gas station, and then bleed down to the desired pressure the next morning.

it IS important that if you use a dial or pencil type guage, to get one that has a smaller usable scale. a pencil that reads to 120 psi is NOT a good scale for auto use. the dial type i use is 0-60 psi which puts 30 psi dead in the middle of its scale.

im sure that tirerack.com (wheels and tires forum sponsor) has several that are of high quality.

hope that helps. - benton

ddb · #4 02-26-2003, 06:22 PM

I tried a few different digital gauges some years ago and wasn't impressed at all. I've been using a round analog ACCU-GAGE with flexible hose and bleed-off valve for many years, and am very happy with it. I see them all the time in auto part stores. I hope the didital gauges are better these days. I'm willing to give one a try again, but I will always keep an analog around for a backup. No batteries! Has anyone tried a digital that is backlit? I like to adjust my tire pressure at night.

ddb

cbdo · #5 02-26-2003, 07:40 PM

The Brookstone uses LED readouts, which are eminently visible at night. I haven't calibrated it against a lab standard, but at least found consistent readouts in use. I can't recall whether the head is plastic or metal, but I did find the angle and diameter convenient, and the gauge seated easily and quickly to form a good seal with minimal loss of air; I actually like it better than most of the pencil gauges I've used, which seem to be a little fussier about seating on the valve. I was able to use it to bleed the tires down from their winter-storage 50 pounds to the 35 I wanted for driving a bit on a good day, and found that easy also, except that used for bleeding it let me release air only rather slowly. To adjust precisely it's excellent; to get that 15 pounds of air out, I used a screwdriver!

No direct interest--I just like it the best of anything I've used so far.

blackmercedes · #6 02-26-2003, 09:43 PM

One of the car mags did a huge test a year or so ago, and found the Accutire digital gauge accurate to 0.1psi. All the digitals were more accurate than the dial gauges.

I'm a convert, and use the AccuTire. Superb product. Cheap, easy to use, and reliable.

#7 02-27-2003, 08:49 AM

For Christmas of 2001, one of my daughters bought me a guage which has a digital readout, but also says the pressure (in 1/2 psi increments) aloud in a nice computer phone exchange style female voice when I take the gauge off the valve stem. It's quite accurate, but eats batteries like crazy if I use it for my every-weekend check of the tires on all 5 of the cars in our driveway.

And I keep waiting in vain to hear it say, "Oh, that's nice and hard!"