Tyre Pressures

[Ancient Nerd]

How are you measuring tyre tread depth accurately? I'm think maybe there's a new little gadget I can get.

The first one up in my google search was this one:

For a real choice, google "tyre tread depth gauge". If you want a pretty one, change to an image search, select the one you like the look of (there are some exotica) and it'll put up a link to the site it came from.

Enjoy.

[Cyker]

Yay! Extravagant tyre widget!

I had one that could also measure pressure, but lost it after the first time I used it :(

The thing with tyre pressures is the recommended is just that - Recommended. Just use a bit of common sense and it should be okay:

Don't go too high, don't go too low, and a bit higher is better than a bit lower if you want to err on the side of caution.

The biggest variable is weight; That can change the optimal pressure of the tyre a lot - Up to 10psi in some cars - so that is also an important thing to bear in mind.

[Sagitar]

How are you measuring tyre tread depth accurately? I'm think maybe there's a new little gadget I can get.

You can judge half a millimetre on a standard mechanical tread depth gauge (about £3.50 from Halfords).

You can buy electronic gauges that show tenths and hundredths of mm, but I doubt they are worth spending money on for the average driver. You will see them being used in MOT because the pass/fail limit is 1.6 mm but I would change my tyres well before they got down to that level.

[timberwolf]

I hate ordinary shopping, but I can spend hours search online for gadgets, so yes I would hit the search engines

I was interested in what fellow Toyota owners were using. Oh, and I spent 20 quid on a digital tyre pressure gauge, so who knows what I would spend on a depth gauge! :)

[johalareewi]

I've got one of those in the picture (post 51). Does the job. Also the wear markers on the tyre itself.

[acetip]

hi all

had to take the wife to the doctors this morning,for her 70th annual service.

while waiting i read a copy of the auto express they had there. dated july 2010

there was an article in it that the govement are going to bring in legislation that tyre manufacturers will have supply ratings of their tyres for economy,noise,wet handling,etc.which cannot be a bad thing.

should become law in 2012.

[acetip]

Mine too, maybe the dealers know something we don't??

I believe that one of the problems here is knowing which tyre pressure gauge if any is reading anything close to a true value. I have 3 gauges and they all read differently. I have one gauge that is my "favourite" but I suspect that it reads on the low side.

hi al

i am one again tresssing on your forum

ive always been very fussy over my tyre pressurs,in the 1970 i brought a new single barrel foot pump and wanted to be sure it was accurate so took it to the ( what was called then )weights and measures people at county hall in norwich and i asked them to test it to see how accurate it was.they checked it for me and said about just about spot on althrough the range of the gauge on it.

when having some new tyres fittd at a little tyre firm near me about 10 years latter the man there said he had just had the people in (weights & measures) checking his gauges,so when i got home i checked the tyre pressure on my new tyres against my footpump and once again readings compared ok.

its now 2010 still have the same pump, but its a bit slow,but there so am i.

went to Halfords some years ago and puchased a new double barrel pump it was supposed to be german quality checked by i think its TVD,checked it against my old pump and it was reading 8 lb higher than it should,so took gauge of old pump and fitted it to new pump,i thought promblem solved,no it wasnt, the linkage collapsed after about a year so back to old pump.

6 months ago i once more took m old faithfull pump to county hall to check it out, this time she now reads 2 lb lower than it should be but thats all through the range of the gauge,so i add 2lb to the preeure i am putting in tyres and have stuck a label on the pump to remind me.

by the way having your pump or any other eguipment checked is a free service provided by them.

i cannot remember what the new name of what was weights and measures dept is,but i suggest others should use them for peace of mind.

a BP garage near me has a all singing all dancing tyre preesure/water/vacuum machine that sees pretty accurate which i use to check my space saver spare wheel,that requires 60 psi, it saves my old leg.

hi all

treated my self to a new footpump today.said on the box accurate to +or- 2lb.checked old against pump gauge and it reading 8lb too high.the new pump made by PCL saying they had 70 years experiance in pnumatics. they must be slow learners.this was the most expensive in the shop.

never mind i will swop gauges. just noticed the gauge on the old pump is made by PCL.

well they got one fit for purpose.

[monya]

Checked the pressure for the first time the other week and read 3 bar. Haven't bothered to deflate them but saves me inflating them for a while I suppose.

[acetip]

Checked the pressure for the first time the other week and read 3 bar. Haven't bothered to deflate them but saves me inflating them for a while I suppose.

may not stop you sliding in a ditch.

if your running at 45psi think how smoother your ride would be at the correct press.