Tyre pressure check woes - just poor skills? Gauge suggestion

[kevenh]

I managed to check tyres pressures on my Boxer based MH OK the other week.
At the time I didn't know what the right pressure was but from the readings it looked like ~57psi rears 55psi fronts.
Before a day trip yesterday I tracked down the Coachbuild's label that had the actual desired PSI.
58PSI front and rear.

TL;DR My press on digital meter lets out too much pressure if the fit is not perfect.
On 30PSI car tyres if the fit isn't perfect ~2PSI might escape but on my MH often over 5 would surge out
Worse my double barrel RAC footpump started to play up!!

Q: Are there any good screw on tyre pressure gauges?

I have a screw on air suspension pressure gauge for 20 - 500psi readings but that might fail with the higher volume of a Van tyre :?

 

[David and Sally]

The gauge messures pressure not the volume in the tyre. It should work just fine.

 

[Vic. Parsons.]

The pressure is being measured, not the volume.
Your screw on gauge should be fine.

Beat me to it

 

[kevenh]

tnx.
I'll try my shock/suspension gauge. It's scale is going to be accurate for the range of the MH

 

[kevenh]

and, also from my cycling hobby, I've a bicycle track pump that I read here that people use for adjusting van tyre pressures
That's a zero cost upgrade for my MH then as I've already got the screw on tyre pressure gauge & the track pump to adjust +/- a few PSI

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[autorouter]

TL;DR My press on digital meter lets out too much pressure if the fit is not perfect.
On 30PSI car tyres if the fit isn't perfect ~2PSI might escape but on my MH often over 5 would surge out
Worse my double barrel RAC footpump started to play up!!

Q: Are there any good screw on tyre pressure gauges?

The screw-on ones are not much better. The screw-on connection to my 12v Ring compressor lets out so much air as I unscrew it that I fill it 5psi high, then drop it down when I check with my push-on gauge.

 

[peterc10]

I have an instanteous push on one. Press it on for a second and then take it off. It reads the pressure and holds the needle at that pressure when it is off. Once you have looked at the pressure you press a little knob on the side and the guge re-zeroes. Works well and does not lose any pressure.

Can't remember the maker's name but it a well known one for tools, and am nowhere near the motorhome at the moment so can't check.

 

[HandyAndy]

Screw on ones are even worse than clip on ones that squeeze a bit of rubber to hold it in place. You are better off with an instant on off (push and hold) type of lance. PCL ones seem to be the best and more accurate than anything else I've found.

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[Bobd]

I have an instanteous push on one. Press it on for a second and then take it off. It reads the pressure and holds the needle at that pressure when it is off. Once you have looked at the pressure you press a little knob on the side and the guge re-zeroes. Works well and does not lose any pressure.

Can't remember the maker's name but it a well known one for tools, and am nowhere near the motorhome at the moment so can't check.

I use the same design, and mine is made by Draper.
They are not expensive and agrees with the readout on my tyre pal. I was using a digital pressure gauge but after installing the tyre pal I found that it had been giving me a false reading.
The Draper works accurately

 

[peterc10]

I use the same design, and mine is made by Draper.
They are not expensive and agrees with the readout on my tyre pal. I was using a digital pressure gauge but after installing the tyre pal I found that it had been giving me a false reading.
The Draper works accurately

Draper, that's the name I had forgotten

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[kevenh]

All good feedback & eventually will sort me out.

The screw on pressure gauge I mentioned is actually part of my MTB shock pump.
The valve attachment and usage has two steps: 1st I screw on the pump's valve attachment and then 2nd; when that's secure I screw in a central pin part that opens the valve for pressure checks/pumping.
For the intended usage, worst case; when I've got the shock to ~250psi and I am reversing the fitting steps is a quick "pfft" when I remove the central pin to secure the valve.

I'll update here how my MTB bits cope with a Motorhome tyre...

 

[HandyAndy]

A quick pffft from a tiny cylinder like an MTB shock is quite a volume of the shocks total, however even a pssssssssssssssssssst from a chuffing great 215/75/16 MH tyre is a relatively tiny amount in comparison.

 

[HandyAndy]

I use the same design, and mine is made by Draper.
They are not expensive and agrees with the readout on my tyre pal. I was using a digital pressure gauge but after installing the tyre pal I found that it had been giving me a false reading.
The Draper works accurately

Yep I think my garage one is Draper and it comes with a calibration certificate, that one nearly always matches my tyre machine certified one. ??
Slightly more money but not by a lot.

 

[Vipar]

A pound either way ain’t gonna make any difference my Boxer has the tyre pressures on the near side door jam. 59 psi front 65 psi rear

 

[Misterg]

The screw on pressure gauge I mentioned is actually part of my MTB shock pump.

I doubt that it would be very accurate for tyre pressures as it would only be reading ~1/4 scale (and if it's like mine, the scale is tiny anyway).

I use a push-on Draper one like this for the van tyres:

Amazon product ASIN B0002GV286
And it works well - just need to be very positive when pressing it onto the valve.

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[kevenh]

The shock pump as a screw on MH tyre pressure gauge was fairly successful.
As warned above my ~60psi is near the start of the scale graticule but the fitting & removal was almost fully lossless.

My track pump as a way to adjust tyre pressure by +/- 5psi is a none starter though.
With the wheel trim fitted my track pump’s fat valve adapter won’t fit.

So the area I’ll improve 1st is the pump.

 

[peterc10]

I doubt that it would be very accurate for tyre pressures as it would only be reading ~1/4 scale (and if it's like mine, the scale is tiny anyway).

I use a push-on Draper one like this for the van tyres:

Amazon product ASIN B0002GV286
And it works well - just need to be very positive when pressing it onto the valve.

That is the one I was referring to, but whose maker's name I had forgotten.

 

[pappajohn]

The screw-on ones are not much better. The screw-on connection to my 12v Ring compressor lets out so much air as I unscrew it that I fill it 5psi high, then drop it down when I check with my push-on gauge.

That's easily sorted.
Push and hold the connector on while you unscrew the collar until resistance is felt, then pull the connector back and continue to unscrew the collar.
It should unscrew far enough to fully release the depressed valve core when you pull back.

 

[kevenh]

I’m hoping a Ring RAC900 from amazon @ £72 will cure both issues
But can do the over-inflate & digital gauge adjust trick ?
Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[Ingwe]

I use one of these from Halfords. It's instantaneous and the pressure is readable for a few seconds after you take it off the tyre.
£9.99.

Car Breakdown Kits - Tyre Repair and More | Halfords UK

Breaking down can be a pain, but we’ve got the tools to get you back on the road. Shop breakdown kits with click & collect or free UK home delivery.

www.halfords.com

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[Scotch mist]

I’ve bought 3 of these , all read the same pressure & seem to be accurate