05-30-2014, 05:20 PM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 211
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What tire pressure guages are you using?
Well, finally got my plates renewed for this year and had the tire pressures up to 50 psi during hibernation.
Bleeding pressures bank down to 29 psi/front and 35 psi/rear. A relative gave me a led guage that is a total pain in the a$$ to use and I want to pick up an accurate guage to carry with me.
What are you good folks using? Seems like a pretty basic question I guess...but I'd like the pressures to be spot-on.
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'01 Boxster S (purchased new) triple black, litronics, cruise, heated seats,18's.
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05-30-2014, 06:11 PM
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#2
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I am my own mechanic....
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 3,432
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Digital, Kobalt. (lowes) seems accurate enough. Checked it against some very sensitive gauges.
I swap the factory gauges on air tools with high end Ashcroft gauges.
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'04 Boxster S 50 Jahre 550 Spyder Anniversary Special Edition, 851 of 1953, 6-sp, IMS/RMS, GT Metallic silver, cocoa brown leather SOLD to member Broken Linkage.
'08 VW Touareg T-3 wife's car
'13 F150 Super Crew long bed 4x4 w/ Ego Boost
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05-30-2014, 06:19 PM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Chicago
Posts: 329
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I just go to my local Discount tire and ask for a new one every month(sometimes more, when I stop in for a quick air pressure check) .
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'99 Porsche Boxster 986 - weekend car
'04 BMW 645ci e63 - daily driver
'98 BMW 528i e39 - dog carrier
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05-30-2014, 06:22 PM
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Socal
Posts: 560
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This is the kind of thing I do for a living .
The max I'd pay is around 100 for a longacre or similar , but checked against the tpm in my car the $6 cvs digital one is accurate enough to measure in increments of one pound so that's what resides in the boxster .....
How accurate do you think you need it compared to how accurate do you actually need it are often worlds apart 
Don't over think it .... Spend the money on gas instead !!!
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05-30-2014, 06:57 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 211
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian c
This is the kind of thing I do for a living .
The max I'd pay is around 100 for a longacre or similar , but checked against the tpm in my car the $6 cvs digital one is accurate enough to measure in increments of one pound so that's what resides in the boxster .....
How accurate do you think you need it compared to how accurate do you actually need it are often worlds apart 
Don't over think it .... Spend the money on gas instead !!!
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Ha! That is good advice...I guess with the new Michelin PSS I wanted to be sure I was at the right pressure for the first drive this year. My ocd kicking in again
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'01 Boxster S (purchased new) triple black, litronics, cruise, heated seats,18's.
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05-30-2014, 07:10 PM
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Socal
Posts: 560
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IMHO , paying a few bucks for a fill with inert gas is worth it for cold-hot stability . And 2-3lb below factory specs COLD is a good starting point .
And 20 bucks (or whatever) on an harbor frieght ir thermometer is money well spent .
We use calibrated flukes at work , so obviously I have a free one of them in the garage
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05-30-2014, 07:15 PM
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Miami florida
Posts: 1,591
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I have a pencil gauge and a cheapo dial gauge and they both read within 1psi of each other Close enough for the girls we go with as my high school math teacher would say.
Don't obsess about tenths of psi. Play with tire pressure and get a feel for how changing pressure affects handling. The single easiest, cheapest and probably most change you can make to your suspension set up is by changing tire pressure.
The factory specs for pressure have a huge front tire low pressure bias to induce understeer, 29/36 if I remember correctly.
But understeer is precisely what you don't want for spirited driving. So run equal pressures on all tires, like I do which gives just a bit of oversteer. Or experiment, run 2,4 psi lower in the rears and see how it feels, should induce more oversteer if you like that.
So just use any gauge that gives consistent readings, the actual values don't matter, what matters is how the changes affect handling.
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Current car
2000 Boxster 2.7l red/black
Previous cars
1973 Opel Manta
1969(?) Fiat 850 Convertible
1979 Lancia Beta Coupe
1981 Alfa Romeo GTV 6
1985 Alfa Romeo Graduate
1985 Porsche 944
1989 Porsche 944
1981 Triumph TR7
1989 (?) Alfa Romeo Milano
1993 Saab 9000
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05-30-2014, 07:36 PM
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Posts: 800
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Quote:
Originally Posted by all_mota
I just go to my local Discount tire and ask for a new one every month(sometimes more, when I stop in for a quick air pressure check) .
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+ 1 for free Discount tire gauges. Have one in all 3 cars and they all read the same (which still may not be accurate  ).
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05-30-2014, 07:55 PM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 211
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This is exactly the input/advice I was looking for. Thanks all!
__________________
'01 Boxster S (purchased new) triple black, litronics, cruise, heated seats,18's.
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05-30-2014, 08:23 PM
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#10
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I am my own mechanic....
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 3,432
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian c
IMHO , paying a few bucks for a fill with inert gas is worth it for cold-hot stability . And 2-3lb below factory specs COLD is a good starting point .
And 20 bucks (or whatever) on an harbor frieght ir thermometer is money well spent .
We use calibrated flukes at work , so obviously I have a free one of them in the garage 
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I have a Flir thermal imaging camera. It takes sweet shots of heat. I'll take some tire pics when I'm back on the road.
__________________
'04 Boxster S 50 Jahre 550 Spyder Anniversary Special Edition, 851 of 1953, 6-sp, IMS/RMS, GT Metallic silver, cocoa brown leather SOLD to member Broken Linkage.
'08 VW Touareg T-3 wife's car
'13 F150 Super Crew long bed 4x4 w/ Ego Boost
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05-30-2014, 09:26 PM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Chicago
Posts: 329
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe B
+ 1 for free Discount tire gauges. Have one in all 3 cars and they all read the same (which still may not be accurate  ).
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you'd be surprised how accurate they can be given you replace them every so often. I've worked with tires for the longest(Discount Tire, Goodyear, NTB). We always had fresh TPG's coming in weekly by the bags so i know for a fact they have more than a couple to spare.lol
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'99 Porsche Boxster 986 - weekend car
'04 BMW 645ci e63 - daily driver
'98 BMW 528i e39 - dog carrier
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05-31-2014, 02:30 AM
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Posts: 867
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I've been using an Accu-Gage 60 PSI dial gauge for several years and it's been great: Amazon.com: Accu-gage Tire Pressure Guage - 60 PSI Range Straight Angle: Automotive
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2000 Boxster S, 6 speed, Sport Package, Litronics, LED tail lights, LNE IMS-B, OBC, Skybreaker wind deflector, Arctic Silver/Graphite Grey
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05-31-2014, 05:55 AM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Posts: 800
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Quote:
Originally Posted by all_mota
you'd be surprised how accurate they can be given you replace them every so often. I've worked with tires for the longest(Discount Tire, Goodyear, NTB). We always had fresh TPG's coming in weekly by the bags so i know for a fact they have more than a couple to spare.lol
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Actually I was kidding. They seem to very accurate. And the price is right  !
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05-31-2014, 06:05 AM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 211
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Found an accu-guage 0-160psi locally for 12.50. Doesn't have the rubber hose feature but I think it will be fine.
A good reason to take the Box out for a run
__________________
'01 Boxster S (purchased new) triple black, litronics, cruise, heated seats,18's.
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05-31-2014, 06:16 AM
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chicago suburbs
Posts: 1,675
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I have this one...works well and is accurate.
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JGM
2002 Boxster S
1973 911 Green FrankenMeanie
PCA DE Instructor circa '95
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05-31-2014, 06:26 AM
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#16
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 211
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Hi jmatta....what brand and psi range is yours? Like the idea of the case.
__________________
'01 Boxster S (purchased new) triple black, litronics, cruise, heated seats,18's.
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05-31-2014, 06:54 AM
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#17
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 2,656
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jmatta
I have this one...works well and is accurate.

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I have the same and it never skipped a beat.
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05-31-2014, 06:58 AM
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#18
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 211
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ekam...do you recall where you bought it?
__________________
'01 Boxster S (purchased new) triple black, litronics, cruise, heated seats,18's.
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05-31-2014, 07:06 AM
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#19
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,733
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I have an Accutire
Amazon.com: Accutire MS-4021B Digital Tire Pressure Gauge: Automotive
When my first one stopped working, the company replaced it without charge.
I also have a gauge built into the tire inflator that I use with my air compressor. Tire Inflator with Gauge The Accutire gauge indicates this reads about 3 psi too low.
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2000 Arctic Silver/Black, Hard Top, On Board Computer
PNP Rear Speakers, HAES 6-Channel Amp, Avic Z140BH,
Painted Bumperettes, 2004 (OEM) Top, Homelink integrated in dash with Targa switch, 997 Shifter, Carrera Gauge Cluster with silver gauge faces, heated 997 adaptive sports seats, Litronics, silver console
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05-31-2014, 07:49 AM
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#20
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: It's a kind of magic.....
Posts: 6,539
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“Anything really new is invented only in one’s youth. Later, one becomes more experienced, more famous – and more stupid.” - Albert Einstein
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