A word on tire pressure and tire pressure gauges

Tire pressure

So its that time again. Time when the weather cools and your tire pressure drops, as directed by nature, and you’ll soon see the Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) light. The one that looks too much like a horseshoe.

And mine did as well. So off I went to the gas station to use a pump very much like the one closest to the right. Remember the one next to it??

Set the pressure, 36 lbs in the case of the EV, inflate the tire and the pump stops and beeps when it reaches the pressure that’s been set. I then check the accuracy of the pump with my pencil type pressure gauge. It read 34 lbs on each tire.

Now the car also reads out the pressures, but only when moving for some reason. So I had to move on before checking. The car read out 34 lbs as well. So now I know to set the pump a couple of pounds higher than what I want the next time I go back. And heaven forbid the tires be overinflated. Over or under — either is potentially dangerous.

Now one might think that powered system like the pump I used might be more accurate, but this is clearly not the case. And while I do recognize that 34 lbs is quite literally close enough, getting to 36 lbs will stave off the next need to fill again as the temperature continues to drop by a few degrees.

And of course, 2 days later its 60° and all 4 tires are at 36 lbs…

Back to the pencil type gauge, which some call a pen type (right), I prefer the simplicity of the mechanical system. There are lots of battery operated gauges available, but the internal battery becomes a variable that can’t be tested for.

Keep it simple and stay with the mechanical gauge and its easy to carry. And do back-up the pump and check what’s actually gone in to your tires.

For more tire pressure, check our TPMS page.

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