Are garage tyre pressure machines correct?

Five_Star

Five_Star

Five_Star

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Doing some trips over the new year with a car full of people and a full boot so I thought I’d check and inflate the tyres on the ST. Went to local fuel station and the machine said all the tyres were well down.

The ST is 33psi front, 30psi rear (strangely thats the same for people and a 5 people according to the spec sheet, another question)

I checked my pressures with a pen style device where the measure extends to show the pressure in the tyre. My readings at home in the morning after the car sat all night were spot on 33 front and 30 rear.

Drove round the corner to the garage and the machine said 28 front, 26 rear!

Which is right?
 
likely your own gauge is accurate, fuel station gauges get very abused and are rarely calibrated.
 
Dr Who said:
likely your own gauge is accurate, fuel station gauges get very abused and are rarely calibrated.
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In the garage I worked in the machine was serviced monthly.

It depends on the machine too, the ones with the digital display in the base are more accurate than the old ones with the guage in the handle.

I'd be leaning towards your own guage being innacurate, if its a cheap one and the garage machine is relatively new
 
In mine and can certainly feel a difference in the ride when the front pressures are below 30...(its basically more comfortable :p as the suspension isnt transmitting everything back to my butt)

So thats when I normally head down to the garage, (local sainsburys with a modern digital machine) to top them up, they are usually around 28 when I catch them low, with is roughly every 3-4 weeks.
 
Are people actually suggesting that the Tyre pressure gauges at petrol stations are anything other than horribly, horribly inaccurate!?
 
Joshy said:
Are people actually suggesting that the Tyre pressure gauges at petrol stations are anything other than horribly, horribly inaccurate!?
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Yeah, I facepalmed, true there are some that are accurate, but it's the exception that proves the rule.
 
Also try and set the tyre pressure when the tyres are cold, warm tyres give a higher reading.
 
Five_Star said:
Any recommendation on a decent gauge to check with?
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I bought a Michelin one for a tenner online as it got a good review in a gauge roundup in a car magazine a while back.

It seems to be very good and accurate because my local Texaco which recently got redone has a new digital type pump machine (free too, natch) and I use that whenever the tyres are lower while the gauge itself is a 1st and 3rd opinion when checking.
 
daveydave said:
In mine and can certainly feel a difference in the ride when the front pressures are below 30...(its basically more comfortable :p as the suspension isnt transmitting everything back to my butt)

So thats when I normally head down to the garage, (local sainsburys with a modern digital machine) to top them up, they are usually around 28 when I catch them low, with is roughly every 3-4 weeks.
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I find in my lowly LX the steering difference bettween 30psi and below is huge (30 being much sharper) and fuel economy very different. At 30PSI I'm getting 200 miles for £30, at 28 I get 160 miles!

Found that out thanks to a hugely inaccurate Tesco tyre pump.
 
SoundsGood said:
I find in my lowly LX the steering difference bettween 30psi and below is huge (30 being much sharper) and fuel economy very different. At 30PSI I'm getting 200 miles for £30, at 28 I get 160 miles!

Found that out thanks to a hugely inaccurate Tesco tyre pump.
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What is the recommended pressure though?

20% is a big jump, but if the ride is awful and the grip is carp, why bother? (i'm sure it's fine)

Why not try them at 32 psi? Prius eat your heat out ;)

I get 200 miles from £30 from my 5 and i rarely go below 3k rpm (except when cold) and this is on shortish journeys.
 
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