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jerichorick · 04-08-2017, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harleyjt

I hear you, but who's to say the new gauge is 100% spot on? It may be a pound off itself. It could be the EEZ is actually MORE accurate than either gauge. Jmho.

jt

Yup, jt, it is a bit of a crap shoot. I bought what Consumer Report recommended after their lab tested several and printed the results. One of the tests was a drop test of 3', if I recall correctly. The gauge I bought survived it and still read accurately. The one I had did not. The spec on the new gauge is +/- 0.5psi. That is close enough in my book.

A bit too much air is better than too little. Everything I have read about tire failure; the main reason is low tire pressure over time. Under load, the tire flexes more and builds up more heat quicker. If too low the tire will self destruct from the inside out. So, too much air but withing the tire max spec is not a bad thing. This is the cold psi reading of course. As the correctly filled tire goes to work the pressure will go up. The key indicator of a pending problem is when one tire gets way outside, high or low, of what the rest of the set is reading.

Another question about tire gauges is when do you buy a new one? We have no known test facility in most of our locations. So, how do we decide? With a car tire most of us never seemed to be concerned about frequent tire checking. With a big rig we need to be. The consequences of neglect in this area can be disastrous and not just inconvenient in most cases. I guess with the TPMS in place, if one is aware of the margin of error between the readings with a known good gauge, than when that margin grows for "normal" it is time to buy a new something. Gauge or sensor.

Great topic and so much a part of why I want the EEZ system in place and working properly.

Happy trails,
Rick Y

ctpres · 04-08-2017, 09:40 AM

Just read an interesting story about tire gauges. In summary - quality decending digital, dial and last pencil. Buy TWO quality gauges and call one master. Read one tire with both gauges and mark + or - difference on the master. Put master away in safe dry and protected storage. Use other for daily checks - occasionally double checking one tire with both gauges for any difference from what was recorded. Full story here - good read.RV Tire Safety: What is a good tire gauge?

jerichorick · 04-08-2017, 10:25 AM

With the new tire gauge I read about a 1psi difference among the tires. This was about 8:30 this morning. The left outside duel (mis-marked #5) was in full sun and the inner tire was indicating hotter than the outer. The sensors were reversed. When I pulled them to correct the error the display went into alarm. The warning was very clear. It was locked on the failed tire. I am not certain if I could hear the alarm when under way. I have problems hearing certain frequencies. When I reinstalled the sensors in the correct positions I still had the alarm but the psi and temp were reading. By manually scanning through the tires the alarm reset.

With this first test results, I checked the monitor. It was reading 1psi low for all but one of the tires. That one was reading 2psi lower than the gauge reading.

Now (10:50) I am reading 1.5 to 2 psi lower on the monitor than the gauge. The document for the tire gauge says the accuracy is 1% + 0.5 PSI. The EEZ "standard" sensor has a +/- 0.5% accuracy. The manual does not have this spec for my flow through sensors. (The EEZ manual is very easy to read and full of good information.) In any case, I can add 2 psi to my tire fill spec and not be concerned.

I think I really became aware of the problem of getting the correct pressure reading of the tires when I had the Michelin's. My coach has a 110 psi requirement for all the tires. The old tires were maxed out at this setting. So, with the new tires rated to 120 psi I have no worries exceeding the load design of the tire and the added 2 psi (112 psi charge) will simply strengthen the tires and bring the EEZ monitor to about 110 psi readings cold.

My temp range from the EEZ was from a low of 68* in the shade to a high of 95* in the sun at the 10:50 AM readings. Much as I expected. Running on the road, this may not be as wide a spread. But it is not the grater factor. The PSI spread is. When one tire is way out of sync with the others it is time to get off the road and look see what's up.

Happy trails,
Rick Y