How to test tyre pressure without spending money

Riva10

Quote:
Originally Posted by grogi View Post
Those small gauges can have variance of 75% - one might show 25 PSI and another one 45 PSI. "Calibrate" yours with reliable source...
You gonna back that up?

And of course the forecourt guage is 100% accurate

GarIT

biketard wrote: »

Correct PSI is written on a sticker in your driver door frame.

It was actually on the back of the fuel flap and in German. It gives two sets of pressure, one has 3 stick people and a suitcase and says 33/30 and one with 5 stick people and 3 suitcases which says 36/36, so I went with 33/30 and if I'm going on any road trips with a full car I'll up it.

JimmyMcGill

Saw a Yaris being driven by a middle aged woman being topped up on a local digital compressor at 29 psi 2 days ago. BMW 520d 151 pulls in after her and tops all his up to 29 psi too.
The drama and suspense waiting for him to up the psi on the screen, will he won't he? , on each of the 4 tyres meant I had eaten my roll without even tasting it by the time he pulled out. They were at least 17s. Would runflats take less air pressure?

heroics

They have all started charging 1 Euro around my place as well. Looks like they are rolling them out to all the topaz stations as they replaced the old compressor in both the local ones near me.

yabadabado

How much for a compressor for home use or is there decent ones available that won't take an age to pump all 4 tyres?

H3llR4iser

I seriously don't see why it's a problem to pay 1€ to use a service, especially if we're talking about the automated digital machines Topaz has. They're a friggin' godsend - put the 1€ (last time I checked, however, they even started with 50c), set the desired pressure, plug in the valve and let the machine to the work. A million miles better than the old "align the two lines" analog meters, which would be hard to read in darkness, worn out, discoloured and often plain broken (press the trigger 20 times, you would get 20 different pressure readings).

The only thing I could understand is when you get there and realize you have no change.

For the quick checks I have a digital meter in the glovebox, paid less than a tenner in Halfords. Its readings are always within 0.05 of the big machines, so...

heroics

i had a flat tyre last week. Run flats so was grand drove to topaz paid euro. Set pressure and machine detected 3psi and then wouldn’t inflate the tyre. (Garage couldn’t get it working so just returned my €) Same with one in the maxol eventually got one of them to work in the 3rd garage it took just as long as the one I bought in Halfords.

Test fill 1 psi test. It was painful and that was after pressing the flat tyre mode.

phill106

H3llR4iser wrote: »

I seriously don't see why it's a problem to pay 1€ to use a service, especially if we're talking about the automated digital machines Topaz has. They're a friggin' godsend - put the 1€ (last time I checked, however, they even started with 50c), set the desired pressure, plug in the valve and let the machine to the work. A million miles better than the old "align the two lines" analog meters, which would be hard to read in darkness, worn out, discoloured and often plain broken (press the trigger 20 times, you would get 20 different pressure readings).

The only thing I could understand is when you get there and realize you have no change.

For the quick checks I have a digital meter in the glovebox, paid less than a tenner in Halfords. Its readings are always within 0.05 of the big machines, so...

Just annoying, petrol stations for years always provided it for free, having to pay for it is just us subsidizing the already large profits of petrol stations. Just another way to move the cost from the store to the motorist.

ED E

CiniO wrote: »

Shame that petrol stations charge for using air compressor. It was for free for years around me, and they started charging a euro recently.

I actually honestly miss petrol stations from Poland, which mostly are opened 24/7, where air is for free, toilets are clean, petrol/diesel pumps nozzles have locks so I don't need to hold the nozzle button while filling up, and buckets with screenwash water and brushes are widely available for free to clean your windows/lights/number plates

Yeah, the garages are grand but the roads are insane :pac: (from experience)

yabadabado

phill106 wrote: »

Just annoying, petrol stations for years always provided it for free, having to pay for it is just us subsidizing the already large profits of petrol stations. Just another way to move the cost from the store to the motorist.

It is a business after all. I don't like paying it but I can understand why a lot of places charge.

Can always go elsewhere.

CiniO

ED E wrote: »

Yeah, the garages are grand but the roads are insane :pac: (from experience)

What do you mean by insane?

Isambard

Most places gave free air back in the day when they had a workshop, those days are gone and maintaining the compressor at a petrol only station has a maintenance cost attached.

worded

Is there a guide for how often to check tyre pressure ?

Every X amount of KMs or Y amount of time, which ever is sooner ?

worded

How to calibrate your stick :-)

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1006810

See comments

Go to a petrol station. Put 50p in the air machine and set it to 28psi. When it beeps to say the tyre is at 28psi, you can be 100% sure that the tyre is not at 28psi. If your gauge of choice reads 28psi, it's wrong.

Effects

Riskymove wrote: »

both my local applegreen garages have free air

My local Applegreen charges a euro for the past six months.

Max Headroom

Dont know about you lot but my local Topaz has a euro machine, but they should charge the fokkers a euro for parking at the machine while they do their lotto....:rolleyes:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

worded wrote: »

How to calibrate your stick :-)

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1006810

See comments

Go to a petrol station. Put 50p in the air machine and set it to 28psi. When it beeps to say the tyre is at 28psi, you can be 100% sure that the tyre is not at 28psi. If your gauge of choice reads 28psi, it's wrong.

That helps enormously.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Still free in my local applegreen.

How accurate are the sensors in the car itself, that show tyre pressure?

cycle4fun

worded wrote: »

Is there a guide for how often to check tyre pressure ?

Every X amount of KMs or Y amount of time, which ever is sooner ?

For "average" motoring I remember reading somewhere once it was supposed to be checked once per week.

Mycroft H

Been in Manchester for near 2 years and I don't know of anywhere that doesn't charge for the air compressor.

soups05

At one point almost every local place in Dundalk was charging for air, they got so much abuse that its all free now

you know what to do op

biko

Fecking Top on Ryan road have started charging for air, a euro
I drove away in anger, to Apple green 2 mins away.

worded

biko wrote: »

Fecking Top on Ryan road have started charging for air, a euro
I drove away in anger, to Apple green 2 mins away.

Most are at this now, perhaps a matter of time beofre all change

Tip for anyone with a bike - any of the euro charging air places will not inflate a bike tyre. I tried three places and all result in the bike tire being deflated !