RE: Tire Pressure Gauges

[Joel Bossard <jbossard@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dave,
	Actually a pretty good question.  I suspect lots of folks skip over these
basics, go to the 'heavy' stuff, like extensive car mods, and wonder why
they struggle so much.

	I've had a bunch of pressure gauges, the most reliable and
confidence-inspiring, are the mechanical dial-face gauge with a
bourdon-tube movement.
These gauges have a bit of a "twang" vibration when they reach their reading.

Accu-gage(sp?) is one of these, available at lots of discount autoparts
stores.  Lots better that a pencil gauge, you can easily see 1/4 pound
changes on a 0-60 gauge.
A bleeder valve, rubber bumper, and flex hose are good options.  Maybe $25.

	But your BMW deserves the best, right?  The best is a racer-quality
*calibrated* gauge.  There are several brands/sources, but getting a
calibrated gauge is definitly a step up.  Unless you drop it, loose it or
drive over it, it will last for a long, long time.
	I got mine from Dulles International Motorsport here in Va., they do
mail-order as well... WWW.DULLESMOTORSPORT.COM, : (888) 547-3070. It is
made by Auto-Pro and has ALL the above features, about $40.   Dave Ocel is
the guy to speak to.

Good luck, enjoy your BMW.
- - Joel


>Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 11:52:25 -0500
>From: "Kim and Dave Grennek" <grennek@domain.elided>
>Subject: Tire Pressure Gauges
>
>Dear fellow Bimmerphiles,
>
>	I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I've been using a cheap-o 
>pencil type tire pressure gauge for the last few years.  Can't 
>remember where I bought it, but I think I paid less than $5 (US) for 
>it.  Anyway, I've finally decided to buy something that will be 
>considerably more reliable and accurate (without spending a 
>fortune).  Some Yahoo searching shows that there are an awful lot 
>of companies selling tire pressure gauges.  Some manufacturers 
>that I came across are - Rebco, Longacre, Abmex, Pressure Inc., 
>MSI (Accutire), K&D Enterprises (Slickrock), etc.  Of course, the 
>prices vary considerably as well - anywhere from about $15 to over 
>$200.  Options abound as well - digital readouts, readings memory 
>storage, extension hoses, bleed-off valves, integral Schraeder 
>stems, and the list goes on.  And, of course, many places sell them -
> Griot's Garage, Imparts, BMP, Bavarian, etc.  The bottom line is 
>this - everyone (or nearly everyone) that owns a car also owns a tire 
>gauge.  So, my question is simply - do you have a favorite tire 
>gauge (brand, type, price, etc.) and why?  If folks are interested, 
>feel free to e-mail me directly and I'll be happy to post a summary of 
>this very informal survey on the digest.  Thanks and happy motoring. 
>
>
>						Dave
>						BMW CCA #95506
>

Joel Bossard
1998 M3/4 (Silver)
Warrenton, Va.
   "The information in this E-mail is worth just about what you paid for it"

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