4 Best Tire Pressure Gauges
Driving with the right tire pressure is crucial to your car’s safe operation. Underinflated tires can cause excess friction between your tires and the road, which can lead to premature tire wear or even blowouts or tread separation. Overinflated tires result in the tread’s reduced contact with the road, which reduces traction and increases stopping distances.
With the right tire pressure gauge, it’s fairly easy to keep your vehicle’s tires at the right inflation level. Here are our four top picks for gauges.
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AstroAI
Photo: Amazon
The AstroAI digital tire pressure gauge was LifeWire’s Alex Williams’ top overall pick due to its reliable modern design, affordability, and compact size. It measures 4.3 x 7.9 x 1.2 inches and has an ergonomic knuckle-gripped handle to keep your hand comfortable when using it. It even shuts off automatically after 30-40 seconds to conserve battery power. With a one-year warranty and included batteries, this gauge is well worth the purchase. The silver version costs just $8.99 from Amazon, as of February 2020.
TEKTON 5941
Photo: Amazon
The TEKTON Instant Read Digital Tire Gauge ranked No. 1 for The Drive’s Review Team out of all the tire gauges they tested. It has a lighted nozzle and LCD digital display, which makes it easy to read even in dimly-lit conditions. It has a two-year battery life so you won’t have to replace the batteries until after 24 months of use. At the time of writing, it’s just $10 from Amazon.
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MICHELIN 12290
Photo: Amazon
If you want a more concise and portable product, Lifewire recommends the MICHELIN 12290 Digital Tire Pressure Gauge. It has a built-in flashlight so you can see the display in the dark and has a clip so you can attach it to your key ring for convenience. It has a range of 5-99 PSI with a 0.5 PSI resolution and can display results in Bar, kPa, and kg/cm^2 as well as PSI. It’s available from Amazon for just $15 at the time of writing.
TireMinder TMG-AAA
Photo: Amazon
Need a gauge that has an excellent warranty? Go with the TireMinder TMG-AAA High Precision Digital Truck and RV Gauge, recommended by Lifewire. It has a five-year warranty so you can have more peace of mind in case it happens to malfunction within the early years of ownership. AAA batteries come with it, so you can start using it right away. It also includes two interchangeable heads (a straight one and a 45-degree-angle one) to accommodate different sizes and types of tires. Bonus: it has the ability to measure from 10-150 PSI with a deviation of one PSI for precise readings. At the time of writing, it’s available from Amazon for $44.98.
Whitney Russell resides in Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not crafting car-related content, she can be found chasing after the most amazing toddler in the world, watching her “beaver” of a husband build amazing woodworking projects, hanging out with two crazy dogs, and visiting family and friends. She also enjoys traveling, crafting, and binge-watching period dramas when time allows. See more articles by Whitney.