Best tyre-pressure gauges for your car

By Ané Theron

It's all good going to the petrol station to have your tyre pressure checked, but it's futile if their tyre inflator pressure gauges are not calibrated and you're getting an incorrect read-out. Many of these garage gauges are in bad shape, leaking air from their wall fittings and nozzles because they're not maintained regularly. It's for this reason that any car owner would need a tyre pressure gauge - digital or analogue.

Analogue dials are usually cheaper but the digital ones are a little more specific. We've scoured the net to find some decent but affordable and also slightly more expensive gauges - portable and easy to use, whether you're just taking your family to the coast or tackling the Namib Dunes in your Toyota Hilux.

We also paid a visit to Outdoor Warehouse in Cape Town to see what they had on offer - usually their house brand is well-priced and of good quality.

1. The Trailboss Digital 8-in-1 tyre gauge/deflator/emergency tool also has an auto-shut-off function, seatbelt cutter and LED flashlight/warning light. It has a magnet that allows it to be attached to the car's body. It comes with a strap, and batteries are included. A bargain at R199.

2. This Trailboss tyre gauge/deflator from Outdoor Warehouse costs R199. With a large dial, flexible hose (with dual chuck for all rim and valve types) as well as a protective rubber gauge guard, it should survive the roughest bundu-bashing road-trips.

Then we headed over to www.takealot.com and filtered the results:

3. In the R100-R200 price range, we recommend using the Moto-Quip 4x4 tyre gauge (R165) or the Moto-Quip Heavy Duty Metal tyre pressure gauge (R139).

4. R200-R300: We recommend the Argus Motoring tyre & gauge TYG3 (R250), The Moto-Quip tyre deflator gauge (R245) or the Viair tyre pressure gague (R267).

5. From R400 upwards, there's the Aurgus Motoring Dual Foot tyre gauge at R665, and the Viair 3-in-1 tyre pressure gauge (R429). There are more expensive gauges on site, but we don't think you should blow your entire budget on the Bentley of gauges.

What's the recommended tyre pressure, according to terrain?

Road: 2.2-2.6 bar

Sand: 1.2-1.8

Smooth gravel: 2.2-2.5

Rough gravel: 1.8-2.2

Rocky gravel: 1.5-1.9

Mud: 1.5-1.9