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28-12-2011, 08:15 PM | #1 | ||
Awesome
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Hi,
Okay this may seem like a silly question, however I was doing a bit of weekly maintence on our cars and noticed that the tyre pressure guage/pressure meter, has two measurements on it. PSI (pounds per square inch) and KPA. (kilopascals) My question is....why? Is it like imperial and metric? Do different countries use different measurements? I have never heard anyone say..."Yes I put such and such kilopascals in my tyres. So why do they have it? and who would use kilopascals? It just had me curious as to why it is on there. Cheers Col
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28-12-2011, 08:17 PM | #2 | ||
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You got it in one, imperial and metric. Both measurements are usually on the tyre sidewall too.
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28-12-2011, 08:19 PM | #3 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
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28-12-2011, 08:24 PM | #4 | ||
Awesome
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Thanks for that.
So PSI is imperial and KPA is basically metric? I never noticed both were written on the side wall of the tyre, so I have learnt something new today. Cheers Col
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28-12-2011, 08:45 PM | #5 | |||
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28-12-2011, 08:47 PM | #6 | ||
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I use metric for everything, but it seems easier to put 32 psi in my tyres than 220kpa
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28-12-2011, 11:52 PM | #7 | ||
Fixing Ford's **** ups
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I'm fairly confident saying, our Aussie cars have a KPA measurement on the tyre placard, for pressures, rather than the ol' PSI.
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A wheel alignment fixes everything, when it comes to front end issues. This includes any little noises. Please read the manual carefully, as the these manufacturers spent millions of dollars making sure it is perfect.....Now why are there so many problems with my car, when I follow the instructions to the letter?....Answer, majority rules round here Lock me up and throw away the key because I'm a hoon....I got caught doing 59 in a 60 zone |
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29-12-2011, 09:22 AM | #8 | ||
Legend!!!
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I use psi for tyre pressure as well as blowers and turbo pressure instead of bar.
Torque wrench- I use Newton metres instead of Lbs. Measurements- I tend to use a mixture of inches and centermetres. It confuses the heck out of Col but I know what I mean
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29-12-2011, 10:15 AM | #9 | ||
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Tyre sizes have both as well. E.G. 235 mm metric/ 45 x 17 inch imperial
Wheels are still imperial. Some european cars tried a "390"mm size back in the late 80's but it died a natual death. Pete |
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29-12-2011, 01:42 PM | #10 | ||
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Col,
Basically so the gauge can be sold in all countries without having to make a different "metric" version and an "non metric" version. Just an aside...my idiot brother "borrowed" my tyre gauge recently and I am not sure what he did with it but accurate it ain't any more. Knowing what he does with his tools (like throwing a torque wrench back on the bench over the bonnet because he was too freakin' lazy to walk around the front of the car and put it there!) I am not totally surprised. I now keep ALL my tools under lock and key and he has paid for a new gauge. Peter. |
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29-12-2011, 08:32 PM | #11 | |||
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29-12-2011, 11:11 PM | #12 | ||
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I can assure you that even in new cars (like the placard I checked the other day in our G6E) still list simple psi figures...the kpa figure does come above it and the psi is in brackets underneath, but it's there..much easier to remember, in our case, 38psi than whatever that is in kpa...
Metric is great, don't get me wrong, but for tyre pressures they still stick to a simple two digit number that everyone can remember. There's also a practical aspect...no tyre gauge is very big...some are rather small...and the increments for the huge number range of kpa has the divisions spaced close together, while the good old psi is spaced at a nice easy-to-read distance apart. If you depended on solely kpa gauges, there would be a very common problem with people over or under inflating thier tyres when they read the gauge slightly wrong. |
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29-12-2011, 11:18 PM | #13 | ||
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According to my cars tyre pressure monitoring system, my car has abut 2.8 BAR. I don't know what BAR is I have only used PSI and KPA before.
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29-12-2011, 11:20 PM | #14 | |||
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I don't think I've ever came across 2 gauges that read the same pressure in either measurement. So I doubt this would be a reason. Personally I think it's because the majority of things are in metric, so they're trying the same with tyre pressures
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A wheel alignment fixes everything, when it comes to front end issues. This includes any little noises. Please read the manual carefully, as the these manufacturers spent millions of dollars making sure it is perfect.....Now why are there so many problems with my car, when I follow the instructions to the letter?....Answer, majority rules round here Lock me up and throw away the key because I'm a hoon....I got caught doing 59 in a 60 zone |
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29-12-2011, 11:22 PM | #15 | |||
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An Aussie made car tried the same too. Ford. And yes, it died a natural death
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A wheel alignment fixes everything, when it comes to front end issues. This includes any little noises. Please read the manual carefully, as the these manufacturers spent millions of dollars making sure it is perfect.....Now why are there so many problems with my car, when I follow the instructions to the letter?....Answer, majority rules round here Lock me up and throw away the key because I'm a hoon....I got caught doing 59 in a 60 zone |
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29-12-2011, 11:24 PM | #16 | |||
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Another form of tyre pressure measurement. Alot of more expensive gauges have this on them. For what it's worth. PSI is a lot easier to remember than all the other measurements
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A wheel alignment fixes everything, when it comes to front end issues. This includes any little noises. Please read the manual carefully, as the these manufacturers spent millions of dollars making sure it is perfect.....Now why are there so many problems with my car, when I follow the instructions to the letter?....Answer, majority rules round here Lock me up and throw away the key because I'm a hoon....I got caught doing 59 in a 60 zone |
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30-12-2011, 12:02 AM | #17 | |||
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30-12-2011, 12:34 AM | #18 | ||
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Thanks to Jack and his mad measuring terms confusing the heck out of me....I have read a lot today about measurements. May as well fill my head up with 4000 more useless facts that I will use once in a lifetime...Like the fact that all cows walk left foot forward first...that kind of thing.
I will probably never use in a conversation, half or even 3/4 of what I have read today....EVER...but at least I have learnt something. Definition of BAR: The bar is a measurement unit of pressure, equal to 1,000,000 dynes per square centimetre (baryes), or 100,000 newtons per square metre (pascals). The word bar is of Greek origin, báros meaning weight. Its official symbol is "bar"; the earlier "b" is now deprecated, but still often seen especially as "mb" rather than the proper "mbar" for millibars Thanks for all the replies guys. Appreciate the input. Cheers Col
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30-12-2011, 09:23 AM | #19 | ||
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from memory 1 bar = about 14.7psi.. or was it 14.2psi
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30-12-2011, 09:44 AM | #20 | ||
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Internet has said 1 BAr is 100kpa.
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30-12-2011, 11:03 AM | #21 | |||
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06-01-2012, 10:53 AM | #22 | ||
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What's the most accurate way of measuring tyre pressure? I've been told that the electronic pumps at the servo are pretty unreliable, so bought myself a $10 pressure gauge from autobarn. Measured this morning (FG XR6 LE) and the tyres were around 29-30, so took it down to 7-Eleven and the pump there said the same. Filled them to 39, but when I crossed checked with my gauge, it read only 36. Which to trust?
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06-01-2012, 11:39 AM | #23 | |||
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06-01-2012, 11:55 AM | #24 | |||
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without looking ... 14.7 looks about right to me. I remember seeing all the old Telstra HIACE vans with the specified kPa reading for each tyre written on the guard. That was a while ago though.
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06-01-2012, 02:39 PM | #25 | |||
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06-01-2012, 03:52 PM | #26 | |||
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06-01-2012, 03:54 PM | #27 | |||
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06-01-2012, 03:55 PM | #28 | |||
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You need to buy a good quality gauge and trust it.
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08-01-2012, 12:07 AM | #29 | |||
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No offense towards you, but a couple of PSI can be the difference between wearing tyres unevenly and wearing evenly. The best way to do pressures is once the tyres have been fitted, check them with what ever guage you have on hand and remember the pressure on THAT one. When re-pressuring, from where ever you get it done, double check the pressure with your gauge. Then you know the pressure is correct, because all guages read differently.
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A wheel alignment fixes everything, when it comes to front end issues. This includes any little noises. Please read the manual carefully, as the these manufacturers spent millions of dollars making sure it is perfect.....Now why are there so many problems with my car, when I follow the instructions to the letter?....Answer, majority rules round here Lock me up and throw away the key because I'm a hoon....I got caught doing 59 in a 60 zone |
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08-01-2012, 12:37 PM | #30 | |||
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But who is to say what is 'normal' pressure. How many run their tyres at the pressure recommended in their owners manual?
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Dying at your job is natures way of saying that you're in the wrong line of work.
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