Are you in the US? The US spec Cruzes all come with a tire pressure monitor system on the dash. I keep my tires at 37-38 all around. Ride, handling, and gas mileage are all pretty good.

 

I'm in Thailand. We don't have the tire monitoring. Manual says 32psi so I just follow that.

 

The ones here in the US at gas stations are usually all over the place on accuracy and some of them charge you to use them. Best used as an emergency. Many, many years ago, I spent $50 on a Black & Decker Air Station. It's a small 115 volt air pump (with an inaccurate gauge) about the size of a shoe box. I use it to pump tires up and a digital hand gauge to set the pressures. The pump is well over 25 years old and still works. That way, I can pump tires at my convenience and accurately. B&D also made a 12 volt one to plug into the power outlet (aka cigarette lighter).

 

Many, many years ago, I spent $50 on a Black & Decker Air Station. It's a small 115 volt air pump (with an inaccurate gauge) about the size of a shoe box. I use it to pump tires up and a digital hand gauge to set the pressures. The pump is well over 25 years old and still works.

I have one of those too! One of the best things I ever bought. I did have to replace the hose finally but it still works great. As you said, I don't know why they even put the pressure gauge on there as it's basically useless

 

This is one of the two reasons I have always carried an air pump in my car. The other is to inflate the spare tire (assuming the car has one) when you put it on the car. No one ever checks the tire pressure of the spare, so when you need it it will most likely be flat.

 

No thank you. I just use the air compressor my garage and take care of my own tires.

Sent from my DROID3

 

My dad has had a small air compressor in his garage for as long as I can remember. One of the best purchases you can make for working on car or home projects yourself - air tools can be a lifesaver with rusted up bolts.

I had a cheap Totes air compressor that was probably meant more for basketballs and footballs than blowing up car tires, but it worked off a 12V outlet. I burned out the motor in the stupid thing trying to blow up a tire that had a nail in it and had gone down to 8 psi.

But I'm sure there are good 12V ones out there that can handle such a task.

Never use one of the cheap pen-type air gauges either that shoot the stick out of the bottom - they're wildly inconsistent. The fancy ones with an actual dial or digital gauges seem to be calibrated pretty well for the most part.

 

Have a 1968 Craftsman five HP air compressor that I purchased new back then. Was teasing they don't make stuff like they use to, had to replace the original belt last year. It didn't break, just stretched out over the years and ran out of adjustment. Outside of that, has been trouble free, sure a bunch of crap on the market today.

Also have NBS, well use to be the NBS, now the NTIS tracible gauges on it and always checked my tire pressures. But see my tire monitoring system is a couple of PSI off, I don't pay attention to that piece of crap. US Gauge made the best gauges back then, have plenty of spare ones and have to carry one of those in the car in case I am on the road with tire inflation problems.

Do have a couple of 12V cigar lighter type air compressors, used those mostly for biking, heck, just paying AAA for the rest of it, but could load up my Cruze with tools. But then they are trying to save weight by carrying an extra three gallons of fuel.

Feel at times I should start smoking crack so I am in tune with the rest of the world. Or maybe rather than putting ethanol in my tank, drinking it instead.

Pulled my 88 Supra out of storage, use to be a 30 mpg car, but with this new crap, I know its in perfect tune, can only get 24 mpg. Averaging 37-38 mpg with the 2LT MT. But wonder what I would get if I was getting the good old stuff before the EPA went nuts.

 

This is simply another reason to keep an air gauge in the car and use it. It has always been true that the pressure reading from filling station air pumps can be way off. I never go by those readings, I go by my gauge.

 

I am surprized you did not get a TPMS light come on if they were that low. Read inside your driver door jam and I know my LS says 35 P.S.I. and most fill 37 +. I have a 12 gal Craftsman compressor in my garage. It does not take up alot of space and is good for filling tires and my son's basket/foot balls. Cost @ $200 and saves having to go to the gas station and pay 50 cents to use their pump.(remember when they were free)!!!!!! Occasionally I will also use my air tools and it works well for those also.

 

I don't get the low pressure light until my ECO's TPMS reads below 30 PSI. I suspect the non-ECOs trigger this warning at a lower pressure because the door placard pressure is lower.

 

1LT does it at 30 psi as well - I had one that was slightly low.

As the OP pointed out, non-US Cruzes don't have this feature.

 

To claim that the air pumps are rigged is to believe in a Vast OilCo Conspiracy backed up by the Weights & Measures beancounters. It's far more likely that the equipment is simply abused by idiots and the elements and not maintained by the station managers.

 

Bingo.

One thing that often happens is that someone airs up a tire with a sealant injected into it. That can gum up a gauge.

 

I bought this one. It works well for me

 

We also don't get the Eco 1.4L. We get a 1.6-1.8-2.0 Diesel.

 

My gas mileage went up even more once I started running my tires at 44 psi. Once ths stock tires are used up, I'll be getting the LRR tires and be running them at 51 psi.

 

Feel a more accurate statement than saying gas station air compressors are rigged would be that they are Made in China. Hope my now 44 year old compressor outlasts me, seeing nothing but crap on the market today. Same with my DeWatt radial saw, even four years older. You can't even buy stuff made like this anymore.

I started off with Craftsman tools, purchased a starter set back in 1958, still looks like new yet, Craftsman tools I purchased since then are all rusty. Was going to sit down and write all the vehicles I already went through if I can remember that far back. Vehicles are indubitably a throwaway product.

Son was born with always an air compressor in the garage, got married, built a home, has three vehicles now and bicycles, riding lawn mover, basketballs, etc, all requiring an air compressor. Found he couldn't live without one so got one of those Made in China jobs. It still works after a couple of years, but when I am there, have to wear ear protection when he turns it on.

Just about everything today is throwaway, sad, very sad, but very true. Fuel pump goes bad? Back then, was a twenty minute job, could buy a complete rebuild kit for a buck plus a penny sales tax and in less than twenty minutes have a like new pump again. Today, that same problem is a super major nightmare with a second home mortgage just to buy another POS pump.

Where are we going? Computers is another major expense, should dump my pile, but not easy for me to part with a $6,000 computer system I only got a years use out of. After that year, was obsolete. Should also part with my RCA VCR with a huge camera that I laid out $2,500 for. Still works and looks like new, but worthless and need a sun in the house to take any useful videos with it.