I’ve been through this same thing with at least 3 inspectors. The 2.5 ft/lbs. is kinetic energy. You can’t measure kinetic energy with a gauge. It is a formula that takes into consideration the weight of the door and the speed that the door is moving. The gauge measures the torque of the motor which is to be measured after the door has been temporarily stalled (hence, you can’t measure the speed on a stalled door). You are allowed by code up to 30 ft/lbs. of motor torque which is what the gauge measures. Kinetic energy is calculated with a formula that is also found in the code book. If your inspector gets really stubborn about it, call the engineer at Columbia Elevator Products. He is the one that wrote the code.