Vintage Tire Pressure Gauges

I’ve been collecting and using vintage tire pressure gauges since I can remember really… Mostly because I just really appreciate their aesthetic and the way they feel in my hand. Age brings a tactile feel and a personality that the newer offerings just can’t match.

Recently, I’ve been asked quite a few times about their accuracy. When you find them, they are hardly ever broken but it’s rare to find one that is accurate. Thankfully, however, most of these 1950’s to 1980’s gauges feature a very similar mechanism and calibrating them is dead easy.

So, I decided to make a little video hoping to save a few more gauges. If you are into such a thing, check it out:

Once done, this probably isn’t a supremely accurate tire pressure gauge… But, I generally use these gauges in the 22 to 42 pound range on passenger car tires. When comparing against an accurate modern/digital gauge the difference in that range is never more than .5 pounds and is usually less. Perfection it is not, but it’s close enough for me.