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Car Tire Size / Tire accessories / Pressure gauges

Tire pressure gauges

Tire pressure cannot be judged by looking at a tire: it has to be measured with a gauge. A good gauge costs little and lives in the glove box.

What to check before you buy

  • Inflate to the pressure on the sticker inside the driver's door (or in the owner's manual), not to the number on the sidewall: that one is the most the tire can hold, not what your car needs.
  • Check before driving, when the tires are cold: the sidewall maximum is a cold pressure.
  • Digital gauges are easy to read; dial gauges need no battery; pencil gauges are the smallest.
  • Check the spare too, if your car has one.

How to use it

  1. Take the cap off the valve.
  2. Press the gauge straight onto the valve until the hiss stops.
  3. Read the pressure, add or let out air, read again.
  4. Put the cap back.

Tire pressure gauges listed on eBay

Sources: Tire Rack, "Tire Inflation Pressure" (tirerack.com), read October 14, 2026.