Photos by author.
I enjoy finding vintage tools because they can serve multiple purposes. In many instances, they look great as display pieces, but they can also be as useful (and sometimes cheaper yet better made) than a newer tool that does the same thing.
I scored this vintage Seiberling Tire tread depth gauge on eBay last week for $9. Sure some new ones are cheaper, bit this one is more interesting. It measures tread depth in 32nds of an inch on one side and features other measurements on the other side that I haven’t totally figured out yet—possibly they represent percentage of tread wear? I’m not sure, so I could use a little help here (see the photo below).
Unlike the all-plastic Goodyear tire tread depth gauge I wrote about back in November, and many of new ones sold today, this Seiberling features all metal construction. It’s also a little thicker than a credit card and is quite heavy for its size. It’s accurate and should remain so, as long as its base and metal tip don’t wear down, which is highly unlikely considering the only thing they should touch is tire rubber.
The name Seiberling may not immediately jump to mind today when it comes to tires because when Frank A. Seiberling founded the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in 1898, he decided to name it after the man who developed the vulcanization process for rubber, Charles Goodyear. Seiberling served as president of Goodyear for 15 years.
When the company was restructured, Frank and his brother Charles left and started the Seiberling Rubber Company in 1921 in Barberton, Ohio. It competed with its larger market mainstays, Goodyear, Firestone, Uniroyal and BF Goodrich fairly well, but was losing money by the early 1960s. The Seiberling Rubber Company announced in late 1964 that it had agreed to sell its tire division to Firestone in an effort to pay down its debts, focus more resources on its other divisions and try to return the company to sustained profitability. The original Seiberling tire plant in Barberton closed in 1980, but the Seiberling name is said to still be in use on some tires sold overseas.
Though the history is interesting, I’m just happy to have this unique tire tread depth gauge. If anyone has any more information on it, such as what the “1” and “4” denote on the backside what the other scales of numbers mean, please post it here.
Also, tell us about your latest vintage tool finds or favorites you have in your collection.
