Recommended air compressor/tire inflator?

[crispin]

I am looking at getting an air compressor to top up the tires and also to keep with me for emergency. There seem to be several highly rated models from Viair that use the cigarette lighter plug, but quite a few of them are rated at 15 Amps. My owner's manual says not to use anything above 10 A which is confusing because it says 180 W on the outlet cover and the fuse is 20 A as far as I can tell.

 

[vipeboy2000]

i have the viair 300p since we use it in our hummer when we go offroading it connects directly to the batteries and will inflate a 33 inch tire fully in only a few minutes! probably overkill for just a stinger with low pros since to gain 5 psi in the stinger it takes literally seconds... lol .. we do have a cheaper one from oreillys as a backup if both vehicles are being used..

 

[Hiryuu]

I'm using a Viair 85P with no issues

 

[bfglitch]

I have the Viair 87P. It has the alligator clips to hook it up to the battery (or our case, the jump points under the hood). While inconvenient, I don't have to worry about possibly going over the amperage on the cig lighter/power source inside the car. So far it has definitely saved me and a few others on the side of the road.

 

[Guzman]

I bought a RIDGID 18V Digital Inflator. Convenient since it is cordless, but can be plugged into the car outlet if needed. You just set the PSI and it shuts off automatically. Best of all lifetime parts and labour warranty. No brainer for me since I have a Rigid drill set already, so I have batteries. Might not be the best but have had them for over 15 years without issue other than getting new batteries for free when they no longer hold a charge.

 

[chad1064]

I bought this thing from Amazon a couple of years ago (it was $24 when I bot it). It plugs into the cigarette lighter and you can set the PSI. I've only used it a couple of times but I recommend it for the price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C2D145V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[D.J.]

I am looking at getting an air compressor to top up the tires and also to keep with me for emergency. There seem to be several highly rated models from Viair that use the cigarette lighter plug, but quite a few of them are rated at 15 Amps. My owner's manual says not to use anything above 10 A which is confusing because it says 180 W on the outlet cover and the fuse is 20 A as far as I can tell.

Yup, 20A

180w is a SAFE wattage.

 

[LordKOTL]

Ryobi oneplus dual inflator.

*EDIT* I read that wrong. The one I use at home is the Ryobi one.

I got one from a local auto parts store a long time ago that works via the cigarette lighter that I keep in my car for emergencies. I can't remember the name or brand, but it works in a pinch.

 

[killinghall]

I use a rechargeable USB-C tyre inflator bought from AliExpress. Works really well and inflates pretty quickly.

 

[Volfy]

Since I have a big 80gal 7.5HP compressor at home, I just carry a portable 12V cigarette lighter plug pump when we go on road trips. Not really for roadside repairs, unless the spare tire is already used and I puck up another puncture. The only times I've ever used the portable pump was when coming back down from Colorado down into Texas and needing to pump the tire pressure back up. Get the biggest one you are willing to carry. I started out with a little one and it took forever to pump up 4 SUV tires. Stinger has lots of room in the trunk well (next to the batt).

 

[Snicklefritz]

I bought this thing from Amazon a couple of years ago (it was $24 when I bot it). It plugs into the cigarette lighter and you can set the PSI. I've only used it a couple of times but I recommend it for the price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C2D145V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

"Capacity: Does NOT Support truck tires, for instance: light truck tires (LT), heavy duty truck tires or any truck tires."

Puzzling. Why are tires on trucks prohibited?

 

[Volfy]

"Capacity: Does NOT Support truck tires, for instance: light truck tires (LT), heavy duty truck tires or any truck tires."

Puzzling. Why are tires on trucks prohibited?

Truck/SUV tires are typically much larger, so would take a lot more volume of compressed air to raise the pressure even a few psi. These dinky little pumps are too small for sustained running for a long time. They will overheat and burn up the pump internals.

Also high load index heavy duty truck tires can have pressures much higher than passenger car tires. My GMC Savana 3500 spec's 50psi front and 80psi rear.

 

[Snicklefritz]

Truck/SUV tires are typically much larger, so would take a lot more volume of compressed air to raise the pressure even a few psi. These dinky little pumps are too small for sustained running for a long time. They will overheat and burn up the pump internals.

Also high load index heavy duty truck tires can have pressures much higher than passenger car tires. My GMC Savana 3500 spec's 50psi front and 80psi rear.

maybe they should just put a max psi limit on it? that way the type of vehicle doesn't matter. a lot of suvs are tired the same as light duty trucks.

 

[D.J.]

 

[crispin]

Ha, the problem with that guy is he has very thorough testing, but at the end I am never sure which one it was that was best

 

[Volfy]

maybe they should just put a max psi limit on it? that way the type of vehicle doesn't matter. a lot of suvs are tired the same as light duty trucks.

Well, problem is... it's both pressure and volume. A lot of these portable pumps are capable of fairly high pressure, like 100 psi... They would have no problem airing up skinny bicycle tires up to 80-100 psi in a reasonable amount of time.

Now... some HD truck tires hold as much volume as maybe 120 bicycle tires... or more. And some require similar high pressure, like the 80psi in mine. That's a tall order for any small portable pump.

As I mentioned before, I had a cheapie small one that basically run itself to death airing up 4 SUV tires coming down from the Colorodo mountains. In hindsight, spending a few $ at a gas station would've been cheaper and faster.

As such, even with my current larger pump, I'm reserving it for emergency use only.

 

[7Andrei7]

I have the Xiaomi Mi 1S.

https://www.amazon.com/Xiaomi-Compressor-Different-Inflation-Motorcycle/dp/B09JZWJ2QY

It is very convenient because you don't have to worry about wires and can leave it in the car. It charges from any normal usb-c charger and battery lasts a lot.
Has a one button operation so it is very precise (auto-stops when set pressure is reached). I do all fours at 2.5 bar in my garage and that is exactly the reading I am getting in my dash based on the TPMS.

Only downside is you can't deflate tires with it to a specific pressure. So to get from 2.6 to 2.5 bar you have to first deflate manually to 2.4 and then inflate to 2.5.

 

[Landshark]

i have a Kobalt ... can use cig lighter *OR* 120V. set pressure, hit go, and it shuts off when full.

i mainly use it in the garage on 120V, but can throw it in the trunk for a road trip.