Airing up tires

[cutter]

Originally Posted By: fordranger03
Wow, I didn't expect this many responses. I'll look a bit further into all of them. What's the deal with water from some pumps? This is the first I've heard of this. How do I eliminate water from getting into the tires?



When I had to use pumps at the gas stations, I'd squeeze trigger before securing it on the tire valve. You can see water spray initially and then clear.

 

[Benzadmiral]

My Sears plug-in inflator takes only about 2-3 minutes per tire to go from, say, 30 psi to 34.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: cutter
When I had to use pumps at the gas stations, I'd squeeze trigger before securing it on the tire valve. You can see water spray initially and then clear.

Agreed. I squeeze the trigger for few seconds before use it on the tire valve.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Maybe I missed it but "airing up" WHERE and how often? I have friends that surf cast and air down and refill almost daily at the beach. Most of the county access areas have a compressor and hose if it's not broken/stolen or a real long line to wait.

One has a nitrogen tank, another has an on board compressor and frame mounted storage tanks.

I bought one of the $25 HF 12 volt ones that screws on to the valve stem that was linked. Pretty impressed when I needed it a couple times already on decent fill rate. I have 3 other larger compressors at home for framing and trim nailers that of course store air in tanks and fill much faster. The HF one stays in the truck, need to get another one for the car.

At the beach I saw a couple guys with the viair ones that clip on to the battery. More power, better compressors Viair Portables . You also need to check the duty cycle if planning for frequent use.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Harbor freight sells a similar model to the Viair models that connect to the battery as well.

 

[Ducked]

I use a hand pump. Equivalent of about $8. The foot pumps don't seem to last very long, and the life of the little 12V pumps I've tried has been even shorter.

I've heard of people using the spare tyre (inflated to its maximum rated pressure) as a top-up reservoir, though I've never tried it. This might be a useful trick if you were running Nitrogen.

Better if the tyre has a high max pressure, and no good AT ALL with my Bridgestones, because they don't show a rated maximum pressure AT ALL.

Dunno if that's general with Bridgestones, but I don't like it. Seems evasive to me, and I'd guess it might be corporate-lawyer caution following the Ford Explorer episode.

 

[y_p_w]

I had a floor pump, which was designed for a bicycle. It's not really tougher on the pump other than it takes more strokes. However, one day it just blew through the hose. I don't think it was designed for a lot of use.

I think if I convereted my Silca steel pump for a Schrader valve, it would probably last years and repair parts are easy enough to find.

 

[Geauxtiger]

I use this at home with this type of air hose. Don't have to move the compressor and don't have to roll up hose afterwards.
When not near the compressor, I keep this in my truck. Same compressor (Chineses) that Viair uses in many of its models in this size category. Works VERY well. You would be hard pressed to find a 12V compressor that has a higher output. Downside is that since it draws ~30A, you are required to put the alligator clips directly on the car battery because auxillary outlets typically are fused for half or less of the required amperage.