Car tire inflators

[andrew_j]

Bad week with 17 yo and cars. She curbed tire leading to a flat I put spare on to find it was at 10psi instead of 60psi.

I went to harbor freight and picked up a $8 12v compressor which took 15 mins to get to 30psi and then it stopped. Likely overheat as it burned my hand. So I drove slowly nearby on half inflated tire for air.

Are there any car quality air compressors that would work in this situation or is it a lot to put that much air in?

 

[Mainia]

I have both

Cheaper 12 volt


More expensive 18 volt

 

[bdcardinal]

I have both the M12 and M18 inflators. The M18 is better in everyway. However I could see teh M12 being something that would be beneficial to toss in the trunk on a roadtrip with a charged battery just in case.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

I have this Ryobi model. Works great for quick top offs. Takes a little longer to fill a tire from half pressure.

https://www.amazon.com/Cordless-Pressure-Inflator-Lithium-Ion-Capacity/dp/B08Q9PL71G/ref=asc_df_B08Q9PL71G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=503460592068&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14857501256476375714&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022883&hvtargid=pla-1200063097435&psc=1

 

[Quattro Pete]

This one's been working fine for me. Make sure you use it with the engine running.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JDH4R7V

Or anything by Viair.

 

[2010Civic]

I think the directions for the harbor freight inflator say to let it cool down every X number of minutes.

 

[Nukeman7]

The self-contained battery powered Milwaukee units are great...as long as you keep the batteries charged up. However, you might want to buy a unit that runs off the car's battery if you plan to keep the inflator in the vehicle for emergencies. All of the VIAIR units are heavy duty and I carry the 88P model in my truck. Note that the high output units draw more amperage; hence the alligator clips in lieu of the cigarette lighter plug.

Or perhaps you can exchange your $8 Harbor Freight pump for the high output unit that works quite well. I keep this Pittsburgh inflator in my wife's SUV.

 

[Tdbo]

I have a couple of cheapos.
One was free years ago with a mail in from Ace Hardware.
The other was a Coleman, $8. @ Biglots.
Have used many times without issues.
I have a Viair as well.
First time I used it, it blew the fuse to the power port on my Accord.
Ended up making a couple of 12V sockets attached to some clips, and attach straight to the battery of the car if I use the Viair.
I now use the Coleman the same way to put air in my LT tires, and use the other homemade adapter, and go straight from the battery.

 

[eljefino]

I have a Slime branded unit like this one that works fine. Like the built in PSI gauge/ cutoff.

 

[y_p_w]

For something like this, a Schraeder valve bicycle pump might work better. I'll use one for my car tires.

 

[CharBaby]

The self-contained battery powered Milwaukee units are great...as long as you keep the batteries charged up. However, you might want to buy a unit that runs off the car's battery if you plan to keep the inflator in the vehicle for emergencies. All of the VIAIR units are heavy duty and I carry the 88P model in my truck. Note that the high output units draw more amperage; hence the alligator clips in lieu of the cigarette lighter plug.

View attachment 159287

Or perhaps you can exchange your $8 Harbor Freight pump for the high output unit that works quite well. I keep this Pittsburgh inflator in my wife's SUV.

View attachment 159288

I have this Pittsburgh inflator from Harbor Freight. It works very well with no complaints.
Is it the best of its kind? No!
Is it a good one? Yes indeed and I’d rate it one of the better inflators.

 

[208vette]

The self-contained battery powered Milwaukee units are great...as long as you keep the batteries charged up. However, you might want to buy a unit that runs off the car's battery if you plan to keep the inflator in the vehicle for emergencies. All of the VIAIR units are heavy duty and I carry the 88P model in my truck. Note that the high output units draw more amperage; hence the alligator clips in lieu of the cigarette lighter plug.

View attachment 159287

I have a viair 90p in both of my vehicles, and I use the one in my 4runner to air up the tires after airing down for off-roading. This model is much faster and keeps running with no issues compared to a aux power/cig lighter type.

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

I have both

Cheaper 12 volt


More expensive 18 volt

The M18 will take a 0 psi tire of mine to 30 psi in 2 minutes by a stopwatch. I keep it in the trunk. Also carry a $30 Amazon cheapo that plugs into cigarette lighter. Funny thing, I work contract construction, sometimes in the middle of nowhere and sometimes 2nd shift. I've NEVER needed my compressor(s) for myself, but I've helped out working buddies with flat tires in the middle of nowhere at 4 am after working all night.

 

[Randol]

How about an air storage tank, I'm making the assumption you have a compressor at home.

 

[DuckRyder]

ViAir.

 

[Marcozi]

I bought my wife one of these. Works well and the shut off pressure setting is accurate:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096NB3YXJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[CharBaby]

Regardless of which brand you buy, just get one. Get a decent one but get one…or one for each vehicle.
I have one for each of the vehicles in my signature. A DeVilbis, an Interdynamics, and a Pittsburgh.
The DeVilbis was acquired from my FIL(RIP), the Interdynamics I’ve had for 35plus yrs and the Pittsburgh I bought after watching Project Farm.

 

[Nicasio]

I like the Ridgid 18V line up. Really nice when you can get the package deals from Home Depot. Lifetime warranty too

 

[KrisZ]

I have a 12V one that I bought around 2004-2005. I broke the tip of the 12v plug after few uses and thought I bought pure garbage. I fixed it with duct tape and it has worked fine ever since.
It will inflate a flat car tire in one go no problem.

I recently bought another inflator that is both 12V and 120V as it’s a chore to wheel out whatever I want inflated to the car. Not sure how long this one will last though.

 

[dogememe]

I’ve had good luck with the cheap Slime tire pumps that plug into the 12v socket. I have one in each vehicle. The model where you set the pressure you want and it stops when it gets there.

I did burn one out but that’s because I ran it for an hour straight trying to pump up all six commercial tires on an F-550 which it’s obviously not meant for. In that case I retrieved my larger one that goes directly to the battery from my storage unit.