Do you trust air filling stations?

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walterjay

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My tires were down to 32 psi. So I stopped at a Wawa to fill them to the specified 35 lbs. I set the pump to 35 and refilled stopping when the machine signaled full. While driving away my dash readout came on showing 29 lbs in all tires. When I got home I checked them manually and they were all at 29 psi. Guess I will just drag out my compressor at home at refill them myself from now on. How many people fill up there and hit the road not knowing that they are approaching a dangerously low tire?
 
For me, the tires get filled one of two (maybe 3) ways.

1 - I fill them at home, using my air compressor, and double check pressure with my hand-held, calibrated, pressure gauge
2 - I go to the local Discount Tire for their free tire check and air-up.

(3) - If I'm on the go away from a decent DT, and notice a problem, I may fill using my portable air canister and check pressure with my cheap, but pretty accurate, portable pressure gauge.

Any other random one is purely a preferably avoided, last-ditch option.
 
Around here they were always out of order so I bought two of those air machines you plug in the cigarette lighter for each car's trunk.
 
Originally Posted by walterjay
My tires were down to 32 psi. So I stopped at a Wawa to fill them to the specified 35 lbs. I set the pump to 35 and refilled stopping when the machine signaled full. While driving away my dash readout came on showing 29 lbs in all tires. When I got home I checked them manually and they were all at 29 psi. Guess I will just drag out my compressor at home at refill them myself from now on. How many people fill up there and hit the road not knowing that they are approaching a dangerously low tire?

Did you have to pay for it? The annoying thing here, since "free" air hoses vanished, is that any place with the air box wants at least $1.00, and you rarely can get all four tires set in that time, so you have to fork over at least another dollar.

I bought a little compressor that plugs into the dash or rear console socket, and a better-quality tire gauge. Done.
 
I have one of these, that I bought from Harbor Freight years ago.

[Linked Image from buildyourcnc.com]


It can take up to 120 PSI, and I fill it to about 90 PSI from my home air compressor, and just keep it lashed down in my trunk until needed. This way, I never have to worry about a dead battery or broken pump. I just hook this up and fill. At 90 PSI, I have enough air to fill at least 2 tires from flat, or 4 from 'low'.
 
There are the free ones here. Stewarts Stops (a quick mart) and Mavis Tire. They have the fancy automatic machine that puts in air (or takes it out) and beeps when its at the proper pressure.

There is a Love Truck stop that has a lane for air, there is an air hose for each corner of your vehicle. Might be overkill to use it for my pickup.
 
Originally Posted by John_K
Around here they were always out of order so I bought two of those air machines you plug in the cigarette lighter for each car's trunk.

I've seen a few machines around but for the price and utility it seems wiser to do just that. Although I need to check one of mine, I think it likes to pop fuses in the dashboard (!).

Originally Posted by dippschtick
So your air pressure dropped 3 psi AFTER you filled your tires?

I think he means that the gauge at the freebie place was way off. Sounds like it may have deflated as maybe the machine is capable of removing air as well as adding air.
 
Big problem I've seen is excessive water coming out of the compressors. I dont go buy their gauges
.
I got my own 12V car powered compressor for a gift years ago, and the VW has one since it doesn't have a spare tire or a jack or a lug wrench. Really.
I have a pencil gauge and a *new* 0-50 PSIG dial gauge that i use.

The smaller 12V compressors are pretty slow though.
 
Not a bit. If I've been lucky enough to find one that isn't broken, I've found their gauges are way off and they are often loaded with water. I have a small air tank I recharge off my compressor, and the compressor has a moisture trap.

Friendly reminder to all to check the donut spare too.
 
i only use them in an emergency. i found the guages are way off. i even had the same issue at DT with their filling machine. i asked them to fill to 35 psi. machine stopped and i dove to the end of the lot to check it with my guage. it was 3 psi low. i have 3 different gauges thst i check against each other and they are all the same so i know its not the gauge
 
Before I stopped using the pay air compressors at gas stations they seemed to spray as much water as air. I don't know if that really does any harm, but I didn't want my tires to have water in them. I use a high volume manual bicycle pump. It's not like a jog, but it does provide some activity doing something practical.
 
The kwik trip air stations are fully accurate when deflating a tire but 2-3 psi low when filling. Just aim high and it's fine

I find the automatic machines the ultimate in low speed tedium and will take an old school air hose attached to 160psi tank any day. It just fills so much faster and a qwicj check with an air Guage and your off in 5 minutes or less, on my truck the automatic stations can take 15 minutes to fill a single low tire.
 
Originally Posted by WhyMe
i only use them in an emergency.

Same here.

I only use the home air compressor or the Viair 88P
 
+1 on 12v unit in trunk. They work better if you get rid of the cig lighter plug and attach some battery clips. Add a fuse if you want. Mine specifically states to start it BEFORE you attach the hose to the tire. That way you're not starting up against tire pressure (if it's just low, flat it won't matter.)
 
Originally Posted by 1nighttrain
You don't keep a air pressure gauge in your glove box ?


Right!
 
I find service station tire pressure gauges are consistent but not very accurate. If I don't have my gauge along, I use their inaccurate gauge to check one or two tires that I'm confident have the correct pressure and put that much pressure (still using their inaccurate gauge) in the low tire. That way I at least end up with the same pressure in my tires.

You probably do get water with the air, but I buy my tires at Costco so I have them periodically do a "free" rotation. Their routine is to take the tires off, re-balance them and fill them with nitrogen. So any water would get dumped.
 
I'm too cheap to go to those.
I have a 'tankless' compressor in the garage.
But for some people I'm sure there fine / just check with your own PSI gauge.
I would over-fill several lbs and let out using my gauge.

My 2002 truck has no sensors in the tires to monitor tire pressure.
So I check myself when the outside air temperature changes.
I fill out a spreadsheet where I enter temperature and tire pressure.

One thing I will NOT put up with is a 'slow leaking' tire.
If one is leaking, I will start monitoring every day or so and create a history.
Then it's off to the (place of purchase) for a 'free' check and plug.

I check my tires PSI as the temps change and fill out a spreadsheet.
It's good to know the temp when checked last.

Edit: Next time anyone is getting tires, ask the installer how much water is in some tires.
Is it really a problem ?
 
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