A year or two ago for Christmas my dad bought me a little DC pump for the car.  It's a POS for the most part, but if you let it go for 20-30min. it can bring the PSI up a little bit.  Again, mostly useless.  I know some people have those all in one jump kits that have compressors built in.  And I think I've even seen some hand pumps that'll do the job.  And if they do work well I'd prefer that to something with a motor or a lot of moving parts (that can break).

I have plug kits in all the vehicles (including my motorcycle) but I'd like to put something in place to re-inflate the tire.

Now I should add that in my bike I do have the little CO2 cartridges that'll work and I have a can of fix-a-flat in each vehicle.  But it'd be nice to have something to top off a VERY slow leak if on a trip or closer to home in case the tire isn't actually flat.

So what do you have in your vehicles to pump air into the tires?

Thanks

-Emt1581

One I ordered from hf long ago. Fills a 15" pickup tire in about five minutes. Discontinued now.

In for an answer. I'm looking for a dual-powered AC/DC unit myself.

Help me SF forum, you're my only hope.

Per an ARFCOM recommendation a couple years ago, the Viair 88P.

I also got a couple of the less heavy-duty Viair 70Ps, either are good to go but the 88P is one solid pump, pretty sure you could
do semi tires if you needed to with it.

The 88P uses enough current that it's has to connect directly to the battery, so keep that in mind.

The 70P uses a cigarette lighter for power, but comes with instructions to keep the engine running -- at low voltage the current will
go over the amperage limit and the fuse will blow. All my vehicles already had powerpoles wired into the harness by the battery
so I lopped off the plug on the 70s and put a powerpole on them, along with some spring clips with powerpoles just in case.

They come with enough wire to reach the rear tire on a pickup?

Viair 450C

I have the Slime Comp 06, and I have used it numerous times It works well.  Slime also makes one that is a twin cylinder.

That Viair looks better.

Another vote for Viair 88P.

It's got a 9 foot power cord and a 12 foot air hose, so it's going to depend on
which side your battery is on and if you've got a longbed or not, most likely.

That's one kick-ass compressor, with a ass-kicking price tag!

Definitely better than the 88P since it does 100% duty cycle, but you pay a lot for that.

They make better ones, but I got a deal on that one six or seven years ago.  If you do any off-roading where you're airing up and down it's worth it to get a 100% duty cycle; it's even better if you have a fixed system with an an air storage system.

double tap

what I want but $$$ won't let me

http://aircompressors.oasismfg.com/viewitems/air-compressors/xd4000-continuous-duty-air-compressors?

What I have had for 5 years and works well

http://www.amazon.com/Industries-MV50-SuperFlow-High-Volume-Compressor/dp/B000BM8RT8

I paid $35 for it from pepboys back then

Viar 450PA. Have one in my truck and one in the wifes' vehicle. Nothing better. I've used it enough to pay for it!

I have the VIAIR 400P that I mounted under the hood on my Jeep TJ, and the Mrs. has a cheapie in the hatch of the CRV.
(I just mounted the VIAIR, I did not wire it in. I figured if I needed to use it, I would be raising the hood anyways and it would only take about 4 more seconds to clip the alligator's to the battery)


I also run the ARB tire repair kit in the Jeep, I need to get another for the CRV.

I have an Extreme Outback with a 4 gallon tank mounted to the underside of my truck.

Its a great setup. Plug a hose into the bumper and voila. Previous owner installed it.

I'm not sure I would spend the coin, but its been handy around the ranch...and pool.

I used this Black & Decker for years. I autocross and used it to fill up four large (315/35-17) tires at every event. I never had a problem with it until one woman ran it over (that killed the AC capability, but it still worked on DC) and another female broke the DC plug to kill it for good.

I have been happy with the $15 walmart model.


http://www.walmart.com/ip/Slime-Portable-12-Volt-Tire-Inflator-with-Built-in-Gauge-and-Light/14254129?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_middle&strategy=PWVAV&visitor_id=73949521280&category=0%3A1072864%3A1031899%3A1066925%3A1067606%3A1067704&client_guid=26ec4090-d089-4a22-813c-1533148c2494&config_id=0&parent_item_id=29792112&guid=74afdea9-e5b3-4565-bc17-f55bddaa94de&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n


       

 

I have a Q Industries MV50 SuperFlow that has worked well for me for many years.  It also needs to be connected to the battery, too much current draw for the lighter plug.Between the cable length and the hose length  its just long enough to reach the back wheels on the minivan.  Sometimes its easier to extend the cables using jumper cables.


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200442866_200442866?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Air%20Compressors-_-Single%20Stage%20Electric%20Air%20Compressors-_-305400&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=305400&gclid=CPuIjt_A4L0CFW5eOgodYFgA7Q

There have been many threads over the years here as well as at off road sites and depending on who is making what the answers somewhat varied.



Viair is a constant name you will find, but I would double check exactly what you are getting and if it compares to what made that name what it is.  I have a constant duty setup from a group buy years ago and love it.



I recently bought something from amazon and have been happy with it, either a clip on arb or slime pump.  Needs to clip on battery.  These tend to put out more air so I like them more than the ones that use a power port.  The cord and air hose are just long enough to work on a shortbed f150 pickup for all 4 tires.  I would either have to change out the airhose or leads to get more length if this truck was any longer.  And if you have jumper cables in the truck you already have an extension cord, just don't short things out while doing that.



Play around and read the reviews and see what folks have to say and how they used it.



Now before I got all this 12 volt stuff I had a small air compressor for running nail guns, just one of the little 1 or two gallon ones.  I have invertors for use in all my vehicles so using the invortor and air compressor I could air stuff up.  I picked up these air compressors used, one from the garbage.  Both are in need of a decent tear down and check out.  One got dropped and enough stuff broke it won't hold air pressure and the other one might be worn out but it runs so perhaps it needs a little helping hand or it might just be spare parts.



I like something that clips on the battery as already mentioned and I expect it to be about the size of a 1 liter bottle of mt dew.  It should have a decent bit of weight to it as well.



I have had tiny little plastic boxes and all sorts of stuff and overall most did not last for many uses.



If you have a vehicle you plan to keep forever, or want to pull stuff apart before selling it, look at some of the better stuff.  Depending on your situation I can see making it permanent or keeping it portable somewhat.



Many off road sites have threads about the puma or mf55 I think, I forget the specific numbers but they were and are still popular I think.  Many people took some of the larger puma stuff apart and made it fit in the spaces of their vehicle.  This is more for hard mounting but I recall someone mounting one into a 20mm ammo can I think.  One of the larger ammo cans and it was made to run with the lid off and had a computer fan or two to aid in air flow as well.  Had jumper cables you pulled out to hook it to a battery.

I keep a Viair 440p in my vehicle. Been using it for years now and it has never failed me. I use it to air up my tires after going offroad so it sees alot more use than your average emergency compressor. Takes about 10 or 15 minutes to air my tires from 12-15 PSI back up to 35 or 40. I had also used it to pump up a 7 gallon storage tank to 120 PSI no problem.

I have a jump starter/air compressor something like this:



Bulky, but very convenient.

With a 5 gallon tank.

Superflow listed above..........you can go to your local pep boys and they Sell the same unit but its called the masterflow tsunami........I have had mine for over 3 years and still going strong it inflates my 285/70/17s on my FJ very fast.......I also have a honda pilot and keep the masterlow cyclone(plugs into Cigarette lighter outlet) in that......have used it on my pilot countless times and works great as well.


http://www.masterflowair.com/compressors/

viair 450P

Thanks, ordered one and a 6 foot hose extension.

Got my Viair in and it fits neatly into an ammo can.

Important subject...

We use the Viair and the CO2 paintball system..

The Paintball cartridge, valve hose and chuck, gets used the most.   Especially when the battery is dead we can air up our tires!



There's a thread on this, I'll find it...


CO2  

And...


How large...

Someone posted a while back that Costco had the same compressor as the Viair, or close, for ~$60.

I have the Cyclone.  The pumps made that are mostly metal construction are pretty good.  The cheap plastic ones are good for a low tire.   I did have one air up my 4x4 several times.  Doing this on my dually to only 1/3 pressure after getting stuck in sand melted my pump, but did get me to the gas station. Sometimes you get lucky.

looks like superflow/masterflow and viair are the 2 contenders just a big price difference.



Edit

http://www.parksoffroad.com/prodreview/inflatortest/superflowviaircomparison/superflowviaircomparison.htm

HF 3gal compressor and one of their little 800w generators. Also a 3gal Craftsman air tank for topping up tires.



Both of these take up a bit of space in the truck, but so far their utility has outweighed the space cost.

Which model is that?

For the amount of current the compressor draws, the original power cord uses wire (18 gauge?) that's marginal anyway. You can feel the cord getting warm after just a few minutes of operation - which means that the compressor isn't getting anywhere near the voltage present at the battery terminals.

IMO, the best strategy is to cut off and discard the original cord near the compressor and battery clips, install DC power connectors* on the remaining ends, and put mating connectors on a longer extension cord that uses thicker wire. I'm currently using 12 gauge wire on a 20' cord, and it works just fine.

*Anderson Powerpole connectors work great in this application, and can also be used as a standardized connector for powering your other DC devices.

88p

Yep. Great unit!

costco had some in that were bigger than the usual dept store crap - had clamps to connect to the battery rather than the cig. lighter, and a much more powerful motor, plus a coiled hose for reaching the far ends of your vehicle.  I bought it for my Jeep since i needed to air up after jeeping and it took for flipping ever with the cheap dept store crap.  now its overkill but it beats waiting around when just doing a seasonal check on tire pressure on passenger cars.  I keep the dept store crap in the trunk for emergencies since its smaller.

this is the same one i have.  have used the crap out of it in the last 5 years or so.  just used it earlier this week to rescue a co worker who had a bit of road debris punch through his tire.  took about 10 mins or more to fill a 15 inch rim on a silverado from 0 to about 35 psi, but it did the job.  if the op is just looking for something to top off a slow leak or something, they shouldn't need to spend more than 15 or 20 dollars.

if they do a lot of off road where they air down their tires etc, then they should invest in a better unit.

That is great!  I'll have to try this.

All I know is I won't keep Slime in the vehicle anymore. I had a metal can of that shit in my truck box, the can rusted out and that shit got all over everything that was in the box. Ruined some pretty good gear.

I used to have a pump like the one ar-ak posted but the battery eventually went bad.

In most modern vehicle tires, using Slime isn't a particularly good idea anyway.

It tends to settle in one clump on the inside bottom of the tire after the vehicle has been parked for a while - which throws off the wheel balance.

It also does a great job of clogging up tire pressure sensors.

For those interested in saving money and carrying CO2 instead of a pump i found this. pretty much everything you need.  Seems a great deal cheaper than the powertank stuff.

Those are nice... However, a paintball 20 oz tank, used, $10, $3 fill, valve $6, grease gun hose $4, quality tire chuck -$8...

And you're done. Carry spare tanks...

See topic in link above.

We've used ours numerous times successfully, no failures.  Yet...   Wouldn't be w/out it...

Wear gloves, expanding CO2 gets mighty cold.

I don't trust myself without a regulator.

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Poly-Performance-CO2-Kit-p-57.html

full kit for $199



Just a regulator for $40

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Poly-Performance-CO2-Fixed-Regulator-p-297.html