Debeaded for the first time, learned I need a better compressor. What's your faovrite?

A 2-day weekend event last weekend, and I finally debeaded a tire after 7 years.  It felt really squirrely after a hard corner, I thought "did I debead?".  No corner workers with flags or even waving at me, so I started to continue until it felt REAL squirrely .  I limped off to the paddock.

My 5 gallon tank was enough to pop it into place, and up to about 20#.  A cheap portable compressor given to me by ex-swmbo got it to almost 35# eventually.  Luckily somone came by with a big tank and topped me off.

So anyone have a favorite portable compressor that will reseat a bead and get me to 40ish without taking an hour or more?

Hair spray and a lighter?

A bike pump will take it from 20-40 in a minute or two.  Sounds like the 5 gallon tank worked fine for seating the bead

I use one of the $100-ish pancake compressors (mine is a 3.5 gallon / 2 scfm @ 90 PSI).  Runs fine off the 1500w power inverter I've got mounted in the Jeep and is plenty to seat a bead or air up a tire quickly.  

In reply to Jerry :

I can put a tire on the beads by wrapping a tie down strap around the tire and tightening the strap. Then  a few pounds of air will pop everything in place. 

Some GM SUV’s like the Trailblazer and Envoy have 12 volt air compressors in the back both for pumping up their air bag suspension and filling tires. 

I also use those disposable Freon tanks as my air tank. They are light and best of all free. All you need to do is drill and tap for an air hose.  

You'd need a ridiculously huge (by grassroots racer portable equipment standards) air compressor to reseat a tire with air alone. You have an air tank big enough to do this, so I'd say you don't need a bigger compressor. Any common decent 12v compressor should be able to fill any sports car tire in a few minutes, so maybe look into one of those to add to your equipment.

At my last autocross I blew a tire and didn't notice a problem, the track was so full of gravel and the course had so many turnaround cones asking for J-turns that rear tire problems weren't noticeable, a course worker gave me the Team America Secret Signal but it was too late for the tire by then. Had to get a steelie spare brought to me to continue, it was at about 1psi but with my everyday 12v compressor, I got it up to the mid-30s within 5 minutes or so.

Edit: This is my compressor:

https://www.amazon.com/Compressor-Inflation-Campbell-Hausfeld-RP1200/dp/B000642GAW

The strap around the tire trick definitely reduces the amount of air needed to re-seat a tire.  As far as physical size of the compressor, if you can power a 120v unit, it won't take up much more room than the 5 gallon air tank already does.  But the tank plus a small compressor would do the job just fine as well, being that the tank can deliver a big enough burst to seat a bead.  

Yeah the tank reseated it quicker than I expected (honestly I had no idea if it would work, I've seen other guys debead but never paid attention to how they fixed it after I offered a tank or small compressor and left).  I believe I just need a decent cigarette-lighter powered compressor that can go up to about 40-45# in a short time.  That crappy one I was using, I might still be there.

frenchyd said:

I also use those disposable Freon tanks as my air tank. They are light and best of all free. All you need to do is drill and tap for an air hose.  

I would be careful with using Freon tanks for an air tank. They are not built for the inflation and deflation that most air tanks experience and will eventually fail, usually at the center seam. Failure at 120psi could be ... exciting. Or worse. I saw one fail about 30 years ago but fortunately it wasn't at 120psi and nobody was hunched over it. Still it was pretty sobering.

Real air tanks aren't expensive and probably worth the expense.

In reply to rdcyclist :

You very well may be correct.  On the other hand racing on a modest budget means compromise. Buying the best of everything means you can’t race. My Freon tank worked fine for several decades. Maybe because I drain my compressor regularly.  Maybe because the only time it was aired up were race weekends, maybe because ? 

I’ve had a harbor freight high volume portable compressor for a long time now, and even stripped it down and re-tapped the head for npt fittings and mounted it behind my winch in the front bumper of the Xterra. Get the one with battery clips and make sure the car is running when you use it. Yes they draw that much power. Another option for the “go be poor someplace else” crowd would be a similar viair from amazon for around 150 bucks

This may help.  They make them in different sizes:

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200434654_200434654?cm_mmc=Bing-pla&utm_source=Bing_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive%20%3E%20Tire%20Equipment%20%3E%20Bead%20Seaters&utm_campaign=AME%20International&utm_content=135468&msclkid=cdb3de84f9eb1d516ff7852ecfa47d55

You can bead a tire with the cheapo ratchet strap tie downs found at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I have two of the Viair compressors. One that goes to 120 psi I use on motorhome tires to adjust pressure before every trip and another that goes to 60 psi I use for everything else. Bought both on Amazon and they have been flawless. Viair makes numerous models for every need and I think pretty reasonable price wise for something that actually works as intended. 

Jerry - I think your money might be better spent on wheels or tires or a tire pressure gauge so that doesn't happen again. If everything working correctly that should never happen.

Viair compressors are worth every penny, they are in a different league than your average plastic compressor from CH or B&D.  I love mine and will never go back. 

APEowner said:

Jerry - I think your money might be better spent on wheels or tires or a tire pressure gauge so that doesn't happen again. If everything working correctly that should never happen.

This is true.  Really a bicycle pump is all  you need to air up tires.  I have been doing it that way for years.  For bicycle pumps you need to by the one with largest diameter piston, like 1.5", the ones make for lower pressure/higher volume mountain bike tires..  The smaller ones take longer to pump up automobile tires.   The small ones are good for bicycles that need high pressure and low volumes.  Its hard to pump 100 psi with a large diameter pump made for low pressure mountain bike tires but those same pumps work great for automobile tires

Its good exercise.  It only takes 30 or 40 pumps to get a tire from 20 to 40 psi.  I only use my air compressor at home if I am in a hurry or feeling lazy.

APEowner said:

Jerry - I think your money might be better spent on wheels or tires or a tire pressure gauge so that doesn't happen again. If everything working correctly that should never happen.

Until you hit a bump and come down on a rut sideways going into a corner. Jerry didn't mention it but this was at a rallycross. 

EvanB said:

APEowner said:

Jerry - I think your money might be better spent on wheels or tires or a tire pressure gauge so that doesn't happen again. If everything working correctly that should never happen.

Until you hit a bump and come down on a rut sideways going into a corner. Jerry didn't mention it but this was at a rallycross. 

Ahh.  Other than the fact that it looks like a blast I know nothing about rallycross.  How often does de-beading occur in rallycross?

Often enough that most people want to have a plan for it. It really depends on the course and driving style. I have never debeaded (came close this weekend when I got dirt crammed in the bead and it leaked down quickly but remained seated). Some people will debead a couple times a year. It happens more often with the heavier cars on snow tires with softer sidewalls. 

Bike pump. It never runs out and if you get a nice large diameter pump, it will inflate a tire remarkably fast.

It is a lot less work to take a car tire to 40psi than to take a bike tire to 150psi!

APEowner said:

EvanB said:

APEowner said:

Jerry - I think your money might be better spent on wheels or tires or a tire pressure gauge so that doesn't happen again. If everything working correctly that should never happen.

Until you hit a bump and come down on a rut sideways going into a corner. Jerry didn't mention it but this was at a rallycross. 

Ahh.  Other than the fact that it looks like a blast I know nothing about rallycross.  How often does de-beading occur in rallycross?

Yup, a rallycross.  And 7 years this was my first time happening.  I thought I was immune, you know, special and all.  Lesson learned.

In reply to Jerry :

It took me something like 11 or 12 years before my first debead.