Found out yesterday she doesn't have one, and stopped at a gas station and their's was non-functioning. Too far from me to be convenient last night.
What do we like these days? Something she can carry in her 500X and plug in. (Hell, I could use a decent one myself.)
I have one of these, which I like quite a bit:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L9WSTEG/
It's relatively quiet and you dial in the desired pressure, hit start, and it automatically shuts off when it gets there. As with most 12v compressors it works better on Miata-sized tires than 3/4-ton truck ones. :)
Craftsman (or Ryobi) Inflator with a Lithium Battery
I think the ones you plug into the cigarette lighter are all pretty much the same when it comes to usefulness - they work, but it will take a long time to fill a tire. I have one from the Slime brand, I don't recall which specific model but it works okay.
edit: I think this is the current equivalent to the one I have. https://www.amazon.com/Slime-40032-12-Volt-Inflator-Gauge/dp/B00G025KRU/
joeg1982 said:Craftsman (or Ryobi) Inflator with a Lithium Battery
Not a good "leave in the car" option.
stuart in mn said:I think the ones you plug into the cigarette lighter are all pretty much the same when it comes to usefulness - they work, but it will take a long time to fill a tire. I have one from the Slime brand, I don't recall which specific model but it works okay.
I have a Slime as well. $10 because it was an open box return to WalMart. It has lived in the car/garage for a long, long time, and I can't believe it is still functional... but it is.
I keep a Viair 85P in each of my cars and it's fantastic. Works great and reasonably quickly and comes in its own nice little carry tote.
I use the one with the metal body from HF, works great, pretty robust.
Professor_Brap said:I use the one with the metal body from HF, works great, pretty robust.
I just recently bought but have not yet used this from The Hammer Store:
https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-100-psi-high-volume-air-compressor-69284.html
$34.99 -> $27.99 w/ 20% off coupon.
One feature I think i want is that the hose screws onto the tire stem. Not just one of those "fold over" jam attachments.
I bought one late night at Walmart to deal with a flat plow truck tire. That was over 10 years ago and I have been unable to kill the damn thing. Loaned out at many autocrosses as well as dealing with leaky truck tires and I can't believe it keeps chugging along. Again I think it was the basic Slime brand one. I have wanted to upgrade to a Viair at some point but not till I finally do this one in.
John WelshI just recently bought but have not yet used this from The Hammer Store:
https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-100-psi-high-volume-air-compressor-69284.html
$34.99 -> $27.99 w/ 20% off coupon.
One feature I think i want is that the hose screws onto the tire stem. Not just one of those "fold over" jam attachments.
I bought a similar (same?) unit from Northern Tool. Branded as Klutch. I really like it, I was able to fill a flat tire on my Grand Marquis in what I consider to be a reasonable amount of time. I wanted to give my dad one but they were out of stock so I gave him mine and bought a Viair 88p. Honestly I think I prefer the little one. The Viair does not have a detachable hose and the 88p model is rather large for strictly "emergency" use.
You're pretty limited if you want to use the cig lighter. Car's cig lighter circuit cant provide enough amps. thus, all these style kind of suck.
If you can use a clamp to the battery post style, I own, and recomend the Viair 88P. Its got enough power to fill a truck tire from flat in little time without overheating.
Another vote for the VIAIR here, I bought one for each vehicle. 45 with Prime Make sure the fuse for the cig lighter is 15A. Works great!
Hmmm have to ask her if she feels like popping the hood for the battery, or just wants to stick w/ the cig lighter. Thanks so far.
What no AirHawk?
John Welsh said:Professor_Brap said:I use the one with the metal body from HF, works great, pretty robust.
I just recently bought but have not yet used this from The Hammer Store:
https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-100-psi-high-volume-air-compressor-69284.html
$34.99 -> $27.99 w/ 20% off coupon.
One feature I think i want is that the hose screws onto the tire stem. Not just one of those "fold over" jam attachments.
I got the next one up. Fits perfectly in the hammer store .50 cal ammo box, has a built in gauge of dubious accuracy, long leads, and does great on everything ive tried (biggest is Michelin 255/50/18)
I've got a VIAIR 88P too. Only used it once but it absolutely rocks.
I got a Viair 00088 88P Portable Air Compressor (about $70 on amazon) It is a beast in terms of CFM.
My nitpicking comments are: I wish they would make the hose on it shorter and the electric cable longer. As it is you end up having to roll both up. It also does not come with a case. I ended up putting it in an old gym bag and keep it under the rear seat in my truck. One other thing to note is that it is set up to be connected to a battery. I think this is mostly because this draws some serious amperage but this is because it can fill a large truck tire very quickly. I have not tried it but I bet you could fill a air tank with it if you wanted to.
Overall an excellent air pump!!!
dclafleur said:I keep a Viair 85P in each of my cars and it's fantastic. Works great and reasonably quickly and comes in its own nice little carry tote.
I will second this one. It is my go to autocross compressor.
I also have the HF version. It works fairly well, but the Viair does work better and the prices aren't much different.
Under $10, requires no power supply, unbreakable.
In reply to pinchvalve :
I have broken them.
dean1484 said:In reply to pinchvalve :
I have broken them.
I'm impressed. I haven't used one in many years but I used them for many, many years before powered tools showed up in my garage. I've never even seen a broke one. How did you do that? Either you're a monster or you cheated...
Read thread title and thought that sounds like a good trade for somebody.
pinchvalve said:
Under $10, requires no power supply, unbreakable.
Not so useful if you have a car without a spare. I carry the Slime compressor with the can of sealant, plus some tire plugs.
Jerry said:Hmmm have to ask her if she feels like popping the hood for the battery, or just wants to stick w/ the cig lighter. Thanks so far.
The plug in ones work fine, they just take a long time to fill a tire.
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