portable air compressor

so, I tried searching the forum, and failed miserably. im trying to find a high quality portable air compressor to put in the trunk of a c5 corvette. we just went away from the run flats, and are now stocking a scissors jack, plug kit, etc. now we need the compressor. has to be small, as its a convertible that gets driven coast top coast, border to border. will be gone for months at a time out on the road. not a lot of extra room.

ive used the cheap Wal-Mart ones, and they suck. theirs gotta be a better option....

Something that small can only move so much air, there is no free lunch. I've always had good luck with the cheap ones, the one I have now was actually run long enough topping off some very low tires that it melted the case to a point that the compressor just floats inside, still dead heads at 90psi.

I'm not a dealer or have any vested interest in a product called Slime. I did see the stuff at a car show where they drilled a hole in a tire with what appeared to be a 1/4" drill and it resealed itself. The tires can be pretreated with this stuff or they have an emergency kit that hooks to the valve pumps in Slime and adds enough air to drive away. They also have a kit with a tire inflators and a bottle of the Slime. I became interested as I also have a car with "run flats" that I will replace soon and also a project car with no provision or room to carry a spare. The web site says it water soluble and can be cleaned out of a tire if needed and with it in a tire doesn't effect balance. I have not used it but it looks good for just this application. http://www.slime.com/shop/moto-spair-50001/

I think part of the nature of a small sized, 12V compressor is that it is a piece of crap, but I'll wait to see what the hive says.

I asked he same question a few months ago and didnt get any recommendations. I did a bunch of research and founf the Viair ones are pretty well liked. They have a wide range in prices depending on what power you want. The one I picked out is a little expensive so I am going to ask for it as a birthday gift. I am not affliated but I am sure one of these would work for you.

http://www.viaircorp.com/

Hi my first post here. Yes check out visit products. Also look into others popular with the Jeep crowd. They have to move lots of air reliably to keep those big tires inflated. J

Sorry that was viair. Damn autocorrect. J

Option 1: Buy a proper air compressor and a power inverter- very bulky and expensive, not really practical.

Option 2: Buy a portable air compressor- from my experience with the air compressor in the ContiComfort kit and a variety of other cheap air compressors in the past, These will work but not very well. Also, they draw such a high amount of power that they often blow the fuse.Harbor freight has one on sale now for under $10! They even claim it goes up to 250psi! That's pretty ambitious. I think this is probably your best option. Obviously it won't work as well as a proper compressor, but I think you are looking for more of an emergency use tool, right?

Option 3: Bike pump. I have filled a car tire (4 in fact) with a bike pump and I've seen a few people do it at the local auto crosses, but it is basically what a scissor jack is to a hydraulic jack. It can be done, but only out of desperation. You could also try a foot pump but I have never used one personally.

Slime is a good idea but not as good as a proper plug. Additionally, it will ruin your TPMS monitor in that wheel.

I have an older version of this.
12V compressor
I got mine at Wallyworld a few years ago. I use it autocrossing and pack it on cross-country trips. A little bigger than most but doesn't overheat like I've seen the smaller one do and always works. Isn't as fast as a real compressor but does well for 12-volts. Built in gage and light.

I would get a paintball gun CO2 tank. And use that to air up my tires. Then I would take the extra space from not carrying an air compressor and throw the scissor jack in the garbage and buy an aluminum racing jack (I carry one also a cpl blocks of wood and a fold out 4 way also socket sets so I can assist people with wheels that a lug wrench won't fit)

As the new guy said, get a Viair compressor and don't worry about it. These are what are used to air up air ride suspensions and other such items. They are also rebuild-able. They aren't cheap but yo aren't looking for cheap.

They are 12v but not plug into your lighter style, you'll need to run at least 8ga wire for them, usually on a relay with a switch to activate (I can get you wiring diagrams from air ride systems if you want)

Other than Viair, Zenith is another good brand and there are a few others out there but basically look for a good air suspension compressor and you'll be set.

Looks like viair makes portables that just clip to your battery. This is a no-brainer, these are what you need.

http://www.viaircorp.com/portables.html

http://images.oreillyauto.com/parts/img/large/sli/comp06.jpg

At Oreilly auto parts stores or online, $58.99. Looks like the viair. The viair is cheaper, $39 on Amazon.

Nothing beats this MV50 SuperFlow. I use it as my on board air on my jeep. it will air my 33's in about 2 min and I also use it to air up my inflatable boat. I love this compressor.

Duster, scan some of the off-road sites. These guys bring their tires down to 10 or so psi and then air them up for going home. They need to be light and dependable.

Pirate 4X4 is one. There are many out there.

You wouldn't do it to a Vette, but some have made compressors out of the AC compressor.

Dan

Another vote for Via Air. Been using mine for about 6 years now in the street car and the race car as well.

so yeah, i think dads going to order the viair portable from amazon. hes been watching this thread, though doesnt do forums.

and on a side note, the non run flat tires make the convertable a whole different car.

hes also 70. i dont think the bicycle pump will work for him. now for air shocks on the elky, i may look into that. granted, i may just go with some firestone bags inside the coils and a viair compressor under the bed myself.....

thanks for the help, guys. this is the last piece of the cross country emergency kit we were looking for. he leaves june 7th, as soon as school lets out. this summer is southern calim and the ghost towns/mining towns out west. in a 200 vette convertable.

some day ill retire........

I guess the old spark plug compressor rigs are out, huh?

My dad has an ARB air locker on his suburban and I've used it to pump up the 33" tires on my truck. Works faster than the little pedestal mounted one on the side of the local car wash. I bought him a little compressed air tank and I think we are looking to solid mount it somewhere in the bowels of the big truck for some extra capacity.

I use a portable air tank, it's always in the truck. The Miata has a can of goop in the trunk at all times, forget which brand. But for something lighter/more compact, that does not consist of an aerosol can, I would take the advice above regarding brand.

You need the compressor, not necessarily the tank, and there is a wide variance in quality with all air compressors. So when someone with some experience or competence at choosing a compressor makes a recommendation, I take their advice.

Oh, forgot to mention this in the above post, but when I do airbrushing I use a tank of compressed nitrogen (eliminates moisture problems). If I need to do a quick job without power available, I fill a rubber innertube with nitrogen.

All it takes up is space; weights nothing. That might be an option if you have a spot on the car for an OEM spare you can put the inflated innertube in.

Johnny2Bad wrote: Oh, forgot to mention this in the above post, but when I do airbrushing I use a tank of compressed nitrogen (eliminates moisture problems). If I need to do a quick job without power available, I fill a rubber inner tube with nitrogen. All it takes up is space; weights nothing. That might be an option if you have a spot on the car for an OEM spare you can put the inflated inner tube in.

The inner tube idea will not hold the CF you need for a tire in the same space as it will expand / stretch. To hold the same amount volume of air in an inner tube as a tire the inner tube would be 3-5 times the size and probably explode. If I was to go this rout I would hard mount an alum tank in the vehicle.

I have a cheep 12 volt air pump I got at Costco about 15 years back. IT is not fast but is better than a bicycle pump. IT is getting very tired so this thread is very timely.

i use a air ride compressor off a 1981 caddy fleetwood. its small its fast and i have had for many many years........but for what you are looking for i would think any of them would work, its not like you are going to be using it every day

Harbor-Fart to the rescue:

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-100-psi-high-volume-air-compressor-69284.html

$22

We just used it for the first time this past w/e (mental note - check spare tire pressure!). I'd probably get a Via Air if more regular use is planned (auto-x, 4-wheeling, etc), but for once in awhile emergency use, it got the job done.

xd wrote: Nothing beats this MV50 SuperFlow. I use it as my on board air on my jeep. it will air my 33's in about 2 min and I also use it to air up my inflatable boat. I love this compressor.

That's what I use for my 31s and it's great. A tad big compared to some of the cheapies, but it works great.