Tyre inflators- buy a compressor or use garage air line?

AnotherJoe

ripplyuk wrote: »

Do you mean for a flat tyre? I couldn't cope with that, I'd ring greenflag or whatever breakdown company I have. It could be useful for a slow puncture though.

Actually it never occurred to me to keep something like this IN the car!

Thats one key thing its for, say you come back to your car and one tyre is a bit down, you can pump it up and be on your way (obviously check as you go every few miles). But it could get you back home instead of spending hours waiting, or maybe it will do to get you to the nearest tyre place.

And IME I've had maybe two or three actual "solid" punctures and perhaps 20 slow ones that were limpable home with.

You have to keep it in the car !! Its not much use at home, after all, much more than half the time you will be leaving from somewhere else other than home.

neilmcl

AdrianC wrote: »

The quickest and damn near easiest way to inflate your own car tyres occasionally is something like...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PG1PKIA

A bike track pump.

Much quicker than a 12v ciggy-socket buzzer, cheaper, and a heck of a lot quieter.
Much quicker than a foot pump, and a lot less effort.

I've had van tyres up to 3.5bar in short order with one, without breaking into a sweat.

Totally agree, couldn't be easier with a track pump. Use my Joe Blow pump with no bother, don't forget bicycle tyres usually take a much higher tyre pressure (80-130psi for road tyres) so pumping up a car tyre will be a breeze.

neilmcl

ripplyuk wrote: »

The foot pump took forever and the bike one didn't seem capable of reaching the right pressure. Perhaps I was doing something wrong but it just seemed to let out air once it reached a certain level.

Sounds like you didn't connect it to the valve correctly. As above, a bike track pump is easily capable of handling car tyre pressures.

thescouselander

I just use the garage and double check the pressure using my own gauge. I also have a 12v electric compressor for emergencies but that takes ages to inflate the tyre vs the garage's equipment.

Stoke

thescouselander wrote: »

I just use the garage and double check the pressure using my own gauge. I also have a 12v electric compressor for emergencies but that takes ages to inflate the tyre vs the garage's equipment.

How long out of curiosity? My £15 digital compressor can inflate a tyre from flat in about 3 - 4 minutes. I top up all four of them in less than 10 minutes usually.

thescouselander

Stoke wrote: »

How long out of curiosity? My £15 digital compressor can inflate a tyre from flat in about 3 - 4 minutes. I top up all four of them in less than 10 minutes usually.

Sounds about right. I can do all 4 tyres in 2 or 3 mins at the garage.

neilmcl

thescouselander wrote: »

Sounds about right. I can do all 4 tyres in 2 or 3 mins at the garage.

Having to compensate for the change in pressure whilst you drove to the petrol station I hope.

thescouselander

neilmcl wrote: »

Having to compensate for the change in pressure whilst you drove to the petrol station I hope.

It's not a massive issue. The petrol station isn't even half a mile away.

david39

Garage forecourt tyre inflation equipment is checked by Trading Standards officers when they visit the forecourt to check that the petrol pumps are dispensing the correct amount of fuel. If faulty, they have to be corrected and rechecked.
The pumps are sealed so the calibration cannot be altered by the site owner.
Sealing is not necessary with tyre inflation equipment as it is not charging the customer by volume but it has to comply to a standard just the same.
The checks happen usually twice a year and the officer's visits are made without prior warning to the garage.

david39

Further to the my post immediately above, I used to work at a petrol forecourt and we sold the stick type pressure checkers. We had a display card with about 6 of them on it and one day when I was bored I checked the pressure in the same tyre with each of the sticks.

Each one of them gave a different value with variations of plus or minus 4 lbs of pressure!