Robust 12V Air Compressor

[zendriver]

Could have used one yesterday, helping out a family member, with a ruined flat tire. The donut spare had about 1/4 the air it needed but held in long enough, to get to a shop where I ended overpaying for tires.

Anybody have one that puts out air pretty fast? I'll keep it in my pickup truck cubby in case I have problems going to work in the early AM.

Not looking for anything cordless.

Thanks

 

[Fixr]

Could have used one yesterday, helping out a family member, with a ruined flat tire. The donut spare had about 1/4 the air it needed but held in long enough, to get to a shop where I ended overpaying for tires.

Anybody have one that puts out air pretty fast? I'll keep it in my pickup truck cubby in case I have problems going to work in the early AM.

Not looking for anything cordless.

Thanks

Price range?

 

[4xdog]

Yeah, how much do you want to spend?

I have an older version this 12V case-mounted ARB, and it's definitely robust. And pricey! It’s a terrific compressor, although I'm not sure I could justify replacing it with a new one if I had to.




ARB have recently added brushless versions of their compressors, and they make twin-cylinder versions with an accumulator tank for those who want a lot more air available for a longer time. These are ALL the money, and then some!

 

[Mirage]

I had an Air Zenith OB2 hard wired in my Xterra with a 5 gallon tank. It was a beast.

 

[mikedodge]

I have cheap $20ish ones. They all fill in an emergency.

 

[Stelzer]

Viair are among the best 12 volt air compressors I've ever used. I've had this one for just over 5 years and hasn't overheated or skipped a beat inflating my 22" tires on my expedition in addition to others. Inflates to 120psi. 1.47CFM. 25 minute duty cycle. It actually connects straight to the battery via clamps. Easy to add a Jayco chuck, but the stock one creates a good seal on the valve stem.

 

[zendriver]

Price range?

Around $150 or less

 

[Sumboodie]

The M18 inflator does well.

For plug in 12v, I have a ~20 yr old one from Harbor Freight that is a solid unit. Not sure it's still made though.
Was one of those great products for the cost that they disappeared shortly after putting it out for sale.

 

[Citation]

My suggestion is find one that's an OEM emergency inflator. I got one for my newest car (it has only a doughnut spare) off eBay. I think it's a Continental model.

Quick Tire Repairs | ContiMobilityKit

Seal punctures and re-inflate tires easily with the ContiMobilityKit. Engineered in Germany for top reliability. Reliable and easy to use!

www.continental-tires.com

My feeling is most of the ones you plug into a lighter socket are going to be slow. The critical part is you don't want them to over heat. I didn't know which aftermarket ones will/won't but I assume OEM stuff would be tested to at least work with the installed tires.
I looked for the one Chrysler (and Ferrari) uses but they were more expensive. I'm not worried about the state of the tire sealant as I don't use it.

I will say a while back Lowes had a Kobalt inflator I've been happy with (it's in another vehicle). It included a digital pressure gauge and could be set to shutoff at a given pressure. That was nice since these things at all slow.

If you don't mind connecting to the battery itself, I think HF has a higher power pump that would serve your needs.

 

[dscheidt]

My suggestion is find one that's an OEM emergency inflator. I got one for my newest car (it has only a doughnut spare) off eBay. I think it's a Continental model.

Quick Tire Repairs | ContiMobilityKit

Seal punctures and re-inflate tires easily with the ContiMobilityKit. Engineered in Germany for top reliability. Reliable and easy to use!

www.continental-tires.com

My feeling is most of the ones you plug into a lighter socket are going to be slow. The critical part is you don't want them to over heat. I didn't know which aftermarket ones will/won't but I assume OEM stuff would be tested to at least work with the installed tires.

My car came with a continental inflator like that. It's a pretty nice compact package, with a very long power cord (need to plug it in the dash, and take it to a wheel) that all fits into the device itself. The hose is a little short, and the screw on chuck *****, but given the intended use, it's acceptable. It works fine, at least up to 35 psi or so. It's loud. It's slow. It's loud. I've used it mostly for adding air when it's gotten drastically colder than when I set the pressure, but I've filled a completely flat tire for someone else, and it did that with no drama, other than the noise.

 

[jptbay]

Puma https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Puma-PD1006-Air-Compressor/p13972.html

 

[Firebrick43]

Viair are among the best 12 volt air compressors I've ever used. I've had this one for just over 5 years and hasn't overheated or skipped a beat inflating my 22" tires on my expedition in addition to others. Inflates to 120psi. 1.47CFM. 25 minute duty cycle. It actually connects straight to the battery via clamps. Easy to add a Jayco chuck, but the stock one creates a good seal on the valve stem.

I too have this one and it’s been excellent. I bought it in sept of 2016 so it’s going on 9 years.

I was so tired of the cheap rattle trap ones

 

[bluedog225]

I’ve got the ARB. It’s good. I’d definitely get one that alligator clips to the battery. Or an Anderson Power Pole plug (probably have both options wired in). They can pull pretty high amps. Don’t remember exactly but seemed too high for my jeep cigarette plug.

 

[RTM]

They can pull pretty high amps.

I have some cheap ones in my main two vehicles. One is so cheap it would not start pumping when the battery was a bit low. Had to start it pumping, then put the hose on the tire. Needed to jump the car once the battery was up.

Both made in China I'm sure, neither fast enough to seat the bead on a hand cart tire unassisted. Both cheap at garage sales, help with low tires for certain. Noisy as hell.

 

[whitesco]

Another vote for the VIAIR here, been really happy with mine. They recommend running the engine while using it though.

Edit - I have the alligator clip version (88 maybe?) that is rated a little higher than the lighter plug ones; I don’t think the same “run engine” advice applies to them because they’ll pop a fuse anyway.

 

[zendriver]

I'd like to get the Viair 88's cheap cousin at HF.

Clearance price $49 but the closest available store is 50 miles away.

It would be about the right size physically and performance-wise.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I have the following:

Puma- Best for larger tires. Pulls a lot of amps, so I alligator clip it to the battery.
ARB- Most compact, low volume. I have this mounted in my CJ7.
Viar- Higher pressure, lower volume than the Puma. Pulls less amps than the Puma, but still needs a 10awg power line. I have this mounted in my tow pig.

 

[zendriver]

I likely wont use one on anything larger than light truck tire.

 

[Jokester]

Actually just spent a bit on the TLC Pro from Viair. Maybe overkill, but not digging spending less for questionable longevity. They're running a LD sale for the time being, which helped a good bit as well. Ordering from their site I got a first time buyer discount and the Labor Day reduction, so just under $300 shipped.

 

[zendriver]

Scored the clearance model from HF BIL goes to the gym in Plymouth and this would fit into the cubby of his Harley trike. $50

According to the internet this seemed to be one of those “why’d they stop selling these” Since it’s pretty highly rated and decent priced. Maybe to push the higher priced larger sized Maddox model ?

Anyway, perfect to keep in-the pickup

Thanks everyone for the responses

 

[liliysdad]

I have a cheap Slime brand compressor that I keep under the back seat. It has saved my bacon more than once.

Since I got my Dewalt cordless inflator I haven’t touched it. That thing is one of the best things I’ve ever bought.