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Looking for a cost-effective compressor to use to keep all the tires on my 4 vehicles properly inflated. Running up to Discount Tire has become such a drag. I want one that you dial in the required PSI and let it do its thing. What have you guys got out there that matches this description and you have been happy with?
Looking for a cost-effective compressor to use to keep all the tires on my 4 vehicles properly inflated. Running up to Discount Tire has become such a drag. I want one that you dial in the required PSI and let it do its thing. What have you guys got out there that matches this description and you have been happy with?
I appreciate the input.
Happy Thanksgiving.
i have been using this one for three years. Available at Lowes, Home Depot or Amazon for $99.00. You may even find a deal doing Black Friday.
I had a 2 stage commercial compressor that I picked up when a local garage was shutting down. Like you, it was overkill when I just wanted to use a blow gun, fill up a pool floaty or top off a tire. It also took up a lot of room. I sold it and bought one of these. It's noisey but otherwise I'm very satisfied. https://www.harborfreight.com/8-gal-...sor-68740.html
Looking for a cost-effective compressor to use to keep all the tires on my 4 vehicles properly inflated. Running up to Discount Tire has become such a drag. I want one that you dial in the required PSI and let it do its thing. What have you guys got out there that matches this description and you have been happy with?
I appreciate the input.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Don't need the large vertical compressor I have for just filling tires. Would think the pancake one for ~$50 from Harbor Freight would work fine. I also use mine for air tools. That unit is 3 gallons and can be set to 100 psi and weighs only 20 lbs. That will top up your tires without needing a long hose as I have with my heavy unit!
However even though I can set the delivery pressure with mine, you need a quality pressure gauge IMO. There are a number of digital ones available. See Amazon has several that attach to the air compressor hose and may be what you want. You can than watch the pressure increase as you're filling. I tend to overfill slightly than release air with a button to get it where I want.
My wife got me a Air Hawk a couple of years ago. You dial up the pressure you want, attach it, turn it on, and do something else while it's inflating. It stops automatically. It's a little slow but I can top off 3 vehicles on one battery charge with more to spare. What I really like is I don't have to pull cords or a compressor around the garage and can take it to the back 40 to fill my tractor and trailer tires. It does come with a cigarette lighter plug also.
I bought a $15.99 air pump from Walmart Supercenter this past Summer. Not for the Corvette, but for my IH Cub Cadet and my bicycle. Since it goes to 60 psi with no trouble, the Corvette's tires @ 32 psi should be an easy fill. I tired of jacking with the cigarette lighter air compressor from Harbor Freight
. That POS blew out the fuse on my Mercedes Benz sedan a couple years ago.
I have several digital meters, one expensive one from Summit. But my best method is with a large analog gauge that has a short and long hose to fill two tires at once. I connect to both rear then both front tires. You know they are at the exact same pressure. That large face pressure gauge only goes to max 60 psi s is easily to read in 1 psi increments. I find it matches the Vette readings. Unfortunately it's no longer sold. You can find similar that 18 wheel truckers use to balance pressure but they are expensive. I occasionally check with my expensive digital meter.
Be careful if you find one on eBay etc as they came in 3 pressure ranges, One only went to 15 psi for ATVs. The other way to high to read 30 psi accurately.
We also have 4 cars and I own this unit from Harbor Freight. It goes on sale from time to time and is large enough for other little projects. I have a cheap portable in some of the cars for spot inflation but for example last week I topped off all four cars in about a half hour with this 6 gal unit. I bought the little dolly for it and just roll it around. https://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...sor-62511.html
I second the recommendation for Viair. I burned thru two or three of those cheap auto parts store compressors after a few track days. The Viair unit is truly heavy duty. However mine doesn't have auto shut off and the gauge is about 5 PSI off (reads low), on the flip side the cord and hose are long. I've got 4 vehicles if you include my boat trailer so it gets a workout.
gauges are most accurate in the middle of the their range so this Joes unit is perfect. Easy to read with well spaced markings. It too is a heavy duty type that you can tell is a quality piece. No more cheap digital plastic type ones for me, seems the battery on 'em always dies when you need it the most.
Consider a digital pressure gauge and a HP cylinder floor pump. Pump takes up very little space in both your garage and trunk. No noise, very portable, cheap, and very accurate. Although it is not a "plug and play" device, I use it on everything that might need air. It's nice to not have to plug it in and worry about hoses and cords or waiting for the tank to fill up to pressure. Drop a few psi or add a few for track night and then pump it right back up to operating pressure when you head home. Ambient temps changed? Simply connect the pump and give it a few pushes and you are back up to operating pressure. No need to wait for pressure build up or uncoil the hose across the garage or driveway.
Buy a costly one that last for a long time or H F cheaper one that you will replace from tome to time tp fill.
Spend the extra cost on an accurate gauge
Or a regular air compressor that you keep in your garage and an air tank that you fill periodically when you need to air up tires. I put a quick disconnect fitting on my air tank hose and just connect my air compressor hose to it and open the valve to fill the tank. I hate filling via the shrader valve on the air tank.
And for Gods sake, get a good air gauge, don't use the one on the air compressor.
And for Gods sake, get a good air gauge, don't use the one on the air compressor.
That’s what I would have thought but the gauge on the Kobalt air compressor I got at Lowes reads exactly the same as my Corvette’s on-board tire pressure display. Perhaps they are just both inaccurate by the same amount.
11-19-2018, 04:56 PM
Home Air Compressor for Tire Inflation
I have several digital meters, one expensive one from Summit. But my best method is with a large analog gauge that has a short and long hose to fill two tires at once. I connect to both rear then both front tires. You know they are at the exact same pressure. That large face pressure gauge only goes to max 60 psi s is easily to read in 1 psi increments. I find it matches the Vette readings. Unfortunately it's no longer sold. You can find similar that 18 wheel truckers use to balance pressure but they are expensive. I occasionally check with my expensive digital meter.
