Hope we never use it

June 20, 2024 4:50 PM

Please recommend a portable automatic tire gauge / tire inflation device that can be carried in the trunk of a car and used in an emergency by people who don't even check their own tire pressure when they don't have to.

There are overwhelmingly many options for this kind of thing online so I am asking for either personal recommendations or products recommended by trusted sources.

Key features: being a thing that actually works to fill a tire.
And ease of use, both in figuring it out and not requiring a lot of physical strength.

For now: please don't limit to any specific price points, we'll go through and figure the affordability factor out later.
Thank you!

posted by ojocaliente to Travel & Transportation (19 answers total)

I have a Craftsman inflator that uses the newer Craftsman 20V batteries but also has additional power options, which is cool—you can power it with the cigarette lighter or a 120V outlet (though you'll need an extension cord). One battery + the built-in cords for other power options would have you in pretty good shape. (We've also used it to inflate air mattresses, pool toys, etc.)

If you already are invested in a different battery-operated power tool system (for your cordless drill, etc), check to see if it has an inflator option. (If you don't have one, the Craftsman tools are perfectly good and not a bad place to start.)
posted by Polycarp at 5:01 PM on June 20

We have a Ryobi one. But we have Ryobi power tools that have compatible batteries.

I like that you can set it to a psi value and it will autofill to that amount.
posted by AlexiaSky at 5:15 PM on June 20 [1 favorite]

I have used three types:

- Ryobi with battery - convenient at home, may not have charge when you need it if you had it in the car
- slime and husky ones that have lighter socket cables - no complaints on either, the husky does mains too and is a little faster but I have big tyres
- little lithium battery based portable - surprisingly good, charges via USB and lighter sockets, $20 on Amazon in a variety of sizes (all obviously Chinese made, most seem to have the same display) and is also a USB power bank. My friends and I use them for motorcycles because they're so light and compact, no one has broken one yet.

They all let you read the pressure on a digital display. The battery one stops at the right pressure. Nice bonus, not essential.

No real complaints with any of them, but the power bank one is very convenient and small, and the plug in ones involve threading a cable to the lighter socket.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 5:47 PM on June 20

We've had this little 12v guy that looks like Thomas the Tank Engine for a few years. It has saved us many times, it's cheap, it's small, it's powered from the cigarette lighter if your car still has one, did I mention it looks like Thomas the Tank Engine.
posted by bcwinters at 5:51 PM on June 20 [3 favorites]

I have this Kobalt tire inflator and it’s been reliable for many years. It comes with connectors to inflate bike tires and sport balls, and you can preset a value for PSI after which the Kobalt will shut off automatically.
posted by Roger Pittman at 5:51 PM on June 20

I have the same one bcwinters has, and in fact I used it for the first time in ages this morning and noted to my wife how it looks like Thomas! It is very easy to use and I'm glad I have it.
posted by knile at 6:06 PM on June 20

I have two different ones bought from Amazon that aren't listed any more. They both are powered by the car's 12v plug, which I think is better choice than getting one that needs a rechargeable battery as your car will always have power (and if it doesn't you have more issues than low tire pressure).

If the compressor you get only has a twist on connection to the tire valve, I suggest you get an adapter that has a lock on connector like this one that you leave permanently attached to the compressor's hose. It is so much easier to attach the compressor to the tire valve with one.

Compressors like this are great for inflating bike tires as well. Just set the wanted PSI, press the button, and wait until it reaches the set PSI and shuts down.
posted by ShooBoo at 6:23 PM on June 20 [3 favorites]

I have this one, which is a misc amazon brand pump that has an automatic step, and has worked well. I also have a husky one that I actually bought at a physical store, and is very well built (but not automatic).
posted by advil at 6:54 PM on June 20

I also have the same model as bcwinters's little Thomas the Tank Engine-looking 12V tire inflator and honestly it's one of the best things I've bought since the pandemic. Twice a year here when the seasons change I lose enough PSI to trigger the warning light, and it's all of two minutes on each tire (and no visit to the gas station) to get everything topped up.
posted by eschatfische at 6:58 PM on June 20

I have this one which I assume is a cheap Chinese knockoff but it works just fine. Very easy to use. USB rechargable, shows PSI/kgm^-2/Bar, and has adaptors for bikes & balls.
posted by gible at 7:00 PM on June 20

I've used a few different ones that plug into the 12V outlet in the vehicle (I'm pretty sure that's what you want, rather than something with a battery that needs charging). As far as I'm concerned, they are interchangeable and you can just buy whichever you please. The simpler the better: all you need is a pressure gauge, ideally analogue, and a button to turn it on and off.
posted by ssg at 7:04 PM on June 20 [2 favorites]

Costco sells this Fanttik inflator ( https://www.costco.com/fanttik-s100-apex-powerful-portable-air-pump-&-tire-inflator-with-power-bank,-black.product.4000230430.html). It is somewhat expensive, but I found it worth the price.

It charges though USB-c. What I like about it - it screws onto the nozzle instead of clipping on or being pressed on. The tire pressure measurement seems quite accurate, it inflates quickly, and isn't extremely loud like a lot of other inflators. It's quite small too.
posted by coberh at 7:17 PM on June 20 [1 favorite]

I have one similar to what bcwinters linked. I got it because one of my tires was slowly losing pressure and I needed to top it up regularly. I first had a tiny one I got from Princess Auto but it died after a couple of years. I walked into Canadian Tire and bought the first one that seemed like it could do the job. It just sits in the bin of car stuff I've got in my trunk.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:39 PM on June 20

I've had this VIAIR one for 8 years and counting, and it's worked great.
posted by Pryde at 9:09 PM on June 20

I have this VIAIR one, bought on a Wirecutter rec, I think. I had a tire with a slow leak and so was using it every week or so until I finally caved and got a new tire. It was fast and easy to use. Plugs into the "cigarette lighter" 12V plug in my car. The gauge was pretty accurate, compared to my car's own tire pressure sensor. It lives in the back of my car now and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
posted by gingerbeer at 11:41 PM on June 20

I also bought a random one from Amazon that isn't listed any more and it's completely fine. Agree on getting 12V that plugs into the car charging port, the cable on mine is just long enough that it can reach all four tyres okay. Definitely get one with a digital pressure dial, I initially bought one with an analogue dial type display and it was consistently very challenging to get a reliable read on the pressure number.
posted by terretu at 12:51 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]

If your car does not have a spare tire you probably already have an inflator hidden in or under your trunk.
posted by leaper at 10:34 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]

I have a compact battery-powered inflator like the Fanttik one coberh linked (mine is this one, though honestly I'd trust something sold by Costco more), and it's really nice to be able to inflate a tire without dealing with a bunch of cords, which really makes it easier to check tire pressure and maintain tire pressure more regularly. It's charged via USB so with the right cable and adapter you can charge off of the 12v car power (or off a built-in USB port if the car has one) in a pinch.

That said, for emergencies, you'd probably be better served by something that just plugs in directly to 12v that you don't have to worry about keeping charged; agreed that the devices on Amazon or wherever for this are all pretty similar and are fit for the task, so long as you get one with a long-enough cord that you can get to all of the tires.
posted by Aleyn at 11:27 PM on June 22

I just bought this cordless inflator after using a 12V lighter plugin. Even with a 12V extension cord, it was hard to reach all four tires. The new one comes with a 12V plugin cable in case the battery runs down. As said above, if you are invested in battery powered tools, check if they make an air inflator.
posted by Ferrari328 at 6:16 AM on June 23