Member Since: 03 Apr 2010
Location: Surrey
Posts: 268
High capacity tyre inflator
Can anyone recomend a good high capacity tyre inflator (which runs off a cigarette lighter). I bought one from Halfords at the weekend for £45 - it said it could do up to 50psi car tyres on the box... Worked fine on a Punto, but as soon as I connected it to my 255/50 R20's on the D4, it returned an error code - couldnt give a pressure reading and couldn't inflate properly. And I was only trying to put 36 psi in...
Plugged back to a Punto tyre and worked fine. Back to D4 tyre (tried all four of them) and same error... Obviously didnt like the "larger" tyre?
If you can recomend a make / brand you have used successfully on these larger tyres I'd appreciate it?
Thanks747_JK
"Moab is my happy place"
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6th Apr 2011 6:45 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26775
I have used a Viair 220p for the last 4 years. It is a very good inflator, and will pump up a 19" D3 wheel in a couple of minutes, and can reach very high pressures if required.
Downsides are initial cost is high, electrical flex gets brittle, does not plug into cigarette lighter (too powerful) and the carry case fell apart.
6th Apr 2011 7:18 am
747_JK
Member Since: 03 Apr 2010
Location: Surrey
Posts: 268
Thanks, but any smaller cigar-lighter options? Really want something easy to keep on-board and which can take simple power from the car when required...747_JK
"Moab is my happy place"
2019 Land Rover Discovery 5 HSE
2015 Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE - SOLD
2010 Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE with a serious smoking habit - SOLD
viair normally clamp onto battery, not through the 12V aux - but there are some alternatives which are Viair clones and they are very good, I've used one for the last 2 years now. I got mine through 10forcash, but I think I've seen them advertised by John Craddocks since then.
edit - must read post correctly. Sorry, don't know of any lower power ones with anything close to the air output of a viair or it's clone.LRs are a fond memory, apart from the maintenance.
6th Apr 2011 8:25 am
PaulP
Member Since: 04 May 2007
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 4317
I think you should seriously forget about cigar lighter ones....I know you only want it for quick "top-ups" as opposed to airing up tyres, but they generally give very bad results.
You get what you pay for (as with most things) and whilst Viair compressors are fantastic (and would be my first choice if funds permitted it), as MrH says, there are some good quality compressors at half the price. I think all of them use battery clamps for power.
I've got a Temko double piston compressor that cost me around 170 euros and I've used it lots over the last 3 years with zero problems. I also use it for 4-5 minutes and then let it cool down for another 3-4 minutes so as not to overheat it.
If I could justify it, I'd get a decent Viair (440 model?) that offers a 100% duty cycle - no need to cool it down and they seemingly last forever. It also comes with a soft carry case/bag as opposed to the thermoformed plastic "briefcase" boxes that eventually crack and fall apart as Gareths says.
I know you just want a little/cheap compressor, but you'll struggle to find one that's up to the job and will work well enough when you really need it to.
Hope this helps,
Paul2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE AutoBuckingham Blue 2007 Golf GT DSG
6th Apr 2011 8:36 am
bambi
Member Since: 10 Apr 2009
Location: south yorkshire
Posts: 2059
istr that recentley there was a thread on this, and a very good one was found, iirc its in the ebay section.
The mentioned thread was this one and it was a link to Amazon. But the compressor mentioned there connects also directly to the battery instead of the cigar lighter ...
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
My viair has a heavy duty feed when TFC fitted the fridge wiring etc, wired up to the aux batt.
6th Apr 2011 9:53 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26775
PaulP wrote:
It also comes with a soft carry case/bag as opposed to the thermoformed plastic "briefcase" boxes that eventually crack and fall apart as Gareths says.
Erm, my Viair came in a lovely soft padded carrying case, which is now in tatters. All the zips fell apart, and the plastic clips broke, so even Viair cases are not good. I keep mine in an old plastic Tesco shopping box now.
6th Apr 2011 1:55 pm
TwelveSticks
Member Since: 16 Jan 2010
Location: Dublin
Posts: 798
I can vouch for the one on Amazon mentioned above. Cheap, does the job (though connects to the battery, not the cigar lighter), and can be stored in the spare battery box (if you haven't got a pesky 2nd battery already in there!)2001 D2 GS (I must be mad!)
2005 D3 S 10-12 (gone and missed)
6th Apr 2011 2:05 pm
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14414
I bought one of these from Paddock. Very good. and less than £40.
How does this one connect - is it a direct connection to the battery too? And does it come with a good pressure guage so easy to get tyres to just the right pressure etc?
Really appreciate all the leads guys - its between this and the Amazon one someone else posted about.747_JK
"Moab is my happy place"
2019 Land Rover Discovery 5 HSE
2015 Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE - SOLD
2010 Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE with a serious smoking habit - SOLD
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