Handheld or portable tire inflators are devices designed to pump your vehicle’s tires with air. These tire inflators are meant to fit inside your vehicle, allowing you to inflate your tires without going to a gas station or shop. These devices are great for keeping your tires at your vehicle’s optimum tire pressure, allowing you to have the best comfort and fuel economy. A portable tire inflator is great to have if you run a flat and notice that your spare tire is also flat.
Most portable air pumps for car tires can measure tire pressure using analog or digital gauges. Tire inflators can also vary in size. Some are small enough to fit your hand, others look similar to a drill. Meanwhile, others are as big as a car battery. Given their differences in size, they also have different features and capabilities.
Tire inflators aren’t just meant for tires. They can come with different valve attachments, allowing you to inflate things like bicycle tires, inflatables, and air beds. This is great when you’re taking your vehicle camping and you need an air pump for outdoor activities.
How Do Portable Tire Inflators Work?
Handheld tire inflators have a small motor that drives a set of gears, which then pushes a piston. As the piston moves up, it’ll push air into the hose and your tire. A valve prevents the air from deflating from the tire as the piston moves down and more air is sucked into the piston. This process is very similar to how your engine’s pistons and valves work.
Some tire inflators have a built-in rechargeable battery, which you need to plug into a household 120-volt outlet. Meanwhile, other inflators rely on your vehicle’s auxiliary power outlet. There are even portable tire inflators that can plug straight into your vehicle’s battery with alligator clamps.
Are portable tire inflators like air compressors for your car? Tire inflators are much like air compressors since they can pump air at high pressures. However, tire inflators don’t have a reservoir full of compressed air. Hence, tire inflators can’t pump air for long periods, nor can they power pneumatic tools like air compressors.
Tips on Using Portable Tire Inflators
Keep Your Engine Turned On
Portable tire inflators can use up a lot of power in a short period. If you’re relying on your vehicle as a power source, you should keep the engine turned on so that you don’t get a flat battery.
Straighten the Hose
Air might not be able to push into the tire if the hose is bent in an awkward position. When pumping your tires, ensure that the inflator’s hoses are straight and air can pass through the hose properly.
Inflate Your Tires to Your Vehicle’s Ideal Tire Pressure
Some portable tire inflators allow you to input your desired tire pressure on the device and it’ll pump the tire to that setting with a simple press of a button. Other portable tire inflators are just analog pumps that you control by turning them on or off. Most of these analog inflators have a gauge that just tells you your current tire pressure. Remember that you’ll only get an accurate reading on an analog inflator when it isn’t pumping air.
Whatever the case, you should know your vehicle’s ideal tire pressure and pump it to that pressure. Overinflating or underinflating your tires can cause your vehicle to have a rough ride or excessively burn fuel.
That said, no portable tire inflator is 100% accurate when it comes to detecting your tire pressure. It’s still advisable to double-check your tire pressure with a handheld tire pressure gauge after using a portable tire inflator.
Watch Out for Overheating
Many portable car tire air pumps will heat up quite quickly. This is mainly due to the electric motor, but it can also be due to the battery discharging. When using a handheld tire inflator, be careful not to accidentally touch the hot parts. Plug-in tire inflators typically warn against overheating. Generally, you should let portable tire inflators rest and cool after 10 minutes of use.
What To Look for When Buying a Tire Inflator
The tire inflator for you will vary depending on your needs. Are you looking for fast inflation? Quiet operation? Compact storage?
As long as a tire inflator has good reviews, it can probably do the job. That said, you’ll need to be aware that tire inflators can be quite noisy. Some tire inflators can also be bulky and heavy. There are certainly quiet and compact tire inflators out there, but they might pump air slowly. You might think larger tire inflators can pump air faster. However, tests from independent sources reveal this isn’t the case.
One tire inflator won’t have it all, so we recommend reading product reviews or reviewing vetted lists from reviewers online.
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