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Portable tire inflator recommendation?

ctilsie242
Explorer II
Explorer II
For auto and trailer tires where the max PSI is 44 PSI or 60 PSI, what is a good, well built tire inflator that has a hose that screws onto the tire (I want it to screw onto the tire valve, because hunching over, trying to keep an adapter pressed onto the valve doesn't do my back much good.)

I have one I bought at AutoZone, but it definitely isn't something that I'd expect to last more than a year or so at best, so looking for something that can sit in the car until needed.
14 REPLIES 14

landyacht318
Explorer
Explorer
Viair used to be Made in USA, but followed the bandwagon to Asia one their reputation was established.

The MV 50 is inferior in QC and design, but is not hard at all to improve with some spit and polish.

The MV-50 is also sold as the MF-1050 and can be had on Amazon for 53$

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Flow-MF-1050-MasterFlow-Compressor/dp/B000L9AD2U/ref=sr_1_14?s=automot...

At a minimum I would recommend retorquing the head bolts and taking a razor blade to air filter inlet holes, making sure they are wide open.

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Viair is as good as there is for a 12 volt portable and has a price tag to match. The Masterflow MV-50 gets a lot of good reviews but is a cheap(er) clone of Viair. This person took one apart to see the differences in construction. Of importance when looking at these besides max. psi is CFM and duty cycle. Note that a 100% duty means a lower CFM (at least with Viair) to reduce chances of the compressor overheating.

I bought a used Viair 300P which does 2.30 cfm @ 150 psi (with 33% duty cycle), their highest CFM of all their models. I modified it by installing a Viair pressure switch inside the end cover that is on @ 90 psi and off @ 120 psi. I installed a standard female quick connect fitting instead of the normal open-ended male fitting, a pressure gauge and a male trolling plug on the cord. Bought a 25' length of super-flexible poly air hose and added a thumb pressure relief valve. Mounted the trolling receptacle on the junction box in the A-frame (a new PVC water-tite box I installed). This compressor works great and is plenty fast for even the 80 psi truck tires even when I tested by letting about 1/2 the air out.

Viair makes excellent compressors but oddly, their tire inflator gauge is cheap junk. I returned the new one I bought. Don't waste your money on one. I was unable to find a good one without spending around $200-300 and just use a standard tire chuck & digital gauge. The pistol grip gun that Viair uses (lower left photo) is the same quality as $10 ones like at Harbor Freight and elsewhere. I also did not like the cheap recoil hose that came with the Viair gun and it went back with the inflator gun.



pdogg
Explorer
Explorer
Here's a vote for CO2 tank.. I use it all the time to inflate by airbags, truck tires and 5er pin AirRide bags to 100 psi..

I also use it at home to power air tools, etc.. best part is, it's completely silent and quick.

www.powertank.com

SoundGuy
Explorer
Explorer
DougE wrote:
I really like the Craftsman Cordless Inflator. You just clip it onto the valve stem and pull the trigger. No wires to hook up. I've had any number of brands of plug-in compressors and this really simplifies the process. (The whole C3 group of tools is really a great investment!)


That's pretty slick - really like the simplicity! :B

For those using a 12 vdc tire inflator I'd suggest replacing any cigarette lighter plug with a standard 7-pin Bargman so you can just plug the inflator into your truck. I've in fact converted all my exterior 12 vdc devices to Bargman connectors, both male & female, so I can power anything from any 12 vdc power source of either sex. :B

2012 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab
2014 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS
2003 Fleetwood Yuma * 2008 K-Z Spree 240BH-LX
2007 TrailCruiser C21RBH * 2000 Fleetwood Santa Fe
1998 Jayco 10UD * 1969 Coleman CT380

DougE
Explorer
Explorer
I really like the Craftsman Cordless Inflator. You just clip it onto the valve stem and pull the trigger. No wires to hook up. I've had any number of brands of plug-in compressors and this really simplifies the process. (The whole C3 group of tools is really a great investment!)
Currently Between RVs

filrupmark
Explorer
Explorer
BurbMan wrote:
This is a nice little unit that works well for topping off tires to maintain correct pressures. Priced right too, click pic for link.



If you plan to "air down" to 10 psi for off-roading, you'll need something a little more substantial like the Viair 400P that has both enough CFM and PSI to inflate all of your tires back to road pressure. This is what I use when I come off of the beach.


We have the same Harbor Freight compressor. IT'S been great.
2004 Ford F250 Super Duty 6.0 Diesel, Bilstein 4600 Shocks, 16K B&W Patriot, Michelin M&S
2014 Augusta Flex AF34RS Trailair Tri Glide pinbox,
JT Strong Arms , Bridgestone R250'S, KYB Monotube Gas shocks
Finally a smooth ride !!!

landyacht318
Explorer
Explorer
Note that these portable on demand compressors all have passive air chucks. if not hooked to a tire they still bleed air out the tire chuck so as to not build pressure, as there is no tank to hold it.

I thoroughly despised the screw on chuck which came with my masterflow Mv-50, and replacing that was the reason I did all the modifications I did to it.

The screw on Chuck still had a quick air release which required being a precise angle with no torque applied, so it basically had to be screwed on, held in place during inflation, then unscrewed quickly, and anytime I was threading or unthreading it it was bleeding pressure.

My masterflow mv-50 now has a 1/4 NPT receptacle in head, a better coiled airhose, and a passive locking tire chuck with lever. I drilled a small hole thought the portion which depresses the valve so it cannot build pressure in the line.

Other modifications to this compressor were removing the horrid crimps inside the endcap to relay, adding strain relief on the cord, a 80MM comnputer fan to blow over the head, Adding 45 amp anderson powerpoles to the 14awg power cord, and putting grease in the big air pockets between cylinder and finned head for the better transfer of heat from the cylinder.

Also the air filter which came with it, had a bunch of plastic mold flashing on the inlet holes that severly restricted flow, easily remedied with a razor blade.

It can pull 16 to 19 amps depending on the voltage it receives. I was considering replacing the 14awg with thicker, but Time to fill is not really an issue, so higher voltage and a faster spinning motor is not really required in my use.

I've not actually measured the voltage drop at the relay in the endcap when running, but I have run it directly off of my adjustable voltage power supply whose range is 13.12 to 19.23. It sounds kind of sick at 13.12v input voltage and much faster and smoother at 15.5v.

Horizon170
Explorer
Explorer
You need a "CLIP ON" air chuck, not a "SCREW ON" chuck.
Clip on
Marvin

2010 Coachman Freelander 22TB on a
2008 Sprinter/Freightliner chassis
1995 Geo Tracker (Toad)

BurbMan
Explorer II
Explorer II
This is a nice little unit that works well for topping off tires to maintain correct pressures. Priced right too, click pic for link.



If you plan to "air down" to 10 psi for off-roading, you'll need something a little more substantial like the Viair 400P that has both enough CFM and PSI to inflate all of your tires back to road pressure. This is what I use when I come off of the beach.

bob213
Explorer
Explorer
Viar 88P works for me. Viar RV400 is nice but overkill for my needs. Make sure if you get a 12V pump that it hooks direct to your battery.
You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality โ€“ Ayn Rand

Dannyabear1
Explorer
Explorer
Vi air is what all the kids use to jack up their cars, I have one and it works great up to 100 psi; can buy on ebay or amazon

Second_Chance
Explorer II
Explorer II
I'm not a fan of portable inflators without tanks. Compressing air causes moisture to condense and you can pump extra water into your tires - I've seen this happen. This is why the big compressors all have a drain/relief valve on the bottom of the tank. We carry a small(ish) compressor with a tank (Husky brand, I think). Main disadvantage is that it is 110 volt only... but we'll call roadside assistance for any issues with the fiver or DRW truck while travelling, anyway. I use the compressor to check and adjust pressures the evening before we hit the road each time - the morning of so tires are cold if we've traveled the previous day, too.

Rob
U.S. Army retired
2020 Solitude 310GK-R
MORryde IS, disc brakes, solar, DP windows
(Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
2012 F350 CC DRW Lariat 6.7
Full-time since 8/2015

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
Porter Cable has a nice inflator that does tires and inflatables. Runs off their 18v batteries or 12v outlet.

I chose it because I had other PC brand tools, so swapping batteries between them was handy. The drill I use for my stabs and a lantern for extra light wherever.
2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
2020 RAM 1500, 5.7 4x4, 8 speed

DrewE
Explorer II
Explorer II
Most I've seen have locking tabs on the hoses which don't screw on but do stay on without being held. (Most air-through valve caps don't have threads on them anyway, but merely a sequence of ring grooves, so screw-on attachments aren't always the most useful anyhow.)

I've never been particularly impressed by the inflators I've used; they're usually noisy and slow and seem poorly built. There may well be exceptions among ones I've not used.

I have a nice little 120V compressor, a Fini AirBoss, for my motorhome and am quite pleased with it. This unit is about the size of a smallish suitcase and seems to be pretty nice for what it costs. Among other places, Lowes carries it sporadically, and Sears sells it to (rebranded as a Craftsman) at what is usually a higher price.

Some here use a gas cylinder (usually CO2) and regulator setup, which might work out well for you.