Portable Air Compressor

[Jbc777]

I had a flat tire this week and with no spare or jack I had to wait for over 2 hours to get a tow truck. What does anyone recommend as to a portable air compressor to leave in my car. I have looked at a number of the portable air compressors on Amazon and it seems they are all suspect as to durability.

 

[ucmndd]

I keep this one in the frunk. It’s worked every time I’ve needed it to.

Tcisa 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump - Upgraded Digital Tire Inflator with Gauge 140W 150 PSI https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GQQX6L2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Dz4d22VYyYp7C

Edit: found in my purchase history and just saw it’s unavailable. Sorry.

Though I think most any of them are fine. Compressor and a plug kit has saved my bacon more than once.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

I use this one, it has always worked when I've needed it to:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C2D145V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[SalisburySam]

I carry this Dewalt one with me. Got it since I have other of their tools and a few of the matching 20v batteries. The inflator works great with the 20v rechargeables or can plug into the 12v cigarette lighter outlet.

20V MAX* Corded/Cordless Air Inflator - DCC020IB | DEWALT

 

[Alex362]

I have this one for about 2 years. I swear by it. It’s fast, pretty quiet and compact.
84P Portable Compressor | VIAIR

 

[Prof]

Since I have a lot of Ryobi 18 volt tools, batteries and chargers from Home Depot, I bought their $49 inflator and used my existing batteries and charger. I haven't filled a tire from 0 bit topped off all 4 Tues from 38 to 46 psi and it only used up one bar of power. The but in digital gauge which turns off the inflator at the desired pressure was accurate as tested with a separate gauge.
I also bought a tire plug repair kit. Highly I won't get a flat but if I do I should be able to pull out the nail, plug the hole, and industry the tire

RYOBI 18-Volt ONE+ Dual Function Inflator/Deflator (Tool Only)-P747 - The Home Depot

 

[2101Guy]

I have this one (was a gift) and it saved me once. I actually was suprised at how quickly it inflated the tire. It has two options: air only or air + the contained tire sealant. Not sure if its any sort of "special" sealant to be compatible with OEM tires with the foam sound deadener

Tire Repair Kit

 

[beatle]

I bought a bottle of Slime tire sealant:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C11PYW

and this inflator:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JDH4R7V

I haven't had to use either yet in an emergency, though the inflator does work. An "all in one" setup is like 2101Guy linked is nice, though the cans of sealant are more expensive than the Slime and need to be replaced every few years (all sealant has a shelf life). There are other all-in-one inflator/sealant kits available on ebay that are clones of the Tesla kit and are half the price, but beware that they are often sold with expired sealant.

 

[ucmndd]

I’d not count on tire slime to do much other than make a big mess if you use Tesla-spec tires with the foam inserts.

 

[aerodyne]

Nothing wrong with the Tesla tire kit with compressor, and sealant. Nice case and fits well in the side pocket in the trunk with velcro patch on the case.

 

[Jsvette56]

I use the $30 Slime compressor to top off both my S and 3. Seems to do the job and I keep it in the S for trips.

 

[chronoreverse]

It's not fast but I have an Oasser battery powered unit that can fully fill a tire. I pretty much only use it for topping off pressures but it's very convenient to be able to just take it out, attach to the tire and away you go without having to deal with cords.

 

[BrokerDon]

We also have ViAir 84P air compressors in our family's MS P85D, Prius and M3. They're awesome! The ViAir 84P has the fastest airflow rate of any compressor that plugs into a cigarette lighter without blowing the 15A fuse yet small so easy to store in our MS, M3 and Prius "basement".

ViAir builds an air compressor to LAST unlike every other air compressor we've owned. Sure the CHEAP ones would work for a while but typically died after a few uses... and their warranty expired. The ViAir 400P we owned aired up our HUGE 35" tires on our Jeeps from 15 PSI (rock crawling pressure) and our RV's truck tires HUNDREDS of times for 15 years... and was still running strong when I sold it to the guy who bought our Jeep.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MS75ZMY

 

[Jbc777]

I keep this one in the frunk. It’s worked every time I’ve needed it to.

Tcisa 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump - Upgraded Digital Tire Inflator with Gauge 140W 150 PSI https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GQQX6L2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Dz4d22VYyYp7C

Edit: found in my purchase history and just saw it’s unavailable. Sorry.

Though I think most any of them are fine. Compressor and a plug kit has saved my bacon more than once.

thank you for responding

 

[Jbc777]

I want to thank you all for responding. I purchased a Slime (love the name) and placed it in the frump. This weekend, if the weather cooperates, I will give it a try and see if it works out.

 

[daltonbourne07]

I got a new motorhome in August and looking for an air compressor to serve for my journey. I found that this Viair 400P had come up repeatedly in several RVing Facebook groups, highly recommended by many users. Used it to keep all 6 tires at optimum pressure and blow the crud out of exterior storage after two weeks of desert camping. In fact, it can fill up 30 to 35-inch tires in five minutes, I don’t think the runtime will ever be an issue.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Definitely a good idea to put a plug kit in your car as well, along with some kind of pliers to pull out the screw or nail, and a razor blade for cutting off the excess plug material.

It's better not to plug the tire yourself because tire shops have much better plugs that are installed in from the inside of the tire, and they don't like removing your plug to do their plug, but if you can't get to a tire shop while on the road, it's good to have that option too.

 

[daltonbourne07]

In case you’re going to transport the air compressor around with on the tire, I recommend investing in an air compressor with a small tank.

 

[SalisburySam]

It's better not to plug the tire yourself because tire shops have much better plugs that are installed in from the inside of the tire, and they don't like removing your plug to do their plug, but if you can't get to a tire shop while on the road, it's good to have that option too.

I’ve never heard this before, and have to disagree. After dozens of tire repairs at many tire shops, I know of none that plugs a tire, from in or outside. The gold standard repair is a patch, not a plug, installed from the inside. The outside plug is supposed to be a temporary solution to get you to the tire shop for the patch repair. In most cases however the plug lasts the life of the tire without further remediation. I’ve also never heard of a tire shop removing a plug. Again, they apply the internal patch and that’s it. All this is assuming the hole happened in a repairable part of the tread to begin with. If not, no reputable tire shop will apply any repair but suggest a new tire instead.

 

[airborne spoon]

This is the one I'll get whenever it goes on sale again. I have Milwaukee tools in my trailer already so if I'm gonna get a compressor I'd get one to match those tools. The reviews are excellent and it's made by a known quality brand.

Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Inflator (Tool-Only) 2848-20 - The Home Depot

FASTEST 18V CORDLESS TIRE INFLATOR. The Milwaukee M18 Inflator delivers fast, accurate, easy inflation with the portability to take anywhere. Optimized for Passenger, Light Truck, and Other Medium Duty

www.homedepot.com