The closest gas station has the worst air compressor on Earth, so I’m going to get a portable one.
Wirecutter has a couple of recommendations from Viair and I have limited interest in doing much research on this, so I’m content just picking one of these.
Do I really need to get something like an 84P because my tires are larger than 18"?
None of these is terribly expensive, so the question is less about cost than it is the actual necessity.
The size recommendation is likely related to the duty cycle of the compressor. Basically, as you go larger, it needs to run for longer to fill the tire, and may overheat before cooling off. If you’re just topping off tires, I doubt you’d run into an issue due to the tire size.
If you’re just topping off you’ll be fine with anything. The more heavy duty compressors are for people who are airing down to the low teens for off-roading and then need to inflate all 4 tires without waiting around 20-30 minutes. I’ve watched a couple videos on setups people have just to shave off a few minutes, I can imagine it’s no fun to have to wait around to inflate your tires after a day oh wheeling.
I use the air compressor that came in my $30 emergency kit from Costco a handful of times a year. For most people this will work just fine. It might be a little slower but, it’s very compact so I leave it in the car and I don’t see spending more on something that sees such occasional use.
The question has recently been on my mind, so I am glad to see the topic. My tires are now 2-3 lbs. under pressure after my last service, and I dislike using gas stations to fill. I have a combination air compressor/inflator that works, but the thing is loud enough to annoy the entire neighborhood and takes forever to air my tires (although it is oddly accurate).
I will be checking out some of the compressors in this post because gas stations suck (especially my money lately living in California).
I picked up one of these on sale via Amazon a couple of years ago and it hasn’t let me down. Before that I had a rinky dink analog one from Radio Shack and it worked ok for several years.
Pro-tip: Free nitrogen at Costco, just pull in near the tire center and you should see the designated air parking spots, no one asks for proof of membership (in case you actually aren’t a member).
Is there any advantage to being able to power a compressor with a cable connected directly to the car battery, vs. plugging it in to a cigarette lighter?
(My spouse has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, but I don’t have the patience to ask this question and then listen to the entire answer. )
Would a higher load support a more powerful compressor (which would therefore inflate tires faster)?
I’m sure that’s not worded precisely correctly, but that’s the general nature of my question.
Honestly, I think I want one that I can plug into a standard wall outlet for convenience anyway… with runflats I see virtually 100% of the usage occurring in my garage.
One would expect a higher duty compressor to draw more amps while running.
The issue you’ll have with something plugging into the wall is that it would be set up for 110v ac rather than 12v DC if it plugs into the car battery. You’d need a power adapter.
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