12 volt air compressors

[Rich Richardson]

Looking for a good unit to keep in my car. The ones that I have experience with are the vibrating diaphram type, not good.
I’d like to get a piston type compressor that can inflate a tire in a couple of minutes.

Any member recommendations?
Thanks

 

[mtgianni]

Not really a 12 volt compressor but I have had decent luck with this style.

https://www.costco.com/cat-cube-lithium-4-in-1-portable-jump-starter.product.4000147677.html

The hoses crack if they are left in the sun. They will hold charge for about 6 months. It took one about 30 minutes to raise a trailer tire from 0 to 80 PSI so not quick but reliable.

 

[woodsltc]

I've found the "Viair" compressors to be well made and dependable. They cost a bit more than some others but you get what you pay for. Don

 

[WR Moore]

I think the brand noted above was what I gave several ladies in the family for Christmas. The version I got either plugs into the power outlet in the dash (used to be cig lighter), or connects directly to the car battery.

You do indeed get what you pay for.

 

[mm93]

Never had much luck with 12 volt air compressors, but if you do get one be sure to buy one that clamps directly to the battery! Today's car lighter outlets aren't fused to hold heavy loads like old lighter outlets were, so the compressor will blow the fuse easily. Don't want to be in the situation of needing a compressor and then have the outlet fail too!

 

[Truckman]

Here's mine from Hornblasters......Ben

 

[mckenney99]

mm93 is right on the money. A big part of my duties as a rural area Highway Patrol Trooper involved changing flat tires for folks. I would estimate that at least 60-75% of the spare tires that I encountered were flat when I finally found them. (No one ever thinks to check the spare tire.) I bought & carried one of the 12 volt inflators to at least get the spares up to usable pressures but it was a slow process. As the pressure increased, so did the electrical power draw. I made up a long "extension cord" with battery clamps on one end and a 12 volt plug-in on the other just to avoid popping the cigarette lighter fuse (guess how I figured that out).
I also carried my own small hydraulic floor jack, because most of the jacks provided by car manufacturers are an accident waiting to happen. Each cruiser was also equipped with a large 4way lug wrench for those stubborn frozen lugs.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I keep a 12V air compressor in each vehicle, and supplied ONE to each of the kids as they got their own cars.
In the wife and my vehicles there is also a 20' extension cord and a battery direct adapter. I also keep a can of fix a flat in the vehicles. Mine were all purchased in the auto department at Lowe's or Home Depot. If you have an 18V battery dill, you might consider a matching air pump. I keep a tubeless tire repair kit in there too. (Replace the rubber cement every few years!)

If your emergency supplies are in the car trunk or truck bed and it is cold outside, the darn things freeze, and need thawed out! If the comp is frozen, they can fly apart in sub-zero temps!

Ivan

 

[ladder13]

Viair is gold standard, but pricey.

I have one of these. Fills quickly, shuts off when psi goal is reached, digital, has a light, etc. Goes with me everywhere.


Kobalt 120-volt Air Inflator (Power Source: Car/Electric) in the Air Inflators department at Lowes.com

 

[DesertFox]

Have given quite a few Ryobi or Ridgid 18v air compressors away to friends and family, carry one in each rig. Batteries can be used on other tools making it multipurpose. Also keep 18v impact wrench and a set of lug sockets in the rig to make the task as easy as possible.

 

[Tom S.]

I bought a NAPA Maxi Trac after I watched a video of a guy pumping up four off road truck tires simultaneously from 15 psi up to 35 psi in a littler over 3 minutes. It only comes equipped with one air line, so he had to modify it to add the other lines, but that's darn quick for a small compressor. At the time i bought mine, they were on sale for $90. I see now they are up to $150.

Just a moment...

 

[oldbrownhat]

I've found the "Viair" compressors to be well made and dependable. They cost a bit more than some others but you get what you pay for. Don

Thanks for reminding me of that. I've been thinking up upgrading mine and couldn't remember the name of one that I had seen recommended. That's the one.

 

[Rich Richardson]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I chose the VIAIR compressor. I ordered directly from VIAIR as I didn’t want to chance buying a counterfeit off Ebay or Amazon.

 

[45Smashemflat]

Not sure when these may be back in stock, but I’ve been carrying this in my truck for a few years. It has worked well, and pumps up a 33” pretty quick.

Air Armor M240 12V Off-Road Air Compressor Kit - Special Ops

ViaAir also makes good stuff.

 

[Farmer17]

I have about every battery powered 18 V Ryobi tool that they make, and they make a bunch. I have several batteries and chargers and always carry a couple batteries and charger in my truck. Several years ago, Home Depot had their little compressors on sale for under $20 And I bought a few which come in really handy, airing up a bicycle or wheelbarrow or whatever. They seem to air up about as fast as the compressors at convenience stores. I also have their battery inflator and every year about 10 of us float down the Illinois river in fishing tubes for three days camping on the bank each night and we usually catch 150 to 200 fish. I take my inflator and two batteries and I can air up everyone’s air bed and they are pretty thankful for it instead of using hand pump.

 

[grover99]

When I was a teenager my Uncle had a tire inflater that screwed in to your car motor after you removed a spark plug. The thing worked alright but was kind of noisy. Never seen another one like it.

 

[tlawler]

I keep a small scuba bailout bottle in one of the toolboxes of my work truck with a BC inflator hose and air chuck. It’s very small, plenty of pressure, and will fill several tires from nearly flat before it runs out. I refill it from my bigger tanks with an adapter whip. Much quicker than the little 12 volt compressors and doesn’t take up much more space.


[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Promate-Scuba-Dive-Tire-Inflator/dp/B001O0BGG2/ref=asc_df_B001O0BGG2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693032873718&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6479534014312245700&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012233&hvtargid=pla-1951350734130&psc=1&mcid=3a9736099c1c3d2b9b2f94466ccc5d90&gad_source=1[/ame]
Air chuck

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DY88KUC/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2723J7RNEVF7N&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams&th=1[/ame]
BC inflator hose

 

[Jeff423]

Check out Project Farm on Youtube. He has done a couple of comparison/reviews on this type of compressor.

 

[mm93]

Have given quite a few Ryobi or Ridgid 18v air compressors away to friends and family, carry one in each rig. Batteries can be used on other tools making it multipurpose. Also keep 18v impact wrench and a set of lug sockets in the rig to make the task as easy as possible.

I love battery powered tools, and have quite a few. But I've learned over many decades that spare batteries go dead even when they're not being used. So my only concern would be the condition of the batteries whenever the need arises for them. Unless a regular schedule of swapping batteries to make sure they're always charged it might not inflate the tire if it's neglected and drained itself down.
Even my shop tools always have one battery sitting in a charger and when I'm ready to grab one I swap in the freshly charged battery, and put the one in the tool into the charger.

 

[mtgianni]

When I was a teenager my Uncle had a tire inflater that screwed in to your car motor after you removed a spark plug. The thing worked alright but was kind of noisy. Never seen another one like it.

I remember those and also a bag that you put under the edge of the car to use as an emergency jack. It was air filled from the engine compression.