Is there such thing as a reasonably cheap and reliable tyre pump with pressure gauge to save using notoriously unreliable petrol station pumps (tyres are meant to be cold when you check pressure anyway)? Any good/bad experiences with such devices?
a
Lidi have a jump start pack which includes a compressor. 20 quid. I doubt the built in gauge is accurate, but an accurate one can be bought for a few quid. Exceptional value.
When CPC had them on special offer, I bought one of those combined compressor/light/car-jump-starter power units with a 17Ah SLA battery in it. I use this for bicycle and cars -- can take a while with a car tyre though and the resolution of the guage isn't wonderful. If you are after accuracy for some reason, I would get a separate tyre pressure guage.
Get a foot pump, or a workshop compressor that you already want for something else. For under £100 it's your best option. I've not seen one of the 12V mini-pumps that wasn't a bad joke.
As a gauge, Sykes-Pickavant do a good quality dial gauge in a rubber case that was around a tenner last time I looked.
I use a Halfords own brand 12v compressor. It is about 10 years old now but still works a treat... unless you are in a big hurry that is! The gauge isnt the most accurate so i supliment it with an electronic one, also Halfords own brand. You could just buy one of the electronic gauges and check the pressures with that after filling up at the garage...
IMHO they're better than the average foot pump and cheaper too than a good one. I've had a cheap one for ages, and it still works fine, which surprised me. True they are slow, but then so is a foot pump.
Ive got a 'run from the ciggy lighter' thing that is supposed to stop when teh pressure gets to the dial setting. Halfords. Useful for teh wlan tractor which is always getting thoirns...
I use it in conjunction with a proper pressure gauge of the expanding cylinder type.
Most dial type gauges are very inaccurate, so I suggest a good pressure gauge and a separate indiffirent pump is the way to go.
Oh,. mine works fine for teh lawn tractor, and although it took ten minutes, it pumped up a flat on te land river too.
gUAGE DOESN'T WORK THO.
Have a cheap Makro 12v thing bought a while ago that does the job, albeit very slowly and noisily :)
Just a comment on the petrol station air lines though, the local one has just installed one of the digital preset air lines - set the required pressure and it inflates or deflates as necessary.
Accurate too, according to my gauge anyway :)
Lee
Thanks for that (advice on the guage). I have a toyish electronic one (from USA); I have the impression it is accurate. However, it seems hard to place properly on the valve: (a) so that I get a consistent reading; (b) so that air isn't released when measuring. Likewise with pumps -- or am I all thumbs or are the valves faulty?
Agree with the foot pump. And carry it in the boot at all times -- the last few times I've had punctures it has saved me the trouble of changing a tyre. (A big deal when the spare is under the boot and the boot contains assorted rubbish such as foot pumps ;-) )
Best regards,
Jon C.
Fortunately, I already have a digital reader. Just looking for something to get a bit more air into car tyres and also pump up bike tyres too.
a
Yeah, the local Sainsbury's one is like that and seems to be quite accurate. You shouldn't have driven for more than about a mile before measuring though for it to be accurate. If you measure it straight off the motorway, the pressure will be way out when cold.
a
Then get a bike pump. You don't need much volume, so a hand pump is fine, but you need greater pressure than typical car inflators can deliver.
My bike pump is a Silca track pump - probably the best bike pump you can get. It'll easily do a car tyre (even a 7.50x16) but you wouldn't want to wait for it, given how long it takes to shift that much air with a narrow piston.
We use the same, never had a problem with it. Handy for blowing up the wheelbarrow ball as well. It's not particularly powerful (will do push bikes) but if you are not in a hurry it's fine. Use a separate guage.
It'll easily do a car tyre (even a 7.50x16) but you wouldn't
7.50x16 ???
Taxi? But some consider Land Rovers cars. :-)
Isn't clear on the website what it will inflate up to. Says the demo time of x minutes was with a certain size tyre up to 30psi. However my tyres need 38psi ... any idea if it will go up that far? Also, bike tyres need between 35-45psi depending on conditions.
a
Most of these small battery operated compressors have adaptors for things like bikes and footballs, etc. And a gauge that reads to 250 psi. If it was only capable of doing car tyres - so say a maximum of 50 psi, the gauge would likely be more accurate with that as their maximum.
What I had on my Rangie.
Mentioning tractors reminds me of the device we used to have for inflating its tyres . It was an air hose with a valve,piston assembly that was screwed in place of a sparkplug. It was a TVO fueled Fordson tractor. You then ran the engine which was only firing on 3 cylinders while the fourth acted as a compressor. The prewar design Ford engine objected only mildly to this treatment. A modern car engine might not like it too much. Knowing my father it is probably still in his shed somewhere having gathered cobwebs in the forty years since the tractor became a diesel model.
G.Harman
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