10 Best Tire Inflator 2021 – Review and Buying Guide

Buying Guide: Things To Consider When Select Best Tire Inflator

Before you start with the fixing, you have to get yourself a portable tire inflator first. Look for the best tire inflator that will suit you and your needs. Most probably you would opt to buy the fastest tire inflator you can have. Or you wish to purchase a tire inflator that gives the greatest output capacity.

Whichever it may be, the best tire inflator for you is the one that complies with all your the points in the checklist. After all, no foot fits all shoes as there is no tire inflator that inflates all tires. Be sure to check out cordless tire inflation as well.

Here is what you can consider in your search:

Check the inflation speed

Some air pumps boast of being able to fill a standard mid-sized car tire in six (6) minutes. The others claim that they can top the performance by two (2) minutes down – or just less than four (4) minutes. There are a few air pump brands – usually those with powerful motors – that can do the job in two (2) minutes or less.

The rule of thumb though – subject to some few exceptions – is the faster a tire inflator can fill a tire, the more expensive its price due to its powerful motors and modern technology.

Do the legwork

An informed buyer is cannot be easily deceived by exaggerated promotions. It is beneficial, if not very important that you do the legwork or make your personal research before immediately buying a tire inflator. The best tire inflator for you is the tire inflator that suits your needs.

To achieve that, you have to do a research. Read some product reviews by qualified and credible personalities. Search for verified customer feedbacks to know both the negative and positive features of each brand straight from the users themselves. Look for specifications and accessory features that go with each tire inflators.

Do some brand comparisons if you are confused between two (2) or among three (3) products that you are interested in. Do all these to guide you in your decision-making,

How to Use a Tire Inflator

All About the Pressure

• The first step is to know your current tire pressure. Knowing the current air pressure of your flat tire is essential to determine how much air you have to put into your flat tire. The reading of the tire pressure can be facilitated by an air pressure gauge or a tire inflator with a built-in pressure gauge. You simply have to press down the pressure gauge or tire inflator into the flat tire’s air valve and hold the position until a reading has been completed; and
• Second, determine how much air you need to add to the flat tire. Knowing how the air pressure inside the flat tire gives you an idea of how much air should be delivered into the air valve of the flat tire. Extreme results will not be satisfactory for too much air will result in the early wear and tear of your tires while too little air will speed up damage to your tires and wheels as well as cause your driving experience less than smooth sailing – not to exclude the fact of increasing the chances of encountering vehicle mishaps.

Pump It

• First, take off the valve stem’s cap. Look for the valve stem of your car’s tire and take off the stem cap to prepare for the delivery of air. See to it that you position the unscrewed cap within your line of vision since you are going to put it back into the valve stem after the tire is fully inflated;
• Second, search for a tire inflator. There are quite a number of tire inflators available now. There are the manual tire inflators if you are the type to do everything by yourself. If in contrast, you opt to go for convenience, then a digital tire inflator is the perfect choice. Some digital inflators automatically turn off when the target pressure value has been achieved inside the tire. The digital ones make more accurate pressure readings compared to the manuals; and
• Third and last, keep your tires cold. There is an accurate reading of the tire pressure when the tires being read are cold or unused. The hot friction created when the tires are used gives a higher tire pressure – not entirely an accurate reading.

Fill Them Up

• First, attach the tire inflator. Depending on the type of tire inflator you own, press the tip of the air hose or screw it into the air valve then hold it until desired pressure is attained;
• Second, monitor the tire pressure every now and then. Regardless of whether the tire inflator is manual or digital, the device has a pressure gauge to help you monitor the pressure reading;
• Third, recap the valve stems. This step prevents the accidental loss of air from the tire because the valve was resealed; and
• Fourth and last, repeat the steps from the top to work on your other flat tires – starting on the tire that is nearer to the tire inflator.

Manual Tire Inflator vs. Digital Tire Inflator

Tire inflators nowadays are of two (2) major types – manual tire inflators & digital tire inflators. If you want the old school and classic type of person who wants to do everything by himself, the manual tire inflator is your type.

If you want the less hassle and easy way, then you have to choose the digital tire inflator over the other. And between the two (2) classes, the digital tire inflator tops the other when it comes to speed because the manual tire inflator is affected by many variables – most important of which are the users’ arm strength & stamina.

A digital tire inflator, in contrast, has an automatic setting that facilitates the tire inflator to operate by itself – and automatically shuts off – minus your constant intervention.

Take careful note of the tire inflator’s output

Admittedly, it is essential that you can inflate your flat tires the fastest chance that you can, neither the output capacity nor the amount of air pressure should be taken for granted.

In your search for a fast tire inflator, you have to put high consideration on air pressure capacity as well as the optimum air pressure that an air pump can deliver at one cycle. The more air pressure the machine can create, the faster the target pressure can be achieved.

Reference:

1. https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/best-portable-tire-inflator-for-your-car-in-2021/
2. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-tire-inflators/