The portable electric tire inflator -- did I "do good" or could I have "done better"?

[BonzaiDuck]

The black-plastic tire inflator I keep in my Trooper has inhabited two old Honda Civics, a Nissan Sentra, and an 87 Trooper before my 95. It continues to work. It needs attention during use. It won't win any races just for topping off my 245/70/R16's from maybe 20 psi to 32. It's come in handy in a pinch, together with a can of "Fix-a-Flat", which the tire-reseller employees call "Leche" because it leaves a milk-covered film inside the tire that requires removal when they do a tire repair.

For a while, I thought I was riding high for having my tires periodically topped off with Nitrogen under my tire-warranty. But the plain truth of the matter dispels any sense of superiority in that department. You don't get "pure nitrogen" when the tire is installed and filled, because it already has air in it. It doesn't make a hill-a-beans difference for anything else of significance, and by waiting between visits to the reseller when you can receive your dose of nitrogen, you miss giving your tires more regular maintenance and service with plain old air.

So I have decided to obtain a newer, better tire inflation gadget.

You can get these items in several flavors for a variety of prices. Reliability seems to loom large in customer reviews, where some complain that the damn things crap out after a few applications, or that you wouldn't want to depend on their serviceability during a road trip.

Some of them have an AC power cord and plug in addition to the cigar-lighter penile connection. I thought it would be nice. But the better models I've examined seem to have drawbacks in the reliability department.

Some of them have a standard analog gauge, while others have a digital readout. Some people complain here and there that a unit's digital readout is not easy to read, or is located inconveniently.

Some of them have an automatic shutoff which can be set to the desired tire pressure. Some of those units don't shut off accurately to the user's setting.

Here and there, you can spend up to $250 bucks on a tire-inflator-compressor device. You can also buy one for $30.

Some of them are cordless, with USB charging and Li-ON Lithium battery packs. I often shrink from battery-driven devices. That's why I've been slow with cell-phones, laptops and cordless power tools. Somehow, the battery may wear to becoming unchargeable, or they never seem to have enough charge in them when you need them. I've become more comfortable gradually with my cell-phone and tablet routines, even so.

Of all the power tools I own, I love my Makita drill most of all. It runs off the wall socket. It's a stand-up solid tool. If I have three different drills, I always reach for the Makita before any other.

So I picked this tire inflator, which is a Makita DMP180SYX 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Inflator Kit. But it runs off a battery-pack.

Did I do good? Could I have done better? I need to have a good, portable tire inflator. And I suppose I can still keep the old one (purchased in 1993), under the passenger seat. Plenty of room for the Makita along with it.

 

[pauldun170]

That Makita doesn't sound like it's going to be good to use in practice and doesn't sound like a good inflator for car tires.
You have to hold the trigger the entire time to inflate the tire. Combined with low CFM you'll be standing there holding it for minutes just at add a couple of PSI.

The kit shows up as $134.99.
For that amount, you can get a 3.5 gallon porter cable ($80) for around the house AND one of the several portable 12v options for emergencies out on the road. (Pick one https://www.autoguide.com/best-portable-tire-inflators-air-compressors).

 

[killster1]

That Makita doesn't sound like it's going to be good to use in practice and doesn't sound like a good inflator for car tires.
You have to hold the trigger the entire time to inflate the tire. Combined with low CFM you'll be standing there holding it for minutes just at add a couple of PSI.

The kit shows up as $134.99.
For that amount, you can get a 3.5 gallon porter cable ($80) for around the house AND one of the several portable 12v options for emergencies out on the road. (Pick one https://www.autoguide.com/best-portable-tire-inflators-air-compressors).

i had a cheap 12v one before and it started smoking. i use a ryobi 18v and it says to give it a break every 5 mins of use.. and yes it takes a while for it to file 10 pounds of air. It has worked out great for my emergency uses and i believe it ran me about 18$ shipped with no battery.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

i had a cheap 12v one before and it started smoking. i use a ryobi 18v and it says to give it a break every 5 mins of use.. and yes it takes a while for it to file 10 pounds of air. It has worked out great for my emergency uses and i believe it ran me about 18$ shipped with no battery, however i think this post is a mistake as it seems like you are replying yet the only post

[and for pauldun170] Responding to Paul, I will take your remarks to heart. However, the lack of a trigger-lock seemed like a minor short-coming. Some of us here are computer-builders, and we're familiar with those Velcro ties which are bundled with Seasonic PSUs. It was an item like that mentioned by one of the more positive reviewers for the Makita. Based on other reviewers, it didn't seem like the Makita would fall short filling up a 245/70/R16 from 20 psi. It might take a minute or two. But, customer reviews aside, I'll have to wait and see.

The most important thing to me is that it lasts as long as the el-cheapo unit I've had since 1993. The El-Cheapo is slow enough to be annoying, loud enough to be more annoying, and requiring hands-on attention enough to be annoying on top of that.

I had actually looked at just about every item in the comparison review which Paul thoughtfully linked in his post. Just about every one. I had dismissed the Ryobi when I looked at it, just because our inclinations and tolerances may change as we examine several options in succession. So I was initially less interested in battery-driven units like either the Ryobi or Makita. As I noted in my OP, I've been less than eager about battery-driven tools over the last couple decades.

For that, I observe that my Ryobi tools and products command the same reverent respect that I give my Makita drill.

But the most important thing of my concern is the longevity of the Makita unit. I could cast a wager bet of confidence just because it's "Makita". I'd be surprised if a Makita tool went south in the first months or first year of use, and I guess I'm going to find out.

But since this sort of tool now looms larger in importance for my automotive maintenance and emergency preparations, I might go back and revisit the Ryobi -- or even something else -- and throw some more chump change in that direction.

I could probably return the Makita if I'm not satisfied with it, and I could easily assess my satisfaction well within the 30-day return window.

Of course, there's the option of a regular shop air-compressor like a Porter-Cable. If I begin to consider air-driven tools for working on my cars -- I should probably give that prospect a fresh look -- that would seem like an ultimate and stand-up choice.

 

[pauldun170]

[and for pauldun170] Responding to Paul, I will take your remarks to heart. However, the lack of a trigger-lock seemed like a minor short-coming. Some of us here are computer-builders, and we're familiar with those Velcro ties which are bundled with Seasonic PSUs. It was an item like that mentioned by one of the more positive reviewers for the Makita. Based on other reviewers, it didn't seem like the Makita would fall short filling up a 245/70/R16 from 20 psi. It might take a minute or two. But, customer reviews aside, I'll have to wait and see.

The most important thing to me is that it lasts as long as the el-cheapo unit I've had since 1993. The El-Cheapo is slow enough to be annoying, loud enough to be more annoying, and requiring hands-on attention enough to be annoying on top of that.

I had actually looked at just about every item in the comparison review which Paul thoughtfully linked in his post. Just about every one. I had dismissed the Ryobi when I looked at it, just because our inclinations and tolerances may change as we examine several options in succession. So I was initially less interested in battery-driven units like either the Ryobi or Makita.

For that, I observe that my Ryobi tools and products command the same reverent respect that I give my Makita drill.

But the most important thing of my concern is the longevity of the Makita unit. I could cast a wager bet of confidence just because it's "Makita". I'd be surprised if a Makita tool went south in the first months or first year of use, and I guess I'm going to find out.

But since this sort of tool now looms larger in importance for my automotive maintenance and emergency preparations, I might go back and revisit the Ryobi -- or even something else -- and throw some more chump change in that direction.

I could probably return the Makita if I'm not satisfied with it, and I could easily assess my satisfaction well within the 30-day return window.

Hopefully it works well for you. Should be well made.
Do you have a compressor at home? If not, I highly recommend you take the leap.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Hopefully it works well for you. Should be well made.
Do you have a compressor at home? If not, I highly recommend you take the leap.

Transporting it from Virginia to California when I retired, I had built at least the beginnings of a good wood-working shop, particularly with the bench I designed and constructed. It was built so that I could drop tools into it like a table saw, router, band-saw etc. that had special jigs which I built for them. The workbench later served more general purposes. I eventually had to move it out of the garage, because we couldn't accommodate two mid-sized truck/SUV vehicles in there according to the condo regulations which required using the garage for all situations with two vehicles or more. [The overflow was supposed to get moved around among "guest" parking on three-day cycles].

So I was considering purchase of an air-compressor, even at that time. I just didn't do enough heavy work on my vehicles during the subsequent years to revisit the idea. In fact, in the aftermath of my "new-tire-ball-joint" episode of this month, I'm likely to revisit the idea soon. That's another story, in another current thread.

Truth is, in order to save money one needs to spend a little money. And for saving money on your vehicles, one needs to consider augmenting the tool investments.

I just have to make myself more amenable to either laying or rolling on the cold, hard concrete more often as a 74-year-old geezer . . . Stuff I embraced more willingly at half my age in a pair of insulated Dickey overalls . . . I wish I could just buy a pill at the drug store that would make me mid-30s and full-a-beans again. The 75th birthday is just around the bend. Suddenly, this year, I feel more inclined to tell lies about my age. But you can't lie to yourself -- or you shouldn't . . . .

 

[manly]

Any portable DC tire inflator actually not suck?

Trying to have a portable, probably DC powered tire inflator in the mix so I can top off the tire pressure at home. Gotten a couple from Amazon that were highly rated and both died within a few uses. Are any of the light duty inflators doomed to only being able to fill up one tire at a time...

forums.anandtech.com

Several forum members recommended VIAIR.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Any portable DC tire inflator actually not suck?

Trying to have a portable, probably DC powered tire inflator in the mix so I can top off the tire pressure at home. Gotten a couple from Amazon that were highly rated and both died within a few uses. Are any of the light duty inflators doomed to only being able to fill up one tire at a time...

forums.anandtech.com

Several forum members recommended VIAIR.

I should take more time to research the Anand archives before I go throwing questions. Of course -- the forums are "part of my social life", so . . .

 

[mindless1]

I had a slow inflator built into a jump start kit, was not tolerable for anything larger than a wheel barrow or bicycle.

I got a larger inflator, drew enough current that it needed a direct battery /clamp connection, massive upgrade but the thing failed and was repaired 4+ times, estimated total running hours in the single digits.

Realized that I don't really need a portable inflator. I mean I check my tires every now and then, can (and do) just have a small compressor near the garage door to air up vehicles in garage or on driveway with an air hose, and have about 1000X the expected lifespan, and use it for other things too. Things small enough I can drag them within hose range if a tire is flat, don't matter... I can drag them.

It really depends on what and where you need to inflate things. If it's just to inflate the trooper, no I'd never get that for this purpose. No reason to pay the premium for a cordless inflator when the vehicle in question has its own power source, and one that can provide more power to inflate faster, at lower cost.

Portable inflators are a bit like a black hole. They have to work fast enough to get the job done (without your gettting bored and moving on to multitask then they may overhead while unattended) or else they get pulled into the gravitational field of heat, so have to be left to cool down and restart, a bit of a hassle. The faster they are, the less heat they build up before the pause to move on to the next tire, so the longer they last (all else equal).

I stopped playing that game, won't settle for any inflator/compressor/whichever that doesn't inflate fast enough that I'm keeping it on any tire for more than 30 seconds and even then, it'd have to be a special event. I mean to top off, not fill a monster truck tire from empty. Life is too short for that nonsense.

 

[pauldun170]

I had a slow inflator built into a jump start kit, was not tolerable for anything larger than a wheel barrow or bicycle.

I got a larger inflator, drew enough current that it needed a direct battery /clamp connection, massive upgrade but the thing failed and was repaired 4+ times, estimated total running hours in the single digits.

Realized that I don't really need a portable inflator. I mean I check my tires every now and then, can (and do) just have a small compressor near the garage door to air up vehicles in garage or on driveway with an air hose, and have about 1000X the expected lifespan, and use it for other things too. Things small enough I can drag them within hose range if a tire is flat, don't matter... I can drag them.

It really depends on what and where you need to inflate things. If it's just to inflate the trooper, no I'd never get that for this purpose. No reason to pay the premium for a cordless inflator when the vehicle in question has its own power source, and one that can provide more power to inflate faster, at lower cost.

Portable inflators are a bit like a black hole. They have to work fast enough to get the job done (without your gettting bored and moving on to multitask then they may overhead while unattended) or else they get pulled into the gravitational field of heat, so have to be left to cool down and restart, a bit of a hassle. The faster they are, the less heat they build up before the pause to move on to the next tire, so the longer they last (all else equal).

I stopped playing that game, won't settle for any inflator/compressor/whichever that doesn't inflate fast enough that I'm keeping it on any tire for more than 30 seconds and even then, it'd have to be a special event. I mean to top off, not fill a monster truck tire from empty. Life is too short for that nonsense.

For the home,
6 gallon Compressor basically covers all bases. Cars, Tools. Small enough to move anywhere you need it.

To keep in the car

or

 

[mindless1]

^ I just don't ever remember an event where I needed one in a vehicle. If going off-roading you might want to air down, then air tires back up when you get back to pavement, but since I check tires at home, no cases where it's a slow leak yet fast enough that I'd be stuck while out, and not be able to get to a gas station to top off, and yet I've never had to do that.

If I got a puncture in the tire, it would probably leak faster than the inflator could refill. I suppose you could put some tire slime in and hope for the best, and I might take these things along if I were in areas without cellphone service but I'm usually not. Remote areas, there's a whole list of things to take along including food and water if you can't trust the vehicle.

 

[NutBucket]

I carry one in the event the spare needs air. I suppose I should also carry a plug kit.

 

[pauldun170]

^ I just don't ever remember an event where I needed one in a vehicle. If going off-roading you might want to air down, then air tires back up when you get back to pavement, but since I check tires at home, no cases where it's a slow leak yet fast enough that I'd be stuck while out, and not be able to get to a gas station to top off, and yet I've never had to do that.

If I got a puncture in the tire, a little portable inflator would probably leak faster than the inflator could refill. I suppose you could put some tire slime in and hope for the best, and I might take these things along if I were in areas without cellphone service but I'm usually not. Remote areas, there's a whole list of things to take along including food and water if you can't trust the vehicle.

It all depends on you personal situation.
When there isn't a pandemic, I commute by train and my car sits in a lot 11-12 hours a day. A little 12v air compressor saved the day on a couple of occasions for me. Show up at the commuter parking lot at night to find a flat tire due to a nail imbedded in the tire from the morning drive to the station. Fill it up enough where I could get it to where I need to go. Inflator 9 times out of 10 out ran the leak. Also came in handy for those situations where the spare tire was low or flat.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I had a slow inflator built into a jump start kit, was not tolerable for anything larger than a wheel barrow or bicycle.

I got a larger inflator, drew enough current that it needed a direct battery /clamp connection, massive upgrade but the thing failed and was repaired 4+ times, estimated total running hours in the single digits.

Realized that I don't really need a portable inflator. I mean I check my tires every now and then, can (and do) just have a small compressor near the garage door to air up vehicles in garage or on driveway with an air hose, and have about 1000X the expected lifespan, and use it for other things too. Things small enough I can drag them within hose range if a tire is flat, don't matter... I can drag them.

It really depends on what and where you need to inflate things. If it's just to inflate the trooper, no I'd never get that for this purpose. No reason to pay the premium for a cordless inflator when the vehicle in question has its own power source, and one that can provide more power to inflate faster, at lower cost.

Portable inflators are a bit like a black hole. They have to work fast enough to get the job done (without your gettting bored and moving on to multitask then they may overhead while unattended) or else they get pulled into the gravitational field of heat, so have to be left to cool down and restart, a bit of a hassle. The faster they are, the less heat they build up before the pause to move on to the next tire, so the longer they last (all else equal).

I stopped playing that game, won't settle for any inflator/compressor/whichever that doesn't inflate fast enough that I'm keeping it on any tire for more than 30 seconds and even then, it'd have to be a special event. I mean to top off, not fill a monster truck tire from empty. Life is too short for that nonsense.

What you say all makes sense.

The "El Cheapo" black-box inflator with the cigar-lighter power source which I purchased in 1992 from some Autozone precursor such as Kragens never stopped working, but it was always annoying. It annoyed for being slow, for making a clatter and dancing around on the garage floor if I didn't want to hold on to it for the duration.

I never used it for regularly topping up the Trooper's tires, but if I saw a tire that seemed to have lost 10 psi, I'd direct my attention to it. It came in handy a couple times when I had a flat tire, and I'd use it with a can of "Fix-A-Flat" to get me home and eventually to the repair shop. And over what comes close to 30 years, it has had enough use to bolster my confidence that such a device may last long enough to make it worth the money.

It still works! So I can use the Makita regularly, knowing that the old one is still serviceable. I'll just use the Makita to keep the tires up to their 32 psi spec on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule.

I just got the Trooper back with the new tires and the ball-joint replacements. I can really tell the difference. Getting a second opinion about the ball-joints led to a $350 savings on the entire package of tires and parts. The ball-joints of 2018 were apparently just defective MOOG units, installed badly, or both of the above.

 

[mindless1]

^ I still suspect the BJs were not Moogs but rather some $5 generic, or there was some upsell monkey business in their misdiagnosis. Hard to say when you got two things changed at once (and hopefully an alignment too?) so it's not isolating only one variable to account for a drive difference.

The Moog uppers for your vehicle, have Moog stamped into the unique, patented base plate as shown here:

More Information for MOOG K90685

www.rockauto.com

BUT, that same part # K90685 is also used on a $3 generic,

More Information for ULTRA-POWER K90685

www.rockauto.com

a $7 generic,

More Information for SKP SK90685

www.rockauto.com

and a $20 that is Quick Steer, Federal Mogul's lower end part.

More Information for QUICK STEER K90685

www.rockauto.com

Without going rock crawling, there's no way that Moogs should wear out in so few (how few?) miles already, especially not the upper BJs. If they were defective the installer should have noticed extra slop before putting them on, but I suppose the installer could have not cleaned corrosion out of the knuckle they attach to so they never seated in it then banged around till the corrosion was broke loose a bit, and that's the slop that led to a misdiagnosis of failure. A defective part is not outside the realm of possiblity, but all 4 defective and two different part #s? Highly unlikely from a major brand.

It comes back to the practice of always asking for the old parts back then you can examine them yourself, both for brand and necessity of replacement. Using a carbide toothed saw blade or angle grinder cutting wheel, you can even cut them open to examine the construction and wear, and whether they were greased.

 

[Torn Mind]

^ I still suspect the BJs were not Moogs but rather some $5 generic, or there was some upsell monkey business in their misdiagnosis. Hard to say when you got two things changed at once (and hopefully an alignment too?) so it's not isolating only one variable to account for a drive difference.

The Moog uppers for your vehicle, have Moog stamped into the unique, patented base plate as shown here:

More Information for MOOG K90685

www.rockauto.com

BUT, that same part # K90685 is also used on a $3 generic,

More Information for ULTRA-POWER K90685

www.rockauto.com

a $7 generic,

More Information for SKP SK90685

www.rockauto.com

and a $20 that is Quick Steer, Federal Mogul's lower end part.

More Information for QUICK STEER K90685

www.rockauto.com

Without going rock crawling, there's no way that Moogs should wear out in so few (how few?) miles already, especially not the upper BJs. If they were defective the installer should have noticed extra slop before putting them on, but I suppose the installer could have not cleaned corrosion out of the knuckle they attach to so they never seated in it then banged around till the corrosion was broke loose a bit, and that's the slop that led to a misdiagnosis of failure. A defective part is not outside the realm of possiblity, but all 4 defective and two different part #s? Highly unlikely from a major brand.

It comes back to the practice of always asking for the old parts back then you can examine them yourself, both for brand and necessity of replacement. Using a carbide toothed saw blade or angle grinder cutting wheel, you can even cut them open to examine the construction and wear, and whether they were greased.

Youtube has some anecdotes that indicate it's a very real possibility.

 

[mindless1]

^ Not sure what you're stating is the very real possibility but to me the video mostly serves to show another reason why someone should DIY on an older vehicle, as a shop that had the supposed-moog oversized part, would most likely have just put it on there.

I would have rejected both parts, have had the worst luck with things made in India that use inferior materials so the ACDelco is out, but the Moog part does not look genuine to me.

In the video, around 54 second point, you see the back of the bushing just has numbers, not Moog's "Silentbloc" molded into the rubber.

Silentblocs - High quality suspention parts

Discover our MOOG silentblocs, rubber to metal bushes. These high quality parts absorb vibration and tension with durable and tough performance. Advanced rubber bushes provide better handing and longer life. MOOG Parts is the preferred steering and suspension brand for thousands of drivers and...

www.moogparts.eu

Further at around 2:18 in the video is the faux-Moog bushing on right side of this comparison pic, with the genuine Moog on the left:

 

[BonzaiDuck]

^ I still suspect the BJs were not Moogs but rather some $5 generic, or there was some upsell monkey business in their misdiagnosis. Hard to say when you got two things changed at once (and hopefully an alignment too?) so it's not isolating only one variable to account for a drive difference.

The Moog uppers for your vehicle, have Moog stamped into the unique, patented base plate as shown here:

More Information for MOOG K90685

www.rockauto.com

BUT, that same part # K90685 is also used on a $3 generic,

More Information for ULTRA-POWER K90685

www.rockauto.com

a $7 generic,

More Information for SKP SK90685

www.rockauto.com

and a $20 that is Quick Steer, Federal Mogul's lower end part.

More Information for QUICK STEER K90685

www.rockauto.com

Without going rock crawling, there's no way that Moogs should wear out in so few (how few?) miles already, especially not the upper BJs. If they were defective the installer should have noticed extra slop before putting them on, but I suppose the installer could have not cleaned corrosion out of the knuckle they attach to so they never seated in it then banged around till the corrosion was broke loose a bit, and that's the slop that led to a misdiagnosis of failure. A defective part is not outside the realm of possiblity, but all 4 defective and two different part #s? Highly unlikely from a major brand.

It comes back to the practice of always asking for the old parts back then you can examine them yourself, both for brand and necessity of replacement. Using a carbide toothed saw blade or angle grinder cutting wheel, you can even cut them open to examine the construction and wear, and whether they were greased.

Yes -- I should've asked for the old parts. Just to clarify, the final repair shop asked for its second opinion was specific about upper versus lower. They noted that the lower ball-joints were shot, while the upper ones were "so-so" and one would be inclined to decide at this point whether to replace all four.

After driving the SUV for nearly 20 years, I notice every little vibration and behavior of the suspension system and tires. That is, I think I do, but I think I do with confidence. 20 years and at least 100,000 miles.

Without describing every single indication, I must say that the indications have just disappeared, and it has been a long time since I could feel the smooth ride that I have now.

The repair shop that installed the ball-joints three years ago showed two shortcomings in other aspects of the overall repair project. They were supposed to install a new high-pressure power steering hose because the old one was coming apart. When they installed the hose, they didn't twist it onto its fitting beyond short of finger-tight. So it was leaking again when I drove away from their facility.

The owner of that shop tried to hide my wheel-lock key socket from me. I had also forgotten to ask for it, but plenty of other mechanics had just put it back where they found it in the glove box with no discussion of it. Two weeks later, the thought crossed my mind and I discovered it missing. I turned the SUV around and dropped by the repair shop. The owner's son told me the story that his father had taken possession of the wheel-lock key so that I would return to their shop. Needless to say, I'm never going back there. Of course, I can add a third criticism. They overcharged me about $700 for the ball-joints, the KYB Mono-Max shock-absorbers and the labor. I discovered this by getting an estimate from my tire-reseller after the fact. This is ironic, because my tire-reseller quoted me a sum three weeks ago for ball-joints and tires that exceeded the "second-opinion" shop's estimate by $350. And I must emphasize that I ordered the same make and model of tires that the long-standing reseller helped me choose.

For more reasons than that, I'm sticking with the new repair-shop across town. They'll get a great YELP review, and I'm passing around their business cards.