Despite whether the vehicle is a car, truck, or SUV, there is one thing that is true: the only part of the vehicle that makes contact with the road is the tire. We often overlook a vital aspect of safety and efficiency because it is something we are quick to overlook, yet it is quite vital to both. You have to allow adequate air pressure in your tires to keep your car in good grip when it comes to braking, accelerating, and handling, but there are other factors as well.
A tire pressure gauge should always be kept in your glove box of a new vehicle, even if the vehicle has a tire pressure monitoring system. At most gas stations, you can find pumps where you can inflate your tires, but these pumps may not always work properly, be accurate, or be free to use. There is nothing more frustrating than dropping a quarter into one of those machines and having it cut out minutes into the inflating process when you are in the middle of the fourth tire. A portable tire inflator should be kept in your trunk in order to prevent all of this stuff from happening.
The portable tire inflator is a small air compressor that runs on a car’s 12-volt power outlet or the battery to pump air into the tire. There are a wide variety of these air compressors available. The power of some of these machines varies, while the compactness of others varies. Additionally, there are a number of other variables that must be taken into account as well. Rather than focusing on the ultra-compact end of the spectrum, we are going to go into more detail about the heavier-duty end, because we believe they are just a “band-aid” that won’t help with everything. There are dedicated tire inflators on the market today that are capable of handling both stranded trucks and SUV’s that have either purposefully ‘aired down’ on the trail (more on that later) or which are stranded in remote locations. The inflators for heavy-duty tires take no half measures when it comes to the quality. Here we enlist few of the best portable tire inflators:
- Kensun Portable Air Compressor Pump : Best Inflator For Storing In The Car
- GSPSCN Tire Inflator Heavy Duty Double : Best For Fast Inflation
- ViAir Portable Air Compressor : Best For Off-Roaders
- Utrai Jstar Five : Best Combo Inflator/Jumper
- Tirewell 12V Tire Inflator : Best For Big Tires
