Even if your new car has a tyre pressure monitoring system, you should always have a tyre pressure gauge in the glove box. Tire inflation pumps are often available at petrol stations, although they may not always function well, be accurate, or be free to use. Nothing is more annoying than inserting a quarter into one of those machines, having it cut out in the midst of inflating the fourth tyre minutes later. You should always have a portable tyre inflator in your trunk to avoid any of these situations.
The portable tyre inflator is a little air compressor that inflates tyres using either the battery or a 12-volt automobile plug. These air compressors come in a huge range of variations. Some of these devices have varying degrees of power, while others have varying degrees of compactness. In addition, there are a number of additional factors that must also be considered. We are going to go into greater depth regarding the heavier-duty end of the range rather than the ultra-compact end since we feel that they are merely a “band-aid” that won’t assist with everything. Today’s market is flooded with specialised tyre inflators that can handle both stranded trucks and SUVs that have either purposely ‘aired down’ on the route (more on that later) or that are stuck in isolated areas. When it comes to quality, the heavy-duty tyre inflators don’t cut corners.
