TYre inflators ??

[DaveNP]

With 3 cars and 3 bicycles on the family fleet (plus 3 visiting relations cars) I find I have ample opportunity to check tyre pressures and pump up tyres. Back when I was a youth I would pump up my bicycle tyres by hand, I grew into a man with a car and pumped up tyres with a foot pump, technology advanced and I had an electric pump which plugged into the lighter socket, life was good. Unfortunately the nice 12v electric pump I had got dropped and works no more and its replacement is OK up to 25psi but then struggles to get to 35psi on a car tyre. With opportunities for use I thought a mains powered unit would be good but they seem few and far between, but I recently came across these two from Screwfix Scheppach-air-force and Scheppach-air-case, they look like the sort of thing I would use but they are not what I would call cheap. Does anyone have any experience with either of them, or any other Scheppach products from Screwfix, or any other similar powered tyre inflators.

[TeamG]

All seem to struggle with larger tyres or higher pressures. If they are small enough to transport around, then they take ages and get hot in use. If they are big enough for regular use, then they tend to eat through your battery (unless you run your car throughout) and take up boot space. Modern, larger car wheels have made the problem worse in recent years.

With a multi-car house, numerous bikes and trailers, I invested in a proper compressor which sits under my workbench in the garage. I have a 120 foot airline, which reaches any corner of the drive or garden and I just feel it out to inflate anything. It even reaches through the house to inflate air beds or used with a blower to blow leaves off the drive etc.

[ITSv40]

If you have room you would be better off with one of these.https://www.googleadservices.com/pag...gQIDRBq&adurl=

[c1800]

Or one of these?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Decke...58&sr=8-9&th=1

[60041]

I can’t speak for those compressors you listed, but Sheppach products are good quality, German designed products.
I have an old Hilka 12v pump which has been very useful over the years but, for serious use, you need a proper compressor.
I have a Lidl 50 ltr 2hp compressor which is more than adequate for tyres and small air tools. When the hose does not reach, I have an old propane gas cylinder that has been fitted with a pcl air fitting on top which I charge from the compressor and take to the job; a single charge will hold enough air to fully inflate 2 tyres.
Speaking of fittings; all my air tools and hoses have been fitted with PCL fittings which are the best available.

[RS3100]

Ring RAC900 is rated up to 100 psi and pumps up my motorhome tyres with ease. Portable too. Connects directly to the vehicle battery or a jump pack with crocodile clips, so no worries about not having enough amps available from an in-car power/lighter socket.

[DaveNP]

Thanks for the responses so far, I didn't find the Sheppach units initially via Screwfix but ITS V40's response does make the point that a unit with greater capacity is available for less money, although the Sheppach units do have the advantage of being about a tenth of the overall size. The Ring RAC unit proposed by RS3100 has the advantage of smaller size and smaller price tag but is lower power and needs the 12 volt hook up. Reassuring that 60041 speaks well of Sheppach and interestingly also of Lidl, both German brands one we may not have heard of and one that has a reputation for cheap supermarkets in the UK but a good reputation in Germany.

Hmm still lots of points to ponder.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by DaveNP

With 3 cars and 3 bicycles on the family fleet (plus 3 visiting relations cars) I find I have ample opportunity to check tyre pressures and pump up tyres. Back when I was a youth I would pump up my bicycle tyres by hand, I grew into a man with a car and pumped up tyres with a foot pump, technology advanced and I had an electric pump which plugged into the lighter socket, life was good. Unfortunately the nice 12v electric pump I had got dropped and works no more and its replacement is OK up to 25psi but then struggles to get to 35psi on a car tyre. With opportunities for use I thought a mains powered unit would be good but they seem few and far between, but I recently came across these two from Screwfix Scheppach-air-force and Scheppach-air-case, they look like the sort of thing I would use but they are not what I would call cheap. Does anyone have any experience with either of them, or any other Scheppach products from Screwfix, or any other similar powered tyre inflators.

I bought one of these is a Halfords sale .
As soon as i got home I tried it on 4 of my cars which are off the road and pumped up all 16 tyres from about 25 psi to 40 psi , no problem plenty of power left and fairly quick . Being self contained it is a big help , It is one of those things I should have bought many years ago instead of struggling with a foot pump :-)

[Laird Scooby]

No matter what you use to inflate your tyres, invest in a pressure gauge that is accurate and use this to check the pressures after using the inflator of your choice.

I have a small Ring compressor for emergency use, when a tyre is at 32psi according to my normal pressure gauge (which i have cross-referenced for accuracy many times over the years) the Ring unit shows 43psi so if i simply relied on the built-in gauge on the Ring unit, i would be running on seriously under-inflated tyres. Net result of that would be at best wobbly handling but also poor grip and excess drag.

Conversely i've had (in the past) similar units that only show 20psi when the real pressure is 32psi - that could lead to over-inflated tyres with very little grip or compliance. Also not forgetting some tyres have a maximum pressure as low as 40psi or thereabouts, using the same differential as above, if i'd pumped my tyres to 32psi indicated on the inflator, there's a high chance they would have really been in the region of about 45psi so could have been on the point of going bang.

[green van man]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

No matter what you use to inflate your tyres, invest in a pressure gauge that is accurate and use this to check the pressures after using the inflator of your choice.

I have a small Ring compressor for emergency use, when a tyre is at 32psi according to my normal pressure gauge (which i have cross-referenced for accuracy many times over the years) the Ring unit shows 43psi so if i simply relied on the built-in gauge on the Ring unit, i would be running on seriously under-inflated tyres. Net result of that would be at best wobbly handling but also poor grip and excess drag.

Conversely i've had (in the past) similar units that only show 20psi when the real pressure is 32psi - that could lead to over-inflated tyres with very little grip or compliance. Also not forgetting some tyres have a maximum pressure as low as 40psi or thereabouts, using the same differential as above, if i'd pumped my tyres to 32psi indicated on the inflator, there's a high chance they would have really been in the region of about 45psi so could have been on the point of going bang.

Agreed, to this end I use a PLC calibrated airline tyre gauge run from a compressor in the shed when at home and carry proven gauges in all cars and the caravan.
The 65psi the caravan and the works van run at is beyond the range of most car gauges so you need a commercial vehicle one, again I calibrate it against the calibrated PLC airline gauge.
I also have found the biult in gauge on plug in 12 compressors to be wildly inaccurate on both the Ring one in the volvo and the Tmax compressor in the land rover. As inflators they work well, especially the Tmax one, as a pressure gauge forget it..

Paul.