Recommend a mains / battery powered tyre inflator

[Gunnytron]

I am going to tackle changing my tyres myself. Can anyone point me towards a decent (not too expensive) tyre inflator?

 

[Satoshi-FD3]

Do you have any cordless power tools?

Most modern 18v suppliers tend to produce inflators that you can buy online for reasonable amounts as tools only, no batteries or accessories that you use your existing batteries on.

 

[Gunnytron]

I do, but they don't make a tyre inflator unfortunately. I might have to resort to getting a compressor I suppose.

 

[rx_dreamer]

I got one of those £80 jump packs with an inflator, I wouldn't recommend it as the battery has just died over time and now it's bin fodder really.

Prefer a fag lighter job

Now battery tools are so good I'm not sure if I would go compressed air for impact wrench etc only spraying

 

[rx_dreamer]

That said you can probably buy a we compressor in Lidl for £80 now

 

[Rhino]

I brought a Michelin tyre inflator from halfords, it runs off the car via the 12v socket, I think there is a 240v version as well, just depends on where you’d end up using it. There are some cheap ones but have no idea how well they’d work or how long they’d take.


If you’re changing the tyres yourself, how are you going to balance the wheels?

 

[Myocardial Infarction]

For the drive to a shop and the £15 or £20 cash to change them, buying a worthwhile inflator doesn't seem worth it. Especially when you're going to have to balance them after the swap

 

[Gunnytron]

For the drive to a shop and the £15 or £20 cash to change them, buying a worthwhile inflator doesn't seem worth it. Especially when you're going to have to balance them after the swap

Not going to lie, I completely overlooked balancing. This is all stemming from the fact I have a set of wheels that I need to pump up everytime I go for a drive as there are air leaks due to corrosion. I am going to take the tyres off my self so I can refurb the wheels (if they aren't too far gone). Perhaps fitting the tyres is a step too far.

 

[Rhino]

If its just topping up then a small inflator should be fine, there are some twin piston ones that inflate faster but cost more. I’ve got a compressor as well but that’s more of a faff to get the hose out and its temperamental when cold. I got the inflator as I had one wheel on each car that slowly leaked, hopefully that’s fixed as the tyres have recently been replaced.

 

[JoeLanger]

I do, but they don't make a tyre inflator unfortunately. I might have to resort to getting a compressor I suppose.

I've got an aldi compressor, think it was £30, its a bit naff but ace for pumping tyres, no good for tools

I have a little 12v one but they're just for emergencies, it takes ages to pump up a tyre with them

 

[4packet]

How are you going to remove and refit the tyres yourself? Huge amount of force to break the bead and lever them off. You also need to rapidly inflate them to seat the bead, so doubt anything less than a proper mains compressor will get the job done.

For general use I've used Ring 12v inflators which get great reviews and function well, but don't seem to last for me. I've recently invested in a Makita 18v inflator which I'm liking so far. Expensive if you are not already invested in the battery platform though.

 

[JonFD]

How are you going to remove and refit the tyres yourself? Huge amount of force to break the bead and lever them off. You also need to rapidly inflate them to seat the bead, so doubt anything less than a proper mains compressor will get the job done.

For general use I've used Ring 12v inflators which get great reviews and function well, but don't seem to last for me. I've recently invested in a Makita 18v inflator which I'm liking so far. Expensive if you are not already invested in the battery platform though.

This^^ I've done my share of tyres back in the day.. Even then sometimes the bead dosen't seat even with a huge compressor and valve core out.

And unless there like soft old 50 profiles on absolute crap wheels (steelies) prybars aren't gonna touch them to get them off, and the wheels will get badly scratched, unless you have access to a tyre machine.

Not to discourage, its just tyres boggo as they are do need a machine and some knack to fit, E.g when I was at BMW (main dealer) there was 1 tyre guy for the whole 30 odd ramp workshop, and non of the actual techs would go near doing one (myself included). Always left to the tyre boy lol.

275/35 profile runflat on like 21" X5 rim... scary...

 

[Gunnytron]

I have ordered one of those ropey looking manual tyre changers. Partly out of curiosity, partly due to me wanting to repair my leaking wheel quickly/cheaply.

They are in a bit of a state so not the end of the world if I scratch them.

I heard a ratchet strap around the tyre can help seal the bead when you inflate the tyre.

If worst comes to the worse I will just sell the tool. At least I tried

 

[4packet]

I think you're going to be disappointed. As Jon says, possibly worth a go on an old high profile shopping tyre on a steel wheel, but even with the proper kit it can be challenging. I've swapped my 17" Fed RSRs before. Ignoring the learning curve, they still took a bit of persuasion.

I was intrigued by what kind of equipment is out there and just watched the video of the Clarke CMTC1 in action. The demo tyre looks softer than my downhill mountain bike tyres . A performance tyre is not going to give in so lightly and you'll make a mess of your wheels in the process.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[marco]

Re leaking wheels/ tyres, can you use bicycle tyre sealant? Pretty sure the Internet says yes, and the Internet is always right obvs! Might save time/money hassle if it actually does the job?

 

[Gunnytron]

I think you're going to be disappointed. As Jon says, possibly worth a go on an old high profile shopping tyre on a steel wheel, but even with the proper kit it can be challenging. I've swapped my 17" Fed RSRs before. Ignoring the learning curve, they still took a bit of persuasion.

I was intrigued by what kind of equipment is out there and just watched the video of the Clarke CMTC1 in action. The demo tyre looks softer than my downhill mountain bike tyres . A performance tyre is not going to give in so lightly and you'll make a mess of your wheels in the process.

Let us know how you get on.

I will report back what my level of failure is

 

[Gunnytron]

Re leaking wheels/ tyres, can you use bicycle tyre sealant? Pretty sure the Internet says yes, and the Internet is always right obvs! Might save time/money hassle if it actually does the job?

They already put that in when they fitted the tyres unfortunately.

 

[rx_dreamer]

I enjoyed watching my tractor tyres being changed, wheels on the tractor

 

[MKZ7212]

I brought a Michelin tyre inflator from halfords, it runs off the car via the 12v socket, I think there is a 240v version as well, just depends on where you’d end up using it. There are some cheap ones but have no idea how well they’d work or how long they’d take.


If you’re changing the tyres yourself, how are you going to balance the wheels?

I have the same and just brought a cheap transformer from mains to 12v cig lighter so i can plug it into mains and have it trackside

 

[JoeLanger]

I mean in terms of cheap, tyres on the drive repair tyres for like £5, or at least they used to