Tire air compressor?

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by Gomazatlan

I am an air pressure Nazi. Might be OCD from driving truck. I check all my tire pressures every morning before venturing out. I have a digital tire pressure gauge and try and keep all pressures at 105 cold. I also have a TPMS and keep track as the conditions change. In my previous Class A, a gasser, I carried a $59 Menards special that had no problem getting my 19.5 tires to 100 psi. Upgraded last year to a DP that has an air supply under the Generator hood. I have a 50' 1/4' hose that coils up and hangs in the front compartment. I frequently travel from north to south, and may start out the day at 105, but when getting into the mexican dessert they hit 125. Too much. I'll stop and take them down a little bit. In normal weather, like the last time I moved it at 55 degrees, I started at 105 and in 30 minutes I was at 115. I also tow a trailer that requires 45-50 psi.

So yes, I carry a air hose, digital gauge, air compressor, tire plug kit and have a TPMS.

Why? Because a new set of tires is $3500 to $4000 and need care. Plus I have seen the damage a blowout can do.

Tireman would not be happy to hear you’re deflating your tires.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

Tireman would not be happy to hear you’re deflating your tires.

Trying to drag me into a discussion on hot tire inflation.





If the pressure was OK at the start of travel then I would have an issue with lowering hot pressure.
However if lowering it the next morning, when the tires are "cold", then that is following the guidelines.

[Elkman]

Air pressure specifications from the tire manufacturer are based on the air inside the tire being at the same temperature as the air outside the tire, it is that simple. Takes 3 hours or more after driving a vehicle any distance for the air inside the tire to drop to that of the outside ambient air.

When I had a pickup that used tires at 80 PSI for normal operation I found that none of the gas stations with their little air compressors would provide 80 PSI for my tires. I bought my first Viair so I could bring the tires up to 80 PSI. I bought a Viair 300 as its duty cycle allowed it to inflate all my tires without blowing the fuse or burning itself out.

[armullis59]

I bought my 150psi pancake compressor from Harbor Freight on sale for about $130 a few years ago and the rubber hose and chuck from Home Depot. I wanted to always have the capability to put air in my RV tires, wherever I happen to be. I can use my generator to provide power to the compressor in the remote locations. This air compressor has come in handy many times over the years!

[Sun_Seeker]

I carry my Mountain Bike 120 PSI quality German made T-handle hand pump. Very reliable, ..requires no electricity...weighs only 2.5 pounds, and of course can be used for your motorcycle, car, and bicycle tires. Very easy on the back...just lift the handle and move your forearms down. Look for a high quality hand pump, the one that rests on the ground where you lift the T-handle to stroke down. Can be found in high end bike shops. Will never need 12v batteries or 120 v.

[White Cloud]

I have an Era. 16" tires @ roughly 60 psi, pending load.

I carry a California Air Tools 120V 2 piston no oil 8 gal compressor. 120 psi.

Cost less than $200, light weight and VERY quiet. Seldom cycles while adjusting tire pressure.

Same thought as others: If no 120V, then run the genny,

[edju]

Originally Posted by edju

I bought a Kobalt 12V/120V tire inflator. Has a digital gauge that sets inflation pressure up to 120psi, then shuts off automatically. While the 120v would probably work running off my inverter, I've only used it when hooked up to shore power. But it also has the 12V option if no AC is available.

I had the Kobalt for a little over a year. I used it sparingly and was able to use in with the inverter, which was nice. But the inner bearings are shot, poorly made with plastic gears and bearings. I would not recommend it.

[Tireman9]

To anyone with an "Automatic" inflator. Be sure you confirm the accuracy of the automatic feature by confirming the tire inflation using your hand held digital gauge. My digital gauges (3 of them) read to +/- 0.5 psi and I check them against each other to confirm they are still accurate.

[bigb]

I ended up getting a Milwaukee M-12 Inflator and found it to be accurate to within 1/2 lb PSI at 65 PSI.

[Wyatt]

I have an ARB air compressor permanently mounted in a bay mid ship. It’s always ready to go.
If I didn’t go this route, I would have got the portable VAIR.
This one is lighter and smaller. And it fit in my limited space.

[6cwayne]

I have one of these. Ryobi One +, 18 volt. Very easy to operate, lightweight, and takes up little space. Uses the same batteries as the Ryobi drill I keep in the motorhome.

Cheers.

[Journey cat]

I made one of these It save space

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5fK54DKWP0

[tim myers]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Trying to drag me into a discussion on hot tire inflation.

If the pressure was OK at the start of travel then I would have an issue with lowering hot pressure.
However if lowering it the next morning, when the tires are "cold", then that is following the guidelines.

I had a similar issues as described by @gomazatian Leaving OH in sub 30 degree weather, by the time I pulled into a rest area in FL the over pressure alarms is going off on my TPMS. I considered letting some air out of the steer tires but instead changed the high pressure alarm from 120 to 125. Not sure that was the correct thing to do.

[tim myers]

Now for my $0.02 and that's about all it is worth.


My new to me 2007 Journey has a compressed air port at the front of the coach that I can use to air up the tires if needed. I have the coiled up air hoses to be able to reach all the tires if needed, and digital gauges needed to air things up. I have been using the TPMS long enough now that I trust the pressures I am seeing and don't always use the gauge to verify.



The issue with using the on board air is that those tanks are relatively small and you need the big motor running to maintain the air pressure needed to air these 22.5 tires. Of course running the big Cummins in the morning is not very neighborly in a campground setting.


This lead me to thinking about a Viair type compressor because it is much quieter, however the Viair manual suggests/recommends running the big motor to maintain the battery charge, so that puts me back to running the motor home engine probably longer than I would need to if using the on board air.



I could always just connect to the house batteries and let the shore power maintain them, I guess. I have one of the smaller pancake air compressors I sometimes use at the storage building but it can take two or three compressor cycles to air up a tire that is 5# to 10# low, and with all of us storage space it at a premium in our home on wheels.



I guess my question would be, what others do about hooking up a Viair type compressor, do you worry about the discharge of the batteries? Which batteries do you connect to?

[bigb]

Originally Posted by tim myers

Now for my $0.02 and that's about all it is worth.


My new to me 2007 Journey has a compressed air port at the front of the coach that I can use to air up the tires if needed. I have the coiled up air hoses to be able to reach all the tires if needed, and digital gauges needed to air things up. I have been using the TPMS long enough now that I trust the pressures I am seeing and don't always use the gauge to verify.



The issue with using the on board air is that those tanks are relatively small and you need the big motor running to maintain the air pressure needed to air these 22.5 tires. Of course running the big Cummins in the morning is not very neighborly in a campground setting.


This lead me to thinking about a Viair type compressor because it is much quieter, however the Viair manual suggests/recommends running the big motor to maintain the battery charge, so that puts me back to running the motor home engine probably longer than I would need to if using the on board air.



I could always just connect to the house batteries and let the shore power maintain them, I guess. I have one of the smaller pancake air compressors I sometimes use at the storage building but it can take two or three compressor cycles to air up a tire that is 5# to 10# low, and with all of us storage space it at a premium in our home on wheels.



I guess my question would be, what others do about hooking up a Viair type compressor, do you worry about the discharge of the batteries? Which batteries do you connect to?

I have a Viair 450 with a tank mounted underneath my Superduty diesel and yes Viair says to run the engine which I do even though I have 2 batteries. I am pretty sure my 2 batteries would keep up but something else to think about is the voltage, with the engine running you are getting higher voltage due to the alternator charging, and without it charging the compressor load could very well drop the voltage enough to where it wouldn't be good for the compressor. So I run the engine to avoid a possibly damaging voltage drop. I usually run it for about 20-25 min when airing up from the beach. Keep in mind when running the wires they are quite large and the farther you go the larger recommended.
If you use your house batteries you could always run the generator to keep them charging if not on shore power, but in that case why not just get a 120 volt compressor if you have the room and don't mind the weight?

[Truckman]

I carried a pancake air compressor (150PSI) in my 5th wheel, but when I got the motorhome I stopped carrying it, if I need air for a tire I use the onboard air that is used for the suspension and brakes. It has a provision already installed and all I needed was a hose and chuck.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by tim myers

I had a similar issues as described by @gomazatian Leaving OH in sub 30 degree weather, by the time I pulled into a rest area in FL the over pressure alarms is going off on my TPMS. I considered letting some air out of the steer tires but instead changed the high pressure alarm from 120 to 125. Not sure that was the correct thing to do.

If it makes any difference I think what you did was OK. Once you are settled in FL and your traveling slows doen or the weather temperature swings lessen you can reset your "cold" inflation pressure and not worry till it's time to head North again. Might even make sense to be +5 psi above your "normal" cold pressure target when you head out cuz we know the temperature will drop and you don't need the Low Pressure alarm going off.


A couple years ago I left OH and it was below freezing. Two days later I was in Perry where it was 70's. High pressure alarm didn't go off but it was close. I didn't adjust the pressure when I left GA a week later as it was still in the 30's & 40's in Ohio and knew the pressure would be OK.


We need to remember that you will definitely do much more damage to the tire structure by running low pressure than high. Running 20% low is considered "flat" and at that point tires should be completely inspected by the tire store run by that tire company. Never heard of tire problems in modern radials by running when you are +20% or even +25% of the minimum inflation required to support the load.

[202235f]

I bit the bullet and bought the Viair450rv. It's a lot more expensive than any other compressor that I've ever purchased. A lot more.
After attempting to inflate the tires on my coach to the recommended 110 psi with my Craftsmman120psi Pancake, 45 minutes later and none of the 6 tires were up to the 110psi.
Hooked up the Viair, with the engine running, and all 6 tires were fully inflated in short order.
The hoses reach everywhere, the fittings that come with the rv model, the ease of,operation made me reconsider how much I spent.
Nope, spent waaay too much ....... but it works great.