Air compressor/tire inflation question and recommendation...

[steph746]

Hi,

I've noticed that the tire pressure on all four of my tires are low (37). I also remember that I have to pay for air at most stations in my area.

So, I'd like to purchase an air compressor. Should I look for one that I can keep in my model Y at all times or should I focus on one that I can keep at home? Is there a good one out there that isn't too big and heavy that would be recommended?

Also, I understand that the best time to check tire pressure is when the tires are cold (i.e. morning). But after driving to a station, would that go up a bit and I might not get an accurate gauge of the tire (for example if they go up to 38,39 while driving). Should I take the tires getting warm and pressure possibly being higher into account?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[jjrandorin]

What did you do for putting air in your tires in other cars you have owned?

As far as portable compressors, here is a link to one of the previous discussion threads on that topic:

Best Tire Inflator Help Needed

I have gone thru 3 portable tire inflators so far and all three have failed in less than a year. I keep a portable one in my Frunk but I use it often for several vehicles so they do get used but they don't really seem to last very long when used. So I am now trying to find a more durable one...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[steph746]

I would drive and pay for air. But my other cars has spares so I wasn’t as concerned. I always has thought about it too but never got around to getting one

 

[jcanoe]

If you have to wait until you are a service station to add air to the tire(s) then add a couple of extra lbs, i.e. ~2 PSI extra, and then bleed off the excess air later when the vehicle has been sitting for at least a couple of hours. 42 PSI is the recommended tire pressure, +/- 2 to 3 lbs more or less is OK.

Small battery powered air compressors are, portable convenient. You are generally not fully inflating a tire, only adding a couple of lbs of air pressure to the tire. The small compressor can quickly become very warm when used. It is best to wait a few minutes after inflating a tire before proceeding to the next tire.

When purchasing a battery powered air compressor look for one that can be charged using USB-C. Then there won't be any issue with the higher 16V output of the current Tesla Model Y's low voltage system (formerly known as the 12V system.) The USB-C voltages are automatically regulated at 5/9/15/20V DC depending on the device, power level.

Check on Amazon for the latest offerings. Ratings such as Amazon's Choice and notes such as "Most buyers keep, fewer returns of this item." may help select a good quality tire inflator.

 

[jcanoe]

Hi,

I've noticed that the tire pressure on all four of my tires are low (37). I also remember that I have to pay for air at most stations in my area.

So, I'd like to purchase an air compressor. Should I look for one that I can keep in my model Y at all times or should I focus on one that I can keep at home? Is there a good one out there that isn't too big and heavy that would be recommended?

Also, I understand that the best time to check tire pressure is when the tires are cold (i.e. morning). But after driving to a station, would that go up a bit and I might not get an accurate gauge of the tire (for example if they go up to 38,39 while driving). Should I take the tires getting warm and pressure possibly being higher into account?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Here is a 12V tire inflator, available on Amazon, that has many good reviews. It plugs into the vehicle's 12V accessory power port, appears to work with Tesla vehicles including newer models with the 15.5V lithium starting battery (low voltage system output now is up to 16V, some 12V rated accessories may not function at the higher voltage.) Due to the limited 12V power cord length inflating the front tires of the Tesla Model Y requires plugging the tire inflator into the low voltage accessory port inside the center console. To inflate the rear tires of the Tesla Model Y you would use the low voltage accessory power port located on the left side of the rear cargo area.

AstroAI Tire Inflator

 

[steph746]

Thanks very much for your replies. What model would you recommend for one to have at home that I would plug in to an outlet? I basically don’t want to have to worry about going to a gas station/Costco for air .

 

[jcanoe]

Thanks very much for your replies. What model would you recommend for one to have at home that I would plug in to an outlet? I basically don’t want to have to worry about going to a gas station/Costco for air .

It depends on the application. Most of the time I use my Sears Craftsman home 120V tire inflator (out of habit) to add air to my vehicle tires. I have a small handheld Ryobi battery powered inflator for use with my garden wagon and my snow blower (these are small tires, inflated at up to ~20 PSI). The Ryobi unit uses the same battery as my other Ryobi tools.

If for the Tesla Model Y I would purchase the AstroAI 12V inflator (see earlier post) as you can take it with you on trips. Normally the only time you need to add air is in the fall into winter (Metro DC Area) as the early a.m. air temperature falls from ~70F to 75F down to 35 to 40F by December. So you end up adding a couple of pounds of air to each tire, perhaps doing so twice heading into winter. Then in spring you will bleed off some of the air (this step does not require the tire inflator). It is easiest if you bleed excess air/pressure using a tire pressure gauge that has an air release button to adjust the pressure to the new lower pressure setting.

If you are regularly having to add air to one tire then there is a slow leak that should be investigated, fixed. It could be due to a nearly invisible puncture of the tire, a bad tire bead seal (not properly cleaned before mounting the tire) or there could be some debris stuck in the tire valve core (easily cleaned out or replaced.

 

[jcanoe]

Also, when using a 12V tire inflator you should turn on the engine (in an ICE vehicle) to avoid running down the ICE vehicle's 12V battery. In the Tesla vehicle this is never an issue as whenever the Tesla vehicle is awake, in Standby mode the low voltage system is powered by the high voltage battery via the DC-to-DC Converter. In an ICE vehicle you would want to open the garage door anytime the engine was running. In an electric vehicle there is no vehicle exhaust.

A portable battery powered tire inflator would be easier to use (there is no 12V power cord). The battery powered inflator would cost approximately 2X the cost of the 12V powered tire inflator.

 

[Watts_Up]

@steph746 I don't have an electric tire air pump
but I used my bicycle high pressure floor pump, this works perfectly fine:



I would also recommend getting a Digital Tire Pressure Gauge:

- Because the pressure value displayed inside the car​

don't have any decimale value, so the last digit can be + or - 1 .​

So if the value displayed is 41 PSI, it could be 40, 41, or 42.​

​

- With a digital gauge, you get an extra decimal value,​

So if the value displayed is 41.2 PSI, it could be 41.1, 41.2, or 41.3.​

​

- Also by using the same gauge for all the tires you get less error than​

relying on four different TPMS gauges.​

You should also get a Tire Tread Depth Gauge:
to check for abnormal worn out from bad alignment.

 

[steph746]

Thanks again. Do you have a link you can share for the Sears Craftsman 120V inflator? That's the one you use at home and would need to be plugged in? Do you keep the Ryobi handheld one in your Tesla?

 

[steph746]

@steph746 I don't have an electric tire air pump
but I used my bicycle high pressure floor pump, this works perfectly fine:

View attachment 978895

I would also recommend getting a Digital Tire Pressure Gauge:

View attachment 978896

- Because the pressure value displayed inside the car​

don't have any decimale value, so the last digit can be + or - 1 .​

So if the value displayed is 41 PSI, it could be 40, 41, or 42.​

​

- With a digital gauge, you get an extra decimal value,​

So if the value displayed is 41.2 PSI, it could be 41.1, 41.2, or 41.3.​

​

- Also by using the same gauge for all the tires you get less error than​

relying on four different TPMS gauges.​

You should also get a Tire Tread Depth Gauge:
to check for abnormal worn out from bad alignment.

View attachment 978897

Thanks for your reply and recommendations. If a non-decimal gauge displayed "41", that could mean anywhere from 41.0-41.9, right? How would that cross over into the 40 or 42 range?

 

[jcanoe]

Thanks again. Do you have a link you can share for the Sears Craftsman 120V inflator? That's the one you use at home and would need to be plugged in? Do you keep the Ryobi handheld one in your Tesla?

Well, you would need a time machine to go back in time to 2006, when Sears, Sears Automotive centers were still a going business concern with a large network of stores. Today you can search Amazon for air compressors.

 

[steph746]

Well, you would need a time machine to go back in time to 2006, when Sears, Sears Automotive centers were still a going business concern with a large network of stores. Today you can search Amazon for air compressors.

Is this it?

Amazon.com

 

[jcanoe]

Is this it?

Amazon.com

Not the same unit as the one I have (circa 2006). I checked on eBay and none of the used tire inflators for sale on eBay are like the one I own. The one you noted is a newer design with more features such as option 20V battery operation (the battery, charger is not included.) You may end up owning several tire inflators. Why not start with the AstroAI 12V corded tire inflator. It has decent reviews and you are not paying extra for features you don't need or won't use.

A decent quality bicycle tire pump would work too. You would have to put your back into using it.

 

[Unclepaul]

A word to the wise, on this thread.
This is the time of year, most locations will see dropping temperatures.
The lower temps reduce tire pressures, and often trigger a low pressure warning.
Time to top off your tire pressures in anticipation of cold weather to come.
Sometimes lower overnight temps will trigger the warning as well when you get ready to go off to work in the morning.

 

[jcanoe]

If would rather not have to add air to your tires 2X as the seasonal temperature drops in the fall add an extra 2 to 3 lbs, so 44 - 45 PSI when adjusting the tire pressure for early fall (measured when the tires are cold). Within a few weeks the tire pressure will read ~42 PSI once colder weather arrives.

 

[jcanoe]

Not the same unit as the one I have (circa 2006). I checked on eBay and none of the used tire inflators for sale on eBay are like the one I own. The one you noted is a newer design with more features such as option 20V battery operation (the battery, charger is not included.) You may end up owning several tire inflators. Why not start with the AstroAI 12V corded tire inflator. It has decent reviews and you are not paying extra for features you don't need or won't use.

A decent quality bicycle tire pump would work too. You would have to put your back into using it.

This is the Sears Craftsman Inflator/Compressor I purchased in 2006. Model No. 28 75117. 120-Volt / 3.3-Amp / 2/3-HP. 120 PSI.

Sears Craftsman Inflator/Compressor

 

[Watts_Up]

Thanks for your reply and recommendations. If a non-decimal gauge displayed "41",
that could mean anywhere from 41.0-41.9, right?
How would that cross over into the 40 or 42 range?

If you think about rounding values, theoretically a value of '41' should be between 40.5 and 41.5

However I set all my tires at 42.0 psi when cold, and when looking at the display
I got 41 on the front left, 43 on the front right, and 43 fo both rear tires.

I don't think that 1 psi would matter too much.
I think that TPMS sensors calibration can't be adjusted,
so as long as a TPMS provides a + or - '1' psi value, it will not be rejected.

Even if my gauge is wrong, while I got the same value than the air pump at Costco was set for,
I prefer using the same device to measure all my tires than relying on four different TPMS.

However TPMS are very useful to detect immediatly when you get a flat tire.
After 5 years I had my first flat tire few weeks ago.
Honestly, I didn't feel it, even as it was on a front tire.

This flat tire experience happend during a road trip on a Saturday by 7 pm in middle of nowhere....
I was very glad to have a spare, two scissors jacks, a long lug wrench, a torque wrench, and a tire puncture kit.
I was able to replace quickly the tire and then later in my hotel room to fix my tire and put it back.
Otherwise I would have been stranded waiting for hours for a tow truck, and then my weekend would have been ruined.

Note: Even if Tesla don't include a spare tire, I wish that Tesla provides a way to securely carry a spare tire tire in the trunk,
for those who don't live or travel near a Service Center, which are often closed on weekend, or tire shop who don't have the correct tire.

 

[howardnj]

I use this one and carry it in my trunk

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J8Y91GC?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k0_1_7&amp=&crid=2K2QNOIAERKDD&amp=&sprefix=kensun+

 

[Sango2]

@Watts_Up

For the Digital Tire Guage, Astro AI made an updated one which uses AAA batteries instead which I ordered today.

https://a.co/d/aTiIzjB