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Apologies as this is not LR/Defender specific, but does anyone have experience using these portable tire inflators (link below)? Given that a part of offroading is to deflate your tires and then re-inflate before hitting the pavement again, it looks like the overall main option is to have some sort of large air compressor/inflator permanently attached to your rig. These portable ones seem like they would be an inexpensive, weight sensitive, and non-permanent solution. Bonus is that you can bring/use it on multiple vehicles as it's not attached. However, my main concern is that it may not be heavy duty enough for larger/off-road tires and wanted to get some feedback before I pull the trigger.
You can get the OEM air compressor that fits into the cargo area. It isn't cheap, but you can find them on ebay for a lot less than the original price.
You can get the OEM air compressor that fits into the cargo area. It isn't cheap, but you can find them on ebay for a lot less than the original price.
I mentioned this type of option in my original post, but this is $800 vs $80 on top of the cheaper option potentially being better due to it's size and portability. I'm really just looking to see if anyone had experience with the cheaper option and how they held up with larger/off-road tires.
I use a $90 Kobalt air compressor. I plug it into the rear cigarette lighter. It isn't the quickest, but it isn't painfully slow, either. Unfortunately, the power cord isn't long enough, so I can't use the 115v outlet in the rear cargo area.
I've used the Fantik for a couple of years on my Tesla M3 and my GF Toyota Camry and I've found it's a good solution to have as an emergency and I have it in the trunk for all of my cars. I did have a slow leak in my Tesla which loss about 12 psi. In a pinch I was able to fill back to normal and drive back home. The issue is using it to fill 4 tires after off roading as you will drain the battery before doing all 4 tires. Buying it will not be a waste but using for off road is not the best solution.
I doubt these will be able to inflate the OEM size tires without melting down.
Get a 12V compressor. Hard to beat ARB built in or portable. I have the latter. No complaints. 10-15 mins or so to inflate all 4 tires. A nice bit of time to chill, chat, shoot the breeze, check the rig for cuts and scrapes, remove any tree branches etc. A nice little relax before heading for home on the blacktop.
Airing down takes about 3 minutes with Staun deflators. I'm usually close to done by the time I've lapped the vehicle to screw the 4 in. I have them calibrated so I know what 1,2,3,4 etc turns of the deflator will bring. Very handy.
Cheaper than a built-in solution, and no extra weight in the car when I am not off road. But it has the power I need to air up quickly when I do need it.
I have the same ARB setup that @GavinC just showed. It works GREAT and is very portable. But it DOES take up a bit of room. I have plans (I have LOTS of plans) to install an ARB under the hood. I would like to mount mine ON the hood. I have a mount, just haven't picked up the ARB.
Anyway, there are tons of options. What works for you will work for you. As some have pointed out, it likely works well. The only thing is how often do you plan to use it and how long do you want to wait. Here's a great video that I watched when making the decision (
). It really comes down to how long do you want to wait for it to fill up a pretty massive tire. On the Beast it's really deceptive that they are pretty big. Change a tire a few times and you'll get that there's a LOT of air in those things.
"Everything in life is a compromise" and "you get what you paid for" are two things that come to my mind. Good luck with the compressor that fits for you.
Oh and Pro-tip: That digital inflator/gauge on GavinC's photo is the BOMB. It's life changing when you finally get one. In fact, I now use it on my shop compressor a LOT more than I thought. I should have bought one of those YEARS ago.
Last edited by GrouseK9; Oct 21, 2024 at 06:27 AM.
I have the same ARB setup that @GavinC just showed. It works GREAT and is very portable. But it DOES take up a bit of room. I have plans (I have LOTS of plans) to install an ARB under the hood. I would like to mount mine ON the hood. I have a mount, just haven't picked up the ARB.
Anyway, there are tons of options. What works for you will work for you. As some have pointed out, it likely works well. The only thing is how often do you plan to use it and how long do you want to wait. Here's a great video that I watched when making the decision (Link). It really comes down to how long do you want to wait for it to fill up a pretty massive tire. On the Beast it's really deceptive that they are pretty big. Change a tire a few times and you'll get that there's a LOT of air in those things.
"Everything in life is a compromise" and "you get what you paid for" are two things that come to my mind. Good luck with the compressor that fits for you.
Oh and Pro-tip: That digital inflator/gauge on GavinC's photo is the BOMB. It's life changing when you finally get one. In fact, I now use it on my shop compressor a LOT more than I thought. I should have bought one of those YEARS ago.
A nice bonus of having the ARB inflator gauge or something like it, is that you can do it all hands free for the most part. Wedge the inflator handle between tire and either the ground or the wheel-well and let it do its thing. I can monitor my psi live values via my GAP tool so know when I'm there or thereabouts on each corner. A couple of final squirts of air by hand and I'm on to the next one.
Built in compressors are handy for sure.
But I also use mine to winterize our home's sprinkler system and to adjust my other vehicle's tires as needed. That's an advantage of the portable compressors I suppose; their portability.
With all the other stuff I have when I'm camping or wheeling, the space demands of the compressor are largely insignificant. From a volume standpoint, it's a touch larger than the OEM built in. Also, I use the box to store my tire pugging kit, replacement valve-stems, Staun deflators, and some basic tools. I don't see portability as a down-side really.
I also have a small pump I use for bike tires, ***** etc. It can run off the outlet in the back of the car.
I used it once to try to air up a little (30-40psi or so) in my garage, running off a home socket. The thing near melted on the second on. I had some dry-ice on hand from a grocery delivery. Kept it from going Chernobyl.
Point is, whatever you get, make sure it's up to the task. While 32" Defender tires aren't monsters, they are significantly bigger than a sedan's tires and have tougher rubber compound,
Using an underpowered compressor and trying to do all 4, will give you time to work on your memoirs before heading for home. Not feasible. The OP's inflator would be good for 1 tire as an emergency situation. But then again, you have a full-size spare so it really negates that need.
Fantik Tire Inflator Question
