AA Digital Air Compressor

Product Information

For reasons of hygiene and safety, personal grooming products, cosmetics or items of intimate clothing cannot be returned. MOT Test– Your car could fail an MOT test if any of your tyres are under inflated, or have signs of uneven wear due to incorrect inflation. How Do I Find The Correct Tyre Pressures For My Car? The pressure inside your tyres increases as they heat up. If you set your pressures when your tyres are already warm, their pressure will probably be too low. However, most manufacturers use the 13-inch tyre as a measure of inflation speed, so we’ll forgive Halfords that. In reality, we found that the Halfords Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator could take a 17-inch wheel from 22psi to 32psi — a range that you’re unlikely to need day-to-day if you’re diligent about keeping your tyres in good condition — in 1 minute and 36 seconds.

You also get a much longer air hose, long enough to reach the top of the wheel if that’s where the valve is positioned when you park up. The air hose is short compared to a lot of other models, the lottery of where the valve is on the wheel when you stop means that if its on the top, you’ll have the body of the unit dangling from the hose in mid air if you don’t hold it which is probably not advisable if you want it to last. For most of our readers interested in an AA pump, this is the ideal solution. It’s a marked step up from the basic inflator above, offering simple operation.

Is it worth getting a tyre inflator?

Suitable for motorhomes, trailers and 4x4s, it makes a great option for multi-vehicle households and could save you quite a bit of money in fuel consumption over the years. It also comes in a handy carry bag and various valve adaptors, making it easy to transfer from one vehicle to another. Again, it’s not the most attractive machine in the world, but again, this is tyre inflation, not Paris Fashion Week. The analogue scale goes from 0psi-100psi, with around a centimetre between each increment of 10psi. That means that the difference between, say, 30psi and 32psi is just a couple of millimetres, making it a tad difficult to know exactly how much pressure you’re putting into your tyres — an issue exacerbated by the fact that the machine moves around a lot as it inflates.

It also features an LED light with three settings (bright white to illuminate, flashing white for attention and flashing red for SOS), three piece valve set for bikes and balls, and case for tidy storage. Press the air compressor hose onto the valve stem and fill until the right PSI (as per your car’s manufacturer) is shown on the gauge. Halfords claims that the inflator can pump an R13 tyre (13 inches in diameter) from flat to 30psi in three minutes, thanks to a flow rate of between 28 and 30 litres per minute. While that might sound good, there are very few modern cars that use R13s — even the tiny Smart ForTwo uses 15-inch tyres. Overlooking your tyre pressures will not only result in poor performance and reduced safety, but will cost you more money. Having the best car tyre inflator you can find is an important step in maintaining your vehicle.The preset digital air compressor function with auto shut-off saves time and hassle. Unlike other models, the display also features tyre pressure readings in PSI, BAR and KPA, so no more having to make complicated conversions from one type to another. For dark winter mornings or night time car breakdowns, there’s a handy LED lamp that features a torch, flash and SOS setting for extra convenience and safety. A tyre with the incorrect pressure could reduce your car’s fuel efficiency by around three per cent, so it pays to get it right. You will also improve your car’s braking and handling performance. Timing is one to consider too whether it’s an analogue or digital tyre inflator. Some tyre inflators will fill a tyre from empty in four to five minutes, while others will complete the task in 90 seconds. And it’s worth having a cable long enough to fill the tyres in one go as well. From everyone’s favourite tyre maker/world renowned reviewer of restaurants is this, the Michelin Programmable Superfast 4x4/SUV Tyre Inflator, and you can tell from the get-go that it means business — it looks less than a tyre inflator than it does something from Star Trek. Or a really fancy spirit level. It doesn’t look quite as snazzy as some of the others, thanks to the fact that it’s adorned in a cheap-looking silver plastic, but after all, you’re squatting on the ground with grease on your hands — elegance is already out of the window.