Tyre inflation...not pressures !

With many manufacturers not supplying a spare having a working TPMS might save you ruining a tyre. Even checking every time you drive your van is no help & only an indication before you set off. I was hoping that it would work well enough to show that a tyre was losing pressure slowly & be able to at least stop & stick a bit more air in to get you somewhere safely. Nothing however would help you in the case of a severe puncture or even worse a blow out. I've been looking at the TPMS ones for around £40, can't understand why they made it compulsory for them to be fitted to cars but not larger vans.
 
Nabsim said:
There is probably a wide scope of TPMS that rages from waste of time to extremely accurate. It isn’t something I had ever considered fitting but it came built in my 2016 Astra Estate and I must say that seems to be quite good.

Would I pay for it if it wasn’t fitted, I doubt it although if accurate it will give warning of pressure dropping before you find out on the next bend
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Curious as to what the system on your Astra actually monitors ? On my 2016 Golf it only monitored low pressure whereas the Tyrepal system I have on my pvc measures high, low pressure and temperature. Checked versus a calibrated pressure gauge and the Tpms System was within 2 psi which is near enough for yours truely.
 
If you see the lidl ones on offer ultimate speed they are called rated upto 10 bar don't bother. Had one in the van about a year tried it today to test for a leak in air suspension I had just fitted. It started off fine looking like a good bit of kit but got slower then I switched it off and started the van and then the pump would not restart at 55psi it would try and spin. Put suspension down to 20psi but now the switch is burnt out or something as it would not rock to on.

Mike
 
mossypossy said:
Bicycle pump.
One of the upright ones you put on the ground.
Keep you fit as well. Actually works. I put about 10 psi in mine to reach 65. Took a few minutes.
Now I have a tyre pressure monitor system, but it only does 4 tyres. Have to remember to swap the rear sensors occasionally.
Click to expand...

I have often thought about using a track pump. I run the bike tyres at between 80 and 110 psi so pressure is not a problem but it may take a while to pump up a tyre from flat. Now I have a decent track pump, I don't have a MH to try it on :( so I would be very interested in hearing feed back from those that do have one.

Richard
 
Obanboy666 said:
Curious as to what the system on your Astra actually monitors ? On my 2016 Golf it only monitored low pressure whereas the Tyrepal system I have on my pvc measures high, low pressure and temperature. Checked versus a calibrated pressure gauge and the Tpms System was within 2 psi which is near enough for yours truely.
Click to expand...

I don’t know what it is but it’s OEM fitted. It’s an Astra Sports Tourer Elite Nav 1.4T the newest model that came out spring 2016 if you can find anything from that. It displays pressures for each tyre and when it gets to a certain level that tyre goes red, pops up messages on the display as well. Oh yes you can monitor everything from anywhere using an app as well.

It is excellent if you are losing pressure in a slow puncture situation and has got me home where I would have otherwise been stuck in a remote area. It didn’t save the tyre as it was a sidewall cut but it would have done if it had been in the tread or a faulty valve.

You can get treatments you put in the tyres to prevent deflation in the event of a puncture though and I would probably go for that instead of fitting a system although it may be more expensive
 
Obanboy666 said:
Curious as to what the system on your Astra actually monitors ? On my 2016 Golf it only monitored low pressure whereas the Tyrepal system I have on my pvc measures high, low pressure and temperature. Checked versus a calibrated pressure gauge and the Tpms System was within 2 psi which is near enough for yours truely.
Click to expand...
Aftermarket systems like the Tyrepal measure pressure and temperature and are very flexible.
Many OEM TPMS systems don't actually measure pressure but use the ABS sensors to detect differences between wheels rotating and if one wheel is going round faster than the others (which will be due to reduced inflation) the TPMS light comes on. Good system as they don't require sensors but not as good as the Tyrepal type information is a lot more useful.

FWIW, my 2017 Vauxhall has TPMS and it tells me individual tyre pressures but no temps.

(I've used and fitted loads of different TPMS systems for around 12 years now and think they are a great idea)
 
I checked and adjusted my pressures last week using my big 50L compressor in readiness for first fully-loaded weekend away.
Noticed on Saturday afternoon that one rear tyre was empty - the valve extender had undone slightly. Borrowed a little pump from the organisers and managed to get it up to 40-something PSI after around 45 minutes but the poor wee pump (rated to 300PSI apparently) was getting very hot and smoking, even after turning off at regular intervals :(
Decided to leave it at that and sort it at home (benefit of a dually with a spare 800kg payload ;))

I remembered some posts about inflators on this forum and did a search, finding this thread and reading and checking the various suggestions, decided to follow this post in particular ...
Obanboy666 said:
I carry this compressor in my pvc. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.
RAC900 | 12v Heavy Duty Air Compressor
Click to expand...
Checked the specs ... should do the trick!
Bought on Sunday evening once home and arrived this afternoon with the postie.
Unpacked, connected up and finished the job taking the tyre from the 40ish PSI upto my desired 68PSI in around 2-3 minutes :D

Spot on piece of gear :bow:
 
r4dent said:
I use the Airhawk cordless (also runs off 12v).
Cordless mean no problem reaching wheels, or trailer wheels or wheels on something parked on next itch!
100+ PSI claimed
Great for Motor Bike valves (difficult to reach with twin discs)


Air Hawk Pro Cordless Digital Tyre Inflator - Air Compressor Car Pump Pressure Gauge: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
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Looks good. Have you tried this on a motorhome? An issue is that it doesn't appear to be rechargeable from 12v, just 240v ...
 
mossypossy said:
Bicycle pump.
One of the upright ones you put on the ground.
Keep you fit as well. Actually works. I put about 10 psi in mine to reach 65. Took a few minutes.
Now I have a tyre pressure monitor system, but it only does 4 tyres. Have to remember to swap the rear sensors occasionally.
Click to expand...

It is called a track pump. Don't buy cheap, go for medium priced. I use a joe blow, good quality for price, spares available
 
POI Admin said:
Looks good. Have you tried this on a motorhome? An issue is that it doesn't appear to be rechargeable from 12v, just 240v ...
Click to expand...

Yep pumped up my MH types to 80 PSI no problem.
I bought it because I encountered a few service stations that wouldn't pump high enough.
I've also pumped up a totally flat Land Rover tyre.

True, It isn't rechargeable from 12v (unless you have inverter) but I charge at home and take with me.
If I use away from home and need to recharge I'm sure I'll find somewhere (pub or EHU or fellow camper with an inverter / genny)

Plus it will run direct from 12v cigar lighter using a battery shaped adapter.
 
mossypossy said:
Bicycle pump.
One of the upright ones you put on the ground.
Keep you fit as well. Actually works. I put about 10 psi in mine to reach 65. Took a few minutes.
Now I have a tyre pressure monitor system, but it only does 4 tyres. Have to remember to swap the rear sensors occasionally.
Click to expand...

+1 for this. FWIW, I have a Halfords 12v tyre inflator/compressor. I need 80psi all round for my MH. It was taking for ever to add the missing 10psi on one tyre and smoke started coming out of the compressor on the second. In desparation, I reached for my Beto track pump (approx £25 from my local bike shop) and was pleasantly suprised how quickly it inflated all three remaining tyres from 65..70 psi to 80psi; much faster than the 12v inflator and so much so that it's now my inflator of choice!
 
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