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- Jul 17, 2025
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Does anyone have any experience with, or opinions on, the "clamp to the battery terminals" type tire inflators vs the "plug into the cigarette lighter" types?
tire inflators
- Thread starter Sprintcar26
- Start date
i have a plug in one in my car for emergency use. i think in the last 10 years they have gotten a lot more efficient with amp draw. i have one a long time ago , and when i plugged it in , it would pop the fuse as soon as it started up.
you can always have the best of both worlds , and get a battery clamp adapter for the cig lighter model
you can always have the best of both worlds , and get a battery clamp adapter for the cig lighter model
I was gifted a tire inflator by my son. It's its about the size of an old walkie talkie, and I just plug it into my computer to charge it up. It can be used for inflating footballs or basketballs, inner tubes or air mattresses, and of course car and motorcycle tires. My only complaint with it is, it's pretty slow when inflating car tires. The other day I was just topping off my tires, and only wanted to ad about 4-5 psi to the tires, and it took about 5 minutes for it to get to pressure. And by the time I got to the last tire, the red low charge light came on. It's small enough to keep stored in your car, I never had to inflate a completely flat tire with it, but as long as your leak isn't too bad, you hopefully could get to a repair shop if you needed to. They sell them online for about $65.00 if you were wondering.,,
I’ve had a plug in for 20 years. Pumps up a 33” tire in about 5 minutes.
I somewhat recently got a battery clamp style high flow pump for offroad tires. I was tired of waiting around for the cheap slow ones. ARB is king for performance and price. I settled for a Smittybilt. Performs well and wasn't too crazy expensive.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I use a Ryobi 18v tire inflator. Works great.
Though it reads the wrong psi now so I have to use a regular gauge, usually +4 psi and it works fine though.
Milwaukee has a good one too if you’ve already got their batteries.
Though it reads the wrong psi now so I have to use a regular gauge, usually +4 psi and it works fine though.
Milwaukee has a good one too if you’ve already got their batteries.
The one in lighter work okay however slowly. Spend a bit more money if you plan on airing a spare tire from 10psi to rated. The cheap ones are slow and overheat/shutdown.
The ones off battery put out significantly more however the obvious hassle of hooking up dependent on battery location.
The ones off battery put out significantly more however the obvious hassle of hooking up dependent on battery location.
They are basically the same (at the compressor side). 12V DC.
The cigarette style will just be a little more sensitive for popping a fuse from too much draw, but many come with both adapters. Alternatively you can turn any cigarette style into a direct to battery with adapter or splicing on alligator clips.
Patman
Staff member
I don’t like the ones that hook up via the cigarette lighter port, and hooking it up to the battery directly just seems like too much work. I have an Air Hawk and it works really fast and wasn’t super expensive either. I carry it with me wherever I go so it’s ready for both of my cars if needed
This inflator is my favorite cheap'ish tool purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXCZ7L7C?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
I take it on trips and to the track.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXCZ7L7C?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
I take it on trips and to the track.
That is not fully correct. You can spend $150 on 12V compressor which can draw significantly more amps and are used typically by folks off-roading. They are substantially larger and more efficient.
I have some older HF plug in to power outlet ones in each car but that model is discontinued. I like the Viair 88P that clamps to battery. Fills much faster and reaches all 4 tires. I carry that in my beach bag with other stuff. I like the rechargeable ones but the one I had worked slow, didn't keep a charge. I'll probably get an M18 inflator next just because. I need that like a hole in the head but want to see how noisy for my early weekend morning tire check/fills on the 6-7 vehicles.
Sorry, I wasn't clear enough in my explanation. I don't mean to suggest you can successfully run something that exceeds the amperage of the cigarette plug.
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Buy something from Viair
Direct battery connection & comes with carry bag
I air down from 36 psi to 17 psi on a regular basis off road
Direct battery connection & comes with carry bag
I air down from 36 psi to 17 psi on a regular basis off road
I think I have the smallest VIAR that comes with battery clamps. VIAR makes good equipment, highly regarded. I’ve bought one each for the kids and they hold up better than every single thing I’ve bought from advance, Autozone, western auto, Walmart….
But, you can also buy 2 $30 inflators for what I paid for the one VIAR.
Direct drive units are nicer to use than gear drive.
But, you can also buy 2 $30 inflators for what I paid for the one VIAR.
Direct drive units are nicer to use than gear drive.
I have the Milwaukee 12v too. It's really nice, just dreadfully slow for car tires
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Thanks-just ordered a Noco inflator and an alligator clamps adapator. Expect they will work together.
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Did just that-ordered a Noco inflator and a battery clamps adaptor. Should work well. Thanks for the advice.
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I have had my NOCO tire inflator for a few months now, and I love this thing! I have had four tire inflators over the years, and they rarely last more than one year, some a lot less. This NOCO seems extremely well made-solid, heavy, and even sounds solid when it's inflating. It's early yet, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a quality (not inexpensive, but you get what you pay for-no?) tire inflator. But here's my question: NOCO makes three types: 10 (amps, I believe), 15, and 20. The 10 and the 15 come with the traditional cigarette lighter plug-in, and the 20 with two battery clamps. I much prefer the battery clamps, as I'm told that that will allow the inflator to run and pump more effectively and more quickly, and therefore reducing the likely hood of the inflator overheating, But doing the battery clamp deal on a rainy or snowy day seemed like a bummer, so I took the good advice of a couple of folks on this site, and bought an adaptor with clamps on one end, and a cig-type receptacle on the other. Works great, but (and I'm probably overthinking this, but) does this set-up leave me with the same deal as I would have just plugging in to the lighter (if you lose volts at the lighter socket, do you also lose volts at the adaptor connector? I know, I know, but you gotta worry about sumethin, right?
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