Inflating tires with bicycle floor pump

[Wannabe Pilot]

Hi All,

It's getting colder here in the northeast and I noticed my tires were at 28psi. I had to go to 3 local gas stations before I found a working air pump. I unscrewed all 4 valve caps and proceeded to insert 3 quarters into the air machine. I hear the machine roar and attempted to inflate the first tire. I had the head on the tire valve and pressed the trigger. I hear it working so I thought. After 30 seconds or so I released the trigger and checked with my pressure gauge. It was still at 28psi, so i did the same on a different tire, same results. Long story short I went home, woke up the next morning (since I needed to get a cold reading) and took out my bicycle floor pump and inflated all 4 tires to 32psi.
Gas stations these days charge you anywhere from $0.50 to $1.00 for air, and you need to be quick otherwise time will run out on the machine before you get to all 4 tires. There is a Hess station nearby but the air pump is always broken since it's free.
I wonder if anyone else uses a bicycle air pump to inflate their car tires.
I would not want to use one if the car tire was totally deflated.

[1YESfan]

I keep a bicycle pump in the back of my wife's 97 Corolla ( which I usually drive to work when I'm not healing from a fractured femur) to use on the plugged Michelin tire with a slow leak and have used it on every vehicle when I need a few pounds. I try to use it whenever I need to instead of plugging in some sort of compressor or pump which I have. The excircise is good but just don't suffer a heart attack in front of neighbors or co-workers. ;-) I did buy a cheap cigerette lighter pump earlier in the year which was convenient until it got a kink in the hose a couple of times and that was that.

I wonder what people's thoughts are on using nitrogen in their tires. Not sure on the costs but with it being a lot more stable with temp. changes sounds like an idea for someone who doesn't want to work up a sweat. ;-)

[onu2002]

I have one of these: Craftsman 2875114 12V Portable Inflator w/ Digital Tire Pressure Gauge

Bicycle pumps are too much work for car tires.

[2010exl]

Originally Posted by 1YESfan

I wonder what people's thoughts are on using nitrogen in their tires. Not sure on the costs but with it being a lot more stable with temp. changes sounds like an idea for someone who doesn't want to work up a sweat. ;-)

I myself use a mixture of 78% nitrogen And 21% oxygen in my tires.
It seems to work well

[1YESfan]

Originally Posted by 2010exl

I myself use a mixture of 78% nitrogen And 21% oxygen in my tires.
It seems to work well

Tricky, tricky--compressed air. LOL! I was wondering about a higher concentration mix of nitrogen as used in race car tires.

[xGS]

Originally Posted by Wannabe Pilot

Gas stations these days charge you anywhere from $0.50 to $1.00 for air, and you need to be quick otherwise time will run out on the machine before you get to all 4 tires.

If you get to Connecticut, fill up your tires there.
By law, all gas stations must provide free air.
DMV: Free Air for Tire Inflation

I use a 12V inflator that was included with an emergency kit that Michelin gave away "free" several years ago when you bought a set of 4 tires.

[Arizonaadam]

I used a frame pump once on a spare that had gone flat on the side of the road. It sucked. At home I have a real compressor.

[Arizonaadam]

Originally Posted by 2010exl

I myself use a mixture of 78% nitrogen And 21% oxygen in my tires.
It seems to work well

Love it

Ps. 100th post

[Wannabe Pilot]

Since I already had the bicycle pump it was free. I would only use it to bring up the pressure a few lbs. It took me about 9-10 pumps for a 1 psi increase. So for a 4 psi increase it was about 36-40 pumps per tire x 4 tires =144 to 160 pumps. While not ideal I got an accurate measurement in the morning before the car was driven with the tools I had. My neighbors were probably like WT* is he doing?

[theirishscion]

Heh, I've filled my fair share of car tires with a

foot pump

foot pump

back in the day.

Now I keep one of

these

these

in the emergency kit.(Q Industries HV35 SuperFlow 12-Volt 140 PSI Air Compressor) A cheapie but dramatically heavier duty than the standard little disposable 12v pumps. I've successfully filled tractor tires with mine.

I also carry

one of these

one of these

which is nice and accurate and can be used inline with the aforementioned compressor. (EZ - Air Tire Gauge) I got sick of the digital ones flaking out and flattening their batteries. Analog all the way from now on for me.

[cofetym]

Been there and done that.