I would buy a portable tire inflator with a battery pack and avoid burning up your 12 volt outlet.

 

I have one of these and it's worked well for me: Audew 150PSI 120W 12V Portable Tire Inflator Digital Air Compressor Pump with 10ft Cord & LED lights

That being said, I tend to agree with @kebler, if I bought today I would probably go battery-powered. These days you can even find battery-powered jump starter / tire inflator combos.

 

Yes agreed that battery powered is preferred. I'm looking at the many offerings on Amazon and a number of them supplement the input source with a 12 volt cigarette lighter plugin. None I can find stipulate current draw.

 

Does anyone here have experience using the cigarette lighter power outlet to run a portable tire inflator?

Yes I know that direct connection to the car's battery is a more robust approach.

I want to know if anyone has had good results using the cigarette lighter outlet.
-framus

If it is the socket that is part of the smokers kit, AND has the cigarette lighter plug in the socket, if can be used. Otherwise it is for phone chargers, not a higher amp draw item.

Many of the jump starters have air pumps built in for light duty uses, like topping off, etc. However if airing down for offroad a higher volume pump is recommended as small ones will heat up.

 

12V 100 PSI High Volume Air Inflator

Amazing deals on this 12V 100Psi High Volume Air Inflator at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Buy it while it is on clearance. The entire pump case is metal.

Precaution. You have to attach the hose to the tire. Turn the pump on, then connect the hose to the pump, or you will blow the pump fuse.

 

Ive got a cheesy little USB rechargeable inflator that does the job well enough and can be recharged immediately after use. Its pretty sweet actually

 

Does anyone here have experience using the cigarette lighter power outlet to run a portable tire inflator?

Yes I know that direct connection to the car's battery is a more robust approach.

I want to know if anyone has had good results using the cigarette lighter outlet.
-framus

I’ve used them many times to power a compressor for inflating, airing up, and even a 12v pump for showering. The plug in at the tailgate works just fine. My air pump is a dedicated unit. I store it and tire plugs in my car, just in case.

 

Does anyone here have experience using the cigarette lighter power outlet to run a portable tire inflator?

Yes I know that direct connection to the car's battery is a more robust approach.

I want to know if anyone has had good results using the cigarette lighter outlet.
-framus

YES - these 12Volt power-outlet inflaters work GREAT. Some I have used actually can set a PSI and let the machine shut itself off when setpoint is met.

HOWEVER: I have 'graduated' to using a handheld inflater which accepts the same batteries as ALL my other handheld tools. (I use RYOBI tools). I really like the 'no wires' inflating.... it takes me less than 5 minutes to check and top-off all the tires on a car.

 

YES - these 12Volt power-outlet inflaters work GREAT. Some I have used actually can set a PSI and let the machine shut itself off when setpoint is met.

HOWEVER: I have 'graduated' to using a handheld inflater which accepts the same batteries as ALL my other handheld tools. (I use RYOBI tools). I really like the 'no wires' inflating.... it takes me less than 5 minutes to check and top-off all the tires on a car.

I am in the Ryobi universe for lawn tools. I prefer the 18V Ryobi One setup to any 12V plug-in. With the Holidays coming Ryobi often has some great deals on 2-tool combos (or battery/tool/charger combos that include the Inflator, 1 or 2 batteries, and a charger. I use this one. 18V ONE+ High Pressure Inflator with Digital Gauge - RYOBI Tools. This will inflate 4 235/75x15" AT truck tire from airdown of 18 pounds back to 35 pounds with one 4AH battery. If you have a choice of charger get this one 18V ONE+ 8A RAPID CHARGER - RYOBI Tools. The ones that plug directly into the wall 110V are MUCH FASTER and more reliable that the one using a transformer plug box at the wall. The Ryobi One 18v powered units are more durable than the smaller Ryobi versions using tubular lithium batteries.

If you are already in the Dewalt, Bosch, or Milwaukee pro-level universes, they have similar offerings.

One consideration is all the smaller pumps heat up from compressing the air. It means warm or hot air is going into the tire. As it cools, your TPMS inflation pressure reading will decrease a bit. I use a 2 pound overfill, which as it cools to ambient temperature will be about the recommended level.

The Ryobi is for quick or mobile and the unit goes on all trips. However, for home use I have a tanked 110V unit that is far faster and can run small airtools.

 

I use the outlet in the cargo area to power my compressor. It's probably 15 years old but still runs and does the job. I AM considering one of the new battery powered ones that claim to inflate much faster than the one I have.

The key, as I learned with my 2011, is that the passenger compartment sockets can't handle the draw the compressor puts on it but the one in the cargo area can.

 

According to the owner's manual, all the power outlets in current Outbacks have the same 12V/120W rating (glove box, cargo area, and center console [if equipped]). I've used both the cargo area and center console power outlets to power my pump without issue.

 

buy the one with cigarette connector and you can buy a converter if you want to hook it up directly to the battery terminals.
I have both VIAIR and other and after using with the 12V socket, i am less and less worrying about it.
too lazy to pup the hood every time and struggle to run squeezing every inch out of it to reach the farthest tire.

 

I have a the dewalt 20v tire inflator, both battery and plug in, best of both... if you have the tools that use the same battery. I am sure other companies make something similar, i.e. milwaukee,

 

What do you need it for? I agree that a little inflator can be powered through the cigarette lighter outlet to occasionally top of a tire.
if you plan to go offroad, and air your tires down (and up again) frequently, you might want to buy something with a bit more grunt, directly connected.to the main batterie.

 

I use this one with the rear 20amp outlet

Amazon.com

avoid the internal battery operated ones they are grossly over spec'd

 

I used the dash outlet and rear one on my 2018 many times with a standard 12v air pump. Yes, they are slow. Haven't had to use it in my 24 yet. NOTE: the plug does get HOT!

 

For many years, I've been using a plug-in Michelin branded inflator, a round shaped one, and it worked without issues. Now we just got a Mazda 3 in the family and the number of 12 V sockets on it is zero. I bought a Milwaukee 18 V inflator kit and actually like the ease of use.

 

I just checked the instructions for mine (link provided above) and it says "Startup power 120W, Operating power 90W". No indication of how long "startup" takes to complete...

 

I have a cigarette powered portable in the car for emergencies and it has not caused any problem with the outlet. In the garage, I have a Husky (Home Depot) inflator that runs on 120 V AC. It's cheap and does the job faster.

 

Reading through this thread, I think I’ve decided to buy a tire pump, particularly after considering how much I’ve dropped from time to time on the gas station pumps which are expensive, in addition to being inaccurate.

 

particularly after considering how much I’ve dropped from time to time on the gas station pumps which are expensive,

A family/employee-owned local convenience store chain in my area has a free compressor at EVERY location, even if the location doesn't sell fuel. I pass no fewer than 3 of them between home and work. VERY convenient.

 

I prefer a pump that can run off the 12V socket as well - Viair makes a relatively powerful one (84/85P) that can inflate an empty tire quickly, and it can run off the stock outlets but the draw is sufficiently high that if you run it too long you do risk overheating the outlet which triggers a fail safe (in which case the outlet must be replaced). After using it for years without issue that happened to me so I took the opportunity to upgrade the burnt out outlet to something that could handle more current. With the addition of heavier gauge wire (run to the R.FOG trailer hitch circuit) the Viair probably runs twice as fast as it did off the stock outlets and no worries about overload.

 

I have a 12V Slime branded pump that seems to work OK. It's mostly just for on the road emergencies.

For just general tire pressure maintenance, i use a bicycle floor pump (use it for my motorcycles as well). For the car tires, it's about 10 pumps per pound pressure. Doesn't have to be plugged in or charged and is just as fast, if not quicker than most of these small 12V air pumps. Besides, it's a decent workout.

 

After trying 3 different gas stations where the inflation thingys were all "Out of Order" i went to Discount Tires where they inflate tires as a service. The line was ~10 cars long. Service was great but I'm getting an inflator. This is in Rio Rancho, NM.
framus

 

JMO, but why stress the socket wiring when the battery is right there? Got one of these for my daughter. I use a 110v pump myself.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ASY23I/

 

Over the years I've used the small compressors with the 12V lighter plug. They're great for an emergency dealing with a tire with a slow leak. The TPMS should give you warning on that. Without it, routine checks are a good idea. Every couple of weeks to once a month is a good interval.

For my Jeep that has 37" tires, I use a Viair 400P. It connects directly to the battery and takes 15 minutes to reinflate all 4 of those 37s from 12PSI to 30. It would be overkill for most Subarus unless you're running really big tires on a heavily modified chassis. But I can say the Viair is maybe 15 years old and still going strong. So it's a solid brand to go with.

There was a link to the Viair 88P above, which is a smaller compressor but probably more than enough for most people. I know Viair has some in between the 88 and 400. All probably very good units.

ARB makes a compressor that is very popular in the Jeep community. The dual compressor unit is for big tires and likely overkill. But the single portable compressor is likely a good option.

Best to ask yourself how you plan on using the compressor. Just for emergencies, you can get away with the small 12V plug or self contained battery version. If you plan on using it regularly, the ones that connect directly to the battery is the way to go.

 

Viairs have a good rep, as does ARB.

Good point wrt single vs two stage compressors.

Single stage compressors aren’t great for air mattresses and large off-road tires. They’re designs for pressure, not volume so they’re great for topping off passenger car, motorcycle, and bicycle tires. If you pop a bead on the first two, a single stage won’t reseat it.

Two stage compressors or anything with a volume tank will do it all.

FWIW, I carry a tire plug kit in the car. They’re very compact, dirt cheap, and are preferable to cans of sealants (which tire shops despise for several reasons). A “plug” is a repair. A can of sealant is intended to get a car as far as the first available tire shop.

If a plug can’t fix it, neither will a patch.

 

All the compressors I mentioned are single stage.

The ARB dual compressor kit is simply two separate compressors, both feeding the hose at the same time. ARB really only makes one compressor. To keep up with the bigger units from companies like Viair, they kit two of them together to get the volume.

Viair makes over a dozen different compressors, all of them single stage. They all have different specs depending on how big you go. So there's lots to choose from. Then they make some of them into portable kits with all the stuff you need to use them standalone. Most of their compressors are for dedicated on-board air setups.

I agree with you on what you need to fix a hole or popped bead.

 

FWIW, the Viair 84/85P is nearly as capable as the 88P (1.3 vs 1.5 cubic feet per minute), mine has refilled many totally flat tires - great to have when forced to plug a puncture on the side of the road. Another possible advantage of the slightly smaller units - my 84P will fit under the passenger seat, along with my NOCO jump pack, not sure the 88P would fit with the much longer hose. Caveat of course, as already mentioned, you really should run it off a proper dedicated high-current outlet (or off the battery itself). I wanted a high current outlet for other purposes as well so that route just made sense for me.