What are Tire Deflators?
Tire deflators are a tool that allows you to quickly and more importantly accurately air your tires down to a specific tire pressure.
Its important that you invest in a quality tire deflator as you're paying for the accuracy of the gauge. It may not seem like a lot, but the difference between 18 PSI and 12 PSI is a lot drastically increases the risks of de-beading the tire.
Pressure Ranges
Tire deflators have a range of operation and its important you get one that will work for your application.
Different Types of Tire Deflators
Pre-set Screw Ons Tire Deflators:
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Coyote | Tire Deflators -
Teraflex | Air Deflator (#4807200)
These kinds of deflators come in sets of four and can be pre-set to a tire pressure at 30 down to 6 psi. These deflation devices work by setting each at the same psi. After this is done, each device (four total) is individually screwed on to each valve of your four tires.
A downside of this type of deflator is that it will not let air out of your tires quickly, however, the upside is that all four tire deflators are releasing air at the same time. If needed, the vehicle can also be driven while deflating air but only at very low speeds. Ultimately, for the best results, it is best to wait until the desired psi is reached before setting off on the trail.
Fast or E-Z Tire Deflators:
Unlike pre-set screw on deflators, EZ Tire deflators are incredibly fast and can deflate tires up to 1 psi per second. This fast deflation is achieved by removing the inner valve. Unlike pre-set screw deflators, this device can only deflate one tire at a time, however, the rapid release of air mitigates this demand. When deflating with this device, remember to check your pressure frequently as it is easy to let too much air out.
ARB offers an EZ Tire Deflator and a ARB EZ Digital Deflator. Teraflex and AEV also carry their own EZ Tire Deflators. Learn how to use an EZ Tire Deflator.
Primitive Tire Deflators:
If without a deflator on hand, you can always bleed air from your tires using by using stick or stone to depress the valve stem. This practice is effective in releasing air, but not accurately or precisely. In addition, the speed of air release will be synonymous to the rate of pre-set screw deflators, which is slow. However, instead of deflating all four tires at once, you can only deflate one tire at a time. For the price, convenience, and accuracy, buying a dedicated tire deflator for your rig is a must have in your arsenal of offroad equipment.
We'd love to hear from you!
What is your go-to tire deflator? Do you use one or do you just rely on the mighty and trustworthy stick you find in the parking lot? Let us know!
