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What are Tire Inflators?

What are Tire Inflators?

3 minute read

What are Tire Inflators?

Tire inflators are devices used to inflate your vehicle's tires. They can be stand alone inflators or inflation adaptors that work in conjunction with your portable or on-board air compressor.

In this article, we will cover:

Tire Inflator

Seeing the TPMS turn on for deflated tires can be a distressing situation to deal with when you are alone or in a hurry. A stand alone tire inflator that does not use the aid of an air compressor is great for emergencies and the average commuter. Many work on 12 vt accessory outlet in your car and can be set to shut off to your desired PSI, so all you have worry about is hooking the device up properly to a power outlet and your tire stem.

Inflation Adapters

Inflation adapters, also known simply as tire inflators, are adapters used in conjunction with an air compressor to inflate your tires.

Having a dedicated air compressor- whether a portable or on-board model- can have many benefits, like powering pneumatic tools and air lockers, in addition to tire inflation. If your are more than just an average commuter and offroad often, then you should consider buying a dedicated air compressor for your vehicle.

ARB carries a Digital Tire Inflator Braided Hose w/ Chuck and Tire Inflator with Gauge. Both are excellent tools to get the job done. The major differences between the two is one is digital gauge and the other is an analog. Digital verse analog deals with personal preference and price range of the consumer (the digital inflator is twice the cost of the analog inflator). It does not change the accuracy of the pressure reading.

Another difference to note is the length of the braided hose that connects your inflator to your tire valve. On the the digital inflator, the PVC braided hose is 23.5" long, wheres the stainless steel braided hose on the analog inflator only reaches to 13". This many be an issue if you don't want to be bending over to inflate your tires.

Required Inflation Accessories

Required with these ARB Inflator Adaptors, is an ARB Air Compressor and a ARB Tire Inflation Kit. The ARB Inflation kit consists of:

  • 1 x High heat pressure hose
  • 1 x ARB air chuck with quick press fitting
  • 1 x ARB T-fitting for use with the CKMA12 ARB air compressor

How to use an ARB Digital Inflator

To use an ARB Digital Inflator, simply:

  1. Clip on your Digital Inflator to your air compressor using your ARB Inflation Kit.
  2. Remove your tire valve cap.
  3. Connect the valve connector to the tire valve of the tire you want to inflate.
  4. After being connected to the valve, the Digital Deflator will sense air pressure and automatically turn on. Displayed on the monitor will be a real-time pressure reading of your tire.
  5. To inflate simply press down on the inflation handle with your thumb.
  6. If you need to deflate, press the deflation button to the left of the inflation handle.

ARB's analog gauge operates with the same protocol, but does not need to be powered on.


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