Aluminum air tank at Harbour Frieght

[my427cobra]

So I'm looking at the 7 gal aluminum air tank on sale at Harbor Frieght.

Wondering how many tires (say 255/70x15 on 7" rims) the tank will fill if the tank is at 125 psi and I want the tires at 25 psi.

Will it fill 4 empty (flat) tires?

Is there a rule of thumb/calculator/chart that can tell me this?

Or do I just do the math based on cylinder volumes and proportion the pressure?

Greg

[strictlypersonl]

Unless you put an awful lot of pressure in the tank, it won't work.
A single 295 x 15" tire is about 4500 c.i.
The tank is about 1550 c.i. Inflated to 150 psi > 15,000 c.i. at atmospheric pressure.
Assume inflation of each tire (starting from full size, but atmospheric pressure), you would ideally get about 12 psi in all the tires.

[RichardCSX6000]

Hello Greg, I wrestled with this for a bit since I never liked the idea of carrying "fix a flat" around, but emergences do happen. I purchased the one described in the link below, the Longacre Ultra lightweight aluminum. Its fist rate, fits in the trunk of CSX perfectly, has a accurate gauge and is quality made USA! It has plenty of air for my Goodyear Billboards and worst case can get you to safety. Enjoy!

Longacre Ultra Lightweight Polished Air Tanks 50314 - SummitRacing.com

[razerwire]

Go to a 4 wheel drive store. They have real small 12 volt compressors with tank used to air back up after going off road. We put air lockers on my sons jeep and the compressor is about 12" long 6" wide and 8" tall that comes with air lockers. We got the air hose and air chuck which plugs into compressor. 4 wheel parts store have kit that uses air conditioner compressor and comes with a dash switch to engage or disconnect the clutch , you use as air pump. We have a large compressor in trailer to air up truck tires and trailer tires after day on sand dunes. To slow so we use pressure tank from welding store, very fast air up, 6 tires on trailer and 4 tires on truck almost as fast as you can walk around. 4 wheel stores now have a tank with handle and coil air hose all made up that you can buy now ready to go. Just have fill up as needed at welding store. Sorry for the rant , I just got carried away. If you have room the air conditioning compressor would probably be the slickest.

[Paul F]

Keep a 12V compressor in the trunk. Easier to pack and will fill all four tires.

12 Volt, 100 PSI High Volume Air Compressor

[vatdevil]

I have a small 22 cu ft refillable gas cylinder. Can fill with air or nitrogen. Will fill a lot of tires quickly. It's an aluminum beer gas cylinder. Cost about $100.

[601HP]

Originally Posted by Paul F

Keep a 12V compressor in the trunk. Easier to pack and will fill all four tires.

12 Volt, 100 PSI High Volume Air Compressor

x 2.

I carry a similar unit with a small tire plugging kit. Comes with its own carrying kit. Dimensions are approx. 12"w x 8"h x 6" deep.
David

[my427cobra]

Great info. Thanks guys.
Greg

[Don]

Obtained my 12v compressor from Sears. There are a variety of models, 2 examples:

Portable Tire Air Inflator: Craftsman Automotive Equipment From Sears

Craftsman Portable Inflator: Emergency Help on the Road From Sears

[rpatton3]

I need to add a cigarette lighter outlet to my Backdraft dashboard.
You guys have me thinking.

[Rick Parker]

Frankly, carrying a cylinder inflated to 125+ lbs around in the trunk 3ft behind my head doesn't give me warm fuzzies. The odds of you actually having a flat are pretty small and a small 12V pump aside from being more compact will be much safer. I use one to inflate my Fly Fishing float tube. The power cord is usually long enough to allow to pump to reach each tire and the cord can easily be modified (if necessary) to add alligator clips to attach it to the battery. Carry a cell phone and have tow service numbers in the speed dial.

[Paul F]

Originally Posted by rpatton3

I need to add a cigarette lighter outlet to my Backdraft dashboard.
You guys have me thinking.

You can get them with battery clips instead of the cigarette lighter plug, but this one has poor reviews 12 Volt, 150 PSI High Volume Air Compressor.

[vector1]

can of wd40 and lighter works.

WD-40 Tire Inflation - YouTube

[601HP]

MasterFlow Cyclone MF-1040 Portable 12 Volt Air Compressor | Product Details | Pep Boys

[slider701]

Tire rack sells the same inflator kit that was used on the Ford GT and also the GT500 for $79:

Continental ContiComfortKit

You use as just a compressor or with the sealant

[Don]

Originally Posted by rpatton3

I need to add a cigarette lighter outlet to my Backdraft dashboard.
You guys have me thinking.

There are a variety of 12V power outlets available for in-dash mounting or underdash, examples:

WEST MARINE 12V Flush-Mount Receptacles & Plugs at West Marine

SeaDog Deluxe Power Socket - 12V - Seadog Line 426115-1 - iboats

Auto Zone:

Bell/All weather 12 Volt power socket (39052-8) | 12 Volts Socket Adapter | AutoZone.com

[601HP]

Originally Posted by rpatton3

I need to add a cigarette lighter outlet to my Backdraft dashboard.
You guys have me thinking.

Big Rock Sports Invincible Marine BR51012 Battery Clip Socket Extension - Fitness & Sports - Boating - Electronics

[bobcowan]

About 12 years ago I went to Wal Mart and bought a Campbell-Hausfield 12v compressor. I took it apart and threw away anything that didn't look like an air compressor. That and a tire plug kit fit in a small plastic bag. I carry that in the truck of the cobra most of the time. If I'm taking a motorcycle trip, I throw it in my saddlebag.

For the track, I have a nice high volume low pressure 12v pump. I'v been carrying that around for about 20 years. I originally bought it to inflate truck tires after an off road week end.

[trularin]

A note to all about the "FIX-A-FLAT".

We have a number of wheeled vehicles on our farm and I just replaced two tires on a small wagon.

The stuff in Fix a flat had turned to a greasey mess and seemed to have attached itself to the wheel ( NOT tire ) more than anything else. A real mess. There was NONE in the tire to speak of.

Then on our farm truck, we have used it to get the truck to the tire center. The weight was so far off, the truck shook violently between 40 and 62 MPH.

All has been fixed. The guy at the tire center said this is for emergencies only.

So, if you use this and keep driiving around, you may have a assembly balance challenge as well as gunk on you rim.

Hope this helps.

[Ralphy]

I'm working now at plumbing my garage. Since I'm space limited, I've elected to go with a portable contractors type compressor. I had built a shelve a couple of years back that received more clutter than anything. So up high and out of the way is where my compressor will go. I'm also wiring a 20 amp switch/ receptacle within reach so I will be able to switch it on and off with ease. Ran lines to the attic and back down at the locations. I put air connects at both sides of the garage door, well hidden and clean looking. Now I said lines because I ran one line to the connectors and a second that goes to a portable 10 gallon tank that I put in the attic. The tank adds volume if I want, or I can can shut the tank off with a valve next to the on off switch. Also I can remove the tank and take it on the road if needed or take the compressor. I'm also going to enclose/hide the compressor. I can't wait till I'm finished since I'm 70% completed. I'm adding several low points for moisture collection and next I'll get a filter, oilier, regulator setup. Below are some compressors I'm looking at.

RIDGID Tri-Stack 5-Gal. Portable Electric
This unit comes apart, you can separate the motor/pump from the tanks. Plus it has dual regulators which allows you to have two pressure settings, one for each tank.

Tri-Stack 5-Gal. Portable Electric Steel Orange Air Compressor-OF50150TS at The Home Depot

Ingersoll Rand® 2 HP 4 Gallon Twinstack

Ingersoll Rand® 2 HP 4 Gallon Twinstack Air Compressor - 3452264 | Tractor Supply Company

Ralphy