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What I mean is if the weight of the car is on the tire. You are not only inflating the tire but raising the car too. Like sitting on a balloon while somebody tries to blow it up. Hard to do.
I was thinking the same thing. Wouldn't it be easier to put the weight on the jack and then pump up the tire?
I have used a bike pump to air up a pickup tire before and it was slow going and a good workout. The York style AC compressors used on old Fords and some others work great to convert for using to air up tires and is mobile.
What I mean is if the weight of the car is on the tire. You are not only inflating the tire but raising the car too. Like sitting on a balloon while somebody tries to blow it up. Hard to do.
Hehe. I guess the theory is that you put a greater volume of air in the tire at a lower pressure, then when the car is lowered, it compresses the volume and the pressure increases.
I have never been able to detect any change in tire pressure when jacking a wheel off the ground. In theory it should be a bit less with the tire off the ground, but not enough to matter much.
There are plenty of decent air compressors available, new and used, ones that run on ordinary 115V power. $200 or so will buy a really good one. Heartily agree with Mr. Wilson - get one, you will be glad you did. Not just inflating tires, running air tools, but also cleaning things of dust with compressed air, etc. I would about as soon go without indoor plumbing as without an air compressor around the place.
I bought a Victor tire inflator for about $15 or $20 three years ago from AutoZone or Advanced Auto Parts (can't remember which store) I check my tires every month and it finally stopped working, so I think I got my money's worth. I'm not saying I'd highly recommend it (and I think the model has been discontinued) but those cheap 12V tire pumps you plug into your car work in a pinch. Unfortunately, things always seem to break when you need them! It might be worth spending a little more and buying a Craftsman rechargeable pump, since I've been told they work well and there aren't any cords to get in the way. Last month I began having trouble with my connectors (pump was turning on/off every few seconds) and a neighbor offered to get his tire inflator which was a cordless, rechargeable Craftsman. It worked very well and wasn't as noisy as the Victor.
This thread began in 2008, but I can still answer the original question. Yes, a bicycle pump will work, but it will take a very, very long time to even add 1psi. I'm a weakling, so I wouldn't even try, but I've seen people using them. I would recommend buying a tire pump that works faster and is made for automobile tires and keeping it in your trunk for emergencies.
I can add several pounds pressure to my car tires in only a few minutes. I'm pumping harder putting 95 pounds of pressure in my bicycle tires than I am putting 32 pounds in my car tires. Of course with the car tires I have to pump more times for the greater volume. But it's no big deal.
I can add several pounds pressure to my car tires in only a few minutes. I'm pumping harder putting 95 pounds of pressure in my bicycle tires than I am putting 32 pounds in my car tires. Of course with the car tires I have to pump more times for the greater volume. But it's no big deal.
Are you talking about using a manual bicycle pump on a full size tire (i.e. 225-60-16) I suppose it depends on how strong you are, but I would have a difficult time adding air to my tires quickly, especially if they were very low.
I use my bike pump for the gauge since it goes to 150 psi. All the gauges stop at 55. It works great for truck tires and high pressure tires. I bought some high pressure gauges but they seem to walk off or get lost easily.
I bought a small electric air compressor from Sears for the garage about 25 years ago. It still works fine.
Life is too short to waste it inflating car tires by hand. Get a good gauge with a pressure release so you can over inflate and then drop the pressure to what you want. FWIW I always slightly over inflate tires to improve cornering. Less than 5 psi over makes a big difference.
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It might be worth spending a little more and buying a Craftsman rechargeable pump, since I've been told they work well and there aren't any cords to get in the way. Last month I began having trouble with my connectors (pump was turning on/off every few seconds) and a neighbor offered to get his tire inflator which was a cordless, rechargeable Craftsman. It worked very well and wasn't as noisy as the Victor.
Yes, a bicycle pump will work, but it will take a very, very long time to even add 1psi. I'm a weakling, so I wouldn't even try, but I've seen people using them. I would recommend buying a tire pump that works faster and is made for automobile tires and keeping it in your trunk for emergencies.
Inflating tires
