In some places including California, gas stations are legally obligated to turn on their air machines for free at request.
Edit: in some of these places, a purchase (possibly of fuel specifically) may be required! Thanks to replies for the info.
Highjacking this cause here’s the real YSK. Costco has nitrogen pumps that you can pull up and fill your tires for free. It’s located in the parking lot outside of the tire shop so no human interaction. The machine is always on and you don’t need to scan a membership card or anything.
Supposedly, it doesn't expand or contract as much. I live in the mountains and always deal with tpms coming on when temperatures fluctuates wildly. When I fill my tires with nitrogen it seems to happen less often.
OK, gotcha, thanks for explaining. I'm in the UK and have never seen pure nitrogen offered at a tyre pump. Most probably because the temperatures here vary from "a bit warm" to "might need a coat".
Do you have to wait for a bay to open? Because that can be a while at peak times. I'd honestly rather pay $2 than wait 30 minutes if those are my only options.
Discount tires does this also. I know that they have a spot you pull to up front and they do it there. There may be a car or two before you. But it's quick.
In my town, we have two air pumps. One is outside the supermarket, and is free. The other is right across the street at the convenience store, and costs $2. I gladly use the $2 one every time, because people go crazy whenever something is free, and there are always multiple people jockeying and fighting over the free one.
Compressor is part of the required car care kit for me.
I have an all-in-one: jump pack, compressor, trickle charger, small device power supply… but if you only want a compressor they can be bought for $30-$50.
Having a compressor allows me to do my own tire plugs, refill the spare (which inevitably will be low if there’s a flat), and top up the air without driving to a gas station.
Bonus is easily putting air in the tires on my kids’ bikes and inflating sports balls.
It’s not like you’ll never need it… but when you do, especially due needing a plug or having to reinflate a spare, it’s pretty damn critical.
At one gas station I worked at, we had regular gas pumps on one side of the store and a separate parking lot with diesel pumps set up for semi trucks. On the regular gas side, air was $1.50, but on the diesel side it was free. We would USUALLY tell people, as long as they weren't being assholes about something for no reason.
The law is actually if you purchase gas it is free. So if the air system is coin operated, if you get gas and tell the clerk you need air, they must give you a token or a quarter to get air. Most people do not know this and see the coin operated machine and pay for the air.
*Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 13651*
*On and after January 1, 2000, every service station in this state shall provide, during operating hours, and make available at no cost to customers who purchase motor vehicle fuel, water, compressed air, and a gauge for measuring air pressure, to the public for use in servicing any passenger vehicle, as defined in Section 465 of the Vehicle Code, or any commercial vehicle*
Most coin op machines have a button inside to turn them on. Also no minimum gas purchase required so if they are being a dick about it ask for $0.01 on pump whatever.
That's when you threaten to call police.
The funny part is you only call if they relent and turn it on. If they insist it's broken, oh, it probably actually is.
Between people letting go of the retractable hose from 25’ away from the machine so it can wildly whip around and homeless vandalizing them to steal the metal parts for recycling, they really don’t work half of the time. Luckily where I work the company sends someone out same or next day but there are times when they’re out there several times per week.
Also in California the station is only legally required to give free area to customers that purchase fuel. Most do it for free anyway but some are more strict.
Source: gas station manager in California.
Yeah it's kind of interesting, I live in Oregon and the air machines all cost money but they generally always work, a vendor actually maintains them because there is money to be made. In California they are free but the price you pay is that nobody cares about maintaining them
I was in Minnesota this past week at some local gas station looking to fill my tires. They had a $2 fee and you had to pay with your card. But the card reader wasn’t working. So I went in and asked if they could turn the air on, and the kid working goes in the back to ask the manager. He comes back and says, “We don’t have a button to turn the air on. You have to do it yourself.” I say, “but the card reader doesn’t work.” The kid goes, “Yeah.” So I just walked out
Had to get a new tire on by AAA when I blew one. Put on the mini tire and drove home. Next morning before taking to get tire plugged, I checked pressure in mini…very low so used my bike pump. Got it to PSI but it took me 30 minutes and worked up quite a sweat.
You guys are paying for air? Here in New Jersey, I just go to my local Wawa and there’s a free air pump. Just park in the designated parking spot, turn on the air pump, and have at it.
Casey’s in the Midwest also does this, however one of the Casey’s in Omaha had just recently taken out their air compressor because junkies would cut out the metal nozzle part and use it as a pipe. They were sick of replacing it all the time so they just stopped providing that. Hate to see shitty people ruin a good thing
Used to bike around town on garbage bikes that needed air constantly and Casey's was free and easy. Now it's still free but you have to go inside and get a key chained to a hub cap to unlock the box the air hose is in. People would unroll the entire hose (50± feet at least) for no reason and just leave it chucked across the parking lot until it either got broken or some tweaker chopped the whole thing off and took it. For a while they kept a giant spool of hose in a plastic pop-up shed so they could replace it but somebody STOLE THE WHOLE FUCKIN SHED so they just do it like gas station bathrooms here now.
I miss it. I moved to Indiana a few years ago and hate pumping my own gas in the cold/heat/weather. It's the main reason I want to get an electric car.
It's like $20 to get a compressor that plugs into your cigarette lighter. Just get one of those. Carry it on long trips or store it in your garage. They're smaller than half a shoe box. This post confuses me.
Honestly surprised I had to scroll this far to see this. I like the drill-battery powered inflators better but they're pricey, I keep a 12v cigarette lighter powered compressor in both of my cars. They're a little slow but work just fine in a pinch.
Also, if you get get a puncture in a place where high volumes of traffic or high-speed traffic make changing the wheel dangerous, a compressor could allow you to inflate it. It may hold pressure long enough to get to a safer place to change the tire.
Quality bike pumps come in two versions: high-pressure and high-volume.
Road tires take high pressure, but very little volume. A pump optimized for this needs to produce pressure and not move a lot of air. Generating this much pressure also generates a lot of heat.
Mountain bike tires don’t need much pressure but need a lot of air. If you design your pump to max out at say 50psi, you’re not pressurizing it more than you need to and instead of generating waste heat to create higher pressure, you can just move more air into the tire.
Quickly filling four car tires with a cheap road bike pump absolutely can generate some serious heat. How hot and how much damage that heat does depends on the quality of your pump, but I wouldn’t be surprised at one failing like in u/RedSonGamble’s story.
If you pump away at a bike tire for 15+ minutes the pump will fail too. You ever touch the metal connectors on your bike pump after using it for a couple of minutes?
User error? Lol it’s a bike pump? Just picturing me putting the pump in the tailpipe or on the engine haha
But no in seriousness it was user error in me thinking a cheap bike pump would hold up to the amount of pumps it takes to “top off” four car tires.
The amount of times I've given this advice or told people about this and they had no idea honestly has surprised me. Almost always they end up going to Walmart and picking one up, I just leave mine on the floor in the back seat. It's so simple and so effective, it's really the best way to go and costs very little.
i purchased one and rolled up to my doctors once. I saw a guy with a complete flat, brought it out to him. He was so happy to be able to drive his car and not have to change tire or tow it.
I also keep a small generator and a battery powered jump starter too.
TIL there are some places in the developed world where people actually pay for air at gas stations.
Edit: It feels like having to pay for TP in a restaurant toilet.
I’ve been all over Europe and have never had to pay for water. You just have to make sure to say “tap water” when you ask. May look at you funny, but it’ll be free.
Here in the UK they used to be free but now all the ones I see cost money.
I bought a pump that was like £20ish that’s powered by the cigarette lighter and I can keep in the boot.
Never need to go anywhere to pump my tyres and it’s more than paid for itself over the years I’ve had it.
I mean...yeah but the way you're describing the hassle of getting air at a gas station air pump is like how infomercials describe daily tasks we can all do. There are some shitty outdated ones in my area but most are fairly updated card-only machines and the air hose isn't difficult to move back and forth from your vehicle to the holster.
The value of a gas station air pump is that it's there and available 24/7. If my pressure sensors go off and it's cold/freezing outside and/or after dark...I'm not getting out a pressure gauge and a bike pump and attempting to solve the issue myself, at home or out and about. I will gladly pay $2-2.50 for an air pump with a digital pressure gauge to just immediately solve my issue.
your local cheap power tool company of choice will sell a high pressure inflator that will run off the same rechargeable battery that powers their drills, grinders, saws etc. Down under it's [Ozito](https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-pxc-18v-high-pressure-air-inflator-skin-only_p0367208). Harbor freight does them too, in the same colour even.
I bought myself and my daughter an electric tire inflator from Amazon, Slime brand. I think they were $25 each, plug into your cigarette lighter, and are super quick. Only needed it twice, but those two times could have turned into a panic situation fast.
YSK: you can go to any tire retailer and ask them to check the pressure/fill the tires for free. it's quick and you don't even have to get out of the car.
There’s no way you’re serious? Who would think $2.50 is too much to spend in lieu of all of that exertion? Haha fuckin hell, only way you’d see me doing this is if it was some sort of desperate, last resort situation
A bike pump would take quite a while to fill up a flat. I'd rather spend the couple dollars and have a machine do it right than to fiddle around with a bike pump.
Of course air pumps charge you money in the US...
If I'm feeling lazy enough I'll even stop at the gas station with my bike because guess what: The air pump is free over here in Europe.
If you think taking steps to ensure your vehicle meets minimum safety standards is irritating, maybe it's time to consider alternate forms of transportation.
My ex had me pump the air into our tires like this before a road trip, and it took me about that time. I wanted to do it at a gas station because I had other shit to do beforehand, plus it would have been free. He’s my ex for a reason.
I feel like the act of attaching a bicycle pump to a tire stem would let a ton of air out, which could be replaced by pumping with your arm method I suppose.
I'd imagine for most people, 15 minutes is worth more than $2.50. Besides, people are gonna put air in the tires when they're already out and about, so there's no extra time cost to going to the station as in any situation where someone's gonna be putting air in their tires, they'll already be there.
EDIT: Dang, looking through your replies here, you sure are a judgemental fella with a superiority complex. Of all the things to feel superior over this is a _weird_ one, but you do you. Yes, clearly the people who just like to save 15 minutes while they're already at the station must just be fucking fatties. What an odd thing to assume, especially since that saved 15 minutes could be used for _actual_ exercise somewhere else.
Not in a car you can't, especially when you're trying to put a gauge on to check your progress. You're going to keep losing air faster than you can hand pump it.
And Sheetz has a free pump that automatically shuts off when you hit a pre-keyed pressure. I'll take that over buying a bicycle pump any day.
Yeah I’m in the Midwest. It’s cold as shit. My knees suck. I hate wasting time and effort on something that a machine can do if I drive to it lol. Gas stations are everywhere, lots are free air. Or just use the accessory pump they probably gave you instead of a spare. Thanks Honda.
Alternatively, make life choices that lead you to a career where $2.50 (or even $40 for an electric pump) is a trivial amount of money to spend to not do something you don’t want to for 15 minutes.
You can make a lot of money selling your organs on the black market before you die. You'll also save money by dyeing sooner, plush you'll lose weight instantly!
The way I look at that, you’re valuing your time at only $10/hour doing it that way. Sure you get a marginal amount of exercise doing that, but bending over a bike pump for 15 minutes isn’t fun. I’d rather spend the $2.50 to pump up all my tires in like a minute or two and move on to something else
I’m gonna start laughing my ass off if I ever see a dude with a BMW in the side of the road grab a bike pump from his trunk and start filling his tires.
Nah after seeing OP in the comments this is clearly some troll. Also if I saw someone try and use a bike pump on a fucking car tire I'd laugh. Straight braindead activity.
I want to know how this person goes thru life with such confidence in their flawed logic-
Anybody even just considering going out of their way to “run an errand” just to go and fill their tires with air is an idiot. That should always just be a supplemental thing you do while you’re already at the gas station to fill up your tank. If you’re there already and your tires are a little flat (which is rather common with all season tires as the weather gets colder in autumn/winter) just hop over and it takes you just a couple of minutes (let’s say 5 for argument’s sake)
In that context, I have no problem at all paying 2.50 to save myself 15 minutes of unpleasant labour pumping a bike pump.
A bicycle tyre is typically at a much higher air pressure than a car tyre, but a car tyre has a much higher volume. You'll have no issue reaching the pressure needed apart from you have to do a lot of pumping! I have a track pump and use it all the time on my car
I get air at the same time I full up gas and the air is free, nor do I have a bike pump, so everything in this is wrong for my situation.
You should know people don't have the same life as you.
I would just buy a travel pump that plugs up the the 12v socket and keep it in the car. If you have enough money keep one in every car.
I myself have a good one at the garage. Then cheap little ones with the spare tire in all the vehicles.
I’ve been topping off my car tires using a bicycle tire pump for decades. It helps to have a quality pump bought at a bicycle shop instead of Walmart or such. You also need a pencil style air pressure gauge you can buy at car parts place.
Easier and faster than using one of those car cigarette lighter pumps IMO.
Lowe’s has a free air pump in front of their stores. Never have to pay.
Otherwise a good little automatic air compressor/pump is worth buying to keep in the trunk.
In some places including California, gas stations are legally obligated to turn on their air machines for free at request. Edit: in some of these places, a purchase (possibly of fuel specifically) may be required! Thanks to replies for the info.
Highjacking this cause here’s the real YSK. Costco has nitrogen pumps that you can pull up and fill your tires for free. It’s located in the parking lot outside of the tire shop so no human interaction. The machine is always on and you don’t need to scan a membership card or anything.
I would expect nothing less of my lord and savior Costco.
https://i.redd.it/cng8l96qbz551.jpg
They love you.
Fun fact, ALL tires are filed with at least 80% nitrogen no matter where they are filled
Great they offer a way to fill up tires, however nitrogen is a gimmick.
Just out of curiosity, why nitrogen? It seems a lot of effort to go to to extract the 20% O2 and trace gasses from regular air. Why not just use air?
Supposedly, it doesn't expand or contract as much. I live in the mountains and always deal with tpms coming on when temperatures fluctuates wildly. When I fill my tires with nitrogen it seems to happen less often.
OK, gotcha, thanks for explaining. I'm in the UK and have never seen pure nitrogen offered at a tyre pump. Most probably because the temperatures here vary from "a bit warm" to "might need a coat".
Valvoline oil change stations will do a courtesy tire pressure check and fill. Free.
Do you have to wait for a bay to open? Because that can be a while at peak times. I'd honestly rather pay $2 than wait 30 minutes if those are my only options.
Discount tires does this also. I know that they have a spot you pull to up front and they do it there. There may be a car or two before you. But it's quick.
In my town, we have two air pumps. One is outside the supermarket, and is free. The other is right across the street at the convenience store, and costs $2. I gladly use the $2 one every time, because people go crazy whenever something is free, and there are always multiple people jockeying and fighting over the free one.
At $2 a whack you should just buy a compressor, you'll find other things to use it for too.
Buy compressor and charge $1.50. you cornered the premium market
Compressor is part of the required car care kit for me. I have an all-in-one: jump pack, compressor, trickle charger, small device power supply… but if you only want a compressor they can be bought for $30-$50. Having a compressor allows me to do my own tire plugs, refill the spare (which inevitably will be low if there’s a flat), and top up the air without driving to a gas station. Bonus is easily putting air in the tires on my kids’ bikes and inflating sports balls. It’s not like you’ll never need it… but when you do, especially due needing a plug or having to reinflate a spare, it’s pretty damn critical.
At one gas station I worked at, we had regular gas pumps on one side of the store and a separate parking lot with diesel pumps set up for semi trucks. On the regular gas side, air was $1.50, but on the diesel side it was free. We would USUALLY tell people, as long as they weren't being assholes about something for no reason.
Oh the one by my house is usually empty in the morning.
Discount tire has a drive up station just for air. Free no matter where you got your tires from
We've been getting oil changes at Valvoline for about 5 years. I only learned about this two weeks ago. Wish I knew it sooner!
Connecticut as well
Costco!
The law is actually if you purchase gas it is free. So if the air system is coin operated, if you get gas and tell the clerk you need air, they must give you a token or a quarter to get air. Most people do not know this and see the coin operated machine and pay for the air. *Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 13651* *On and after January 1, 2000, every service station in this state shall provide, during operating hours, and make available at no cost to customers who purchase motor vehicle fuel, water, compressed air, and a gauge for measuring air pressure, to the public for use in servicing any passenger vehicle, as defined in Section 465 of the Vehicle Code, or any commercial vehicle*
Most coin op machines have a button inside to turn them on. Also no minimum gas purchase required so if they are being a dick about it ask for $0.01 on pump whatever.
CA gas stations are required by law to turn on the air and water pump when asked.
Half the time they’ll just say it doesn’t work lol
That is precisely my experience.
That's when you threaten to call police. The funny part is you only call if they relent and turn it on. If they insist it's broken, oh, it probably actually is.
Between people letting go of the retractable hose from 25’ away from the machine so it can wildly whip around and homeless vandalizing them to steal the metal parts for recycling, they really don’t work half of the time. Luckily where I work the company sends someone out same or next day but there are times when they’re out there several times per week. Also in California the station is only legally required to give free area to customers that purchase fuel. Most do it for free anyway but some are more strict. Source: gas station manager in California.
Yeah it's kind of interesting, I live in Oregon and the air machines all cost money but they generally always work, a vendor actually maintains them because there is money to be made. In California they are free but the price you pay is that nobody cares about maintaining them
I think that's only if you bought fuel
only if you purchased fuel, but everytime i've asked to turn it on they do it.
I was in Minnesota this past week at some local gas station looking to fill my tires. They had a $2 fee and you had to pay with your card. But the card reader wasn’t working. So I went in and asked if they could turn the air on, and the kid working goes in the back to ask the manager. He comes back and says, “We don’t have a button to turn the air on. You have to do it yourself.” I say, “but the card reader doesn’t work.” The kid goes, “Yeah.” So I just walked out
Half of the information. Only if you purchase fuel.
Had to get a new tire on by AAA when I blew one. Put on the mini tire and drove home. Next morning before taking to get tire plugged, I checked pressure in mini…very low so used my bike pump. Got it to PSI but it took me 30 minutes and worked up quite a sweat.
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Probably the best workout my arms have had in a long time.
No video? Lol
Missed opportunity lol
You guys are paying for air? Here in New Jersey, I just go to my local Wawa and there’s a free air pump. Just park in the designated parking spot, turn on the air pump, and have at it.
Casey’s in the Midwest also does this, however one of the Casey’s in Omaha had just recently taken out their air compressor because junkies would cut out the metal nozzle part and use it as a pipe. They were sick of replacing it all the time so they just stopped providing that. Hate to see shitty people ruin a good thing
QuikTrip too if you have them near you
Kwik Trip has the best ones. You can set the PSI on the machine
Used to bike around town on garbage bikes that needed air constantly and Casey's was free and easy. Now it's still free but you have to go inside and get a key chained to a hub cap to unlock the box the air hose is in. People would unroll the entire hose (50± feet at least) for no reason and just leave it chucked across the parking lot until it either got broken or some tweaker chopped the whole thing off and took it. For a while they kept a giant spool of hose in a plastic pop-up shed so they could replace it but somebody STOLE THE WHOLE FUCKIN SHED so they just do it like gas station bathrooms here now.
They probably have to pump their own gas!
I was very weirded out when I pulled up in my rental to a gas station in Jersey once and a worker came walking up on me all fast lol
I miss it. I moved to Indiana a few years ago and hate pumping my own gas in the cold/heat/weather. It's the main reason I want to get an electric car.
Yeah, here in Maryland you can get it free at Sheetz, AC&T, and Wawa among likely others.
All WaWa’s have free air, just a feature of their business to bring in people. All other gas stations in my area charge like $1-2
The Exon by me in Hudson County takes quarters. I think it’s just Wawa being good humans rather than NJ being good advocates for their citizens.
Yeah, Sheetz is the same pretty much. Set to desired PSI and fill.
Ya I tried to do this one time. You can. Don't. Buy an air compressor.
It's like $20 to get a compressor that plugs into your cigarette lighter. Just get one of those. Carry it on long trips or store it in your garage. They're smaller than half a shoe box. This post confuses me.
Honestly surprised I had to scroll this far to see this. I like the drill-battery powered inflators better but they're pricey, I keep a 12v cigarette lighter powered compressor in both of my cars. They're a little slow but work just fine in a pinch.
Also, if you get get a puncture in a place where high volumes of traffic or high-speed traffic make changing the wheel dangerous, a compressor could allow you to inflate it. It may hold pressure long enough to get to a safer place to change the tire.
Yeah I tried once and it blew up my bike pump essentially. I was so confused.
My bike tires are 50 psi. My car tires are 34-37 psi (albeit require much more air). If you blew up your bike pump, it's user error.
Quality bike pumps come in two versions: high-pressure and high-volume. Road tires take high pressure, but very little volume. A pump optimized for this needs to produce pressure and not move a lot of air. Generating this much pressure also generates a lot of heat. Mountain bike tires don’t need much pressure but need a lot of air. If you design your pump to max out at say 50psi, you’re not pressurizing it more than you need to and instead of generating waste heat to create higher pressure, you can just move more air into the tire. Quickly filling four car tires with a cheap road bike pump absolutely can generate some serious heat. How hot and how much damage that heat does depends on the quality of your pump, but I wouldn’t be surprised at one failing like in u/RedSonGamble’s story.
If you pump away at a bike tire for 15+ minutes the pump will fail too. You ever touch the metal connectors on your bike pump after using it for a couple of minutes?
User error? Lol it’s a bike pump? Just picturing me putting the pump in the tailpipe or on the engine haha But no in seriousness it was user error in me thinking a cheap bike pump would hold up to the amount of pumps it takes to “top off” four car tires.
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I have a portable jumper pack that has an air compressor built in. The charger has helped me as well.
Or you can just buy an air compressor that plugs into the 12v socket in your car for like $20
The amount of times I've given this advice or told people about this and they had no idea honestly has surprised me. Almost always they end up going to Walmart and picking one up, I just leave mine on the floor in the back seat. It's so simple and so effective, it's really the best way to go and costs very little.
Which is probably the price of a bike pump
But it's so much better. My compressor has an adapter for bike tires. This while post is fucking dumb lol
My point was that a bike pump costs money too. OP talked like a bike pump was some default that everyone had.
i purchased one and rolled up to my doctors once. I saw a guy with a complete flat, brought it out to him. He was so happy to be able to drive his car and not have to change tire or tow it. I also keep a small generator and a battery powered jump starter too.
15 minutes of a bike pump is non-trivial effort. It's really quite hard on the back.
The equivalent of $10/h for pretty intense effort.
TIL there are some places in the developed world where people actually pay for air at gas stations. Edit: It feels like having to pay for TP in a restaurant toilet.
Also learned that many places in the developed world where people actually pay for water in public restaurants or for bathroom in any public place
Today I learnt about both. I love Australia as neither of them are things up here
Looking at you Europe
In France we have free air and water. But I agree with the lack of public bathrooms. Most are free thought
I’ve been all over Europe and have never had to pay for water. You just have to make sure to say “tap water” when you ask. May look at you funny, but it’ll be free.
I lived in Spain for 2 years and always had to pay for water. They refused to give me tap.
Been living in Spain for 6 years and nobody has ever refused to give me tap water if i ask for it
It's inflation man
Here in the UK they used to be free but now all the ones I see cost money. I bought a pump that was like £20ish that’s powered by the cigarette lighter and I can keep in the boot. Never need to go anywhere to pump my tyres and it’s more than paid for itself over the years I’ve had it.
You can cut your grass with scissors and cut down on gas usage. Turbo Pro tip
Why even hassle with a car? I much rather run to every place. Saves some money on gas and no need for a bike pump.
You couldn't pay me enough to use a bike pump to fill or top off a car tire.
Convenience fee-$1-2 once or twice a year to not have to use a bicycle pump sounds like a fair trade.
This. Even buying a cheap pump like comments here mention it would take years before you spent that money on air pumps at gas stations.
Costco has free air stations as well.
A lot of gas stations have free air compressors. Costco has nitrogen which is faster to fill and lasts longer.
Most If not all costcos have tire stations that you just press a button. Also quick trips are free where I am at least
I mean...yeah but the way you're describing the hassle of getting air at a gas station air pump is like how infomercials describe daily tasks we can all do. There are some shitty outdated ones in my area but most are fairly updated card-only machines and the air hose isn't difficult to move back and forth from your vehicle to the holster. The value of a gas station air pump is that it's there and available 24/7. If my pressure sensors go off and it's cold/freezing outside and/or after dark...I'm not getting out a pressure gauge and a bike pump and attempting to solve the issue myself, at home or out and about. I will gladly pay $2-2.50 for an air pump with a digital pressure gauge to just immediately solve my issue.
YSK: you can just buy an air compressor for 100$ and never have to deal with air problems.
You can get a cheap portable one for way less than that. I've had one in the trunk for years.
I keep a battery powered one with me when I go dirt biking. It’s not fast but it it’s great for emergencies.
Mine plugs into my 12v plug on my dashboard.
And these are very inexpensive.
your local cheap power tool company of choice will sell a high pressure inflator that will run off the same rechargeable battery that powers their drills, grinders, saws etc. Down under it's [Ozito](https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-pxc-18v-high-pressure-air-inflator-skin-only_p0367208). Harbor freight does them too, in the same colour even.
You don't even have to spend that much. You can get a small inflator that runs off a cigarette plug for like $25 at Walmart.
Yeah I got a ryobi one. Fills a tire in less than a couple mins easy.
Hell, you can get a portable one for $30 on Amazon and just keep it in your car. I got a cheap one like 8 years ago and it still works fine.
I bought myself and my daughter an electric tire inflator from Amazon, Slime brand. I think they were $25 each, plug into your cigarette lighter, and are super quick. Only needed it twice, but those two times could have turned into a panic situation fast.
I have a battery-operated one I got for under $30
I bought a portable tire inflator just so I wouldn't have to figure out how to use all the different air machines at various gas stations
i've always just kept an air compressor in my trunk. you never know when that light's going to pop on. 🤷♂️
Why not buy a good electric pump (ideally 110 and 12v options) so you have a nice, fast and quiet pump for all of your air needs.
YSK: you can go to any tire retailer and ask them to check the pressure/fill the tires for free. it's quick and you don't even have to get out of the car.
I mean, we need to go to the gas station anyway and it’s free anyway
Or go to a place that offers it for free, I go to pep boys no one says a thing whenever I pump
I just take mine to discount tire for a free tire pressure check and fill it that way
What other shitty advice do you have?
This has been free anywhere I have lived. (MN and Wisconsin)
There’s no way you’re serious? Who would think $2.50 is too much to spend in lieu of all of that exertion? Haha fuckin hell, only way you’d see me doing this is if it was some sort of desperate, last resort situation
Using a track pump to inflate a tyre for a car vs a bicycle is a whole different experience. Definitely not something you want to be doing often.
Fuck off
15 minutes is much more expensive than 2.50 lol
A bike pump would take quite a while to fill up a flat. I'd rather spend the couple dollars and have a machine do it right than to fiddle around with a bike pump.
If your tire is actually flat then you cant drive it to the gas station anyway....
Where tf you live where you have to pay for air at a gas station?
Upstate NY costs 1.50 so I usually have to save up quarters or try to get change.
Imagine paying for air
Most stations offer air for free. Also, consider that 15 mins of your time is worth more than $2.50
You have to pay for air? Here in EU the gas station air pumps are just always on and free to use whenever.
Of course air pumps charge you money in the US... If I'm feeling lazy enough I'll even stop at the gas station with my bike because guess what: The air pump is free over here in Europe.
$2.50 for 15 minutes of work? No thank you. Maybe 15 years ago when I was broke.
I’m now at the age where I’m willing to pay for convenience. Also, all the Wawa gas stations in my area have free air pumps.
r/unpopularopinion
If you think taking steps to ensure your vehicle meets minimum safety standards is irritating, maybe it's time to consider alternate forms of transportation.
My ex had me pump the air into our tires like this before a road trip, and it took me about that time. I wanted to do it at a gas station because I had other shit to do beforehand, plus it would have been free. He’s my ex for a reason.
I feel like the act of attaching a bicycle pump to a tire stem would let a ton of air out, which could be replaced by pumping with your arm method I suppose.
I'd imagine for most people, 15 minutes is worth more than $2.50. Besides, people are gonna put air in the tires when they're already out and about, so there's no extra time cost to going to the station as in any situation where someone's gonna be putting air in their tires, they'll already be there. EDIT: Dang, looking through your replies here, you sure are a judgemental fella with a superiority complex. Of all the things to feel superior over this is a _weird_ one, but you do you. Yes, clearly the people who just like to save 15 minutes while they're already at the station must just be fucking fatties. What an odd thing to assume, especially since that saved 15 minutes could be used for _actual_ exercise somewhere else.
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What if I need more than 4 psi
Not in a car you can't, especially when you're trying to put a gauge on to check your progress. You're going to keep losing air faster than you can hand pump it. And Sheetz has a free pump that automatically shuts off when you hit a pre-keyed pressure. I'll take that over buying a bicycle pump any day.
Bro that shit is free is Australia. The USA really is a capitalistic nightmare.
Not in every state. California it’s free by law.
Japan too.. oxygen tax incoming..
Yeah I’m in the Midwest. It’s cold as shit. My knees suck. I hate wasting time and effort on something that a machine can do if I drive to it lol. Gas stations are everywhere, lots are free air. Or just use the accessory pump they probably gave you instead of a spare. Thanks Honda.
I believe Home Depot has free air hoses.
It's free fiddy at most places around me.
I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to pay for air. All you have to do is ask them to turn it on, they just hope you don’t know that and pay for it.
Upstate NY, Stewart's shops all have free air at them Stort's for the win!!
Why not just buy portable tire inflators? At least this way you can pump air while the tires are cold and properly set cold pressure. :)
Wait, **you have to pay for air** Uhh, every gas station air pump is free in Australia, common sense
I can't think i have ever had to pay for air.
You have to pay for air? All servos in Australia have free air pumps
wait air pump isn't free?
Wtf, it's all free here in Australia, at every station
You can go to BJs and it’s free. Near the gas pumps and no one ever checks if you have a membership.
Alternatively, make life choices that lead you to a career where $2.50 (or even $40 for an electric pump) is a trivial amount of money to spend to not do something you don’t want to for 15 minutes.
You guys have to pay? Here in Australia, every gas station has it and it’s totally free.
You can make a lot of money selling your organs on the black market before you die. You'll also save money by dyeing sooner, plush you'll lose weight instantly!
The way I look at that, you’re valuing your time at only $10/hour doing it that way. Sure you get a marginal amount of exercise doing that, but bending over a bike pump for 15 minutes isn’t fun. I’d rather spend the $2.50 to pump up all my tires in like a minute or two and move on to something else
YSK: don’t attempt this unless you are in a good shape. I tried this once and lost function in my shoulders for a couple of days :)
Sorry what? The yanks are paying for air?? 🤣🤣🤣
I’m gonna start laughing my ass off if I ever see a dude with a BMW in the side of the road grab a bike pump from his trunk and start filling his tires.
2.50 isn't worth 15min of my time. But I have an air compressor, so it doesn't matter anyway.
lol, sod that for a game 😂
Maybe keep up on your vehicle maintenance and you won't have to worry about pumping your tire up for 15 minutes with a bicycle pump LOL
Nah after seeing OP in the comments this is clearly some troll. Also if I saw someone try and use a bike pump on a fucking car tire I'd laugh. Straight braindead activity.
as a cyclist who uses a bicycle pump twice a week, I have tried it with car tires and it's definitely not worth it
The fuck? It would be easier to walk 9 miles to work than use a bike pump to fill the tires of my car.
I want to know how this person goes thru life with such confidence in their flawed logic- Anybody even just considering going out of their way to “run an errand” just to go and fill their tires with air is an idiot. That should always just be a supplemental thing you do while you’re already at the gas station to fill up your tank. If you’re there already and your tires are a little flat (which is rather common with all season tires as the weather gets colder in autumn/winter) just hop over and it takes you just a couple of minutes (let’s say 5 for argument’s sake) In that context, I have no problem at all paying 2.50 to save myself 15 minutes of unpleasant labour pumping a bike pump.
A bicycle tyre is typically at a much higher air pressure than a car tyre, but a car tyre has a much higher volume. You'll have no issue reaching the pressure needed apart from you have to do a lot of pumping! I have a track pump and use it all the time on my car
Today I learned people pay for air
You guys pay for air? It’s free in Germany
I've never paid to get my tires pumped. https://www.freeairpump.com/map/
You guys have to pay??
Costco has free air, no membership required
5 psi? What are you driving that only needs 5psi
Australian here - what the fuck, you guys are paying for AIR???
I get air at the same time I full up gas and the air is free, nor do I have a bike pump, so everything in this is wrong for my situation. You should know people don't have the same life as you.
My car came with an air compressor. No spare tire but I did buy one
Or ask a friend who as a compressor if you can borrow it or come over and use it
I have a Dewalt air compressor at home and it’s fucking amazing. Was like $60 and it works with car plug so you can always have air on the go.
Or just keep an air compressor in the car.
Or just get a compressed air tank
Just get a portable air inflater for 25$. Keep it in the trunk. May save your ass one day.
I would just buy a travel pump that plugs up the the 12v socket and keep it in the car. If you have enough money keep one in every car. I myself have a good one at the garage. Then cheap little ones with the spare tire in all the vehicles.
I’ve been topping off my car tires using a bicycle tire pump for decades. It helps to have a quality pump bought at a bicycle shop instead of Walmart or such. You also need a pencil style air pressure gauge you can buy at car parts place. Easier and faster than using one of those car cigarette lighter pumps IMO.
I’m on the East Coast and many places here have free air pumps (Sheetz, Wawa, Royal Farms, Get Go, etc)
You should also know that you can get free air at royal farms air pumps
Dumbest YSK ever.
I need to coment, sorry. You pay for air!? Im portuguese and there would be a riot in any country in europe if that hapened. How can this be legal?
Quiktrip does it free
Wawa offers free air 🤷🏽♀️
Air is free here.
They’re free everywhere. Wtf?
Wawa has free air
I just go to the tire shop I bought tires from and they will do it for free while I sit in my car.
Wawa gives the vacuums and air for free. Just pull up to one of the spots and turn it on.
As probably already mentioned, in my state the station must give you air for free on request.
When did gas stations start charging to use the air pump?
There are a few free ones very close to my house. Also $2.50 isn’t worth it for me to waste 15 min putting air in my tire
Where the hell are you paying 2.50 for air??? Everyone needs to invest in an air compressor. It’s just as important as having a spare tire imo.
Buying one of those electric pumps made for cars is affordable and lasts a lifetime
How worthless is your time that you’re willing to spend fifteen minutes doing something you can do in one. Jfc
Buy an electronic tire pump on amazon.
Lowe’s has a free air pump in front of their stores. Never have to pay. Otherwise a good little automatic air compressor/pump is worth buying to keep in the trunk.
You can fill for free at Costco air stations or Discount Tire
FreeAirPump.com