Your tires and your battery can be or are the most vulnerable items on your car. The percentages are high. Be safe not sorry. For less than $80-$100 you can get both a battery jumper and a portable tire air compressor.
A short story on what happened to me. Several years ago somebody(s) was letting air out of car tires at a former job. I knew the car was handling funny but I was in a hurry to get home. The next day I still didn't take the time to check my tires and the one blew. I had to buy another tire at over $100. The tire guy told me that the tire was low on air. He could tell by how it blew. I wished then I would have had a portable air compressor.
PORTABLE TIRE AIR COMPRESSOR
These are very simple to operate. They are 12 volt and plug into your cigarette lighter and will inflate a tire. You can also get an adapter wire that will run these off your car battery by attaching the large clips to the terminals.
Most portable compressors will be in the 90-160 PSI (pounds per square inch) Most will pump up a tire in 2 to under 5 minutes. Pretty quick. The bigger the compressor piston, the faster it pumps. Also some will have an emergency light which is very handy.
Compressor brands available include:
Goodyear-Bon-Aire -Wagan-Q Industries -Interdynamics -Neiko-Craftsman-Black and Decker-Viair-Slime-Kotulas
There are probably some other brands too. Prices will vary. Usually a good compressor will start at $29.99 and go up. Do some research and see what brand users rate as good. Try epinions.com or Amazon.com for customer reviews. I would start there first. Be smart and safe and get one soon.
PORTABLE BATTERY JUMPER
This is another essential item to have in your trunk also. Dead batteries can happen to anyone at anytime. Corrosion on the terminals, age of the battery, and leaving your lights on are the top reasons a battery will fail. The portable jumper is truly a lifesaver. I have used mine many more times than the air compressor.
Battery jumpers are all 12 volt, but do come in different amps. The higher the amps, the more powerful the starting power. Also the higher the amp, the more expensive the jumper is. some people recommend not getting under 600. But, again, it's what you can afford.
Also if you do get a battery jumper, even if you haven't used it, charge it every 2 weeks or so to keep the charge up. There would be nothing worse than needing it and it failing on you. Be safe not sorry.
These two items with make you feel more secure should an emergency situation arise on the road. Sometimes I use to accidentally leave my jumper at home charging, and all of I sudden it will hit me while I'm driving. And I can't believe how stupid I am. So now, I charge it by the front door. And I have never left it behind since. It is total piece of mind driving with the battery jumper and compressor.
I hope this blog has been informative for you. I can't stress enough how important these two products can be for you. And they are so simple to use. Thanks for looking at my little blog, and if you enjoyed I hope you will tell your friends about it. All the best.
