Nelson

Thanks schmerl. I will take a look at them when shopping around. There have been occasions when I could use a small amount of compressed air at home for other reasons. I see some highly rated ones only cost $50 or less.

Sojourntraveller

Cry me a river janisj, you reap what you sow girl. As for your advice being 'spot on', what advice is Nelson getting in your Lounge that is better or different from what he is getting here? You seem to be under the impression that quantity is better than quality. All that is needed is ONE knowledgeable responder to give someone asking a question answers/good advice. Quantity is irrelevant.

I do agree with shmerl's suggestion of an air compressor Nelson. Even a low cost compact one like this will come in handy: http://www.aircompressorbase.com/lif...ressor-review/

Bear in mind that low temperatures will mean your tires lose pressure. So checking tire pressure after a cold night spent in a motel might mean you need to top up the pressure for maximum mileage and lowest tire wear.

One thing to look for is the length of the power cord the compressor comes with. Some do not have a long enough cord to allow you to reach all 4 tires when it is plugged in to your dashboard outlet. A vehicle that has a cigarette type outlet in the rear compartment makes this easier to deal with.

schmerl

Yes Nelson. I know mine was under $50/

Nelson

Thanks guys. That looks like a good one Sojourn. I'll check our vehicle manual and confirm what wattage on our outlet, to insure it can handle it. I'm pretty sure my wife's Rav4 has an outlet in the rear as well.

I'll start shopping for this stuff in the next few days.

Peter_S_Aus

Why on earth do you need an air compressor? A compressor is of little use if the tyre you are trying to inflate is shredded.

With regard to pressure vs temperature, Boyle's law applies. The pressure will vary with temperature - the absolute temperature. A tyre inflated to 30 psi at 20 deg C will exhibit a pressure of about 28 psi at 0 deg C. Hardly worth toting a compressor for that.

Sojourntraveller

Duhhhh, what is the pressure in your spare tire right now Peter_S??? Want to bet it is lower than it should be if it has been sitting for a while? Replacing a shredded tire with an underinflated spare may be near useless.

What do you do if you drive into deep snow and wish to gain traction? Answer, deflate tire to increase traction then re-inflate tire later on.

Number 14 found on this link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...5871/?page=all
Reads: 14. Although it’s not recommended for everyday driving, reducing the air pressure in your tires can help you gain in an emergency. Reducing tire pressure increases the tire’s contact patch, and may help you make it up an otherwise impassable icy grade, for example. Bear in mind that this is an emergency technique only, and will reduce overall control of your car by making the tire carcass less stable. Unless you’re stuck at the bottom of an icy hill with no other option, you should use the inflation pressures recommended by your car manufacturer. If you do lower tire pressures to make it out of an emergency situation, drive slowly and reinflate the tires to the recommended pressure as soon as possible." (the same is true in sand by the way)

What is a slow leak and how might it come about? Have your tires rotated and a bump to the valve can unseat it. Result, a flat tire overnight. Re-inflate that tire and you can drive on it for half a day till you reach a garage where it can be replaced.

There are many instances where having your own compressor can come in handy. I have carried one constantly in my car for years. If you never leave the city you might find it unncessary but not everyone spends their entire life in a city.

Even in a city however, having your own compressor and checking tire pressure every week or two to see if they need topped up is good practice. An underinflated tire can result in a shredded tire as well as having other disadvantages. For that reason everyone should be monitoring their tire pressure and having their own compressor is very handy. Read more here:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...e.jsp?techid=1

So to answer your question, 'why on earth do you need an air compressor', the simple answer is because having one is better than not having one.

As for Boyle's Law, what is the difference between a tire inflated to 30psi at 30c (summer in many places in N. America) and then at minus 20c (winter in many places in N. America). That would result in a drop of 5-10psi given the loss is 1-2 psi per 10 degrees of temperature difference.

Also given that a loss of 6psi can result in a blown tire, it is no longer 'hardly worth toting a compressor for'.

Have you ever driven in the desert areas of the US Southwest Peter_S? You can start in 30c in Palm Springs in February and drive up to Idllwild in the mountains (ski country) where it is below freezing. Thus the range of temperature in ONE day can easily exceed your 20c to 0c example.

Peter_S_Aus

I have not driven in the USA ever.

I rather enjoyed this trip though, driving a Honda Civic, about fifteen years ago.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Central_Road

Iowa_Redhead

I would suggest leaving out some of the items on your list. You might be off the main roads, but it doesn't sound like you'd be completely inaccessible.

I wouldn't bother with a hose repair kit or fuses. How often do you have to fix those in your vehicle??? Make sure the vehicle is in good condition before you leave and you should be fine. I also probably wouldn't bother with wiper blades as those are easy to get if they start getting worn down, but they take up no space so why not?

Instead of jumper cables, look into a battery pack. Jumper cables require another vehicle. The battery packs can jump the battery, even if nobody is around. They're pretty small anymore... small backpack/large purse size? It doesn't take up much more space than a decent set of cables but gives a LOT more protection.

Someone else already suggested kitty litter, I second that. It's great for traction! Don't get the clumping stuff though, get the old fashioned stuff.

A small LED lantern or similar is really nice to have. It's just the size of a flashlight or a fat pen/marker but so very nice for steady bright light. Much better and easier than a candle for light. Nothing is as scary when you have a nice steady light.

Nelson

Thanks Iowa, I should have updated this thread as well as the one in the Lounge, but I removed:
hose repair kit
wiper blades
fluids except windshield washer

Fuses are still on the list, but you are right it's been decades since I had to replace one, and that was probably in my wife's old Kharmin Ghia.


Kitty litter (and now compressor) were still under consideration.

The candles are ostensibly a heat source of questionable value. I do have an LED headlamp, which is what I'll use for my flashlight.

Battery pack! Like the crank radio, this is something I've never seen. I'm surprised no one else has mentioned it. Seems like a good idea, and you are right my jumper cables take up a lot of room.

Hey, here is one that has a built in compressor!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-10...essor/13035281

Will consider it, thanks.

Nelson

Thoughts on the battery pack:

1) How well does it work if both your car and the pack have been sitting out in sub-zero weather? I suspect the answer is OK.

2) Can the cables that come with the pack double as standard jumper cables in case the pack fails? Probably the answer is no.

Regardless of the answers to those questions, the point is the unit itself, however unlikely, could fail. Emergency gear should never fail. So in carrying one or the other, I'm probably back to the simplicity of good jumper cables and trust that there will be another vehicle and helpful person around.

But it was an interesting idea.

eliztravels2

Here's an article from a Toronto paper which caught my eye because I've been following this thread.

http://www.wheels.ca/guides/this-eme...e-this-winter/

On a related note, I heard today they are bringing high axle vehicles into Buffalo in anticipation of severe flooding. I'll bet not everyone knows that many vehicles in the outback of Australia are equipped with engine snorkels to provide air when they are caught in a flash flood. Yep, really.

Nelson

Thanks for the Toronto link eliz. Looks like they are going for the basics, without adding much fancy stuff.

Sojourntraveller

Iowa and Nelson, have a look at this LED lantern. On a recent visit to my Brother there was a power failure. He pulled out 2 of these pop-up models. One he left sitting in the living room and the other to walk around with. I was surprised at how much light they gave and with a battery life of up to ONE HUNDRED HOURS (at dimmest setting) they sure beat old battery lantern and flashlight life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STMRNtHliGw

Sitting right next to the lantern there was enough light to read by.