A few years ago, I traveled nearly 20,000 miles in less than four months by road tripping around the USA. I had the pleasure of visiting 23 of states, touring clockwise around the country, and it was the time of my life. Besides spending nine months in Europe the previous year, this trip was one to be remembered forever. And yet, it ended prematurely. If it were not for serious transmission issues, my trip would have ended two months later, after visiting another eight states and a one to two week stint traveling from Vancouver to Banff, Canada. While I couldn’t have predicted or prepared for transmission failure, I could have been better prepared in other areas of my trip.
Today, I thought it would be important to talk about one of the most important items every road trip needs, and that’s an air compressor. Not only is it the first day of National Tire Safety Week, but this is about the time most folks are either taking off or beginning to plan their summer vacations. On any road trip, it’s prudent to prepare for anything. My best advice is to have your vehicle checked over in its entirety by an auto professional. I did this, and it might have been the single most important action I could have taken prior to leaving, because there were several areas of my engine and car that would require attention during the trip, which I was able to head off early, essentially saving a lot of time and headache by curing the issue before it even started to have any serious effect.
One mistake that I see only now is that during this adventure of a lifetime I failed to pack my automotive tools properly. Sure, I had a basic kit of tools and a small gas can in the trunk, but I was without a few key items, such as an air compressor, a tire repair kit, and other tool necessities. There were three or four distinct days on the road trip that these items would have saved me and my companions trouble, so now, even if I’m going ten minutes down the road, I am prepared properly. Not only was I flirting with danger a few times, riding on semi-flattened tires, but I failed to be prepared when it mattered most. I drove through Death Valley and through countless hours of desert devoid of life, yet I wasn’t prepared. What if something major could have happened? I could have ended up like those guys in movies who die from heat and dehydration, all because I didn’t prepare for the typical.
The fine folks over at SuperFlow provided me with two air compressors to try out and review for this year’s tire safety week. They thought it imperative to feature the HV-40A2 model, which is a high volume, portable compressor, which inflates tires in under a minute, as well as the max volume MV-89G, which can handle oversized tires without issue. The HV-40A2 can handle car, bike, trailer and motorcycle tires, up to sizes of 33-inches. Powered via your 12-volt cigarette lighter, the HV-40A2 outputs 2200 cubic inches at a max amp of 15. Not only is the HV-40A2 designed for easy use and transport, it comes complete with an awesome additional feature: a built-in LED work light with emergency red lens cover.
While I believe the HV-40A2 is perfect for cars/smaller vehicles and most road trips, there is a larger range of use and ability when it comes to the MV-89G. It’s no small, portable compressor, but it is indeed powerful. The MV-89G is the king of SuperFlow’s air compressors, because it can handle cars, bikes, SUVs and truck tires, as well as oversized monster truck tires, filling each within mere minutes. The inflation time for most car tires if 26-57 seconds, depending on if you’re filling up from zero or not; and you can fill truck tires in one to two minutes, and monster tires in two to four. How crazy is that?! This beast of an air compressor is powered by clipping to the battery, which provides you with 5400 cubic inches and a max average draw of 45 amps.
All in all, I found both models to work impressively well. I think the HV-40A2 portable model is ideal for a small road trip in a small car, but if you are taking an off-roading vehicle, especially a truck or SUV/Jeep, then the larger MV-89G would be perfect. I tested and traveled with both, and came away impressed. I love how the HV-40A2 unit comes with a work light; and since the emergency light cover is included, I feel like this model is setup for road trippers above all. Even though the HV-40A2 is smaller, with a lesser volume and amperage, I came away equally impressed with how easy it is to use. Never again will I spend hours seeking out gas stations with dollar air compressors in rural areas!
If you have a road trip coming up, speak with an auto professional and try to cover all your bases when you’re finalizing your packing list. Might I suggest including the following items: a gas can, additional oil, extra light bulbs, a road and first aid kit with flares and medical kit, four-way jack (which are usually included), spare tire, plug kit, PSI meter (though I didn’t mention it earlier, both of these air compressors include a PSI meter, which is such a nice feature), and socket/wrench kit, among other potential tools.
If you would like to learn more about the National Tire Safety week and other safety information, click here.
Also, click here to find out more about SuperFlow Air Compressors.
Article written by Brandon Scott / Eye & Pen
One mistake that I see only now is that during this adventure of a lifetime I failed to pack my automotive tools properly. Sure, I had a basic kit of tools and a small gas can in the trunk, but I was without a few key items, such as an air compressor, a tire repair kit, and other tool necessities. There were three or four distinct days on the road trip that these items would have saved me and my companions trouble, so now, even if I’m going ten minutes down the road, I am prepared properly. Not only was I flirting with danger a few times, riding on semi-flattened tires, but I failed to be prepared when it mattered most. I drove through Death Valley and through countless hours of desert devoid of life, yet I wasn’t prepared. What if something major could have happened? I could have ended up like those guys in movies who die from heat and dehydration, all because I didn’t prepare for the typical.
The fine folks over at SuperFlow provided me with two air compressors to try out and review for this year’s tire safety week. They thought it imperative to feature the HV-40A2 model, which is a high volume, portable compressor, which inflates tires in under a minute, as well as the max volume MV-89G, which can handle oversized tires without issue. The HV-40A2 can handle car, bike, trailer and motorcycle tires, up to sizes of 33-inches. Powered via your 12-volt cigarette lighter, the HV-40A2 outputs 2200 cubic inches at a max amp of 15. Not only is the HV-40A2 designed for easy use and transport, it comes complete with an awesome additional feature: a built-in LED work light with emergency red lens cover.
While I believe the HV-40A2 is perfect for cars/smaller vehicles and most road trips, there is a larger range of use and ability when it comes to the MV-89G. It’s no small, portable compressor, but it is indeed powerful. The MV-89G is the king of SuperFlow’s air compressors, because it can handle cars, bikes, SUVs and truck tires, as well as oversized monster truck tires, filling each within mere minutes. The inflation time for most car tires if 26-57 seconds, depending on if you’re filling up from zero or not; and you can fill truck tires in one to two minutes, and monster tires in two to four. How crazy is that?! This beast of an air compressor is powered by clipping to the battery, which provides you with 5400 cubic inches and a max average draw of 45 amps.
All in all, I found both models to work impressively well. I think the HV-40A2 portable model is ideal for a small road trip in a small car, but if you are taking an off-roading vehicle, especially a truck or SUV/Jeep, then the larger MV-89G would be perfect. I tested and traveled with both, and came away impressed. I love how the HV-40A2 unit comes with a work light; and since the emergency light cover is included, I feel like this model is setup for road trippers above all. Even though the HV-40A2 is smaller, with a lesser volume and amperage, I came away equally impressed with how easy it is to use. Never again will I spend hours seeking out gas stations with dollar air compressors in rural areas!
If you have a road trip coming up, speak with an auto professional and try to cover all your bases when you’re finalizing your packing list. Might I suggest including the following items: a gas can, additional oil, extra light bulbs, a road and first aid kit with flares and medical kit, four-way jack (which are usually included), spare tire, plug kit, PSI meter (though I didn’t mention it earlier, both of these air compressors include a PSI meter, which is such a nice feature), and socket/wrench kit, among other potential tools.
If you would like to learn more about the National Tire Safety week and other safety information, click here.
Also, click here to find out more about SuperFlow Air Compressors.
Article written by Brandon Scott / Eye & Pen
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