4×4 Accessories: A Good Tire Deflator

September 19th, 2008 by Justin

One of the accessories that every serious 4×4 enthusiast should have with them when they hit the trails, the beach or sand dunes is a good tire deflator. You probably all know that while driving on the road your tires should be properly inflated, on the dirt and especially on soft sand you get the best traction and drivability with deflated tires. While there is the extremely cheap and very easy way to deflate your tires (simply letting out the air via the valve), for those with some loose pocket change (we are not talking much here) will be much better off using a standardized method of deflating their tires- the good old tire deflator.

Several Varieties to Choose From
There are a few different types of tire deflators to choose from, the first are simple valves that fit on your standard tire valve that easily and effectively deflates the air, these are the cheapest and easiest to use, however the one downside is that you just don’t know how much air you are deflating, except by constantly checking it with an air gauge. The other more common type of tire deflators are those that include a valve, a hose and an easy to read gauge. These gauges usually are analog and include measuring deflation of the air by single psi units. Starting about $15 and rising to about $50, they are a great way to ensure that all tires are evenly deflated.

Finally, there are tire deflators that are part of a normal tire compressor, because let’s face it after a day in the sand; you will need to add air back into your tires to drive home. These items are usually the most expensive, but still they won’t break the bank. With a typical tire deflator, expect it take about 3 to 5 minutes to reduce a tire’s psi from about 32 psi to 10 psi. So for most it will take about 10 to 15 minutes to conveniently and safely deflate your tires for off roading. Some of the more popular tire deflation products include: Powertank Monster Valves, Oasis Trailhead Deflators, Currie EZ Deflator and TireBuddy.

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