Boring foot pump question

[rlw]

I have a Mercedes with fancy wheels where I can just about get a pressure gauge on the valve but no way can I connect a foot pump as the connector is too big to fit in the space available. It's a perfectly ordinary one with the lever to lock it on but it just will not fit.

Any suggestions?

[Catnip64]

Get an extension to fit to the valve then attach the foot pump to that.

[brillomaster]

Foot pump?!?

My suggestion is take it to a petrol station forecourt and pay a quid to use their air line.

I had two other suggestions but they were more extreme so I'll keep them to myself.

[Robertb]

My pump has a threaded connector which is more compact, though quite fiddly.

[Mr.Chips]

I had a pump with a threaded connector, it chewed the valves up on two tyres! No matter how careful I was to ensure that it was connected properly it would just damage the threads on the valves. After two trips to ATS for new valves, I binned it. I won’t have another one.

[Fady]

Just invest in a digital tyre inflator, e.g. manufactured by Ring etc. These screw directly onto the valve cap and you can get one for as little as 20 quid. Once you have used one, you won't go back to a foot pump except say in a dire emergency.

[rlw]

brillomaster said:

Foot pump?!?

My suggestion is take it to a petrol station forecourt and pay a quid to use their air line.

I had two other suggestions but they were more extreme so I'll keep them to myself.

Why fk about going to the petrol station and paying a quid when I used to be able to a) check the tyre pressure with my very accurate gauge and b) if required add or remove air, all within the comfort of my own home.

ps. I do this every week, or would if I could.

[SuperPav]

If you do it regularly, I can recommend getting a cordless compressor pack like this one. I've got a Halfords Advance 5-in-1 jumper with compressor but I see NOCO have one now for significantly less money if you don't need the jumper pack functionality.

https://amzn.to/48YyBYQ

I keep mine in the car, it doesn't need plugging into cigar socket and trailing dirty wires all over the place. I use mine regularly, and far more often than I did previously with either a 12v corded inflator, as it's significantly less faff.

[RotorRambler]

:-

[bigdom]

rlw said:

I have a Mercedes with fancy wheels where I can just about get a pressure gauge on the valve but no way can I connect a foot pump as the connector is too big to fit in the space available. It's a perfectly ordinary one with the lever to lock it on but it just will not fit.

Any suggestions?

One of these. Cheap, works well, set the pressure, job done. I find it's very close to the cars TPSM, about 5% variance.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RING-TYREINFLATE-Inflator...

[normalbloke]

RotorRambler said:

:-

Just don’t leave them on afterwards…

[paul_c123]

As above, I'd buy an electric tyre inflator which has the screw type fitting. I am not sure if you can make out the end, and whether it would fit the unusually-cramped placement of the valve on your wheel though:

[E-bmw]

rlw said:

brillomaster said:

Foot pump?!?

My suggestion is take it to a petrol station forecourt and pay a quid to use their air line.

I had two other suggestions but they were more extreme so I'll keep them to myself.

Why fk about going to the petrol station and paying a quid when I used to be able to a) check the tyre pressure with my very accurate gauge and b) if required add or remove air, all within the comfort of my own home.

ps. I do this every week, or would if I could.

TBH I didn't think foot-pumps were still a thing.

Got rid of the only one I ever bought over 20 years ago.

ETA.
Needless to say for many reasons I do not miss it, they were sh!t even with skinny old tyres under 30 psi, I would hate to try to pump up even the rear tyres on Mrs E's Mazda, never mind the front with an extra 6 psi. Even thinking about doing it on the motorhome brings me out in hives!

Edited by E-bmw on Monday 8th December 19:04

[Mr Tidy]

RotorRambler said:

:-

That takes me back in time!

I used to use those on my Kawasaki 650. It had alloy wheels and twin discs on the front so you couldn't get a pump connector on the valve without them.

[leef44]

paul_c123 said:

As above, I'd buy an electric tyre inflator which has the screw type fitting. I am not sure if you can make out the end, and whether it would fit the unusually-cramped placement of the valve on your wheel though:

OP, have you hecked whether you already have one of these in the boot? My SLK came with this together with the tyre gunk in the spare wheel space.

[Sheepshanks]

Mr.Chips said:

I had a pump with a threaded connector, it chewed the valves up on two tyres! No matter how careful I was to ensure that it was connected properly it would just damage the threads on the valves. After two trips to ATS for new valves, I binned it. I won t have another one.

Don't think that's normal - I prefer the screw on ones, and I've used the one I've got now many times on several different cars and never had an issue with it.

[trevalvole]

Michelin-branded foot pumps seem to use threaded connectors. The two I've used have been fine.

[rlw]

leef44 said:

OP, have you hecked whether you already have one of these in the boot? My SLK came with this together with the tyre gunk in the spare wheel space.

No inflator, only the gunk. On a £50k car...................

[MC Bodge]

trevalvole said:

Michelin-branded foot pumps seem to use threaded connectors. The two I've used have been fine.

I have a dual cylinder one. It works well.

A PHer's man-servant should be fit enough to have no issues with it.

[Virtual PAH]

normalbloke said:

Just don t leave them on afterwards

Some are fine to leave on. My brother has them on a couple of vehicles as they have steel wheels with hubcaps that make access to the tyre valve a right faff, especially with the hub caps being zip tied on. So these type of extensions make it easier to check the tyres with the hubcaps in place.