[Aditya]

Michelin Programmable Fast Flow Digital Tyre Inflator Review

Introduction

A tyre inflator is one of the most important gadgets you could buy for your car. It is especially useful while touring when you might not be able to find a working air pump. Also remember, the best time to inflate your car's tyres is in the morning when they are cold. A good tyre inflator will help you maintain the proper air pressure as you don't need to drive to a pump every time. Various companies make these and among them, Michelin is a trusted name. The French company is well known for its quality products and the 'Programmable Fast Flow Digital Tyre Inflator 12266' that we are reviewing is no exception.

Appearance, Size & Build

The inflator looks good in black with a piano black panel at the front. On the right is a long power cord measuring 300 cm (about 10 ft), while on the left is an air hose measuring 60 cm (about 2 ft). These can be neatly tucked into dedicated grooves on the sides of the unit. At the rear are the instructions to operate the inflator and slots where the additional valve connectors are housed.

The tyre inflator is quite a compact item and light to carry around. It measures 21.3 cm x 19 cm x 9 cm and occupies very little space in a car boot.

The inflator is well-built and feels sturdy. The finish of the product is also top-notch with no rough edges anywhere. The switches are decently sized and are easy to press. The quality of the air hose is fine too.

Features

The piano black panel at the front houses a 12V power outlet on the left, a 5V USB port on the right and a large yellow ON/OFF switch in the middle. An air pressure digital display is placed below. The inflator is equipped with a pre-set feature which helps you to set the required pressure beforehand. A switch to increase or decrease the desired pressure is on the left and a reset button is on the right. The reset button can also be used to toggle between the unit of measure (PSI / BAR / kPa). Five tiny but bright LED lamps are located below the display screen. The switch to operate these is located to the right of the reset button.

Application

The Michelin tyre inflator can be used to inflate tyres of cars, motorcycles, trailers, caravans and bicycles. You can also use it to inflate footballs, toys and other inflatable items. The maximum tyre inflation pressure for cars is 50 PSI and bicycle tyres can be inflated up to 100 PSI. Note that higher pressures can be achieved in cycle tyres due to their smaller air volumes compared to car tyres.

Price

Priced at Rs. 3,995 on Amazon, the Michelin tyre inflator is not as cheap as some other inflators. But considering the brand value of Michelin, the quality of the product and the functionality, I will not call it overpriced.

How to use the tyre inflator

Plug the power cord into the 12V power outlet in your car. The 10 ft long power cord ensures that the inflator can reach any tyre of the vehicle with ease. Screw the nozzle of the air hose onto the valve of the tyre.

Turn the key to "accessory" mode and the display screen comes alive. Now use the "+" and "-" buttons to pre-set the desired tyre pressure and press the yellow ON/OFF switch. The inflator immediately starts pumping up the tyre. Once the pre-set pressure is reached, the inflator switches off on its own. Once done, unscrew the nozzle from the valve.

Inflation Time

Michelin claims that the Programmable Fast Flow Digital Tyre Inflator 12266 can manage to inflate a tyre from flat to 30 PSI in ~3 minutes. I find this claim reasonable. The 195/60 R15 tyre of my Toyota Corolla was inflated from 27 PSI to 32 PSI in well under a minute. That is very quick compared to another wired inflator that I have been using.

Noise, Vibrations & Heating

Like all portable tyre inflators, the Michelin inflator makes an irritating noise while operating. This is particularly disturbing if your surroundings are quiet. That said, it is not as loud as some of the cheaper inflators. Again, while it does vibrate, it does not dance around as much as the cheaper inflators. Even after inflating all four tyres of the car on a hot November afternoon, the inflator did not heat up.

Shortcomings

While the Michelin tyre inflator is one of the best available in the market, it has some negatives as well. For a start, Michelin says that this inflator should not be used to inflate space saver tyres.

Then, one must ensure that there is a 12V power socket around. While most cars have a 12V socket, those trying to inflate tyres of motorcycles, bicycles and items such as footballs could find powering the inflator difficult. Again, when you are dealing with long cables, shifting the inflator from the right side of the car to the left or vice-versa becomes tedious. You need to unplug it, walk around the car with the inflator, cables and all, plug it back in and turn the key to accessory mode. One has to also ensure that the front door of the car is always open as that's where the power cord comes out from.

Coming to the nozzle, the screw-type fitting system is fiddly and takes time. If there are salt deposits or other sediments on the valve of the tyre, the nozzle might not fit till you first clean the threading on the valve. Another wired inflator that I have used has a nozzle similar to one found in air pumps found at petrol stations. It also has a piece of plastic that can be flipped up to lock the nozzle in place, which is a much easier mechanism to use.

Piano black panel with 12V and USB power outlets, switches, digital display and LEDs:


Power cord is neatly folded and tucked away in a groove on the right...


...while the air hose sits on the left:


Instructions for use are pasted on the rear:


Valve adapters for different applications are housed below:


A 12V power outlet is the only way to power up the inflator:


One can switch between PSI, kPa and Bar:


Five bright LEDs help if you need to operate the inflator in the dark:


The 10 ft long power cord and the 2 ft long air hose ensure that the inflator can easily reach any tyre of the car:


Air hose needs to be screwed onto the valve just as you would a valve cap. This can be tricky if there are salt deposits on your tyre valve:


Set the desired air pressure using the "+" and "-" pre-set buttons:


Press the big yellow switch to start filling air in the tyre. The inflator does make a noise while filling, but it's not as loud as other inflators I have used. It's also quite quick at filling air:


Once the pressure reaches the desired PSI, the inflator will switch off on its own:


An extra fuse has been provided:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[kiran_aithal]

I have been using this product for last 6 to 7 years (at least) and every time it works like a charm . Very user friendly and compact to store. Inflates 10 psi to 36 psi in a couple of mins (just used it yesterday on my Alto).

[Everlearner]

I'm using a windek inflator from 2017 and is working fine. The only problem is screwing and unscrewing the nozzle is a pain. I had posted a query on the other inflator thread as well.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ml#post5427604 (Tyre pressure gauge and portable inflator pump / foot pump)

Below solution by Parsh looks interesting. Quoted Rs.599 on Amazon and I'm planning to order one. It will be good to know more feedbacks on this if anyone has used.

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08YXWBGZ3/?tag=tbhp0e-21

Originally Posted by parsh

Additionally bought few months back this clip on nozzle to avoid the nozzle problem. It is costly, but damn good heavy quality, made of brass.

Working like a charm and its a breeze to plug unplug inflator now.

[GTO]

Bought this inflator based on a recommendation from Akshay1234 a couple of years back. Works like a charm and has saved me thrice, by inflating a punctured tyre and getting me to the tyre shop without any damage (or changing to a spare). Works best on tyres with slow punctures. It is permanently parked in the boot of my car & taken along on all road-trips if I'm travelling in a different car.

Thread inspiration taken from Androdev's awesome Bosch C7 charger thread (Ownership Review: Bosch C7 Battery Charger).

[wildsdi5530]

I have had this inflator for the past 6 odd years. Bought off Amazon. It works well.
However the +/- buttons don't work reliably and also the button to change kPa, PSI and Bar. This is something I faced from day 1.
But agree with the rest of your observations.

[Chetan_Rao]

I've had it for a few years now. Stays in the car's boot, along with a Michelin 12290 pressure gauge for quick checks, and a few spare nozzle valve pins + remover (a lot of slow leaks happen from those pins, not punctures).

Pictures courtesy Google search results:

[tsk1979]

One thing I have seen with all such inflators is that they are limited to only 120W or so. This can be problematic for large SUVs if inflating from real low pressure. Eg if you go to 12 PSI for offroading, and then want to go back up to 40, most of these will overheat. So Dual piston ones which consume 30A or so are needed, and they need to run directly of the battery.

For the Safari I sold my 12V 120W one, and got a 25A inflator which ran using battery clamps directly connected to battery.

When used on a small car, it would go from 20-35PSI in 30s or so!

[Vid6639]

The Michelin inflator is very popular but isn't the best out there. It cannot handle large SUV's and it's basically low quality chinese with Michelin badge.

If you really want the Toyota of inflators this is the one to get:

https://swastikfabs.in/index.php?rou...product_id=490

For even more power direct to battery:

https://swastikfabs.in/index.php?rou...product_id=512

Swastik fabs is the official importer for Viair. Viair is pretty much the benchmark internationally in tyre inflators. Mine is 4 + years now and used to fill air in all 4 of my cars.

It's a life saver.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Everlearner

Below solution by Parsh looks interesting. Quoted Rs.599 on Amazon and I'm planning to order one.

Looks good. Any errors in the reading?

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Viair is pretty much the benchmark internationally in tyre inflators. Mine is 4 + years now and used to fill air in all 4 of my cars.

+1

I bought the Viair 85P based on ajmat/your suggestion six years ago; works like a charm. On a few occasions I've had to use it, it's done 0 -> 32psi (2W and 4W both) in <min.

The in-built torch comes in handy, although the one thing people might miss (it hasn't bothered me) is that this is a manual pressure pump. It works off an on/off button. You can't set a pressure nor will it auto cut-off.

[Sankar]

+1 to VIAIR

I've been using a Viair 88P since February 2014, this was before SwastikFabs started selling them here. This inflator is put to use every month twice since the last 8.5years and still performs as it did when it was new. Viair is built very very well, with a large motor and solidly built compressor. Its now listed on AmazonUSA for USD89.95, it was USD67.19 in 2014. But now since its sold here by SwastikFabs its better to buy from them.


I made a demo video in 2014 which is below, wanted to see how long it took to inflate from 30 to 60psi which was obviously reduced to a lower pressure later.

https://youtu.be/Sd8hOhtGpes

The air hose and battery wire is very long, so using routinely was a bit of a bother to unwind and wind for deployment and storage twice every month. A quicker solution was needed.

Enter Makita DMP181. This is Makita's latest 18v tyre inflator and its construction is similar to their 40v inflator. Older Makita 18v inflator DMP180 has a lower duty cycle and is smaller. So being used to Viair 88P quality I never really considered it. I needed a tool not a toy. I have couple of Makita 18v batteries and impacts so the purchase decision was easy.

I made a teardown video of the DMP181 couple of months ago and I liked what I saw inside.

https://youtu.be/OwSFfyd1hAo

Makita takes a bit more time compared to Viair88P but that was expected. There is no change in motor sound indicating stress as the pressure increases. The autocutoff pressure can be set digitally but the trigger has to be kept pulled (all Makita inflators are like this) or we can use a hook or a tie to just keep it pulled and it will autocut at set pressure. Overall this is a good inflator with tool level quality.

[shankar.balan]

I use this brand Woscher bought on Amazon. It says that it is a heavy duty inflator.
It works well as per my experience- takes about 18 minutes to inflate my Thar’s tyre from 0 PSI to 34 PSI. And about 15 minutes to inflate my Cooper’s tyre from 0 PSI to 32 PSI. This was my experience when I encountered an absolute flat tyre situation, luckily it happened overnight and at home itself so less stress overall.

If called upon to use it, I make sure the car engine is running so as not to juice out the battery. I didnt hear any straining sounds at all. It gets power through the cigarette lighter or charger outlet. It has a pretty long wire. And it is easily packable and portable.

[ralto]

Not really happy with this inflator from Michellin. Bought it a few months back and moved my previous one to dad's car.

Cons I have faced.
1. It doesn't allow you to preset the air pressure you want, which means you have to manually monitor it and turn it off when desired values are reached. [Or I have not learned how to use this feature]
For reference I was using this one https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it worked like a charm. This feature makes a day/night difference in uasge.

2. Doesn't match tyre pressures with other products. I also bought Michellin's tyre pressure gauge. But alas, the pressure shown by the inflator and pressure gauge is never the same.
For reference, this is the one I was using https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Based on the great response on this thread it makes me feel, I'm not using this product right.

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Swastik fabs is the official importer for Viair. Viair is pretty much the benchmark internationally in tyre inflators. Mine is 4 + years now and used to fill air in all 4 of my cars.

It's a life saver.

Wow! Thanks a lot for this. Ordering one immediately.

The second link in your post, did you mean this?: https://swastikfabs.in/index.php?rou...product_id=693

(Both links in your post point to the same product)

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

Wow! Thanks a lot for this. Ordering one immediately.

The second link in your post, did you mean this?: https://swastikfabs.in/index.php?rou...product_id=693

(Both links in your post point to the same product)

That one or this one:

https://swastikfabs.in/index.php?rou...product_id=512

The 87P is good for any car or SUV. The 88P you can inflate a small truck or bus. lol.