i dont want to sound too stupid, but i do need some advice. even though it was about 65 today, winter is supposed to come to charlotte SOMETIME. and IF it snows (<--ha yeah right) , and for just "to have" reasons, i want something that come inflate my tires and deflate them. what are my options, because ive looked, and i found a few at jcwhitney that are aircompressor's but i havent found anything that can deflate them (dont laugh but i duno what you use to deflate them) and are the only 2 options of power to the air compressor, 12volt cigg. lighter and clipping to battery terminals? thanks for advice.

 

FOR DEFLATING ONLY:

Maybe you should look into getting some Staun deflators? Here's a quick summary:
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/reviews...tiredeflators/

Contact Mike at http://www.xtremeoff-road.com
he's a good guy to deal with

 

Search "on board air" or something like that...a lot of guys have hardmounted 100% duty cycle compressors in their rigs.

 

For deflating I just use my air gauge. Get a good quality one. Staun deflators are cool but pricey just for taking air out of your tires unless you're in a big hurry.

For inflating I have a crappy "TruckAir" that is slow but it works and I've left it on for quite a while and it's never given me a problem. If there's a gas station nearby though I use it instead or if someone offers to let me air up on their compressor I'll take them up on it.

I'd like to get a onboard compressor mounted in the engine bay some day.

 

Deflating is the easy and inexpensive part. I have Staun Tire Deflators which I'm very happy with. I think I gave about $45 for the set of 4.

Inflating is probably going to be more expensive. You can get a cheap air compressor from Sears or the like for $50 or so, but it will take quite a while to air up from 20 to 35PSI. You can get a heavy duty compressor which will cut down the time it takes to air up (actual inflation time varies by compressor), but you're probably going to be looking at a minimum of $200 for the compressor. Good ones can push $400, or more. Another option is a CO2 setup. You can buy these as kits/packages from some off-road shops, or you can make your own using old scuba tanks and the like, air hosing, etc.

Do a search - onboard air topics have been covered in great depth on this board. There's lots of info out there, you just have to be patient enough to read though it all.