Product Test – ATVAIR Tire Inflation System
Why Didn’t We Think of This?
by Jason Giacchino
It is said necessity is the mother of all invention and in the ATV world; proof of this is all around us. The need in the case of preventing coveted air from escaping the rubber carcass that are our tires is self-evident, but how that is accomplished miles from civilization takes a bit of invention.
We have had plugs, patches and tubes for some time now, but the real trouble has been finding a way to inflate a flat out in the middle of nowhere. To date this problem has been solved by either packing small canisters of compressed CO2 or, for those with ATVs/UTVs with power outlets, carrying a small electric compressor.
When we heard about a product that claims to be able to inflate ATV tires using the spent gas flowing from our exhaust pipe there was a single word that could describe our emotion: Intrigued!
The Product:
The ATVAIR system consists of a rubber plug, plastic hose and a fill-valve. The plug itself is tapered so that it can be wedged into a very wide variety of ATV/ UTV mufflers and the hose is 8-feet in length allowing for reach of all four of your machine’s tires. The company also distributes a UTV-specific kit with a longer (12-foot) air hose.
The Process:
Using the ATVAIR is as simple as attaching the fill-valve onto the valve stem of the tire in need, heading over to the machine’s exhaust pipe, and inserting the rubber plug. As indicated in the instructions, jamming the plug in so that it completely chokes off the exhaust flow is a good way to simply stall the engine. For success here, it’s key to wedge the plug in at an angle so that it is able to catch a majority of the exhaust gas while still allowing backpressure to escape. This can take a little fiddling to get correct but is by no means difficult.
The Test:
We were so eager to give our ATVAIR system a try that we couldn’t wait for a flat to happen naturally! We let the air out of our Kymco Maxxer 450i’s rear tire and made sure to get it right down to sitting on the rim to simulate a real-world nasty tire-tear. As promised, the ATVAIR’s plug could have been jammed into the exhaust to create an airtight seal but doing so simply shut down the engine. By tilting it downward just enough to allow some exhaust air to work its way around the obstruction, we heard the unmistakable hiss of the tire being inflated. Unbelievable!
After repeated experiments it was clear the ATVAIR did just what it promised. Of course individuals expecting the high-speed tire inflation associated with a powerful compressor or NASCAR pit stop should be forewarned that the ATVAIR is a much more methodic (see: slower) way to go from a dead flat to proper PSI, but at the same time we totally understand the logic behind the idea that beggars can’t be choosers. We were getting fill—ups in roughly 6-minutes from dead flat. We should also note though that the inflation process can actually be sped up significantly if you have a riding buddy who can blip the throttle to increase the engine’s RPM while you hold the exhaust plug in place.
The Conclusion:
Going in we really had our doubts about the effectiveness of this product. It was so simple, so intuitive, so common sense that it didn’t seem possible that no one thought of this until now and yet after inflating six tires on a variety of makes and models, we can attest that the ATVAIR does exactly what it promises and perhaps best of all, does so while taking up absolutely minimal room.
Were we to nitpick any downsides to the system, the best we could come up with is that mufflers are usually hot as is the gas escaping them; this process shouldn’t be attempted without gloves. Also while the rubber plug fit into & worked perfectly with each of the OEM mufflers we tried it on, there is always the possibility that wider-opening aftermarket systems or those that have been modified (baffle: removed) may not be compatible.
That said we were still impressed enough with the functionality and peace of mind that comes with carrying the ATVAIR on a ride that we can state these things should come standard in every ATV’s under-seat emergency tool kit. If the manufacturers’ lawyers put the kibosh on that idea, this thing should, at the very least, come in every aftermarket ATV tire repair kit.
The Contact:
ATVAIR goes for .95 (.95 for the longer hose version) and can be ordered direct from the manufacturer at their official site: www.atvair.com/.
What do you think of this amazing new product? Do you have your doubts? Voice your opinion here: http://forums.atvconnection.com/general-chat/339470-inflate-your-flats-your-exhaust.html#post3057831