What is it?
While we know not many driver's check their tyres every month as is recommended, having a decent tyre inflator for your car certainly makes the job simpler - and is likely to encourage you to do it more regularly. It's why we've always been a fan of simple to use and fast tyre inflators. One of the latest we've tested is this TowerTop unit which promises speedy performance - it claims it can inflate a standard 185/65 R15 tyre from 0 to 35 PSI in just 2 minutes and 45 seconds.
It runs off a standard 12v socket and includes a bright LED light, useful if you come back to a flat tyre at night. Like most digital tyre inflators it features a pre-set function and auto-stop, so you can set the desired pressure and it will switch off once reached. Usefully it comes with a quick release valve clamp.
In the box you get a useful little zippy bag for the inflator along with several attachments including a Schrader-Presta adaptor and a Dunlop adaptor for bicycle tyres. There's also a ball needle, handy if you take the kids to the park in the car and their football is a flat. There's even a spare fuse. It's priced at £41.99 and is available on Amazon.
What's it like?
The TowerTop is a hefty bit of kit compared to most of the car tyre inflators we've tested. It certainly feels solid with chunky buttons and a robust tough plastic casing. Plug it in and you'll instantly hear an internal fan running which hints at its capability.
We're testing it on our Audi e-tron which is fitted with big 265/45 R21 tyres. We've deflated two tyres by half and the other two by about a quarter. With most tyre inflators this would take a fair amount of time, so it's a good test of the TowerTop.
Setting it up is easy. The controls are the same as the vast majority of digital tyre inflators, you simple pre-set your pressure using the small rotary dial while pushing it in changes between PSI, Bar and the lesser used Kpa. Press the power button and then you can leave it to do its thing. One feature we do like is the fast release valve connector, which we much prefer to the screw on type. It saves a lot of time when you're doing four tyres.
The TowerTop is quieter than many inflators we've tested but what impressed us most was the power and speed of the unit. To inflate our 21-inch e-tron tyre from 18PSI to 35PSI took 4 minutes 40 seconds - with other inflators we've seen times close to twice that.
TowerTop says that the unit will inflate an extra 1.5PSI over your preset amount, to compensate for the loss of pressure when you disconnect the valve. However we didn't find this during our tests where the unit simply inflated to the preset number and stopped. But the quick release valve is so easy to use, there's no loss of pressure. Indeed, checking against several other inflators proved this to be the case.
Should you buy one?
There's no shortage of tyre inflators around. A quick search on Amazon shows a whole host of all different shapes and sizes, with prices starting at less than £20 for digital units. So why choose the TowerTop? Well for us it's the power and speed.
Through all our tests, the TowerTop proved reliably quick at inflating tyres. It's accurate too, with the digital PSI display in line with the three other digital inflators we used alongside it when testing. We also like the quick release connector.
On top of that it's pretty quiet and thanks to the little shock absorbers, it doesn't move all over the place when operating. Downsides? The cable storage is a bit messy and it's not that obvious where the air hose is supposed to go - we'd prefer a wind-up power cable similar to other units like the new Ring Ultrainflate range. Also, while there are extra adaptors, they live in a small bag in the case, it would be more useful if these were kept on the unit itself.
But that doesn't detract from what is a well made and rapid tyre inflator that we'd have no hesitation in recommending.
