Disclaimer – The car gadget I am reviewing was gifted to me – the Ring Tyre Inflator. However this has not influenced my review and opinion of the product. My review is completely impartial
This product, The Ring Tyre Inflator, was gifted to me for review prior to my brothers illness last year and this review has been delayed. The plus side to this though is that I have had quite a few opportunities to use it.
Owning a car is a great thing enabling travel in your own space, for convenience and making shopping easier. However I don’t know if you are like me but there are 2 maintenance tasks that I try and avoid – they are
- Filling up with petrol
- Putting air in the tyres.
I ma educated to Masters Level but putting air in tyres is a skill that has passed me by, I leave it to Mr Fitz. I’m a little ashamed of this as I like to be fully independent. And secretly I did worry that in an emergency I would be a little lost.
Therefore when I was offered the kind opportunity to try the Ring Tyre Inflator, I jumped at the chance.
The company provided me with excellent supporting information about the product
You may or may not be aware that under or over-inflated tyres can reduce the maneuverability of a vehicle, causing your tyres to wear more quickly. This will reduce the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, increasing both fuel costs and CO 2 emissions.
Not great.
But with a tyre inflator you can drive more safely on the roads and reduce costs, as better tyre care means fewer trips to the garage!
As you will see, the team here at Ring have worked hard on the new design of the RTC1000 to provide a large digital screen for easy reading; an LED light to make it simpler to inflate at night; a flat bottom to keep the product stable; dust cap valve holder to stop them rolling around while inflating and integrated storage for the cable and airline, to keep the product neat and tidy when not in use.
But, the inflator is about so much more than its appearance, it has top inflation speeds (0-35PSI in just 2 mins) to make tyre care easier and quicker; has a set auto stop to guarantee accurate inflation and the ability to store
the set pressure ready for next time you use it.
Powered from the in-car 12V socket, it has a long 3.5m cable to help reach tyres all around the vehicle, comes with storage case and three-piece adaptor kit, and includes spare valve caps and latex gloves.
So, with all that to take in, what do our experts say?
Lizzy Sebine, Tyre Care Product Manager at Ring, says: “As tyre care is a car maintenance essential for drivers, we want to make it as easy and quick as possible. Excellent inflation speeds are essential for a tyre inflator, but so is ease of use for the motorist. We’ve taken a fresh look at our design to make sure that it’s easy to see
results, illuminate the tyre and even to make sure dust caps don’t get lost during use.”
Carney continues: “Around 40% of traffic accidents in the UK that are caused by vehicle defects are tyre related. This shows that poor tyre maintenance is clearly leading to increased risk for drivers and their passengers. Plus, new MOT rules implemented in May 2018 state that a car can fail its MOT if the tyres are obviously underinflated. There has never been a better time for motorists to invest in tyre maintenance.”
So with this information to hand I went ahead and used the Ring Tyre Inflator at home on my car. It was so simple to use! Instructions were clear – you read the tyre pressure printed on your tyre and enter it into the machine and it then automatically inflates to the correct pressure. So, so easy.
The Ring Tyre Inflator is small, light and compact and now sits in the boot of my car.
This was a godsend when a couple of months ago I had gone to visit a family member and when getting in my car I noticed I had what looked like a flat tyre. I was able to get the Ring Tyre Inflator out of the boot and reinflate it. I was then able to safely get to a garage and have the tyre checked – there was in fact a screw embedded in the tyre and I was able to get a replacement fitted. This helped keep me safe on the road.
I would highly recommend this – it is so easy and convenient and could avoid having to call out your car rescue service, which can often mean a wait to be seen.
I would really like to thank Lucy for giving me this opportunity.
What are your hates about driving or any other maintenance job? I’d love to read your comments
