Discount Tire (and a few others!)

[Ballenxj]

I would recommend users who actually expect to regularly use an air compressor for their tires, get 12v airpumps that do not use a ciggy plug, but have alligator clamps to attach right to the starting battery.
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I bought the masterflow/tsunami 1050mf or MV-50 in 2007, which is a pretty burly 12v compressor which consumes at least 16 amps.  The QC on these is not all that great though, but a little love and they can be made into an excellent compressor.

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Flow-MF-10...flow+mv-50

Mine is modified with better airhose and schrader valve attachment, and I put an 80MM computer  fan blowing over the head.  Thicker wire and better electrical connections insure higher voltage reaches the motor so it spins faster, and can pump faster.

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I think it might have been your review I read quite a while back over at the "other" forum where you got an MV50 and modded it by losing the ciggy plug, removed the flashing that was restricting airflow, and changing the air hose for a better one? 
I really appreciate that kind of information.

[Heidi Mull]

I do wonder why they would refund the OP on the spot unless they were seriously tied up with the other shop. I mean, a business cannot warranty another businesses work unless they are so linked together or owned by the same parent company that what's good for one outfit is good for the other. Good for the OP but that's a bit of a caution flag for me.

The person I spoke with was totally open about knowing the Alignments Plus shop owner and that the DT store had been...I forget his words exactly. "Working closely with?" "Sending business to?" them for years. Before I went to this shop in Bellevue, I had called another Discount Tire shop in Seattle (because I happened to be in Seattle at the time and though I might get them that day). When I inquired with the Seattle DT store, I was told that they don't do alignments, but they can offer a discount for an alignment at another shop if you get tires from DT.

So I think it's specific to each DT store. Clearly it's not against their policies to be tied in with other shops. If they maintain integrity, it can work, IMO. The fact that they're upfront about it is a good sign.

I would recommend users who actually expect to regularly use an air compressor for their tires, get 12v airpumps that do not use a ciggy plug, but have alligator clamps to attach right to the starting battery.

The Viair 88P gives me tons more confidence than those siggy lighter ones. When I ended up getting a puncture up a log road with no cell signal, I realized I needed equipment I could rely on. Though I will say, if you can't afford something like that, my Slime inflator never failed on me in my years of using it, even to pump up several flats. Including a friend's flat that ended up requiring 3 plugs to patch (!!!!) so we pumped it up again, and again, and again until we managed to get it to hold air. I ended up gifting my friend the compressor because I had a better one and she had none, and as far as I know it's still going.

I tried out another siggy lighter one as a backup, but it leaked a lot of air when screwing it on and off so I returned it. I know the lime ones aren't designed for the sort of use I put it through, but boy that thing sure rose to the challenge!

[sternwake]

The Ciggy plug compressors are simply limited in the amperage they can draw as most ciggy plugs/ receptacles are not good for much more than 60 watts continuous, and most of their motors are likely 80 to 100 watts.

The wiring to the the 12v powerport/ciggy receptacle, installed by the car manufacturer, plays a big issue in just how well these 12v compressors work from the dash plug. A direct connection right to battery terminals insures much higher voltage reaches motor, and a higher amperage motor can be employed and move more air faster.

it sounds like the ciggy style slime compressor was well built with adequate ventilation/heatsinking, and the wattage of the motor was not enough to melt the ciggy plug/receptacle.



My Mv-50 is now quite capable, and I have not yet replaced the 14awg wire with thicker, But I do use 45 amp anderson powerpoles. I;ve got several of these all around my van to plug into, but the one closest to the battery over the thickest copper, makes it work the fastest and smoothest.

[TWIH]

agree, the clips to battery units are better. My son in law had one of those better quality ones, like the 2nd one I posted about. It worked like a charm and pumped up my low tire in about 1 minute. Didn't seem to get warm doing it either.

My el cheapo ac powered unit, an older Black and Decker, is pretty pathetic, and will overheat and shut off if used for more than a single really low tire within about 5 minutes. The duty cycles of these compressors are certainly another factor to consider. That's a reason that compressor #2 that I posted about is better, it has a (from comments) 40-50% duty cycle, so is much better quality. 

Course like anything else, it's price vs. quality. The better one is about 3x the price of the cheaper one, and for something you hope you never need, that's a hard pill to swallow. Same with a portable jump pack, you pay to have the "insurance" but hope you never need it.

I still don't understand the DT refund thing, glad for the OP but it makes me wonder about the tie-in. It's normal for a business to refer another non-competing business to their customer but to refund money paid to the other one is not normal at all. Whatever...

[rlmarshjr]

Discount tire is the only place I go to get my tires

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

[Ballenxj]

Discount tire is the only place I go to get my tires 

 I was a Discount Tire fan until Les Schwab Tires started treating me at least as good as Discount did. I love it when big tire companies compete for your business. 

[Snikwahjm]

Costco works for us

[Heidi Mull]

Costco works for us

Oh! Thanks for reminding me! I forgot to mention in my original post that I went to Costco first.

My trusty shop told me Costco tended to have good deals on tires. I'd been thinking about a Costco membership anyway, but managed to drag my feet on it until now. I figured i f it helps me buy cheap tires, then okay!

So I went to Costco, went through all the paperwork, and went straight to their tire center. Told them the make and model of my van, asked what are my options?

Without speaking a word, the guy printed out a quote. It was $168 per tire, plus the additional fees. My jaw dropped.

"Umm, I'm looking for a budget option. Do you have anything else?"

He begins printing out another quote. When he hands it to me, he finally speaks to me for the first time. "We could order these, but we don't have them in stock."

They were something like $148 per tire.

".....do you have anything else besides these two options?"

"Nope, my computer is telling me those are the only two options we have for your van."

".....okay, thanks!"

And *THAT* is how I ended up going to Discount Tire. Who had a plethora of options available, in stock, all FAR cheaper than Costco's two options, and who actually interacted with me on the subject.

I haven't been back to Costco since. Except for the gas.