This gadget can help you drive safer and save money, and it's still 20% off

ZDNET’s key takeaways

It’s easy to ignore the small things that make a big difference. For example, tire pressure. If your tires look round, then surely they’re properly inflated?

Wrong.

Having incorrect tire pressures can have significant effects on both fuel consumption and safety.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), maintaining the right tire pressure can save you as much as 11 cents per gallon on fuel and extend the average tire life by 4,700 miles. While saving money is certainly a positive outcome, the importance of saving lives cannot be overstated.

The NHTSA estimates that one in four vehicles have at least one tire that’s significantly under-inflated at any given time. Addressing this single issue could substantially reduce the nearly 11,000 tire-related crashes that occur in the US each year. 

Also: The best portable power stations you can buy: Expert tested

That’s why it’s crucial to have a portable and easy-to-use air compressor as part of your car kit. Such a compressor is not only useful for maintaining proper tire pressure, but it also serves a wider range of purposes. From inflating footballs to bike tires to dinghies, various objects require inflation. And let’s face it, relying on lung power can only get us so far.

What you need is the Syncwire Tire Inflator. 

View at Amazon

Syncwire Tire Inflator tech specs

• Max Pressure: 150PSI, 18 LPM
• Air Pressure Units: PSI, KPA, BAR, KG/CM²
• Sensor: High-precision sensor with accurate readings within ±0.5PSI
• Auto Stop: Yes
• Charging Input: USB Type-C
• Power Bank Output: USB-A
• Adjustable Preset Modes: Car/Motorcycle/Bike/Ball/Custom
• LED Flashlight: Yes, white and red
• Accessories: Four different nozzle adapters, four spare alloy tire valve caps 

I love this portable air compressor.

First, it’s small and light. Not much bigger than a smartphone, it packs away into a drawstring bag for easy storage in a car’s trunk or glovebox. The bag also stores all the nozzles, the charging cable, and spare tire valve caps together in one place.

Next up, the user interface of the compressor is clear and straightforward. The display is big and clear in daylight or at night, and the buttons are clear and easy to understand. Again, the last thing you want to be doing when you’re dealing with a tire issue is having to find a manual to decipher the air compressor.

Also: PSA: Do not charge your phone while using it in the bath

The Syncwire has four modes for inflating different items – cars, motorcycles, bikes, and balls — along with a custom mode that you can preset to a specific pressure range.

The dual 2600mAh rechargeable batteries powering the compressor give it enough power to refill a typical tire in about a minute, and enough charge to inflate about 10 tires before needing to be recharged.

The air compressor also features a USB-A output, allowing the unit to be used as a power bank, and there’s also a dual-color LED light for those night-time emergencies. 

The only downside to this air compressor that I can find is that there’s no automatic way to discharge air from overinflated tires. This is a minor negative, but auto discharge would come in handy when you encounter the occasional overinflated tire.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Syncwire Tire Inflator is a quick, handy way to keep your tires properly inflated, saving money and making your journeys safer. And the addition of a power bank feature and LED flashlight gives this bit of kit a lot of flexibility.

With a regular price of $80, this is a competitively-priced portable air compressor, but on Amazon you can currently get 20% off, pulling the price down to $64 and making this unit a must-have.