Cybertruck Air Compressor + Tire Repair Kit -- User Experience Review

[JCERRN]

https://digitalassets-shop.tesla.co...a/manuals/Cybertruck_Air_Compressor_Guide.pdf

Here you go. It’s linked on the product page online and in the app. Your truck has also has an internet browser and Grok, in case that information passed you by. No phone needed.

I found it quite intuitive to use. Plug it in, set your desired PSI, hit start, then when it’s done, remove the hose.

I’ve never seen nor wished for a valve cap tray. I have pockets, tire tread, and hands that can hold things.

There’s no handle on the actual compressor. Others were referring to the case.

Not quite sure what rubbed you in such the wrong way with this product. It is overly pricey, I totally agree on that, but it’s solid and very easy to use. Maybe you had a bad day?

No, there is a handle on the actual compressor.

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[ABILISK]

No, there is a handle on the actual compressor.

Well I stand corrected. Never found that little bugger! Lol

 

[BlueLightning]

It’s probably better to buy an off brand unless you are “Tesla” through and through. There are many other great name brand options out there for way less. Example, this can also get your doors unlocked if you have low voltage failure.

Good write up. Take care.

 

[carsly]

It’s probably better to buy an off brand unless you are “Tesla” through and through. There are many other great name brand options out there for way less. Example, this can also get your doors unlocked if you have low voltage failure.

Good write up. Take care.

I have a couple like this. My only caution is take a look at the duty cycle. Many of these can't run long enough on an uninterrupted basis to air up four 35" wheels to 50 PSI. I had one of these burn out and something mechanically failed in the compressor when trying to add 3-5PSI all around to my Rivian and Cybertruck back to back when temps dipped this fall. Just couldn't do it and failed.

 

[Lasttoy]

Originally the on board compressor was supposed to have been used.
They nixed that idea. Not enough volume.

 

[Jabman]

I have a couple like this. My only caution is take a look at the duty cycle. Many of these can't run long enough on an uninterrupted basis to air up four 35" wheels to 50 PSI. I had one of these burn out and something mechanically failed in the compressor when trying to add 3-5PSI all around to my Rivian and Cybertruck back to back when temps dipped this fall. Just couldn't do it and failed.

Same here. I bought a well-known name brand compressor that was battery operated. I only used it a handful of times on my wife’s model S. It failed before 6 months.

 

[Bridgeboy69]

I looked at all the options and settled on a Milwaukee M18 inflator. Lacks a light or tray for the cap but it is super fast at the job of inflating tires. It sits in the well with the recovery gear, tie downs and hitch when not being used.

Thanks for the idea! I already have a huge Milwaukee M18 tool ecosystem and plenty of those batteries. I also have plenty of flashlights, including an M18 Milwaukee one. Not sure how I'll get by without a convenient tray to place my valve caps though....I hope that doesn't strand me one day...

 

[Sousray]

I got one of these for a birthday present and works great to carry in car. Uses Three power sources for inflation on this tire air pump: 20v max battery, 12v dc, or 110v ac fast inflation too.

 

[MyFirstElectricTesla]

I got one of these for a birthday present and works great to carry in car. Uses Three power sources for inflation on this tire air pump: 20v max battery, 12v dc, or 110v ac fast inflation too.

You cannot run 12V without a power adapter 110V to 12V cigarette socket.

Check my post my setup

 

[JackCypher]

https://digitalassets-shop.tesla.co...a/manuals/Cybertruck_Air_Compressor_Guide.pdf

Here you go. It’s linked on the product page online and in the app. Your truck has also has an internet browser and Grok, in case that information passed you by. No phone needed.

I found it quite intuitive to use. Plug it in, set your desired PSI, hit start, then when it’s done, remove the hose.

I’ve never seen nor wished for a valve cap tray. I have pockets, tire tread, and hands that can hold things.

There’s no handle on the actual compressor. Others were referring to the case.

Not quite sure what rubbed you in such the wrong way with this product. It is overly pricey, I totally agree on that, but it’s solid and very easy to use. Maybe you had a bad day?

Abilisk,
Thanks for your reply. I would offer my judgment is skewed with regards to manual reading and Tesla from the initial experience of picking up my CT from Tesla upon purchase.

There was no sale person interaction to/with the vehicle - at all. None, the app connected to the vehicle and I was instructed to 'go find it' and drive off - literally. The vehicle did not even have an initial 'welcome', startup, introduction screen.

That said, I was able to figure out how to drive off, relying on my past automotive experience and intuition as applied to operating a vehicle on the road. So far I enjoy the CT and even prefer some of the control features it employs over legacy vehicles.

I my mind, Tesla has made and is making a strong case for the 'usability' of the Tesla being intuitive enough - that basic instruction is not deemed by them needed or required. That they have included in the design - intuitive controls that a user can easily and readily operate their designs.

My comparison is to the bar I strongly feel Tesla set. I appreciate the features Tesla's have. I have been able to 'figure' out the CT features with little or no frustration.

I group tire repair and the inflator as 'emergency' equipment, which has a fairly clear bar of including clear and simple instructions for use - as they are typically used in stressful situations - where the user attention is distracted. Fire extinguishers, defibrillators, food rations, etc have instructions, in very basic and simple terms. They also follow a predicate design so that once one is familiar with one - they can reasonable operate the other, while distracted, even seriously so. Like when putting out a fire not getting burned by the fire, etc.

My biggest frustration was:
1. Why the AC outlets don't work when plugged into the charger.
2. Why the CT dashboard manual did not have a correct link to why the outlets were disabled. As I mentioned 'See manual' for AC Outlets from the CT dash linked to the USB ports manual section.

I design Medical equipment and used to design military hardware - so these seemingly trivial things are really what define usable equipment from great equipment that gets actually used.

Regards
Jack

 

[ABILISK]

My biggest frustration was:
1. Why the AC outlets don't work when plugged into the charger.
2. Why the CT dashboard manual did not have a correct link to why the outlets were disabled. As I mentioned 'See manual' for AC Outlets from the CT dash linked to the USB ports manual section.

Understandable. I’m not an electrician and certainly not an expert on such things, but I’ll offer what I do know.

Your home charger and/or mobile charger are also AC, so you can’t put in and take out AC power at the same time. I’m not sure why, but I’m sure Tesla did it for a reason. They’re not just being mean.

Superchargers, on the other hand, are DC. Cabin and bed outlets will work when supercharging, so this won’t be an issue for you on road trips. Just a minor inconvenience at the house when (hopefully) you have a little more time to charge and adjust tire pressure separately.

 

[HaulingAss]

watched a youTube where the F-150 truck owners had deflated the tires to do a little bit of "over-landing" which was not necessary in the end. Then they pulled out their newly purchased tire inflator which was a USB powered thing about the size of your fist. NO exaggeration here, more than one and a half hours later they were pumped back up! We are so lucky to have 110v power. I have a 20ft extention cord, a 40 dollar Husky inflator from HD and a mushroom plug gun. Inflate a tire in 5 minutes.

I do not recommend the mushroom style plugs. They are not as versatile and much less reliable when compared to the gummy worm style plugs. You want your plugs to be effective in a wide variety of scenarios.

 

[HaulingAss]

Trip earlier last summer. With the Tesla kit, successfully deflated tires from 50psi -> 20psi and ran through mild to moderate difficulty trails in the mountains, and reinflated back to 50psi before getting back on the roads to go home.

For future reference, it's not a good idea to air down to 20 PSI on a Cybertruck with regular All-Terrain tires for such trails. Yes, I know, your buddies will tell you it's the mark that you are an experienced off-roader, but it's something that is generally not necessary and can have devastating effects on the reliability of your tires down the road.

Tesla recommends a minimum pressure of 36 PSI and this is good advice, not only to protect against de-beading, but also to keep your tires reliable as they age. I will go below 36 PSI in rare situations, but only when actually necessary for the particular challenge I face. Why shoot yourself in the foot? Reliability is the name of the game when off-road.

This is one reason so many off-roaders claim they need a spare wheel/tire assembly with them, because they get a lot of flat tires. Too many flat tires. They don't even know they are doing it wrong. Airing a Cybertruck tire down to 20 PSI causes the carcass of the tire to over-flex repeatedly, which causes fatigue fractures in the sidewall and tread reinforcements and micro-tearing where the rubber bonds to those reinforcements. It also causes the sidewall to bulge out further, making your tires more susceptible to sidewall punctures and rock cuts.

I watched this trend of excessive airing down become popular decades ago and it just keeps spreading. Yes, it increases the ride quality a bit, but only incrementally, it still rides rough on rugged terrain. And it increases the floatation in soft conditions, but that is only a good thing if you actually need more flotation. If you don't need it, is that really worth a huge downgrade in tire reliability, not just for the trip at hand, but also for as long as you own those tires?

 

[ABILISK]

For future reference, it's not a good idea to air down to 20 PSI on a Cybertruck with regular All-Terrain tires for such trails. Yes, I know, your buddies will tell you it's the mark that you are an experienced off-roader, but it's something that is generally not necessary and can have devastating effects on the reliability of your tires down the road.

Tesla recommends a minimum pressure of 36 PSI and this is good advice, not only to protect against de-beading, but also to keep your tires reliable as they age. I will go below 36 PSI in rare situations, but only when actually necessary for the particular challenge I face. Why shoot yourself in the foot? Reliability is the name of the game when off-road.

This is one reason so many off-roaders claim they need a spare wheel/tire assembly with them, because they get a lot of flat tires. Too many flat tires. They don't even know they are doing it wrong. Airing a Cybertruck tire down to 20 PSI causes the carcass of the tire to over-flex repeatedly, which causes fatigue fractures in the sidewall and tread reinforcements and micro-tearing where the rubber bonds to those reinforcements. It also causes the sidewall to bulge out further, making your tires more susceptible to sidewall punctures and rock cuts.

I watched this trend of excessive airing down become popular decades ago and it just keeps spreading. Yes, it increases the ride quality a bit, but only incrementally, it still rides rough on rugged terrain. Is that really worth a huge downgrade in tire reliability, not just for the trip at hand, but also for as long as you own those tires?

What kind of obstacles would you go under 36 for? Like a steep rock climb or jagged rock crawling?

 

[HaulingAss]

What kind of obstacles would you go under 36 for? Like a steep rock climb or jagged rock crawling?

I would use pressures under 36 PSI if I was in sand that was so fine and dry that I needed more floatation. Or old snowpack. Or certain types of soft but thick mud. I'm the kind of off-roader that goes off-road to get to less accessible places, beautiful places, or to access high trailheads or backcountry skiing. I don't go off-road to pretend I'm rugged or manly, I just want to be able to get out there. Generally, the actually challenge is very minimal, unless there is a washout, a flood, a landslide or a tree blocking the path. I might air down for a particularly challenging (loose material, wet, etc) washout in the trail, but probably only to 35 psi or so. If I thought I needed less than that, I would think twice about entering the washout. If I entered and had sinking problems, I would immediately air down to whatever I think I needed.

If I know I'm going to be off-road all day on firm surfaces, I might air down to 40 psi, mostly for passenger comfort, even though I know I don't need to air down at all. If speeds are going to be under 35 or 45 mph, there is not a lot of downside to that.

With regular street-going All-Terrain tires, I would avoid doing any kind of jagged/steep rock climbing that I didn't think could be safely negotiated with 36 PSI. But you might be surprised what kind of rugged, steep rock the Cybertruck can safely handle either not aired down at all, or just with a minimal airing down for slightly more compliance. The All-Terrain tires people commonly run on the Cybertruck are not tires engineered for rock-crawling, nor are they engineered as floatation tires (or designed to conform around rocks). Tires like that would completely suck on the highway and I wouldn't run them because I don't want to have to change wheels every time I go off-road. That would be over 100 wheel changes per year!

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