It may be a bit unfair of me to have shown you how far down an RV could fly off the top of a cliff — if a steering tire blew-out at just the wrong moment, on just the wrong curve— as I need to ask, as a fellow traveler, are your tires properly inflated?

Did you get the magic recommended PSI number for your weight load from Gus down at GoodGuyGus’s Shocks, brakes, and tire — especially tires, as he would love to sell you a new set.? Or did you follow the printed, documentable, recommendations from the people your lawyer would like to sue — the people that built your tire, and chassis.

The safety pop quiz continues. How many miles will you have to drive tomorrow morning to find a gas station your rig can fit into to top up a tire? Remember that tires really need to be checked at a recommended cold pressure. To really be accurate, a tire pressure check should be made before driving no more than 3-miles.

So what does it matter if your tires are below the recommended pressure? The most noticeable thing to experienced drivers is your rig seems to be wallowing down the road, sort of like an over-sprung 1950’s Cadillac. Those of us that were into responsive imported foreign sports cars during the day hated being out of control. Nothing has changed. I do not corner my top-heavy motorhome as if a MG, but it is nice to know if I enter into a control situation, that there is a lot more I can do than simply riding a brake trying to prevent an oscillation surge propelling me right into disaster. Many RV salesmen purposely set tire pressure on the low side to smooth out how a RV rides.

Again, what does it matter if you travel in the groove down a freeway with no surprises, and no chuckholes? Know that flexing walls of an under-inflated tire is the major cause of heat buildup, and tire failure. At the least it is expensive, being lazy. The worst is that any tire failure, anywhere —no matter what roadside coverage the driver has— is dangerous.

We have tried a number of “car store” portable tire inflator units, and the problem is that they do not have the output necessary to properly take our 19” tire to our correct 95 PSI. That, and the connection to the stem of an inside dual can be very acqward.

This unit seems to offer a solution of topping up to the recommendation before setting off on another leg of a journey.

Click on the appropriate text link below to order your RV Portable Air Compressor.