Choosing a car compressor could be a good solution to this issue. I think that every self-respecting motorist should have this device in the trunk. In any case, he rescued the author of these lines more than once.
Despite the fact that, in principle, any type of compressor can pump up a wheel, some are able to do it faster, others longer. Most often, buyers have no idea what criteria to look for when buying. And usually they take the one that is brighter or the one that is cheaper.
Today on sale you can find 2 main types of these devices, which differ in the principle of their action. In a reciprocating compressor, air is supplied by the reciprocating action of the piston. It is durable and has a high degree of performance. However, due to the constant friction of the piston, such equipment quickly and strongly heats up.
Unlike this type, the membrane compressor provides air injection through a piece of rubber. Such devices are also called vibration. It does not much less liters per minute than the previous type of devices, but it is easier to repair. There are no rubbing elements in it, as such, and a piece of rubber is quite capable of being replaced independently. Such equipment does not tolerate frost and low temperatures and is characterized by low productivity. 
Purchase selection criteria
To answer the question of which compressor is better to buy, you need to proceed from the size of the car tires with which it will have to work. For most cars, a sufficient pressure level is 2–3 atmospheres, but for multi-ton trucks, 8–10 atmospheres are already required. Also, if you have, then some models will have to pump over 3 atmospheres. Therefore, compressors here will need more powerful and more productive ones.
The second criterion is one of the most significant when buying equipment. The average performance of an autocompressor is approximately at the level of 25-30 l / min. Thus, the most common wheel diameters R14-15 are inflated to the required pressure in 2-3 minutes. Therefore, another principle of choice is that the larger the wheel, the more productive the pump should be chosen. 
Also, before you buy a device, you need to pay attention to its pressure gauge. This is one of the most important components of any autocompressor. Most often this is an analog type pressure gauge, but there are already digital ones. The main thing is that his readings are highly accurate, otherwise the rubber will be “eaten up” before the due date, and gasoline consumption will increase.
Connection method is another important criterion. The lion's share of automobile pumps is connected through the cigarette lighter socket and is powered by 12 volts, that is, from a battery. However, in some cases, this causes an overload on the on-board network. To avoid this, powerful devices are equipped with crocodile terminals.
Of the other useful options that a compressor may have, with the exception of its main one - for tire inflation:
- automatic shutdown function when the required pressure level is reached;
the presence of a bleed valve; - the presence of a flashlight, which is useful when pumping tires in the dark (after all, the headlights in front of the body will not help in this case).
List of the most popular and useful swap devices
I've been using this for 5 years myself. The only drawback was that the zipper on the cover broke)))
- Airline X5. It features a built-in pressure gauge and a neat overall design. Almost does not heat up, but the noise level is quite high. All in all, a pretty decent compressor;
- Elegant Force Plus. Traditional piston pump design, metal housing. For cooling, a plurality of side fins are provided. Productivity - to 35 l/min of air.
Now you know how to buy a compressor for your car correctly, and what parameters to pay attention to in the first place. Read us in the following posts. See you soon, friends!
So he came, a sad moment for the family budget, when you need to buy a car battery. Your old one has already been exposed. A systematic charger in the garage becomes almost a weekly procedure. So, it's time to go to the auto shop and make a difficult choice of a car battery.
Criteria for choosing a car battery
When buying car batteries, the selection must be carried out according to the parameters that they must meet when operating on your car. Here are the main parameters by which you need to choose a car battery.
- electric (nominal) capacity of the battery in A / h;
- the value of the starting current of the battery in A (i.e. this is the current of the starter discharge in the engine start mode);
- battery dimensions (should correspond to the standard mounting location on your car);
- battery weight.
For any car battery, the selection and further purchase begins with the study of the Owner's Manual for your car. It is in it that all the main parameters and characteristics of the battery are indicated, specifically for your brand and model.
Therefore, a trip to the store must be carried out with the Guide under the arm.
Tips for the car owner when choosing a car battery in the store
You have not forgotten that we came to the car shop with the Car Operation Manual in order to be extremely accurate when selecting the battery parameters you need.
- specify the type and electrical characteristics of the battery (they must not be lower than those of the old battery. With the same capacity, the starting current value of the new battery is allowed more, which will contribute to a more reliable engine start in the cold season)
- dimensions and mounting method (this is due to the fact that for batteries from different manufacturers, the terminals can be located in different ways, i.e. opposite polarity and you simply may not have enough standard wire when installing the battery on a car);
- then choose: you buy a dry-charged battery or already filled and ready for work. If the matter is urgent, then naturally, you need to take the completed one. This has another plus. The manufacturer, as a rule, fills the batteries with high-quality electrolyte.
- carefully inspect the battery case and cover for defects, the presence of labels with pointers, indicators and symbols;
- if you are choosing a car battery with filler plugs, then you need to check the electrolyte level and density, and check the open circuit voltage at the poles. This is a serious matter, since you choose a battery for at least 3.5-4 years.
ABS prevents the car's wheels from locking up during heavy braking. In most situations, it will at least shorten the braking distance. But the main advantage of ABS is that during emergency braking, the car remains controllable, that is, it does not break into an uncontrolled slip. Thus, the driver can both brake and turn at the same time to avoid a collision, for example. ABS also saves the car from skidding, flying off the road or into the oncoming lane during heavy braking in a situation where one side of the car is on dry pavement, and the other is on a dirt roadside or on a wet surface. The system consists of several sensors and an electronic control unit that adjusts the pressure in the brake system for each wheel of the car in real time.Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
Anti-slip system. She is ASC, ETC, ESR, TCS, STC. Helps the driver to start on slippery surfaces with minimal slippage.Traction Control (ASR)
Also DSC, VDC, ESC, VSA, DSTC, VSC. All these are different names for vehicle stability control systems. Based on the readings of numerous sensors (wheel speed, steering speed and direction, lateral and angular accelerations), the system detects the beginning of the front axle drift or rear axle skid and tries to deal with them by braking the desired wheel. If this does not seem enough for the ESP, then it can "release" the gas pedal on its own.Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
As a small introduction, we note that when recommending or criticizing this or that functionality, we do not impose our opinion on anyone, but consider the points that are important for the user, on which the correct choice of a car navigator is based.
Autonavigator and traffic jams
The function of downloading information about traffic jams is the first thing you should decide on when choosing a car navigator, since the answer greatly affects the cost. Prices for navigators without traffic jams start from 2,000 rubles, and for models with traffic jams - from 3,000 rubles for devices that download data via Bluetooth and from 5,000 rubles for navigators with a GPRS module.
There is a reason to buy a navigator without "traffic jams" only if you plan to use the device exclusively for country trips and road trips. But for those who are going to use the navigator in the metropolis, it is definitely worth buying a "cork" model.
Here it is important to take into account the difference between devices using the Bluetooth module and GPRS. Those with a “blue tooth” require an appropriate phone, and modern smartphones on “Android” cannot work by transmitting “traffic jams”. In addition, every time, including the navigator, in order to download the "traffic jams", here you need to delve into the menus of both devices, each time re-establishing a connection. At the same time, traffic, although not too large, still goes through the SIM card of a phone with a “voice” tariff, where the cost of a megabyte is quite high (about 6-8 rubles for St. Petersburg operators).
In turn, navigators with a GPRS module, for the most part, have an automatic connection to the Network, in which connection is established immediately when the device is turned on and the user does not need any additional clicks on menu items. Since a separate SIM card is used here, it is possible to purchase a special Internet tariff without a “subscriber” with a per-megabyte payment of 1 ruble per 1 MB, which all Big Three operators have.
Thus, comparing devices with BT and GPRS, we notice that the advantage of the former is only a lower price, and their main drawback is the great inconvenience of use, which makes traffic jams on navigators with BT more of an optional feature. Navigators with GPRS are more expensive, but they are much more convenient in constant use.
Separately, let's talk about another option for downloading "traffic jams" - a special TMS radio channel, which today in Russia is supported by some models of Garmin navigators. The main advantage of this technology is its complete freeness, which is important when leaving the "home" region for roaming - for example, from St. Petersburg to Moscow, when the price of Internet traffic from operators begins to "bite". However, as our own studies and forums on the Web show, the quality of "mirror" information on TMS leaves much to be desired and its reliability loses to the data of Russian navigation programs. In addition, the prices for TMS are the highest among navigators with traffic jams and start at 10,000 rubles.
Choosing navigation software
All "official" navigators sold in retail chains and online stores have pre-installed navigation software with maps of at least Russia, but maps of the CIS countries, the Baltic states and Scandinavia can also be included. The lion's share of the market here is occupied by navigators with the Navitel and City Guide programs, followed by Shturmann navigators with the original software of the same name, as well as devices with iGo preinstalled (without traffic jams) and Progorod.
All these programs are installed on Chinese-made navigators from Russian companies - OEM brands such as Texet, Lexand, Explay, Ritmix, xDevice - and a dozen more brands. These devices are built on the Windows CE platform and have similar characteristics, and sometimes even the body.
But their main advantage is the presence of pre-installed programs "Navitel" and "City Guide" - domestic developers who are the undisputed leaders in navigation software in Russia, offering the user the most up-to-date maps and the reliability of "cork" information.
Another advantage of navigators under Windows CE is the ability, in addition to the standard "preinstallation", to launch "your" navigation programs from a memory card. Probably, all models of such devices have such functionality now. However, when viewing in the store, this can be checked - this possibility is indicated by the presence in the menu of an item called “Navigation Path”, “Path to Software”, etc., as well as a slot for a microSD memory card. This allows you to use one or another navigation software that is the best in a particular region - for example, in St. Petersburg, many people use City Guide, and in Finland they launch iGo.
A separate detachment are such navigators as Garmin, as well as almost invisible on the market TomTom or Navigon. They are built on their own original platform, have their own OS and work with original navigation software and maps. The quality of the hardware and the stability of its work are very high here, but the relevance of the maps and the speed of their updates lose to Russian developers. At the same time, these devices do not allow the installation of additional navigation programs, since the OS is closed here.
Navigator Screen
Today, the standard for navigators is the display size of 5 inches, which is equipped with most devices with different functionality - "with traffic jams" and without. Screens with a diagonal of 4.3 are still on the market, but are already gradually becoming a thing of the past, as well as very small ones of 3.7 and 3.5 inches, which do not have support for traffic jams.
But recently there are more and more models with screens of 6 and 7 inches, but their number is still relatively small and in the lines of companies they act as an assortment offer. As a rule, these are navigators without traffic jams, or with data download via BT. The cost of such models is higher than those of 5-inch models with the same characteristics, by approximately 1,500 - 2,000 rubles.
According to the display capacity of screens, displays with a resolution of 480 by 272 pixels, which is considered "standard" and a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels, called "high", are now common among 5-inch displays. With other equal functionality, you will have to pay about 1,500 rubles more for a screen with a “high” resolution.
The argument for the 800x480 display is less graininess, which makes menu icons and maps more pleasing to the eye when navigating. Also, this screen allows you to watch movies on the navigator in a slightly better quality than the standard one.
But it should be borne in mind that when launching “your” navigation software on a device with a screen of 800 by 480, problems often arise - the program can “slow down” a lot, maps are drawn with long delays. With standard resolution 480 by 272 displays, this happens less frequently.
By the way, an important point when examining the navigator in the store. You should definitely enter the regular navigation program and “click” on various menu items to see how fast the program works. Most likely, the device will not find GPS satellites indoors, but by how quickly the program accounts open and close, the address is entered, its various functions are called, it is highly likely that the software will continue to behave. And if the navigation program noticeably "slows down", then it makes sense to look at another device.
Multimedia in the navigator
Speaking of multimedia and utilities, we note that the set of functions on all navigators under Windows CE is almost identical and only slightly varies from device to device. This is viewing photos, reading "books" in txt format, a video player, games, as well as a calculator and a calendar. Also, "stripped down" analogues of programs for the "big" Windows can be added - Word, Excel, Paint, Commander.
The possibilities of multimedia and utilities are rather weak and you should not expect to use them seriously, like on a netbook or tablet. Separately, it must be said about the "Internet" function, which is stubbornly put into descriptions on boxes and price tags. The characteristics of the platform, coupled with the Explorer browser, do not allow you to work with modern sites, which is why Internet surfing on the navigator is impossible "by definition".
Recently, navigators have appeared with a built-in analog TV receiver (incapable of working outside the city and while driving) and with a video camera capable of operating in the registrar mode. Such devices do not support traffic jams, but their price is comparable to navigators equipped with a GPRS module. What is more necessary and more interesting is a matter of personal preference.
