Hi sifus, I plan to change my tyre from run-flat to normal ones. My car doesn't have a spare tyre, so need to get a good and reliable tyre pump.

Some consideration is between electric versus foot-pump - will electric pump damage the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System?

Budget up to RM150. Wheel is R18 if it matters. Is there any specification or brand that you recommend from personal experience?

Thank you

Cincai any rm50 from lazada mr diy will do.

Consider buy a can of tyre gel also. Mrdiy

I recently bought a Xiaomi Portable Air Pump at RM139. It runs on battery thus eliminate the hassle of pluging a 12V port and cable/hose limitation.

The MiJia one?

Yes. It is very convenient as you don't need a power source as long as the pump is charged.

Thank you. Found it at Shopee. Does it work for car tyres too? Or only for smaller tyres like bicycle?

It works with car. There are preset mode for bicycle, motorcycle, car, and ball.

Great, adding this to my shortlist

I previously used some cap ayam so called heavy duty air compressor, turns out gauge was inaccurate af and easily hot, and melted after 10 uses. I am planning to buy the 70mai air compressor. You should check that out. Works on all vehicles, bicycle, ball and etc.

This Xiaomi 70mai and Mijia both are in my shortlist. I am still comparing between these 2 as price difference is not much. Why would you consider 70mai over the Mijia? Any specific technical reason.

This post has been edited by Human Nature: Jan 4 2021, 04:35 PM

The 70mai lite version I think a bit slow for my 4x4 tires haha. Mijia I think more suitable for inflating small items such as bicycle and ball when on the go haha. So I am leaning towards the 70mai big metal case one. 😁

Okay, now I get what you mean. The one that look like a router is the lite version. I just found the heavy duty one.

But interestingly, the non-lite limit is 100 psi while lite version is 160psi and Mijia 150 psi

Ya haha, those higher psi air compressor more suitable for bikes applications 😁

Right. I think I have set my eyes on this one too. Now waiting for shopee sales

I bought the 70mai air compressor, the big box for 180 ish. Can't comment on reliability since I don't use it that frequently, but what i can say is it is really quiet and very smooth compared to most other tyre pumps I've used. Pretty fast too. Not too sure about accuracy cause I have no external gauge to use

The only annoying thing is the cap keeps coming off

I am using Mi Air Pump and I must say, one of the best investment I did. I don't need to rely on petrol station pumps anymore as they always faulty or not functioning properly.

I pump whenever I want like before going on long trip or when I see air is low from TPMS.

Check out my video, sorry for the amateurish video but it shows the product enough I hope.

May I know which cap are u referring about? Is it the screw on thing?

Thanks for the review. How about the charging? How long it takes for a full charge and do you need to recharge often?

The semi opaque grey plastic cover of the thing. The nozzle isn't screw type, it's this, whatever it's called, with a clamp?

https://images.app.goo.gl/FFrVLcBsNKZjxr756

It uses the 12v acc port

This post has been edited by TDUEnthusiast: Jan 5 2021, 05:08 PM

That is an informative video. Thanks! I usually pump to that value too. May I ask what is the tyre size?

Got it. So it uses the same clamp type like the bicycle foot pump. Hmm, that thing is quite clumsy, so i know what you mean that it comes off easily

This cap, not the nozzle. So far I have not had any issues with the nozzle, other than it having a rather bad design which can pinch the skin, if you use the entire palm to press and lock the nozzle in place

Oh...you mean the top cover of the case, I thought the nozzle thing haha.

What do you intend to do with the pump? Inflate the tyre after patching it up yourself or inflate it to get you to the nearest tyre shop? If it's the latter, if the leak is bad enough to flatten the tyre (nails usually cause very slow leaks), a pump won't help much.

Do take note that for regular topping up of tyre pressure, you don't need much volume - I use a bicycle hand pump for that.
To inflate flat tyre, you need a lot of air so make sure to research and ensure whatever cute pump you buy can deliver that much air continuously.

To inflate the tyre temporarily after puncture. I agree with you, so that's why need to ensure the electric pump can do the job. I am also looking to get a DIY patching kit for good measure.

I'd also buy a manual bicycle pump as a backup and for peace of mind. You can use it to let the electric pump cool down.

I put a high volume bicycle hand pump at boot, together with a few cacing to plug the hole.

It’s as reliable as it gets, maybe need 60-80 strokes to get from 15psi to 30+, while it’s indeed alot of work, but if it’s emergency, better then nothing.

Also, I dont worry about inflating from a complete flat, as in flat until rim touch floor flat. If your tyre reach that stage, you are either a completely shit driver to not notice tire pressure dropped below 20 (since i know not everyone have tpi) OR, your tyre suffer a blowout which means whatever eletric pump u got also no use la, just call the insurance free towing la

225/40/R18

If tyre completely flat then you need a combination of tyre foam filler repair kit and electric pump. Just need to be careful if you are going to invest into these foam. Cause I read it will destroy your tyre in the long run. So you need to change the tyre after using those foams. However, there are some brands that claim will not damage your tyre and you can continue to use it like normal.

if my tyre completely flat, it means there's been a massive blowout or sidewall tear, or some huge hole already la (ie.NOT FIXABLE VIA ROADSIDE, unless you still have old cars with spare tyre/non-contis). You would be so dumb to let your tyre slow-leak(fixable via gel/foam/cacing) until completely flat.

fix-a-flat/foam only works for smaller punctures like nail sized ones, and yes those will throw off your tyre balancing and it's just not worth the hassle of removing your tyre, getting it cleaned at the workshop, and get a proper inner-patch(permanant) to fix your tyre.

The only reason i need an eletric pump is because lazy, and there is a chance of it spoiling. I much rather trust my fully mechanical, simple handpump with minimal moving parts.

This post has been edited by Spitzer: Jan 6 2021, 02:26 PM

Due to some sudden turn of event, ended up with a new set of run flats again. So the need for the electric pump diminishes, but will probably the the lite one for its gauge and minor inflations. Will keep this thread open as there are some good sharings by forumers which can benefit those looking for the same thing. TQ all.

This post has been edited by Human Nature: Jan 8 2021, 12:26 AM

Tough luck, tyre got punctured by this brake pad metal laying on the road. Pressure dropped to 30kpa within seconds and don’t dare to drive further despite being RFT. RM1k+ gone just like that because of tak apa attitude. Now need to wait few more years to change to non-RFT as only changed a single tyre.

This post has been edited by Human Nature: Jul 11 2025, 09:49 AM


Attached thumbnail(s)

sorry about your tire
everyday I drive with much worries, looking around for debris on the road
i wonder how something flat like this can poke itself into the tire? Does the rotation of the tire kicks it up? Will driving slower helps?

I tried to review my dashcam but not able to see the metal on road. Drive slower would help I supposed. Was driving around 60-65km/h. The tyre shop said maybe my front tyre went over it, then it bounced and got hit by the rear tyre. That's why it pierced deep.