If you are anything like me, you love getting your hands on a new gadget. This is especially true if said gadget is designed to take the pressure (pun definitely intended) out of a task you normally just don’t look…
If you are anything like me, you love getting your hands on a new gadget. This is especially true if said gadget is designed to take the pressure (pun definitely intended) out of a task you normally just don’t look forward to doing. In my case, it’s airing down my tyres when off-road. I just don’t enjoy having to do it. There, I said it.
And yes, I really should just get over it. But the reality is unless I’m on soft sand or driving really technical terrain, I’ve adopted a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude towards tyre pressure. And it needs to stop.
Adjusting tyre pressures correlating to the terrain you are driving on, is always going to be beneficial. Your four-wheel drive will ride better. There’s less chance of damaging the track. And you have less chance of getting a puncture. All very good things.
So rather than change my attitude, I did what any sane person would do and took the retail therapy approach, and picked up the Tyre Spider from Clearview Accessories. My first impression… wow this kit is serious business. There’s lots going on, and we need to take a closer look at this clever gadget.
The main benefit of the Tyre Spider is to simplify and speed up inflating or deflating tyres. Another key benefit is taking pressure off your body as you no longer need to bend down or kneel at each tyre waiting for correct pressures to be reached. As I have a back that resembles and is as sturdy as a half-finished game of Jenga, this is something I certainly appreciate about the Tyre Spider.
Every Tyre Spider kit arrives with two five-metre hoses, as well as two eight-metre hoses. Run the longer hoses to the tyres further away, and the shorter hoses to the closest tyres. Simples!
To operate, all you need to do is connect your air compressor (if inflating) and open the valves connected to the tyres you want to inflate. Clearview recommends inflating two tyres at once, to take pressure off your air compressor. This is also advantageous if you run different tyre pressure front and rear. But you can absolutely inflate four tyres at once.
For deflation duties, you don’t need a compressor hooked up. Simply run each hose to the tyres you want to deflate and connect them to the Tyre Spider. Open the valves, and let air out until your desired PSI levels are reached.
The Tyre Spider also comes with a digital tyre pressure gauge. This is LED backlit, making it easy to use at night or in low-light settings.
The Tyre Spider is perfect for ( as a few examples) 4wd tour operators, and owners of vehicles with multiple axles. Maybe you have a 4×4 truck with 37-inch tyres or a caravan with multiple axles. Even outback tourers that need to adjust tyre pressures regularly. The Tyre Spider has been designed for you.
My initial impressions are the quality of the tank and all related accessories being first class. Secondly, the unit is easy to connect and operate. I also love how versatile it is. You can use it for inflating four tyres at once, as well as deflating four tyres at once. You can also (in the event of a compressor failure) use the Tyre Spider to link to your other tyres, and borrow pressure from up to three tyres at once into the flat tyre. Now, that’s a cool party trick.
It’s not cheap, that’s for sure. But (and this is a major but), I’ll have this product for life. The quality is outstanding. I can’t foresee any issues arising that won’t be caused by my own lack of care… I’ve been told I’m hard on my gear.
It’s also a bulky item to store if you don’t have it permanently mounted. I don’t see this as being too much of an issue though. Why I hear you ask? Well, the people that will see the most value in this product will be owners of larger vehicles, those who travel in convoys or those who tow. Therefore will have the space. The ease of use and time-saving benefits make it very worthwhile then.
My good mate Wes Whitworth got his hands on the Tyre Spider before me, and made this great video showing how long it takes to setup and operate. Check that video out below:
The Tyre Spider setup will run you $399 for everything. This includes all hoses, and carry bags. It’s a fair chunk of change, no denying that. But when you hate airing down your tyres as I do, it pays for itself every time I head bush. I actually look forward to dropping a few PSI now thanks to Clearview’s Tyre Spider, and that’s saying something.
I’ll be taking the Tyre Spider from Clearview Accessories along on my adventures and will keep you posted over the next few years as to how it is holding up.
