DOUBLE DEFLATE

DEFLATING TYRES FOR OFF-ROAD CONDITIONS AND THEN PUMPING THEM UP AGAIN HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.

- DEAN MELLOR

WHEN I first started in this four-wheel driving caper some 30-odd years ago, we used to deflate tyres by finding an appropriate-size twig and pushing it down on the tyre’s valve. Then, if we’d forgotten to throw in a gauge, we’d guesstimate tyre pressure by counting to 30, 60 or 90 seconds, screw the valve cap back on and hope for the best.

This was a long and tedious process, so it was little wonder various clever people came up with better alternatives. First up was the innovative Staun Valve that could be set to a predetermined pressure and simply screwed on to the valve stem. Because there were four of them in a set, this significantly sped up deflation time. Then along came the Currie E-Z Deflator (and other similar products) that allowed the valve itself to be removed from the valve stem but in a captive state for super-fast yet safe deflation.