Clearview Tyre Spider
WORDS BY WES WHITWORTH
The idea behind the Clearview Tyre Spider (RRP: $399) is no new thing. Suffice to say that the idea behind this bit of kit has been bouncing around Mike from Clearview’s head for a couple of decades. You see, he knocked up a similar device way back when (40-odd years ago) he used to run semi-trailers across the proper outback – Think Innaminka and the Simpson Desert. When you’ve got 18 (or more) wheels to deflate, time is key, plus, you’ve really got to think about your knees.
Where this goes beyond just a rather fancy deflator, is that it’s a tyre deflator, inflator, and equaliser to sort out all your tyres at once. The new Clearview Tyre Spider is exceptionally light, features a pressure vessel, and four hoses with valves to turn them on and off individually. By connecting up all of your tyres to the Tyre Spider, you can ensure you’ve got equalised pressures between all four tyres at once. You’re also able to deflate all four together, two together (if you run different pressures front to rear), or inflate them the same way – the pressure vessel features an inflate/deflate valve on top; allowing you to connect a compressor for airing up, and a ball-valve to let the air out.
If you’re over 40 and your knees are a little worse for wear, then the Clearview Tyre Spider might just be what the osteopath ordered.
GEAR Clearview Tyre Spider review
Think of it like this: if you’ve got three tyres at 40psi, and one goes flat, you can equalise the pressure across them, so you’ll have four at 30psi (give or take). Can save your bacon halfway across The Simmo if everything goes wrong all at once. I know the likelihood of that is not huge, but according to my good mate Murphy, if it can go wrong, it will, and if it can’t go wrong, it’ll go wrong anyway.
In the kit, you’ll get the Clearview Tyre Spider pressure vessel, and two 5m-long hoses, as well as two 8m-long hoses, meaning you can mount the vessel up under the chassis, in the engine bay, or the canopy and still have enough hose length to reach. Even out to the camper or caravan if you mount it in the back.
Not a bad bit of kit we reckon – saves knees, equalises tyre pressures, and lets you work on all your tyres at once – with minimal weight and extra gear needed
It features a built-in pressure gauge, and individual valves for each tyre so you can separate the front to rear pressures if you’re like me and run different pressures front to back. Should you get a flat, once you’ve repaired the puncture or cleared out the bead, if your compressor is on the fritz, you’re able to equalize the pressure across the tyres, which will pump up the flat tyre from the remaining three (or your spare if you run a higher pressure in it).
As you’ll see in the video, I’ve not hard-mounted the Tyre Spider, simply because I’ve not yet finished my build on the HiLux; but I’m trying to work out out how to get the boss to let me keep this little bit of kit. I reckon it’ll make my life just that much easier.
During the testing, despite checking the pressures a few times, from bagged up in the back of the HiLux, it took just six and a half minutes total to air down from 42psi to 10psi. And the only time down on the knees was connecting, disconnecting and checking pressures – it will be just the connections once I get around to hard mounting it on the tray. Pretty darn quick if you ask me, plus I know that all the tyres are at the same pressure; no guesswork or having to go bit-by-bit to get them spot on.
GEAR Clearview Tyre Spider review
The idea behind the Clearview Tyre Spider (RRP: $399) is no new thing. Suffice to say that the idea behind this bit of kit has been bouncing around Mike from Clearview’s head for a couple of decades. You see, he knocked up a similar device way back when (40-odd years ago) he used to run semi-trailers across the proper outback – Think Innaminka and the Simpson Desert. When you’ve got 18 (or more) wheels to deflate, time is key, plus, you’ve really got to think about your knees.
Where this goes beyond just a rather fancy deflator, is that it’s a tyre deflator, inflator, and equaliser to sort out all your tyres at once. The new Clearview Tyre Spider is exceptionally light, features a pressure vessel, and four hoses with valves to turn them on and off individually. By connecting up all of your tyres to the Tyre Spider, you can ensure you’ve got equalised pressures between all four tyres at once. You’re also able to deflate all four together, two together (if you run different pressures front to rear), or inflate them the same way – the pressure vessel features an inflate/deflate valve on top; allowing you to connect a compressor for airing up, and a ball-valve to let the air out.
If you’re over 40 and your knees are a little worse for wear, then the Clearview Tyre Spider might just be what the osteopath ordered.
WORDS BY WES WHITWORTH
Clearview Tyre Spider
It features a built-in pressure gauge, and individual valves for each tyre so you can separate the front to rear pressures if you’re like me and run different pressures front to back. Should you get a flat, once you’ve repaired the puncture or cleared out the bead, if your compressor is on the fritz, you’re able to equalize the pressure across the tyres, which will pump up the flat tyre from the remaining three (or your spare if you run a higher pressure in it).
Think of it like this: if you’ve got three tyres at 40psi, and one goes flat, you can equalise the pressure across them, so you’ll have four at 30psi (give or take). Can save your bacon halfway across The Simmo if everything goes wrong all at once. I know the likelihood of that is not huge, but according to my good mate Murphy, if it can go wrong, it will, and if it can’t go wrong, it’ll go wrong anyway.
In the kit, you’ll get the Clearview Tyre Spider pressure vessel, and two 5m-long hoses, as well as two 8m-long hoses, meaning you can mount the vessel up under the chassis, in the engine bay, or the canopy and still have enough hose length to reach. Even out to the camper or caravan if you mount it in the back.
Not a bad bit of kit we reckon – saves knees, equalises tyre pressures, and lets you work on all your tyres at once – with minimal weight and extra gear needed
During the testing, despite checking the pressures a few times, from bagged up in the back of the HiLux, it took just six and a half minutes total to air down from 42psi to 10psi. And the only time down on the knees was connecting, disconnecting and checking pressures – it will be just the connections once I get around to hard mounting it on the tray. Pretty darn quick if you ask me, plus I know that all the tyres are at the same pressure; no guesswork or having to go bit-by-bit to get them spot on.
As you’ll see in the video, I’ve not hard-mounted the Tyre Spider, simply because I’ve not yet finished my build on the HiLux; but I’m trying to work out out how to get the boss to let me keep this little bit of kit. I reckon it’ll make my life just that much easier.