Quick Verdict
There are more portable tire inflators on the market now than I could hope to keep track of, and shopping for one is genuinely dizzying if you don’t speak the spec sheet. Most people just want something that works, and even that is tough to figure out from a product description alone. GOOLOO reached out to see if I wanted to put its GT160 through its paces, and the part that got my attention was the built-in 7,500mAh battery, which means no external power source at all. It is also one of the pricier units you can buy, so I took them up on the offer to find out whether it earns the premium.
The short version is that it does just about everything well, and it does most of it without much fuss. Performance is strong, the cordless design is more convenient than I expected, and it doubles as a power bank and a flashlight in a pinch. The catch is a short air hose that had me holding the unit on certain wheels, a price aimed squarely at people who want the best regardless of cost, and a built-in battery whose long-term life I can’t vouch for yet. Whether it is worth it comes down to how much you value speed and portability.
Off the Leash
The GT160 comes with all the features you’d want from a competent inflator, and it’s dead simple to operate. You dial in the pressure you need, let it run, and it shuts off automatically once it hits the target. What sets it apart from most of the field is that it never needs to be plugged in, thanks to that 7,500mAh battery on board. GOOLOO advertises up to four car tires on a single charge, though that number swings wildly depending on how you use it. On one charge I took four tires from 30 psi up to 35 and 36 psi, then brought another four from 10 psi all the way to 34 psi, and the battery gauge still read half full when I was done. In other words, it beat the claim in my testing, but your results will depend entirely on your situation.
The single biggest perk of a battery-powered inflator is not having to mess with a cord. Every cable-powered unit I’ve tested runs off the car’s 12V outlet, and the cord is never quite long enough to reach all four corners, so you end up dragging it from one side of the car to the other. The trade-off is that you do have to keep the GT160 charged. It holds its charge well when it’s just sitting in the glove box, but if you go a month or more without touching it, you’ll want to top it off so it’s ready when you actually need it. I didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate ditching the power cord until I spent some time with this thing.
Under Pressure
On paper the GT160 maxes out at 160 psi, and GOOLOO says it’ll fill a single tire from 29 psi to 36 psi in under a minute, which lines up with what I saw. If raw speed matters to you, there are quicker and more powerful options, including the GT160 Dual, but for most people this is plenty. The one place I’d flag speed as a real factor is at the track, where faster inflation can actually make the difference.
Personally, I don’t weigh inflation time very heavily, because I don’t think the average owner cares whether the whole car takes four minutes or ten. For the people who do care, the GT160 holds up to its claims. I ran it across two different vehicles, deflating a tire on purpose on one of them, and it moved quickly compared to the cheaper units I’ve used. There’s really nothing to pick at when it comes to performance.
Loud and Clear
Noise-wise, the GT160 sits right in line with most of the inflators I’ve tested, with NOCO’s units being the exception. The dual-cylinder design means it’s on the louder side, ramping up to a claimed 80 dB. I don’t have an accurate sound meter on hand, so I can’t get more precise than that, but the number tracks with what my ears told me while it was running.
The unit does vibrate a little while it’s working, though never enough to give it a second thought. Either way, GOOLOO isn’t winning any points for being quiet here, but it isn’t losing any either, because you’ll hear much the same from nearly every inflator on the market.
The Long and Short of It
My biggest gripe with the unit is the length of the air hose. On one of my 20-inch wheels, the valve stem sat at the 12 o’clock position, and the hose was too short to let the unit rest on the ground, so I had to hold it the entire time rather than let it dangle. That’s a minor annoyance, but your only real fix is to roll the car forward a bit for that one tire, which can throw off the others. Holding it isn’t a big deal when you’re going from 30 psi to 36 psi, but it gets old if you’re starting at 10 psi, so it’s worth keeping in mind if you run larger wheels.
What I did love is the clip-on chuck, which clamps onto the valve stem instead of threading on. It’s far more convenient than the screw-on designs I’m used to, and it’s a much smarter way to handle the connection when you’re fighting for an angle on a tight wheel.
More Than Hot Air
The GT160 isn’t limited to car tires, either, which is part of what makes it so flexible to keep around. It’ll handle motorcycle and bicycle tires along with household stuff like a basketball, and it ships with a full set of adapters: a British valve adapter, a short tapered nozzle, a Presta valve adapter, a ball needle, and a long tapered nozzle. It’s a high-quality piece of kit that also comes with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a storage bag. The size is just right for a glove box, and at a little over two pounds it’s easy to toss anywhere. Official dimensions are 7.09 by 2.17 by 2.44 inches.
That 160 psi ceiling is more than almost any regular driver will ever use, but if you want one unit that can shrug off whatever you throw at it, this is the one. In an emergency it’ll also work as a power bank through its USB ports, and there’s a built-in flashlight with a few modes. It has the same do-it-all streak as a lot of the portable jump starters out there, just with more utility. The only other small nitpick is the full-color LED display, which can wash out in bright daylight, though I don’t consider that a real problem since you mostly just set your pressure and let it go.
Worth the Squeeze
So the GT160 is an impressive inflator with every bell and whistle, and it’s clearly built for the crowd that wants the best and isn’t shy about paying for it. For all the convenience the built-in battery brings, I still wish the air hose were longer. I’m also curious how the internal battery holds up a couple of years down the road, since battery degradation is the one issue I’ve run into with portable jump starters from other brands. If it starts to fade, I’ll update this review.
It was $59.99 on Amazon when I tested it, and whether it’s worth that comes down to how much you value quick inflation and going cordless. For me, the appeal is simple: I like knowing there’s a tire inflator sitting in my glove box, ready whenever I need it. If you’ve ever had to pull over on the side of the road at night to deal with a soft tire, you already understand the value of one that isn’t tied to a power cord.
The GOOLOO GT160 is available on Amazon, and it was $59.99 at the time of testing. This review is based on a unit provided by GOOLOO, tested across two vehicles over multiple inflation sessions. GOOLOO had no opportunity to view this article before publishing and no influence over its contents. While Tunerzine has affiliate partnerships, these do not influence our editorial content. We may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page.
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