if you plan on offroading a lot i would just get onboard air. A little more expensive but not that bad. I plan on getting a viair constant duty kit as one of my next mods.
100% duty cycle compressor 2.5 gallon tank 35' hose and a bunch of other things with the kit. $399 before tax. Its good for up to 37" tires so unless you ever plan on going that big you could get a smaller and cheaper one.
with the onboard air you could also add train horns and other air powered mods
I'll also throw a vote out for the Viair 450P. While the 100% duty cycle is a bit misleading, just the cool down moving from tire to tire is usually enough. I calculated blowing up my truck tire from 20psi to 80psi then tested it. Was within a few seconds of the calculated time and didn't get that hot.
Leave it portable so I can use it between vehicles. Have used it few times for family flat tires. The cheaper ones do fine in most situations, but when you need it to get back on the road, the expense for a higher grade compressor is worth the money.
Apparently, the absolute last word in on-board air systems is to go out and get an AC pump from a Volvo (Can't remember the year range). You replace the pulley with one that can be driven by your serpentine belt, work up an engine mount, and get some fittings to adapt to your air reservoir. Rather than pumping refrigerant through your AC system, you pump air to your air tank.
I don't have the figures, but these are supposed to have much higher pressure, flow rate, and service life as they're intended to function for the life of the vehicle.
The catch is getting the right compressor. The one you get needs to have a separate lubrication system. Most current systems use the refrigerant in the system to lubricate the pump.
Something to look into anyways.
Haven't done this myself, and probably won't as I don't air down that often. Currently, I have two 12V 120 psi Husky inflators. It takes about 20 minutes to air up all 4, but for the one time I use them a year, they have worked fine.
Eventually I'll probably get the ARB dual compressor with the larger viair tank and mount it up under the hood. They may be billed as waterproof, but I never trust the waterproof claim. Also, wouldn't get as much voltage drop through the cables as it would be close to the battery. Though for you 3-4 Gen guys, there might not be room under the hood.
Apparently, the absolute last word in on-board air systems is to go out and get an AC pump from a Volvo (Can't remember the year range). You replace the pulley with one that can be driven by your serpentine belt, work up an engine mount, and get some fittings to adapt to your air reservoir. Rather than pumping refrigerant through your AC system, you pump air to your air tank.
I don't have the figures, but these are supposed to have much higher pressure, flow rate, and service life as they're intended to function for the life of the vehicle.
The catch is getting the right compressor. The one you get needs to have a separate lubrication system. Most current systems use the refrigerant in the system to lubricate the pump.
Something to look into anyways.
Haven't done this myself, and probably won't as I don't air down that often. Currently, I have two 12V 120 psi Husky inflators. It takes about 20 minutes to air up all 4, but for the one time I use them a year, they have worked fine.
Eventually I'll probably get the ARB dual compressor with the larger viair tank and mount it up under the hood. They may be billed as waterproof, but I never trust the waterproof claim. Also, wouldn't get as much voltage drop through the cables as it would be close to the battery. Though for you 3-4 Gen guys, there might not be room under the hood.
I have no experience with the website or company in the link, but did have an FJ40 with a York 210 that worked flawlessly for airing up 35s from 4 to 30 psi, lickity split. Another couple of sites to check out for how-tos are ih8mud.com and pirate 4x4.com.
I have :
MasterFlow Tsunami MF-1050 12 Volt Portable Hi Volume Air Compressor
gets the job done with stock tires --39 psi. It is not that powerful as others and does take a little longer. I may upgrade down the road to a VIAR.
As I don't de-reflate, but just carry for roadside use, I use smaller Viair units that don't pull as many amps as the larger ones,,, I have an 85P and wifey has the 70P
I don't deflate either, I just have a small compressor that rides in my rear under seat storage and plugs into a dash outlet to keep my tires aired up. Y'all have some pretty fancy setups I gotta say.
A note about the Viair systems. The in-line check valve will usually leak in relatively short order. When that happens, air from your tank, bags, whatever, will leak back through the compressor. It can (did), drive you nuts trying to find the leak. You can plumb in a single SMC check valve. Good to do right out of the box to prevent your pumps from running too much (on our former rig, they would kick on twice a day due to the crappy Viair in-line check valves leaking - ran those Viair hoses (without removing their check valves) into a tee and into a single SMC AK4000 and that took care of it (an AK3000 would work too) ).
If you can swing it, the best system, in my opinion, is a York pump system. I can't go that route as I have dual alts, but I would love it in my current rig.
I'm curious, if I don't really need a compressor for airing down but would like one to assist in recovery situations or roadside assistance what is a good one that I can mount to the crossmember under my hood? Doesn't need a tank or anything but does need to be waterproof. Preferably under 200$ would be nice.
I don't believe there is a waterproof ac. They all should have an enclosure of some sort. You can mount them w/o, but they will fail sooner. Been there. Due to your limited need, a portable Viair might be the ticket or perhaps just carry a portable air tank?
the viars are waterproof..atleast the 440c from my understanding. I dont see why the other ones wouldnt be. Although, it obviously wont work submerged in water.
They're really weatherproof, or more accurately, weather resistant. When I pulled my semi protected Viair (mounted along a frame rail), it was very clear there had been water intrusion.
ah, what a surprise lol. I didn't buy mine yet, so i didn't have real world experience. Just going off what there customer service said lol no surprise they would fudge the truth a little. Ill probably try to mount mine in my engine bay somewhere and just run a hose to to tank.
On that same rig, I had two compressors in an enclosure. Those never failed in 7 years (other than the inline valves). They were getting tired though. As far as the other, exposed one, I was on my third when I sold the rig. They served different purposes and the exposed one did see more use, so probably not a fair comparison. However, if you can enclose them, I think it's the smart play. Anyway, Striker, I think the Viair portable is the ticket for you. Oddly, there are a lto of folks that like Puma compressors. They are super cheap, portable, Chinese (of course), but some folks really like them. Only on eHell as far as I can tell. I may even snag one for an upcoming trip as I won't have an OBA system set up in time.
If thats the case what is a Viair unit that you think should cut it for my intended uses? Is it okay to store it in the bed or should I keep it with me in the cab? (bed is covered)
If it were me, for what you're talkinga bout, I'd get the biggest 12v portable they sell. I've never owned one of those, but borrowed a buddy's at the track and it seemed to work just fine. Can't remember the size and we are talking dirt bike tires, so that's probably of zero help for you. Looks like their biggest is a 450P. Horn Blasters (online) often has decent prices I've found.
I use a 20# power tank . it's portable and easy to use.it used to be permanently mounted in my land Rover. When it got totalled I just move it from my jeep to my truck.
I dunno. It only has a 33% duty cycle. You'd probably be fine, but I'm a card carrying member of the Church of Overkill. The 450P, on the other hand, has a 100% duty cycle.
Okay, I've decided on the 400p automatic. Its not a 100% duty ones but it is able to supply 40psi for 40min before needing to rest, more than enough for any situation I can think of! Plus I really like the fact its auto shutoff.
If memory serves, approx one hour to do six tires ("E" rated) with a small 120v Wal-Hell pancake compressor, back when we had the Silverado (16" tires) in Baja in 2010. Painful.
Adding a Tank to the air system will help with the Duty cycle of your compressor.you can mount a quick connect to the front of your truck and one in the back or one on each side of the frame.depending on where you mount the tank.
I'm still up in the air as to the route i want to take,I like my Power Tank a lot.my do both setups.
The 88P seems to be working out real well on the stock tires. I had to deflate for some rock gardens and then reflated all tires back up to 45 psi without any problems. What I really like about the 88P is that I can hook it up to the battery directly and the air hose is long enough to reach all 4 tires easily.
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