Viair On Board Air Performance

maxacceleration · 05-17-2011, 09:44 PM

I did an about face on my on-board air mentality.
I have been thinking Power Tank all along and did an about face and purchased a
Viair Extreme Duty dual 350C compressors & 2 gallon tank.
100% duty cycle & 2.68 cfm rated.
Rated to fill 37" tires, mine are 33" tires.

I have these neat little valve stem fittings which let air out to a certain psi adjusted by me/you... While you drive!
They are the wrong ones which let air out to too low a psi for each tire (5-20 psi rated).
Anyway I aired down to 20 psi. Great for easy rolling and chatter free off roading.
I will pick up the next psi rated ones in which I can air down to 25-35 psi (15-40 psi rated).

On returning to pavement I aired up back to street pressure, which for me now is quite high as I'm pulling a trailer around the SW.
From 20 psi to 70 it took apprx 6 minutes & 30 seconds per tire!
That is close to a half hour to air up!

Would that be ok for you?

I consider that too much time spent to air up.
This kind of system to me is emergency air vs a quick usable air source.
Good for air when I'm in the middle of nowhere.
So that is what I have...

Oh, those plastic coiled air hoses they come with are junk. Stretch it to the far tires and it is stretched out and does not return to a tight coil for storage. First time out.
I now feel the need for a proper air hose that will have durability.
Nice air 'gun' w/gauge though.
This set-up is supposed to run air gun though.

So there you have my opinion of a dual compressor/air tank from a reputable company.
SLOW!
I don't how racers can use them.

For those of you that want fast I would suggest the Power Tank.
They are supposed to last a decent while.

maxacceleration · 05-25-2011, 11:32 AM

etbadger · 06-27-2011, 10:42 AM

I think the time to air-up will depend a great deal on which compressor you are running as well.

Originally we had an ExtremeAire which took about 5min each to take our 37x13x17s from 18psi to 45psi. It had some issues with developing full pressure at high altitude and we replaced it with an ExtremeAire Magnum which takes about 2 minutes per-tire for the same task.

5min per tire was a bit long, but at 2min it roughly matches the amount of time I use to check the van over after being off-highway (hubs, anti-sway bar links, check sidewalls, check bearings, etc).

-e

EMrider · 06-27-2011, 10:50 AM

I've got the onboard extreme air system and have just decided to make peace with the time it takes to air up.

The whole process is going to take at least 30min. During that time I try and be productive in other ways, or just relax.

Not a big deal once or twice on a trip, but it is a big deterrent to frequently airing up and back down when traveling.
R

**BroncoHauler** · 06-27-2011, 12:19 PM

As for the plastic, coiled air hoses, I agree completely. I picked up one of these a few years back (believe it's urethane based), and it is far superior to the Harbor Freight/hardware store coiled plastic air hoses.

This particular one is from Power Tank.

http://www.powertank.com/products/productID/48

Herb

SheepShagger · 08-13-2011, 01:24 PM

I have a twin viair system with slightly larger compressors and a 200psi tank, but it fills up in 1/2 the time you mention. I can't see from the pic's but do each of the compressors use a separate port in the tank or do they share the same port? According to viair is you share the same port you will reduce the systems performance by 20%.

maxacceleration · 08-23-2011, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheepShagger

I have a twin viair system with slightly larger compressors and a 200psi tank, but it fills up in 1/2 the time you mention. I can't see from the pic's but do each of the compressors use a separate port in the tank or do they share the same port? According to viair is you share the same port you will reduce the systems performance by 20%.

I will look at that SheepShagger. My Viair is completely non functional right now. Fuses seem to be intact.
What a POS system. Left me with my right tires aired up only in the middle of nowhere.
I second guessed my Power Tank route. WRONG! Shoulda gone Power Tank!
No electrical hook up, no compressors, just a simple system that works. Re-fills being the only down side.
Argh.

Tapatio · 08-23-2011, 08:13 AM

I'm considering a Warn VTC compressor. Airflow Rating: 20 CFM @ 0 PSI; 8 CFM @ 90 PSI; (566 l\min @ 0 kPa, 226 l/min @ 620 kPA). It's not cheap but if it works as advertised it might be worth it.

http://www.warn.com/truck/aircompressors_vtc.shtml

SheepShagger · 08-25-2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxacceleration

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheepShagger

I have a twin viair system with slightly larger compressors and a 200psi tank, but it fills up in 1/2 the time you mention. I can't see from the pic's but do each of the compressors use a separate port in the tank or do they share the same port? According to viair is you share the same port you will reduce the systems performance by 20%.

I will look at that SheepShagger. My Viair is completely non functional right now. Fuses seem to be intact.
What a POS system. Left me with my right tires aired up only in the middle of nowhere.
I second guessed my Power Tank route. WRONG! Shoulda gone Power Tank!
No electrical hook up, no compressors, just a simple system that works. Re-fills being the only down side.
Argh.

That really sucks, I'd check the pressure switch if the fuse is good. My first pressure switch lasted about 4 fills of the system.