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Old 10-05-2014, 12:15 PM   #1
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On board air question

We seem to spend a lot of time on bumpy, tooth rattling washboard roads. I would love to be able to air down the tires and smooth the ride, so I've been looking at compressors. Seem to be a lot of choices on the market, some with air tanks and some without. Since space is at a premium, I'm wondering what advantage an air tank would give me and is it feasible and practical to air up with with the compressor alone?

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Old 10-05-2014, 12:26 PM   #2
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Re: On board air question

I did not add an air tank. A 2lb tank would only help with the first tire. I went with the ARB Dual to save space. The details are in my build tread. It takes about ten min for me to air up from 40 to 65. That is getting out of the truck and airing up all 4 tires.
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Old 10-05-2014, 12:37 PM   #3
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Re: On board air question

ARB dual pumps are terrific. I ran the intakes to an air filter behind the fuel door that I open to provide relatively cool air. No overheating issues thus far.
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Old 10-05-2014, 01:55 PM   #4
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Re: On board air question

I had a tank put in because I have rear air bags. A tank helps supply a high short burst of air such as when using air tools. And no, I don't carry air tools.
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Old 10-05-2014, 04:47 PM   #5
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Re: On board air question

I just carry a 10# CO2 tank and fixed 100# regulator. It takes my large 315/75R16 tires from 35 to 60lbs about 4 times on a tank. That's enough for most trips.

The tank can be refilled at welding supply, fire extinguisher supply, and beverage supply shops. I filled it in Denver once at a paint ball range.

It's handy to have at home too, for the other vehicles and bicycles.
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Old 10-05-2014, 10:46 PM   #6
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Re: On board air question

Thanks Viejo, I'll look into the CO2 option. It's great to have choices.

I was thinking of going with the portable ARB compressor. This one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P9A35E/ref ... 6EN2N610G4

It would be nice to plug it into the 12V cigarette lighter power source I already have outside the barn doors, rather than clip it onto the battery every time. Am I correct in suspecting that the 12V cigarette lighter power sources that SMB installed are probably not robust enough for the power draw of a compressor?
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Old 10-06-2014, 09:07 AM   #7
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Re: On board air question

The key things to look at
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgrimm
Thanks Viejo, I'll look into the CO2 option. It's great to have choices.

I was thinking of going with the portable ARB compressor. This one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P9A35E/ref ... 6EN2N610G4

It would be nice to plug it into the 12V cigarette lighter power source I already have outside the barn doors, rather than clip it onto the battery every time. Am I correct in suspecting that the 12V cigarette lighter power sources that SMB installed are probably not robust enough for the power draw of a compressor?
That's a nice unit, exactly half the performance of their twin compressor (=twice the amount of time to fill tires). The key metric to look for is CFM (cubic feet per minute) at various PSI ranges. That one puts out 3.08 CFM at 0 PSI and 2.34 at 29 PSI. For comparison purposes the twin compressor puts out 6.16 and 4.68 respectively.

Amperage is key to making these compressors run at a maximum output. You'll need more than a cigarette lighter to make it hum. Attaching the clips directly to the battery is best. 14.2 amps at 0 PSI and 25.2 at 29 PSI. Guessing it will pull about 45 amps at 65 PSI.

Tech specs for all their compressors can be seen here.

http://store.arbusa.com/Assets/PDF/c...ifications.pdf
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Old 10-06-2014, 10:38 AM   #8
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Re: On board air question

I've had good luck with Viair compressors. They have their "P" line of portable units (carrying case, hose, sand tray, alligator clips) with a max flow of 3cfm and some with 100% duty cycle. The automatic shutoff feature is nice so you don't have to listen to the thing run while you reroute your hose and move to the next tire. I bought their 450C (they have MUCH higher performance models now) 10 years ago and it still works fine. Everyone I know that has airbagged cars/trucks uses Viair air systems with no complaints. http://viaircorp.com/portables.html
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Old 10-06-2014, 10:11 PM   #9
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Re: On board air question

I use the on-board ExtremeAir (3/4HP, with 2 gallon tank) that came with my 2004 Sportsmobile.

It takes me about 30 minutes to air up all four tires from about ~30 to ~50 psi. Airing up from lower pressure (aired down for sand) isn't significantly slower -- it's those top ten PSI from 40 to 50 that take most of the time.

I usually just let the ExtremeAir pump fill the 2-gallon tank, and then put all that air into a tire at once. Each tire takes about 1½ tankfuls when airing up. I keep the van's engine running (recommended to me) for peak pump voltage.

This is with my 305/70R16 tires. My old 285/75R16 tires were noticeably quicker to air up.

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Old 10-08-2014, 02:47 PM   #10
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Re: On board air question

Extreme aire here too. About 6-8 min each tire from 35 to 60 psi. Pain in the ass. Glad I'm not the only one that gets sunburn waiting for the tires to fill.
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