What is a good air compressor?

[scatter]

On my old van, I used a Quick Air ll. Was pretty good, and if I didn't have the Warn PowerPlant I'd go with it again.
25% duty cycle means that you can run it till it stops due to heat (not really a good idea) and then you take the amount of time it ran, multiply it by three and that's the amount of time it needs to rest/cool down before you can run it again. Get the highest duty cycle you can find, and as was mentioned, attach it directly to the battery. Not a cig. lighter hookup. Also, be sure to run the engine (at high idle if you can) while airing up.

[mbachani]

I use a 10# Power Tank that I purchased from Expedition Exchange. Works for my needs.
I have never used it to air up a completely flat tire but it will air 50# to 75# in about 2 mins..

Bob in tucson

[daveb]

I kind of like those power tanks but I have too much on the rear bumper to haul one. Airing down is important for me so 100% duty cycle is necessary for me. So far the extreme air has been a good choice. A power tank would be a great backup but a bit extreme.
DaveB

[mbachani]

I don't have a winch, so I mounted mine inside the front bumper. I do have to remove it to use it but I can also use it on other vehicles or take it to other locations if I need to.

Bob in Tucson

[sdwindansea]

I have the Viair 400P with automatic shutoff. I did a lot of research and decided on this one based on performance and price. The only downside to this compressor (and I'm guessing all portable compressors) is that it gets extremely hot after airing up 4 tires.

Details are here - viewtopic.php?f=3&t=441&hilit=viair

[bitburger]

I'm on the second year using a Master Flow compressor from Costco. It is slow but will fill all 4 tires from 30# to 50# sequentially without a problem overheating. It plugs directly to the battery terminals and has a sufficiently long cord to reach the tires. It was $40 and seems to meet my needs.

If I were going to trust my life to it's reliability, I may have other concerns but if it fails, I'll just plug along on soft tires until a gas station which are rarely more than 100 miles.

I believe this is the latest version which seems to be upgraded and also more expensive.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...=1&topnav=&s=1


You may want to check this thread for some similar thoughts from last year.
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/vie...ompressor+tire

[Stumpalump]

I use a Vair 450 and it's just fair because of the cost. I use it to air up a set of 35x13.15x15's from 8 to 28 and it takes about 25 minutes. For the money and occasional use that Costco unit looks good but they also sell a smaller one that is identical to the one PepBoys sells called a Tsunami. It's about 59 bucks and is praised the 4x4 world over for it's cost to performance comparison. Now throw all that info out if you want real air to seat a bead ,blow up tires fast and run an emergency air tool and get a C02 tank. I kick my self in the arse for not buying one every time I use my Vair 450. This seems like a good deal but if you have the room get a 20 gallon version.http://www.tellico4x4.com/product_info. ... s_id/18746

[kitsy]

I got a refurbished name brand air compressor. No offense to costco but I guess I am just one of those people who feels more comfortable with a brand I have heard of and trust....

[woodbee]

My wife and I have been going off road in our 4x4 Ford truck with out camper for the last 16 years. The camper weighs in at 3500 pounds when we are completely loaded.
We always have ran E rated tires. This summer before we went to Saline Valley I thought that we have been very lucky not having a real tire problem. So I purchased a
Hi-Lift jack an ExtremeAire 12 volt Portable Compressor and all the tools to do a complete tire fix. The only problem we had this time was air in my brake system. Easy fix.
We feel much more at ease on the rough roads having this equipment.

Woody

[UJOINT]

It's not cheap, but I mounted a Warn VTC under my van. I plumbed it to the front & rear bumpers, and added a 2.5 gallon tank. I use it for everything! Airing up, blowing dust off the bikes, air mattress, even cleaning myself after a dirty day of work. ---