Please advice an old man. I have a tj, not an lj. I am installing an ARB CKMA12 air compressor. All I want this compressor to do is air up 33 12.50 15s. Of course a tj doesn't have the room that an LJ has between the transfer case and rear differential, so room is pretty small. Question......does adding that air tank really have any value as far as reducing the wear and heat on that little compressor. This forum is a great help and thanks for any replies. I checked for other posts and all I saw was on using the unused AC compressor. My old carcass needs the cool AC.
Need for an air tank?
- Thread starter sam53
- Start date
derekmac
TJ Addict
A few seconds faster. The very moment the pump kicks in the tank isn't doing anything.
Air tanks on Jeeps tend to confuse the crap out of folks. There are a few instances where they are of value. If you have a device that needs a smallish tank to act as a buffer, need to cool the charge air some and settle out the oil mist from something like a York, or if you have an air horn with a large but short demand.
For tire use, an air tank is 100% useless and only adds complexity, points of failure, and expense. The compressor will move the piston up and down to fill your tires the exact same number of times with or without a tank. All the tank will do is give you a short burst of air to partially fill the first tire and then when the compressor kicks on in about 5 seconds, you are filling straight off of the compressor for the rest of that tire. The tank will fill slightly again when you move to the next tire and the process will repeat all over again until you are done.
The same is true for air tools.
To reiterate the reduction of wear and heat thing, there is no magic. The compressor piston has to move up and down to produce a volume of compressed air. The tank is not any different than a tire which is just another shape for a tank. It takes exactly the same number of piston strokes to fill a tank and move that into a tire until it is at the correct pressure as it does to just fill a tire to the correct pressure.
derekmac
TJ Addict
Yes, but folks need to fully understand that the faster part is the length of time from when you clip the air chuck onto the tire until the compressor turns on and starts running. Depending on the pressure switch delta which is typically 90-120psi, that is roughly 3-5 seconds depending on tank size.
thanks so much. I just thought if the tank was aired before hand it might air one 33" from 8 psi to 26 before it would start the compressor again. I know knowing about this ARB I have purchased. wont it get extremely hot before I get the 4 33's air up. Again thanks so much
I have a shop compressor with a 125-175psi cut in and out with a 60 gallon tank and it won't air up four tires from 8 to 26 psi without turning on if it starts full.
is there a way to have the compressor shut off when the tire is filled to a specific PSI without using a tank as a buffer? i'm contemplating taking apart my PUMA compressor/pressure switch/tank combo but would hate to lose that feature.
Not really, for the reasons explained by @mrblaine.
However, if in the future your needs change and a small tank becomes necessary for air lockers, air horn, buffer tank, etc., you might consider the 1/2 gal. Hadley air tank which is small enough to fit several places in a TJ/LJ and has more than enough volume for such purposes.*
In case it might help, here is a link to my simple 12v onboard compressor. I elected not to use my second hand Hadley 1/2 gal. tank for this system because it is unnecessary for airing up tires and adds needless complexity. However, I keep it in case my needs change:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-simple-onboard-air-for-your-tj-viair-400h.10235/
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* In the 1990s, Currie marketed a 12v onboard air system that included a Hadley 1 gal. tank. I had one in my CJ-7.
This is one way, using copper tubing, but impractical in a jeep. However, it does illustrate that it doesn't require much volume to create a buffer. A few feet of hose might work in lieu of copper tubing or a small buffer tank.
The way this particular regulator works is to set the maximum pressure to the desired tire pressure so it shuts off when that pressure is reached. However, I just set it so it turns off at 100 because the front and rear tires on that vehicle require different pressures.
thanks for the info! i figured i could have a coil of tubing tucked away somewhere with a check valve but then i'd run the risk of it rupturing etc.. the PUMA DE07 is a big boy so i'd have to move some things around in my engine compartment to make the whole thing fit so it will most likely just stay put together with the tank
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