What tire inflation system do you run?

tomtaylz

tomtaylz

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Feel free to direct me to a thread if this has been addressed.

What tire inflation’s are people running? I went on my first run yesterday and saw some portable compressors, inbuilt compressors and just on board air. Curious what everyone is running and the parts they used to put it together. I like being self reliant so it for sure is moving up on my list.

I’m leaning towards a built in compressor and I’ve read about the CFM raiting and saw Mr Bills write up.

Wonder what else people are running and their thoughts on it.
 
I use the Viair 300p. Fills a 31 from 14-28 lbs in a little over a minute. Would be fine on 33's I would guess. Should have let you try it out yesterday just to see. My brother runs the 400 like @Chris linked and digs it for 33's.
 
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Admittedly I could have went with on-board air. Maybe if I was running ARB air lockers I would have done that, but with the factory Rubicon lockers, I see no point in doing on-board air when I can just use one of these portable air compressors, which does what I need it to perfectly.

If I was extreme and wanting to run power tools and other such things, then I'd go with on-board air. But we don't do that sort of stuff. We're just overlanding and adventuring with the TJ, not rock crawling or anything like that.
 
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Chris said:
Admittedly I could have went with on-board air. Maybe if I was running ARB air lockers I would have done that, but with the factory Rubicon lockers, I see no point in doing on-board air when I can just use one of these portable air compressors, which does what I need it to perfectly.

If I was extreme and wanting to run power tools and other such things, then I'd go with on-board air. But we don't do that sort of stuff. We're just overlanding and adventuring with the TJ, not rock crawling or anything like that.
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Would that be tank or compressor or a combination in that situation?
 
tomtaylz said:
Would that be tank or compressor or a combination in that situation?
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A combination. I’ve seen some guys running systems with a tank and compressor for on-board air that are hefty enough that they can use to power air tools with such as impact guns and ratchets!
 
I run the Viair on board air with a tank. Works great. I just turn on the switch on the dash as I'm about to get to the spot where I'm going to air back up. It starts filling the tank. I get to the spot where I'm going to air back up, pull out the air hose and plug it in to the air line I have mounted on the front bumper and start filling tires. I use to have a portable one and got tired of having to dig it out, open the hood to hook it to the battery.
Also with the on board air like Chris says, I can run power tools if I want to change a flat tire or anything else.
 
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Good discussion here:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/small-compact-air-compressor.387/#post-23790

After much research I decided on a portable compressor. I liked the option of taking it with me in other vehicles on road trips.

Serbonze said:
Just thought that I would add to this discussion since I just bought a Viair compressor. I considered an on-board air option, but I really liked the ability to take the Viair with me in any vehicle. Having it on road trips will be a great option.

I originally bought the 400P like Chris has. I got it home and tested it out, and after one fill up I realized that it wasn't the right model for me. I quickly found that the compressor never shuts off, so the only way to get a pressure reading is to remove the clamp from the valve stem and use another pressure gauge or walk back to the compressor, shut it off, back to the tire to get a reading, back to the compressor to turn it back on, then back to the tire. I'm very lazy, and I just knew that I would eventually get frustrated by either of those two options so I returned it.

A call to Viair solved the issue, as they recommended the 400P-Automatic. That unit shuts off once it reaches 145psi, and uses a standard style inflation gun. It was only $20 more and still provides the same 2.3CFM.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X9B32M/?tag=wranglerorg-20
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lowranger said:
I run the Viair on board air with a tank. Works great. I just turn on the switch on the dash as I'm about to get to the spot where I'm going to air back up. It starts filling the tank. I get to the spot where I'm going to air back up, pull out the air hose and plug it in to the air line I have mounted on the front bumper and start filling tires. I use to have a portable one and got tired of having to dig it out, open the hood to hook it to the battery.
Also with the on board air like Chris says, I can run power tools if I want to change a flat tire or anything else.
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Sounds like a great setup, where do you store the tank/how big is it?
 
I use the Viair 300p as well. It's portable, does a great job and I can throw it in my other vehicles as needed.
 
JMT said:
I use the portable Viair 88P. Attaches to battery terminals (don’t get one that uses a cigarette lighter). It will air up to 33’s. Takes about 2 min/tire to from 12psi to 26. It’s very handy and has never given me any trouble.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ASY23I/?tag=wranglerorg-20
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X2, I have the same Viair 88p and it does its thing on 31's real well.
There are several of us running this model and all with good feedback.

I've got mine bungeed into the empty ABS tray under the hood, seems like a good enough spot that is completely out of the way.
 
The Viair 400P portable kit recommended by Chris and others is a "best buy." The current $159 price on Amazon (on 5/7/18) is below the average price for this unit. [See, https://camelcamelcamel.com/VIAIR-40043-400P-Portable-Compressor/product/B000X9AXR8?context=search. See also, https://expeditionportal.com/the-overland-journal-air-compressor-test/[/url.]

I used a 400P for several years before I did a permanent installation in my LJ using a Viair 400H. (I still own it and use it for my other vehicles.) The 33% duty cycle is plenty for airing up two sets of 35" tires from 12-28 psi, and it will be faster than both the Viair 300 series or the Viair 450 continuous duty compressor. The Viair 88P is "ok" for tires up to 31", but spending a few more dollars for a 300P or 400P would be a better decision.

I do not recommend Smittybilt compressors, Harbor Freight compressors or the ubiquitous "little red Chinese" MV50/MF1050 compressors.

As for tanks, they are unnecessary for an onboard air system designed to fill tires because all you are doing is adding an air cylinder that is the functional equivalent of a tiny spare which will actually result in the airing up process taking longer. The exception would be if one uses an on/off pressure switch where a small tank would act as a buffer tank to keep the system from constantly cycling on and off or if one needs stored compressed air for ARB lockers or an air horn. Even then you don't need anything bigger than 1/2 gallon..

As for onboard air for running air tools - don't bother unless you are going with a high capacity system such as a York engine driven compressor. You don't have room for a large enough tank to store the quantity of compressed air necessary to run them, nor do any of the 12v compressors have sufficient CFM capacity (except for the pricey York-based Oasis). The current crop of lithium ion battery powered impact wrenches and grinders would be better choices than an onboard air system for air tools.

Happy shopping.
 
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I use a Viair 400p . It’s a quality unit and I like being able to move it to my other vehicles
 
lowranger said:
I run the Viair on board air with a tank. Works great. I just turn on the switch on the dash as I'm about to get to the spot where I'm going to air back up. It starts filling the tank. I get to the spot where I'm going to air back up, pull out the air hose and plug it in to the air line I have mounted on the front bumper and start filling tires. I use to have a portable one and got tired of having to dig it out, open the hood to hook it to the battery.
Also with the on board air like Chris says, I can run power tools if I want to change a flat tire or anything else.
Click to expand...
Where is your tank mounted? pics?
 
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I have a hard mounted smittybilt, BUT if I were to do it o we I’d get the powertank setup. Even with Beadlocks I’ve rolls inner beads and someone else’s powertank saved the day. Very quick, runs tools, and can reseat a bead. Cons-uses valuable space
 
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