On board air opinions

jeeptech1 said:
ya, its a cool setup, but i cant find any spec sheet showing what the max pressure is for the compressor which makes me wonder if it would work in a setup with a tank. that and its about 250$ for a 50 percent duty cycled compressor.
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The ARB has a built in pressure relief at 150 PSI. Disable that and it will go much higher. As far as the duty cycle goes it will pump for much longer then that. I have ran mine for well over an hour straight.

Again for 250 the best pump you can buy. I have used almost everything else in the price range. Viair, Quickair, costco, harbor freight, nothing else comes close.
 
i was planning on mounting my tank exactly where xjeeper did. so nice to see that it works there! so it looks like the arb might work with a tank setup. interesting. just curious if anyone has tried using the 120v small compressor into a tank run off a power inverter. any reason it wouldnt work? (only ask cuz its the only option i listed that hasnt been addressed).
 
i was looking at the difference between arb's compressor and viair, not even a comparison cfm wise! wow, the only issue i saw was that the compressor is designed to just push air, not hold it, which could possibly damage the compressor. so i was looking at airbagit.com, they have a ton of air stuff! in theory you could put a one way check valve on the tank so the compressor wasnt holding the pressure of the tank. anyone know if this would work?
 
I know the Viairs have a check valve built into the braided stainless hose coming off of them, don't know about the ARB's. I have a Viair 480C myself which I found to be the best combination of output and duty cycle for my needs. Mounted mine in the engine compartment:



As for the tank, you only need a very small tank for air lockers. A large tank will help for air tools if you're willing to sacrifice the storage space to go with a big enough one to run them. A mid-sized (2-3 gallon) tank is pretty much a waste IMHO. Not really big enough for air tools when used with an electric compressor, and it does almost nothing for filling up tires. You get maybe a 5-10 second blast of air out of it on each tire and then the next couple of minutes the compressor is running non-stop anyways. If you don't have air lockers and you're just going to be filling tires, you don't really even need a tank. I went with a 1 gallon Viair tank mounted above my rear axle just to keep my ARB's happy.
 
jeeptech1 said:
i was looking at the difference between arb's compressor and viair, not even a comparison cfm wise! wow, the only issue i saw was that the compressor is designed to just push air, not hold it, which could possibly damage the compressor. so i was looking at airbagit.com, they have a ton of air stuff! in theory you could put a one way check valve on the tank so the compressor wasnt holding the pressure of the tank. anyone know if this would work?
Click to expand...

You can buy Viair parts on Amazon, including check valves (hoses and standalone).
 
jeeptech1 said:
the dual compressor thing is cool but something tells me would cost way more than any other option. im curious about the c02 tanks, how long do they last on a charge? how much does it cost to charge them?
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The price to refill a 10lb CO2 tank is ~$20 at a welding gas supply shop, or beverage supplier.

For what you need it for, you should be able to get by with a single refill on a 10lb tank, for one full season of wheeling. -Unless you plan on practicing Nascar style pit stops on the trail.

Power Tanks are expensive, but, it is possible to build one cheaper. You just need to shop around a bit. I am currently looking into piecing together a system. Here is what I have found so far:

This place sells high flow, 150 PSI, non-freezing regulators. From ~$50-200:
CO2 high volume regulator

This place sells CO2 tanks. $50 for a 10lb steel tank; $70 for a 10lb aluminum one:
CO2 tanks

You might also consider visiting Power Tanks website to answer any questions you may have regarding CO2 OBA.
Power Tank tire refill chart

For eight years I worked for a Porsche racing team in the GrandAm series. We used nitrogen air tanks to perform all of our pit stops, fill tires, raise the on board air jacks for tire changes, etc. The tanks last for quite a while before becoming empty, considering the amount of use they get. You would be very happy with a CO2 system. It's the simplest OBA you can have, no plumbing to run, no brackets to fab, no figuring out how to get a belt around an extra compressor !!!1 You get the idea.
 
fyrfytr1717 said:
I know the Viairs have a check valve built into the braided stainless hose coming off of them, don't know about the ARB's. I have a Viair 480C myself which I found to be the best combination of output and duty cycle for my needs. Mounted mine in the engine compartment:



As for the tank, you only need a very small tank for air lockers. A large tank will help for air tools if you're willing to sacrifice the storage space to go with a big enough one to run them. A mid-sized (2-3 gallon) tank is pretty much a waste IMHO. Not really big enough for air tools when used with an electric compressor, and it does almost nothing for filling up tires. You get maybe a 5-10 second blast of air out of it on each tire and then the next couple of minutes the compressor is running non-stop anyways. If you don't have air lockers and you're just going to be filling tires, you don't really even need a tank. I went with a 1 gallon Viair tank mounted above my rear axle just to keep my ARB's happy.
Click to expand...

i guess the tank size makes sense. im wondering if i really even need a tank (probly only wanted one to be cool anyway). i guess if i got a good compressor i could always add a tank if i felt the need. by the way, i think its funny how you mounted your compressor right next to the radiator cap when the compressor says "install in a dry area away from moisture"
 
2 gal tank with a 50% duty cycle..........you'll be running the compressor a lot to fill tires, best to stick with a 100% duty cycle unit like the 450C.
 
I love my power tank set up. Im on my second one. (one was stolen while sleeping at a wheeling event. )

Im getting ready to build a custom mount inside the cab where the spare tire originally went.

I have filled mine up for no more then 10 bucks 1$ a pound both in Vegas and now here in Phoenix.......

Power tanks website is very informative on how many tires it can fill, how long it lasts, myths about CO2 etc.


IMG_8237.jpg


IMAG0604-1.jpg


IMAG0602-1.jpg
 
coueshunter said:
I love my power tank set up. Im on my second one. (one was stolen while sleeping at a wheeling event. )

Im getting ready to build a custom mount inside the cab where the spare tire originally went.

I have filled mine up for no more then 10 bucks 1$ a pound both in Vegas and now here in Phoenix.......

Power tanks website is very informative on how many tires it can fill, how long it lasts, myths about CO2 etc.


IMG_8237.jpg


IMAG0604-1.jpg


IMAG0602-1.jpg
Click to expand...
do you have the 10, 15 or 20lbs tank?
 
souske said:
Why is a belt driven compressor not on your radar? For running air tools, its going to be your best bet, whether sanden or york.
Click to expand...


True- I did this route with a 3 gal tank and 3/8 line. I can air up all 4 of my 33" tires from 10 psi to 32 psi in under 10 min when ideling. Air tools run flawless too. Wedge a penny in your throttle body linkage and 1800 rpm compressor will fill anything- :wave1:
 
jeeptech1 said:
by the way, i think its funny how you mounted your compressor right next to the radiator cap when the compressor says "install in a dry area away from moisture"
Click to expand...

Pretty much came down to that was the only place on the exterior of the Jeep (that made any sense) that I had room to mount it. I've got ABS so the spot XJEEPER used was not an option for me. I did however use a lot of his other ideas when putting together my air system.

I figure so long as I don't blow the radiator cap while the compressor is running I should be OK. Honestly I was more worried about water crossings though. The Viair comes with the necessary parts to remote mount the intake if you want. I was thinking maybe I'd run it to the firewall or into the cowl, but so far I haven't seen the need.
 
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