Air tank or not

[dudecw]

I am planning up my onboard air system. I am leaning towards the ARB single over the twin for space reasons and it’s cheaper. In order to help with airing up 37s I was thinking of adding a small tank somewhere. The more I think of it, adding the tank may slow things down. My theory is there will be a little boost at first but once the tank has equalized with the tire, the compressor has to fill the tire and the tank.
What do you guys think? Anyone have experience with a system before and after adding a tank?

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[3TV]

I have a tank with the ARB twin installed in my TRX, and I don't have a tank with the ARB twin installed in my 392. Other than the air compressor waiting a few seconds to turn on with the tank, it makes no difference that I can tell

 

[Vanburi]

Those tanks are too small to make any significant difference.

 

[americonium]

Unless you're running air bags or a train horn, there's no need. Now, with that being said, take another look at the dual if you're running 37s...

 

[Hard Rock Jeep]

Air pressure does not work as you are imagining. When you turn on the compressor let’s say it has an upper limit of 100psi. Say your tanks holds 100psi. The compressor shuts off when its limit is reached. All the pressure in the lines and tank are then lifted 100psi. You connect to the tire and it almost immediately puts that compressed air in the tire, quickly raising the tire pressure some. The compressor keeps running until you stop it - because you reached your desired tire pressure or you reach the compressor limit. While it is running, the air in the lines, the tank and the tire are all essentially the same. When done with one tire the compressor still runs and refills the tank to help boost the next tire. You do gain some speed in airing up. In addition to ARB, look at a Viair and get one with a water purge valve. Compressed air condenses water that can build in the tank.

 

[dstevens]

I mounted the ARB twin under the brake boost and it is a great location. Only concerns would be after market inner fenders - I'm not worried about any mud.

Only problem I have is that I ended up airing up an average of 3 Jeeps each time because my compressor is so much quicker than the portable compressors many people use.

 

[GATORB8]

I'd run a four way before a tank for similar cost.

A single with a four way isn't an awful wait, but you'll likely wish you went twin if you use it often.

 

[JeepinJason33]

With my TJ, I had OBA run by a belt driven compressor (York) and made the rear bumper air tight as a tank with another 5 gallon tank between the frame rails. This helped if I wanted to run an air tool for short bursts. Did not really help that much with airing up tires as you go through the reserve really quickly.

With the JL, I have the ARB dual compressor mounted under the drivers seat and have had zero problems airing up four tires at the same time. The compressor is safely protected in the vehicle and easy to get to.

 

[BasementKitty]

An air tank is useful for short bursts of higher volume air at higher pressure than your compressor can handle. With a compressor the CFM goes up as the pressure goes down. The biggest would be running air tools that require more CFM at 90-100psi, but are only going to be used a few seconds at a shot. A small tank is not generally useful when the compressor is going to run for several minutes as when airing up larger tires.

 

[GATORB8]

Since we are getting a little techie, here's the ARB flow chart. I believe at some point, a single Schrader may become the limiting factor.

 

[J0E]

I had a 1.5 gal steel tank with my ARB twin. The tank was always between 130-150 PSI because I had the compressor on and the lockers mostly engaged. When it came time to fill up my 4 tires 42.8x14.5R17, that 140PSI was a fast boost. The compressor quickly dropped to 15 PSI or so. Even though I drained the tank after every use, rust built up and froze my rear locker. I've since removed the tank. The tires don't fill up as fast, but the system is more robust.

I made my own dual dual filler lines, custom lengths for my LJR.

 

[dragoneggs]

With 37s and if you are planning on airing down more than just rarely, I think you should do it right and get the twin. The tank, I would pass. I have the twin and the Kraken system mounted under my pax seat. I love being able to air up all four at the same time after a long day and especially in bad weather where I can duck out of the weather. The system self equalizes as well.

 

[MtCamper]

Agree with dragonets. Both the twin and the 4 up are worth the cost if you plan to air up more than occasionally. Rough Country just introduce a twin that looks like it might be worth a try but ARB is the proven brand.

 

[No Spark V6]

I have an arb twin and planned to put a tank in. I bought the tank but didn't have time to install it when I did the compressor so it sat. After using the twin enough, I've decided I probably won't install the tank.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Since we are getting a little techie, here's the ARB flow chart. I believe at some point, a single Schrader may become the limiting factor.

Moreflate recommends only using their 4 tire hose kit with their twin 10-6 compressor. I believe it's for exactly the reason you mentioned; the schrader valves limit the flow volume, so with the excess volume, you can fill more tires. Also, filling tires one at a time causes more line/manifold pressure and reduces the duty time before overheating.

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