Advice: tire inflator or air compressor

[Murphydog]

I’m thinking 88p. Sure it’s louder, hotter, slower but I didn’t buy a Jeep to get places quickly. For the money, it sounds like my best bet

Keep an eye on Amazon, I did get the 400P for under $190 all in

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[blink9cd]

I’m thinking 88p. Sure it’s louder, hotter, slower but I didn’t buy a Jeep to get places quickly. For the money, it sounds like my best bet

I've used it a bunch of times so far and it's help up well. It's also super compact, and since you also have a JLU, you'll appreciate that it fits *perfectly* in the narrow storage slot under the driver back seat. And beyond off roading, it's good for topping off your air on your own when the weather changes, I've helped out friends with it, etc.

Don't forget other tire tools like a good set of deflators, tire pressure gauge, tire depth gauge, and some extra valve stem caps. You can get all that, the 88p, and even a good tire patch kit for about the price of the 400p.

 

[Sublime]

I don't care that I only use it for a couple trips a year, I'm glad I bought an ARB twin.

 

[cgagnon99]

I do product development, and used to manage the Compressor/Inflator portfolio. For the tires on these Jeeps, I'd 100% recommend a compressor unless you're just topping off when it drops pressure in the fall. A small inflator would take forever to air back up from ~15 PSI

I'm a huge fan of the DEWALT inflator for my wife's car and the seasonal top-offs but the 60V (or 20v now) compressor is great since you can put it to use on home projects, etc as well.

 

[ZigZag]

If you are lucky you can get a compressor from Morrflate that is two cylinder a VERY fast. They are very popular and priced about $160. The FiveSix is readily available and puts out 5.6CFM.

 

[phageghost]

Don't forget other tire tools like a good set of deflators, tire pressure gauge, tire depth gauge, and some extra valve stem caps.

. . . and some extra valve cores while you're at it, particularly if your deflator involves removing said valve core. Losing one wouldn't be catastrophic, but losing two could make for a very long day.

 

[Creeker]

As another option is a CO2 tank like what is in my JLR

 

[J0E]

I do product development, and used to manage the Compressor/Inflator portfolio. For the tires on these Jeeps, I'd 100% recommend a compressor unless you're just topping off when it drops pressure in the fall. A small inflator would take forever to air back up from ~15 PSI

Have you ever tested it? Although I'm using 4 of the Ryobi 18 V compressors to air my 37's to 35 PSI (from 13 front, 10 rear), it's really fast. When I was using only two, it didn't take much time.

I bought the Ryobi compressor for my bicycle and tried it on my 33's and was shocked at how fast it was. They frequently go on sell for $29. I've got a lot of Ryobi 18V tools, so I had plenty of batteries.

If you're only using it a couple times per year, who cares if it take longer. You don't need 37 PSI to get home, 25 PSI is fine, then top off when you get home.

. . . and some extra valve cores while you're at it, particularly if your deflator involves removing said valve core. Losing one wouldn't be catastrophic, but losing two could make for a very long day.

I quit loaning out my ARB deflator, the first two times I loaned it out after they said "Yes, I know how to use it" and their value core went flying, now I loan out my extra J.T. Brooks Automatic Tire Deflators

 

[cgagnon99]

Have you ever tested it? Although I'm using 4 of the Ryobi 18 V compressors to air my 37's to 35 PSI (from 13 front, 10 rear), it's really fast. When I was using only two, it didn't take much time.

I bought the Ryobi compressor for my bicycle and tried it on my 33's and was shocked at how fast it was. They frequently go on sell for $29. I've got a lot of Ryobi 18V tools, so I had plenty of batteries.

If you're only using it a couple times per year, who cares if it take longer. You don't need 37 PSI to get home, 25 PSI is fine, then top off when you get home.

I quit loaning out my ARB deflator, the first two times I loaned it out after they said "Yes, I know how to use it" and their value core went flying, now I loan out my extra J.T. Brooks Automatic Tire Deflators

Yes I've done a ton of testing. It's all about CFM. For an inflator the DEWALT is quick, but I'd just rather use a full compressor in a few seconds than spend a minute or so with the compressor. Just my opinion though.

 

[bjm00se]

Various youtube and others have reviewed different compressors, since airing down is a really common thing for off-roaders to do.

As mentioned above, you pretty much can't rely on any little compressor that just plugs into the cigarette lighter - you need one with larger cables hooked to the battery with alligator clips.

That said, for very occasional use, you may not need to jump to a Viaiar. This video compares a Viaiar, Smittybilt, and harbor freight! Harbor freight was the slowest, but also the best value.

There are many, many comparisons/shootouts. I just picked one at random, and skipped over the talky-talkie stuff to the results.

 

[dragoneggs]

Viair 400p (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X9AXR8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Relatively cheap, pretty compact, and portable so you can toss it in another vehicle as needed. Many of us on the forum use this one and it's a great little unit.

I went the luxury route with an ARB twin located under my front pax seat along with the Epic Kraken inflator system. I'm lazy and like the convenience. But that said I agree with those recommending the portable Viair based on OPs expectations for use.

Having something portable is nice to have to use for multiple vehicles and other such air needs if you don't already have some kind of compressor that can do the job.

I clicked on the amazon link for the Viair and had to laugh at the decibel rating... 13dB, incredible!

 

[Vanburi]

Keep a close eye on the duty cycle for the cheaper compressors.

 

[blink9cd]

. . . and some extra valve cores while you're at it, particularly if your deflator involves removing said valve core. Losing one wouldn't be catastrophic, but losing two could make for a very long day.

You know valve cores is not something I've looked up before. I use the JT Brooks deflators so don't think I'd have that issue. But maybe I would if I borrowed someone elses. Have a link to any good valve cores?

 

[AZJeepGuy]

Any inflator would get you through twice a year,
I have a Makita 12v inflator. Set the PSI and hold the trigger until it stops. Not really a good option.
I bought a plug in inflator from Costco because it was on sale for $59. Set the PSI and wait, and wait, and wait. It's slow, about 6 minutes per tire.
I just bought a inflator from Harbor Freight because it was on sale for $55. It looks a lot like the Viair and for the money it rocks. No PSI to set so I watch the dash. It does get hot by the time I inflate all four tires. Compare this to the Viair that was linked: https://www.harborfreight.com/air-t...12v-150-psi-compact-air-compressor-63184.html
Same thing all the way down to the switch on the back.

 

[blnewt]

Have the Viair 88p, great little workhorse for the price, quality is higher than what you'd expect at the low price point. Got mine at tirerack, quick shipping and best pricing at the time I got mine.
https://www.tirerack.com/accessorie...3!537118804928!!!u!293946777986!&gclsrc=aw.ds
FWIW I air up (4) 295/70/17 tires from 18 to 35 psi in about 10 minutes, the 88p has a duty cycle that will allow you to fill up two sets of tires that size so it's a good choice if you need to fill up one other Jeep on the trail if the tires aren't too tall

Used mine about a dozen times on the trail and quite a bit around the house to fill up kids toys, keep tires at a good pressure, pools, etc and always works well

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