Cheap air compressor for off roading

Majindan

Majindan

New member
Is there a general consensus on the best "cheap" air compressor is for airing tires up after being aired down? Looking for something kinda small that will just plug right into the aux in the cargo area of my 02'.
 
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Majindan said:
I was actually looking at the Vlair! This one seems highly recommended on youtube: https://www.amazon.com/Slime-40022-12-Volt-Digital-Inflator/dp/B002ZBWKAU
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My only argument with that slime unit is you usually get what you pay for. Will it pump a tire sure, but for how long? I have no worries about leaving the Vlair in the back of mine with other gear and it not being fragile or breaking. Also in a time of need I want my compressor to work and not just think I'm glad I saved a couple bucks to buy a cheaper one is all?
 
wadle5 said:
My only argument with that slime unit is you usually get what you pay for. Will it pump a tire sure, but for how long? I have no worries about leaving the Vlair in the back of mine with other gear and it not being fragile or breaking. Also in a time of need I want my compressor to work and not just think I'm glad I saved a couple bucks to buy a cheaper one is all?
Click to expand...
Yeah it just looks like something that would work fine a few times, or it would work fine as long as you only pump one or two tires up a few pounds, but airing up 4 tires from 20 to 40 lbs, it would probably overheat or die after you did it 4-6 times.

Here's a Viair unit with a 12V cord.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036E9VB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T1_s.1DzbE5HX228

I would also consider a 110V pump that you could plug into the outlet, and even use an extension cord to get around to all the tires.
 
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el_kab0ng said:
To play the devil's advocate here, is this something you really only want for airing up and down or would you like it to do other stuff? (like jump a flat battery, charge devices, etc)

I got one of these for my 4Runner and it's come in handy quite often:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-Multi-functional-Portable-Digital-Power-Station/46167068
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got something similar for my dad for father's day years ago, the light and jump start and cell charger are great, but we tried the air comp portion to air up a tire and ultimately gave up and fired up the big compressor.

subbed to see what else people suggest!
 
I went with the Viair 400P...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X9AXR8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bit faster, and easily do all 4 tires within the duty cycle of the pump.

This was cheap(er) option for me, when looking at ARB and other higher end high output brands.

I've had it for 2+ years, and its been really reliable.

The only problem with running off the rear cargo power is you only have 10 amps available to you. Expect to blow fuses with even some of the smaller pumps.

Viair 300P = 30 amps max (probably does 20a normal operating at lower PSI)

Viair 88P = 20 amp max rating. Expect blown fuses.

That also doesn't even include the line loss / voltage drop from the length from the battery AND start-up current.
 
el_kab0ng said:
To play the devil's advocate here, is this something you really only want for airing up and down or would you like it to do other stuff? (like jump a flat battery, charge devices, etc)

I got one of these for my 4Runner and it's come in handy quite often:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-Multi-functional-Portable-Digital-Power-Station/46167068
Click to expand...

Old School...

Its like a multi-function fax machine... jack of all trades master of none. It seems like a good idea but I rather own separates. USB battery chargers, jump packs, are all small lithium based and affordable items too.

Plus those things were designed for emergency use, that compressor sucks for anything other than a emergency tire repair... or pumping up a spare.

Don't expect it to last if its your primary air/up down too for all 4 tires.
 
I got a Viair 70P (low current, power port connection) maybe a year ago as a "just in case" to keep in the truck to top off a low spare or something similar. For airing up after trail riding it would take quite a while.

I recently upgraded to the 400P which should be almost overkill for my 32" tires but that's fine (it was on sale too). I've had the cheapo all-in-one inflators before and they were a waste of time. They rate them to like 200psi and they're normally lucky if you can air up a bicycle tire (and they're crazy loud).

Just like any other mechanical device, you get what you pay for......

If you want to occasionally top off a low tire you can go cheap. If you want to air up 4 big mud tires, fill a small tank, re-seat a bead, etc. you're gonna need to spend some money.
 
I have the Viair 400P, it was $134 on Amazon... and it is a damn nice unit. Like, when you open the box, you think "holy shit, this is a damn nice unit".
 
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