Recommendation for a portable air compressor and air down gauge
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mrblah
Senior Member
Vlair 88 is what i used before going vehicle mount, that thing was a workhorse. As for air down gauge, i have fancy ones, but now use a 1 dollar stick reader type from the local gas station.
Yes, thanks. Some folks on youtube were recommending this but some reviewers were complaining of long times especially for tires 3&4, did you see that?
CollinJ
New member
I’ve been using the smittybilt 2781 and have been very happy. Fills tires up very quickly. The one “issue” is that it uses Japanese style air fittings so nothing else will fit on it. I knew this and just planned to change it over which was also easy to do.
For air down I like the screw on pre-set style myself. I’ve got 2 sets in the truck, 4 are set to 18psi and 4 are set to 22psi.
For air down I like the screw on pre-set style myself. I’ve got 2 sets in the truck, 4 are set to 18psi and 4 are set to 22psi.
mrblah
Senior Member
all single compressors are slow as heck and you have to wait a little bit for them to cool down before putting them away.
ryguytheman
Member
I have the twin ARB compressor. A little on the pricey side, but it has worked great. And it's pretty easy to find a mount that lets you put it in the engine bay. Airing up all 4 tires (combined 80 PSI increase) takes around 5 minutes.
As far as deflators go... I have an EZ deflate gauge (also from ARB), but I don't ever use it. Like someone above said, the stick reader is quick and simple.
As far as deflators go... I have an EZ deflate gauge (also from ARB), but I don't ever use it. Like someone above said, the stick reader is quick and simple.
Jetboy
New member
The Smittybilt 2781 is 5.65 CFM single. The ARB twin is 6.05 CFM. I think the ARB would be around 3-5 seconds faster per tire. So they're pretty close. Take around 2 minutes per tire to fill. I'm sure the ARB is probably a better quality unit. But my Smittybuilt has lasted quite a while.
There are some faster ones if you want something a bit more $ and more "exotic" like the sherpa big-air.
The price on the smittybuilt is really the biggest selling point. It's $150. Mine is around 4 years old now. Has filled hundreds of tires. Works great.
The most common issue I've had airing up/down is just dropping a valve core in the snow or mud. If you're going it a lot - buy a spare valve core or two and toss them in the compressor bag or somewhere you won't lose them. You can steal one out of the spare tire in a pinch, but they're cheap and easy to keep in a spare parts bag.
Also if you're new to this - you need a tool to remove the valve core to air down. You can do it with a deflator tool - but it takes forever. It's easy with a valve core removal tool and the valves Toyota uses whistle at two distinct pitches at around 18psi and 15psi. Once you do it a few times you can air down by ear and get pretty consistent final psi just by listening.
There are some faster ones if you want something a bit more $ and more "exotic" like the sherpa big-air.
The price on the smittybuilt is really the biggest selling point. It's $150. Mine is around 4 years old now. Has filled hundreds of tires. Works great.
The most common issue I've had airing up/down is just dropping a valve core in the snow or mud. If you're going it a lot - buy a spare valve core or two and toss them in the compressor bag or somewhere you won't lose them. You can steal one out of the spare tire in a pinch, but they're cheap and easy to keep in a spare parts bag.
Also if you're new to this - you need a tool to remove the valve core to air down. You can do it with a deflator tool - but it takes forever. It's easy with a valve core removal tool and the valves Toyota uses whistle at two distinct pitches at around 18psi and 15psi. Once you do it a few times you can air down by ear and get pretty consistent final psi just by listening.
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rightyouareken
New member
For deflators, I use these. Amazon.com: TeraFlex 4807200 Air Deflator: Automotive
They are cheap, hands free, have no adjustment to worry about, and are easy to store. Comes with 4 of them, and you can just screw them on the valve stem and walk away. If you work out the timing, you should be able to walk around and screw one on each tire and by the time you're back to the first tire it should be deflated to near where you want it. If you just do one at a time it's not any faster than sticking a key onto the valve stem perhaps, but at least you don't have to crouch there while it deflates. Also, a pressure gauge fits on the end of them so you can easily check pressure as they air down.
I've got the Viair 88P and find it works great for the price. Amazon.com: Viair 00088 88P Portable Air Compressor: Automotive
Airs up my stock size tires from ~22 to 32 PSI in probably a minute or two each at the most.
I like that it has a gauge on the pump next to the power switch so you can easily turn the pump off while filling to check pressure. I like that it has a soft and flexible air hose. I like that the hose and power leads are quite long. And I like that it has a screw on air fitting instead of one of those lever types.
The ONLY complaint I really have is that it gets quite after filling them all, so I don't put it back in the carry bag right away until it cools off so as not to melt the hose or power wires.
They are cheap, hands free, have no adjustment to worry about, and are easy to store. Comes with 4 of them, and you can just screw them on the valve stem and walk away. If you work out the timing, you should be able to walk around and screw one on each tire and by the time you're back to the first tire it should be deflated to near where you want it. If you just do one at a time it's not any faster than sticking a key onto the valve stem perhaps, but at least you don't have to crouch there while it deflates. Also, a pressure gauge fits on the end of them so you can easily check pressure as they air down.
I've got the Viair 88P and find it works great for the price. Amazon.com: Viair 00088 88P Portable Air Compressor: Automotive
Airs up my stock size tires from ~22 to 32 PSI in probably a minute or two each at the most.
I like that it has a gauge on the pump next to the power switch so you can easily turn the pump off while filling to check pressure. I like that it has a soft and flexible air hose. I like that the hose and power leads are quite long. And I like that it has a screw on air fitting instead of one of those lever types.
The ONLY complaint I really have is that it gets quite after filling them all, so I don't put it back in the carry bag right away until it cools off so as not to melt the hose or power wires.
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Adi4runner
New member
I use Viair 300P... it's quick!
CollinJ
New member
Mine has been great. Under 90 seconds for each tire.... 18-40psi and not too warm to put away....
comtn4x4
Senior Member
For about 8 years I used a Superflow MV-50 (Currently about $100). It wasn't fast but it lasted forever. On it's last day it aired up my rig and three others before it died. It seems they got expensive since I originally bought it and there are better alternatives now like the Smittybuilt. I now use a hard mounted Viair 400H and it's great so I'd recommend a Viair if it fits your budget.
As far as airing down goes I use Currie EZ Deflator which is great. It seems ARB may have purchased Currie. If you're using this type of deflator definitely carry some extra valve stems as was indicated earlier
As far as airing down goes I use Currie EZ Deflator which is great. It seems ARB may have purchased Currie. If you're using this type of deflator definitely carry some extra valve stems as was indicated earlier
blksubykid
Member
I have onboard air so I don’t have much input on portable air. My buddy runs the Viair 88P and it’s works fine. A little on the slow side but it gets the job done. As far as deflators go, I use these:
J.T. Brooks Automatic Tire Deflators PRO (ATDP4) Amazon.com: J.T. Brooks Automatic Tire Deflators PRO (ATDP4): Automotive
A lil pricy but I don’t have to constantly squat down. Damn I’m getting lazy LOL
J.T. Brooks Automatic Tire Deflators PRO (ATDP4) Amazon.com: J.T. Brooks Automatic Tire Deflators PRO (ATDP4): Automotive
A lil pricy but I don’t have to constantly squat down. Damn I’m getting lazy LOL
Has anybody tried https://www.offroadwarehouse.com/product/air-compressor-system-56-cfm? It looks similar to SmittyBilt and priced only at $115.
Have you guys installed a pressure switch to your Smittys?
I recently bought an adjustable 4-hose system, and with the constant air flow the smitty provides, i'm worried it may ruin something?
CollinJ
New member
I didn’t, I changed the setup of the compressor a little bit though. I put the gauge closer to the compressor so I had the switch right next to the gauge to monitor it.
It is something on my list, but it’s far down on the list as this is working great so far.
Jetboy
New member
No pressure switch on mine. I think that the design of the compressor is probably self limiting in some way. Either way - it doesn't outrun the volume flow through a single valve stem. If it did you'd see the pressure gauge spike up to max pressure while you're filling. It doesn't generally have back pressure above about 50psi while filling. So I don't think it's a problem as it's setup with the open valve chuck.
I don't know what would happen if you plugged the hose though. It would be really easy to add a pressure switch. The little ARB ones would probably work pretty well if it was a concern. On Amazon you can buy a simple pressure switch for around $10. Just wire that inline with the on/off switch.
On my FJ40 compressor - it makes around 12CFM based on displacement calculations of the cylinder, but it'll make upwards of 300psi if left unregulated. A few guys in an old offroad club tried it to see what would happen and they blew up the air hose at around 300psi IIRC and never went any further. So a pressure switch is pretty important to safe use. I use a variable pressure one set to 130psi. In order to fill tires faster - I remove the valve stem when airing up too. It goes in a lot faster that way. - But no one really does the York anymore. It's old school for a good reason. The cheaper 12v compressors are just soo good now. There's really no reason to go to all the time and effort to do it. I wouldn't really even consider doing it again now. Two Smittybuilts would combine for 12cfm and be a lot easier to install and cheaper too.
I've always dreamed of a system where you could inject liquid CO2 in a measured quantity and let it expand inside the tire. That would be super fast. But also not really worth the effort.
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