Trying to decide which is better and really worth my money because this jeep is a money monster, lol! There is just so much to buy when you are starting out.
Onboard Air vs. Portable Air Compressor?
Alixgirl
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On-board air is convenient if you're installing air lockers or running air tools off the compressor. Since you have a Rubi you already have lockers, so if you're just pumping up tires after a run I think a portable one would suffice. I know you said you wanted 35" tires eventually and with those sized tires on-board may be better, but if that is a way off I'd say stick with portable.
I currently use the below air compressor and I think it's great for the price. It fills my four 31" tires from 14psi to 30psi in about 10 minutes. Stay away from cheaper models because they can have bad duty cycles which makes you need to rest the compressor between tires... This one can go for 25 min at 30psi before a break :thumb:
Viair 88P
I currently use the below air compressor and I think it's great for the price. It fills my four 31" tires from 14psi to 30psi in about 10 minutes. Stay away from cheaper models because they can have bad duty cycles which makes you need to rest the compressor between tires... This one can go for 25 min at 30psi before a break :thumb:
Viair 88P
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As a side note you should update your profile so we know what kind of Jeep you have. It will be easier for other people to help you and make recommendations
I added my vehicle to my profile, under vehicle 1, is it not showing?
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Yes, I see it!
I'm not sure if you're referring to the portable one that I mentioned above or just cheap compressors in general. I did try a cheapie from Harbor Freight and it was garbage, but this Viair fills me up in 10 minutes. If you have larger tires though then OBA would definitely be a good option.
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I don't shop at harbor freight in general, most of their stuff is junk. I want whatever I buy to be good quality. I don't have air lockers, the rubicon came with lockers and the engine compartment is tight! So I'm leaning towards portable at this point based on what most of you are saying.
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You can put the Compressor in the cabin and plumb through a window when you need air. A CO2 tank can be removed when you don't need it.
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HF does have some crappy stuff, but they also have some good stuff at great prices. There's actually a thread on the forum about what people have bought at HF that was a good purchase.
If I were you I would go with a portable unit like the Viair that I mentioned in my earlier post until you get larger tires or start wheeling enough that a faster fill up time would make it a worthwhile investment.
If I were you I would go with a portable unit like the Viair that I mentioned in my earlier post until you get larger tires or start wheeling enough that a faster fill up time would make it a worthwhile investment.
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We just went through this. Wanted a good compressor, and wanted portable. We have 2 Jeeps, so the ability to move it between them mattered. Also, if on the trail or road, we'd rather walk a compressor next to a stranded vehicle than try to maneuver a JKU next to them.
We tried a cheap one from Amazon that plugs into the cigarette lighter (we don't need much, we thought). Great company, horrible compressor. Barely worked, noisy, just not worth it. We returned it.
Love the ARB but the price was a bit more than we wanted to spend, so we tried Viair. Picked up the 400p auto (VIAIR Corporation - 400P-Automatic Portable Compressor (P/N 40045)).
I freaking love it.
Great compressor, comes with everything including a very nice "Gas Station-Style Tire Gun", a strong storage bag and a great hose that reaches everything. So damned easy to use, even shuts down when I release the trigger and starts back up when I use the trigger again. Called customer service with a question and got great service. Love everything about this.
It'll do more than we need, much like our jeeps. So we're happy.
We tried a cheap one from Amazon that plugs into the cigarette lighter (we don't need much, we thought). Great company, horrible compressor. Barely worked, noisy, just not worth it. We returned it.
Love the ARB but the price was a bit more than we wanted to spend, so we tried Viair. Picked up the 400p auto (VIAIR Corporation - 400P-Automatic Portable Compressor (P/N 40045)).
I freaking love it.
Great compressor, comes with everything including a very nice "Gas Station-Style Tire Gun", a strong storage bag and a great hose that reaches everything. So damned easy to use, even shuts down when I release the trigger and starts back up when I use the trigger again. Called customer service with a question and got great service. Love everything about this.
It'll do more than we need, much like our jeeps. So we're happy.
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That looks really nice, going for it! Thanks! Just put it in my Amazon cart
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I went with the ARB single and built an onboard system, I love it, Use it to air up and air down all 4 tire at once. Its really nice in the rain or cold to just hook up the leads, turn it on and wait for it to air up sitting inside in the warm dry cab....
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Before the York, I used the 88P. For the price I think it was a nice compressor. 18 minutes to air up, though.
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I have a Viair 88P as well. I bought it a few years ago when I had my TJ on 31s. I've been filling up my JK's 35" tires with it as well. It has never let me down but after filling all four 35s, you could boil water with it when it's done. I have a Rubicon as well so, I've been on the fence about on board air. I'm going to do it though. You can get the ARB twin compressor. They make mounts for it so you can mount it right above your brake reservoir under the hood. Works great. You can even fit a SPOD in there. Northridge 4x4 sells all of that stuff. If I weren't going to do that, I'd just upgrade to that Viair 400P. If it's as good as the 88P, it should last a long time.
What did you air down to?
At fist I went down to 15 psi and didn't really notice a difference from 20 psi, at least for my uses.
I think I got all 4 in less than 10 minutes.
Originally I wanted an on board compressor but after using this portable one, I'll probably stick with it unless it breaks. But they seem to have good reputation.
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8-10psi back up to 26psi on 33s.
You should try airing down more.
FWIW, the times I list are for full set up to take down. Not just the time spent squatting and waiting.
Well I don't do any rock climbing yet, so maybe when I decide to do some crawling I could always air down to 10 psi... though I've read a few posts on here that some people don't air less than 15 psi.8-10psi back up to 26psi on 33s.
You should try airing down more.
FWIW, the times I list are for full set up to take down. Not just the time spent squatting and waiting.
I'll do some more reading on it.
For occasional light offroad, I don't even let any air out... the mud terrain tires are amazing (to me).
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