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Portable air compressor

Nightowl

Nightowl

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I'm heading to Canada for a fishing trip. We don't go way far off the grid, but far enough. We have been going for 20+ years without incident, but I was thinking a portable compressor. Any recommendations? I was looking at Viair 85P or 88P. Leaning towards 88P, heavier wires and longer air hose.
 
What are you wanting to use said compressor for?
 
As a backup for a flat tire, I don't recommend an air compressor. Carry a "real" spare tire. However, if you are wanting to air down your tires to get more traction and a way more comfortable ride when off the paved road, then, Yes, a compressor is great for when you want to air back up before getting back on the highway. The cheap air compressors that you plug into your cigarette lighter and advertise very high air pressure, are not useful. While they will fully inflate the tires you aired down, it will take hours to do so. The Viair compressors are very good quality compressors. Get one that connects directly to your battery via cables. I also really like the ARB compressors.

If you have not aired down your tires before going off road, you will not believe how much more comfortable they make the ride while you are off road. However, once you get back on the highway, driving at higher speeds with low tire pressure will result in really "mushy" and potentially dangerous handling, and really heat up the tires. The overheated tires will tend to destroy the tires via damage to the belts in the tire.

Also. When using the compressor, keep your engine running. Partly to keep from draining your battery, but also because the compressors work much better when running at 13-14+ volts when the alternator is charging the battery Vs. the 12+ volts when using only the battery.

And finally. If you have a compressor, you can frequently "plug" a hole in the tread or the sidewall with a tire plug kit. You use a tire plug, and then fill up the tire with the compressor. You may have a good spare tire, but the folks with you may not. A plug in the tread may be considered a permanent fix. A plug in the sidewall may get you back to the highway or home, but they are not considered a permanent fix. If you have to plug the sidewall, you will want to replace the tire ASAP.

And really finally. I am so jealous about you going to Canada for a fishing trip. :)

And one more thing. A good quality compressor will work well. But they generate a lot of heat in the air they compress. When this air cools off, the air pressure in your tire will be lower. So you generally want to fill the tires about 5 PSI above your normal pressure so that when the air cools, it will be closer to your normal pressure.
 
Last edited:
HSKR R/T said:
What are you wanting to use said compressor for?
Click to expand...
I don't need to air down the tires, it's a Logging Road, it's not too bad, mainly just in case we get back after the week and we happen to have a low tire. I do have a full size spare.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
 
For the price of a viair, you could dang near buy another wheel and tire to carry with you.
If this is a one time deal, and you’re just worried about a low tire, then I’d say you should buy a cheap cigarette-adapter compressor.
On the other hand, if this is really an excuse to buy something nice, then by all means go for it.
 
I like my Viair, went with 400p after burning up a Slime "heavy duty". It gets used frequently so I wanted something fast and reliable and it delivers
 
Airing down any time your on dirt will usually make for a better ride and better traction. If you're only going a short distance from paved road to paved road, shouldn't be a problem. I also have a 2005 TJR and airing down helps traction and the trail, no matter what kind of trail or dirt road. I carry a Home Depot 18 volt portable air compressor and it airs my tires up from 12ish lbs to 33 lbs in about 10 minutes. And I also always carry a spare and start any trail with a full tank of gas.
 
Nightowl said:
I don't need to air down the tires, it's a Logging Road, it's not too bad, mainly just in case we get back after the week and we happen to have a low tire. I do have a full size spare.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Id recommend a battery powered inflator over a compressor. I have one of the small Milwaukee M12 inflators. It works great for topping off low tires. They so have M18 variety. To me, they are more practical than ones you need to plug in to use.
 
I'll second post #9, in my case it is a DeWalt 20V Tire Inflator, as the ambient temperature cools this time of year it is easy to add air to the tires. No need to check the pressure, add air, check pressure, add air or release air, check pressure and so forth. Turn the tire inflator on, set the pressure, connect the hose and hit start - all the tires are set at the same pressure.


From: https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/tire-inflation-pressure-and-temperature
"A good estimate is for every 10° fluctuation in air temperature, vehicle tire pressure will adjust by about 1 psi. So if outside air temperature decreases 30° from your last tire pressure adjustment, expect tire pressure to drop about 3 psi."

This is more precise for calculations as it adjusts for the tire psi (eg 50psi vs 30 psi) as well as the ambient temperature.

Tire Pressure Temperature Calculator

Find out by how much psi the tire pressure of your car has decreased or increased due to change in ambient temperature.
tirepressure.org tirepressure.org
 
Jako said:
I'll second post #9, in my case it is a DeWalt 20V Tire Inflator, as the ambient temperature cools this time of year it is easy to add air to the tires. No need to check the pressure, add air, check pressure, add air or release air, check pressure and so forth. Turn the tire inflator on, set the pressure, connect the hose and hit start - all the tires are set at the same pressure.


From: https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/tire-inflation-pressure-and-temperature
"A good estimate is for every 10° fluctuation in air temperature, vehicle tire pressure will adjust by about 1 psi. So if outside air temperature decreases 30° from your last tire pressure adjustment, expect tire pressure to drop about 3 psi."

This is more precise for calculations as it adjusts for the tire psi (eg 50psi vs 30 psi) as well as the ambient temperature.

Tire Pressure Temperature Calculator

Find out by how much psi the tire pressure of your car has decreased or increased due to change in ambient temperature.
tirepressure.org tirepressure.org
Click to expand...
I have two of those Dewalt air compressors. One in my Ram and the other in my wife's Pathfinder. In my Eclipse I have the Ryobi P747.

Before that I had a Viair 85P. But cordless is so much more convenient.
 
I have tried Vairs that connect directly to the battery and they could only air up to 57 PSI. I then bought a Dewalt 20V Max Tire Inflator (DCC020IB). It's the best of the 6 or so devices I have owned. It's the first one to easily reach 80 PSI and the battery lasts for a long time.
 
I don't use my VIAIR 400P auto often but it is nice to have when needing to air up.
If I did more beach or off road, then a CO2 tank would be more appropriate IMO
 
:)
Nightowl said:
I don't need to air down the tires, it's a Logging Road, it's not too bad.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
As I said in my post, you will not believe how much nicer the ride is, on a logging road, when you air down the tires.
 
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