Portable air compressor

[Rickw1209]

I just purchased a new Rubicon X Gladiator and purchasing all the recommended recovery gear. Im a bit confused on what compressor to buy. I'm running the stock tires now but when I need new I might go to 35s or larger. My question really is between the dual that can do all 4 tires at once or single.
The concern I have on the dual is they say you should not air up just one tire. But what if I have a flat and only need to air up just one?
Any thoughts or recommendations is greatly appreciated. Didnt realize this would be the hardest item to decide on. Thanks Rick

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[fourfa]

One flat tire once in a while won’t hurt or break a big ol twin compressor, especially if it’s starting from cold. You shouldn’t make a habit of routinely airing up all four tires one at a time though, as there would be a lot of unnecessary heat buildup compared to 2 or 4 at a time with the appropriate hoses.

 

[bill61]

Never heard about airing up just one tire? What is the issue there?

 

[fourfa]

On a high volume twin compressor, it puts out air a lot faster (as much as 10cfm) than it can flow through a single tire valve (might only be 2cfm at Jeep pressures). So some pumps like this:

https://morrflate.com/shop/air-sources/portable-compressors/morrflate-tensix-psi-pro-12v-compressor/

Come with warnings like this:

“Note About This Product: This compressor is not designed for 1 tire at a time. You can still air up a single flat if you need to, but the duty cycle dwindles to 8-10min doing 1 tire at a time. Airing up an entire vehicle, 1 tire at a time, will damage the TenSix. It just simply puts out too much air and is optimized for 4 tires at a time.”

 

[Walldo]

Or just get something like this that can be moved from vehicle to vehicle.
https://store.arbusa.com/twin-motor-portable-12v-air-compressor-ckmtp12/

 

[bill61]

Oh. Makes sense.

 

[dave33]

Im looking at air up solutions now as well. I wont be off roading tons, mostly just beach driving a few times a month. I keep coming back to the Milwaukee M18 inflator. Seen tons of reviews and Im pretty impressed. Crazy fast and portable. Considering theres no set up required like getting out multiple hoses, lifting your hood and connecting to the battery, its arguably as fast as or possibly faster than the 4 at a time solutions. It would also be easier to use around the house on other vehicles, boat trailer tires, and kids sports balls. Seems the best for me but still looking at options.

 

[jackalope]

I have a Slime compressor, it works great, and you can also save yourself several hundred dollars:
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NCB40026

 

[Stuntman Mike]

I have a Viair 400P Automatic and I am very satisfied with it.

Inflates the tires reasonable fast and stops running automatically.

 

[Overland_Dreamrz]

I use a NAPA air compressor that is specifically designed to do 4 tires at a time. Cost (on sale) was $125. Since the vast majority of use is for airing up after a trail run, I would much rather have a compressor designed for that. Since airing up a single tire is going to be a rare thing (have needed to do that one time since Sept. 2023), I am not worried about that.

 

[Rickw1209]

Never heard about airing up just one tire? What is the issue there?

No issue, Just incase I get a flat on one tire and need to air up just that one tire.

 

[MattK]

I have the ARB Dual hard mounted under my passenger seat with the Kraken kit from Epic and it allows for one tire as I don't think the CFM is crazy like what's being described. I've used a ARB dual for many years on one tire.

However, with the setup I have mentioned above you can also set up all four tires and without turning it on it will equalize the air pressure on all 4 meaning some will lose air to fill the tire with the least pressure as it's an open system between all four tires. Then, once it's equalized you can fire it up to start filling all four via the compressor. Or just go immediately and it will equalize it out as the compressor runs.

All this to ask the question, I wonder if the other compressors that do all four at the same time have the same open setup where you can let it equalize the tire pressure before you start running the compressor?

EDIT: Also, I'm not recommending pushing the setup I have. It was more about the open nature of this setup to equalize all four tires without running the compressor. This setup is quite expensive given the price of ARB stuff and it sounds like you're newer to off-roading based on you having to purchase all the recovery gear. So, until you know you like off-roading and how much you actually go I'd recommend something more budget friendly.

 

[SanTan38]

I use the VIAIR compressor. Only one tire at a time, but. It’s quick.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

I run the ryobi 1 gal portable compressor. It's slow but reliable. 0.5 CFM versus 10. I've become a patient man as I approach 50. Also I can use it on small projects and move it from vehicle to vehicle for long trips.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-O...r-Compressor-0-5-CFM-at-90-PSI-P739/305269932

 

[Aleph]

All this to ask the question, I wonder if the other compressors that do all four at the same time have the same open setup where you can let it equalize the tire pressure before you start running the compressor?

I’m pretty sure this usually doesn’t have anything to do with the compressor, but rather the 4 tire hose system you use.
When I connect my 4 hose system to the tires but before connecting the hose to the compressor, I can hear the air pressures equalizing between the tires. The hoses connect the tires in a parallel fashion (which would be the more efficient way to design a 4 hose system)

The air from higher-pressured tires doesn’t have to go through the compressor first to reach the lower-pressured tires.

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