Thinking of adding air Onboard vs portable

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Permalink Reply by Estysalinas on September 28, 2010 at 4:29pm

I went with the VIAIR Constant Duty Onboard Air System (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YC42RG/ref=oss_product). It was fairly painless to install, i just bought some longer bolts and fender washers and mounted the tank underneath the truck. The air compressor sits inside on the left...i'll take some pictures when i get home.

It took about 10-15 minutes to air up from 23psi when I was at the HS run. I'm a fan of not having to do refills like you do with CO2...some don't mind it. The inflation time for CO2 will blow my system out of the water though :-P.

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Permalink Reply by daPitbull on September 28, 2010 at 4:42pm

I had the 100% duty cycle Viair system on my old FJ. You can run air tools, but not long enough to make the air tools useful. You can use it for blowing dirt off the interior though. Airing up is much faster with the tank then without. Benefit over the CO2 is not needing the refills and you can running train horns was a plus for me, lol. The compressor was mounted in the bottle jack location and the tank was mounted in the DO bumper. You can probably mount it underneath the rear cargo area. I'm going to run the same OBA on my 4runner.

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Permalink Reply by potatomutato on September 28, 2010 at 5:13pm

i like my portable CO2 tank because it allows me to catch a few ZZZs while i wait on the onboard air guys to fill up their tires.

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Permalink Reply by opg4759 on September 28, 2010 at 6:24pm

I agree with Tater a nice nap is good.

I'm a fan of both systems. I got in on a old group buy on my Power Tank and I have to say I'm very happy with it and the performance. Yeah getting it filled is a choir and costs money, but luckily in San Jose we have carbonic service which is cheap and easy to deal with. One major difference with a CO2 tank you can reseat a tire bead where a onboard air compressor just doesn't have the volume. That being said as long as you have power you can fill your tires with an onboard compressor. I'm going to install on someday as a backup.

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Permalink Reply by Lance on September 28, 2010 at 5:42pm

Probably going with "the source" c02 tank. Bout half the price of the similar 10# power tank. Reviews are mixed, but most seem to say the newer model with the variable valve works pretty well for airing up and slight air tool use. This is the one I am considering http://www.trdparts4u.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-8546

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Permalink Reply by FJ4 Tahoe on September 28, 2010 at 6:07pm

Thanks guys. I was leaning towards the CO2 after observing Magic's tank in action. After seeing Lance's post I trolled Google and found a sweeter deal on "The Source" @ http://eastsidecustomtruck.com/i-61355-sport-hyperflo-20-lb-complet... for $251 (without gauges).

Ok, this might be a stupid question... Why not buy the extra tank and apply the valves and gauges? Are these tanks special? $400 for a tank and a bracket?...oh, and a handle! Am I missing something? (don't answer that)

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Permalink Reply by Lance on September 28, 2010 at 6:15pm

Many people do that actually. The argument people make is that the quality of the valve and hose makes or breaks the system. Apparently (I have zero experience here) lesser valves will freeze over and require thawing between use. I am also told to use air tools you must have the variable valve.

Someone with more experience can probably shed light on this. i was going to pose a similar question before I pulled the trigger so I am interested in the responses as well.

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Permalink Reply by opg4759 on September 28, 2010 at 6:25pm

I've had zero issues with the Power Tank Valve freezing up on me.

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Permalink Reply by potatomutato on September 28, 2010 at 6:29pm

i did once...i think i had filled up about 16 tires from about 18 to 38 back-to-back-to-back-to.... with a cheap valve, i'm sure that number would be a lot less.

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Permalink Reply by opg4759 on September 28, 2010 at 6:34pm

a lot of the money you are pay in for a brand new certified tank. CO2 tanks need to be hydrostatic tested every 5 years.

The handle is very nice btw it really protects the main valve and the regulator. You also get a decent hose and a very nice air chuck with gauges. It's pricey yes, but by the time you piece it all together your not saving much.

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Permalink Reply by paraextreme on September 28, 2010 at 8:36pm

I have a viair onboard set up I will try to post pics.or you can check out my post I did along time ago on the blue room.just search for onboard air by paraextreme. http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/interior-exterior-visual-tech...

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Permalink Reply by Boss73 on September 28, 2010 at 9:08pm

I got my tank in a group buy on the blue room for $215 delivered to my house. That included Tank, Reg , Hose with chuck and mounting bracket. Now I do not have any gauges on the reg, which can be a pain cuz I can only tell by weight when I am getting empty. SO far I am very happy with my set up. For me I wanted a system I could use in more than one truck and I like the speed of filling up the tires. Its also handy to fill up the kids bike tires and other stuff. Just open the door turn on the hose and its done.

I think its mostly a personal choice because there are pro's and con's to both systems. Of course try to buy a good product no matter which way you go cuz having something break on you in the middle of nowhere, sucks ass!!

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