Tire air compressor recommendation

[lpj123]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reasonably priced tire air compressor up to 80 PSI

[Mr. Dan]

There are several threads here which give a range of answers to your question.


Do a search for Viair and one for Compressor and you should get an afternoon's worth of answers.

[dcheatwood]

Wife bought me a new Viair 400RV portable compressor for Christmas. I'd never have spent the money for this but I must say after using it that it is quiet, fast and compact for a 150psi compressor.

[67L48]

This MasterFlow pump has gotten some good reviews on an F150 forum I used to frequent. A few guys found space under hood and mounted next to the battery. Some also install a tank along the frame rail and a quick connect near the rear license plate ... allows an air hose to fill truck and trailer tires (along with other things).

Anyway, even if you didn't want to go through that more permanent install, the pump itself seems to be a good value based on what I've read. It's been sitting in my Amazon basket for quite a few months.

Whatever you do, don't ever get the kind that connect through a 12 VDC plug. Only ever get the kind that connects directly to the battery terminals.

[Fifth Wheelers]

2x - Viair is the best especially when storage space is important.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by dcheatwood

Wife bought me a new Viair 400RV portable compressor for Christmas. I'd never have spent the money for this but I must say after using it that it is quiet, fast and compact for a 150psi compressor. Attachment 194975

I’ve had the 450P for a couple of years now and love it. If I recall correctly, the big difference between the 400 and 450P is the duty cycle. The 450P is 100% and the 400 is not (but I’m not even going to guess what it is).

Great compressor.

Full review at:
http://learntorv.com/product-review-...ir-compressor/

[Jeffjeeptj]

I’ve had a Viair since 2003. It gets used frequently, but, not daily. Have used it to inflate rafts, kids pools, tractor tires, 35” off road tires, and 80 psi tires.
Take it whenever we go on a trip.
It is a 400 series has a 33% duty cycle, but that has been ignored more than once. Used just last night to inflate tow vehicle tires as we are getting ready to move to another CG.

For me $/15 years equals a low price and high value. The only problem has been the Viair hose dried and cracked in 2008. Internet seems to confirm that weak spot. The replacment coily hose from NAPA is still going strong.

[dcheatwood]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I’ve had the 450P for a couple of years now and love it. If I recall correctly, the big difference between the 400 and 450P is the duty cycle. The 450P is 100% and the 400 is not (but I’m not even going to guess what it is).

Great compressor.

Full review at:
http://learntorv.com/product-review-...ir-compressor/

Ok. Mine must be 400 because it is 33% duty cycle. Couldn't remember and I wasn't going out in this cold weather to look at it. Brrrr.

[itat]

Originally Posted by lpj123

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reasonably priced tire air compressor up to 80 PSI

You can get either a 12VDC compressor that you can plug into your tow vehicle or a 120VAC compressor that plugs into the wall at home. I decided I wanted a 12VDC air compressor so I could keep it in the truck and use it anywhere including on the road to top up the spare if I ever need to.

I also have a Viair 400P but I doubt you’ll think it’s “reasonably priced” at first. I can assure you its very good quality because I accidentally ran over mine with my truck and it didn’t hurt it at all except I had to replace the bent base plate. The Viair is VERY quiet which I really appreciate when using it in a campground where I don’t want to disturb my neighbors.

A 120VAC compressor will be less expensive but also less versatile and quite a bit louder. If you boondock without neighbors and already have a portable generator to supply 120VAC power on the road, the louder 120VAC compressor might work well for you.

[Cypressloser]

VIAIR 450P RV, it's nearly indestructible and if I ever have to replace it for some reason it will be with the exact same one.

[nomad297]

The VIAIR 450P is a great compressor — 100% duty. It’s not cheap, but it’s great. Plus, VIAIR has great customer service and they stock any part you could ever need for any of their compressors. They will send you the parts and probably not even charge you for them — warranty or not.

Bruce

[67L48]

Duty cycle is basically the fraction of an hour that the air compressor can run continuously.

The 400P is 33% duty cycle, so it can run for 20 minutes continuously before needing to shut down to cool down.

The 450P is 100% duty cycle, so it can run continuously for an hour before it needs to cool down.

However, to do this, the 450P actually runs slower than the 400P. That is, the 400P inflates at a faster rate. The 450P runs at 1.66 CFM and the 400P runs at 2.54 CFM. That's over 50% more air flow. However, in real-world use, I doubt it's really a 50% difference.

How often are you operating an air compressor at 150 psi for 20 minutes straight? I literally never have. Even if I'm doing a lot of compressor work, I am not working the compressor for 20+ minutes straight.

If you expect to work that compressor for 20 minutes or more, then the 450P is probably the better option. If you're just using it to inflate low tires and such (RVs, airing your Jeep tires back up after your offroad adventure, etc.), then the 400P is probably the better options because it's much faster.

The Viair 300P is an interesting compromise. Not as expensive as the 400/450P at only ~$105. May be a bit more rugged than the cheaper compressor I linked to earlier.

Hope this helps.

[Cardinalowner]

Originally Posted by lpj123

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reasonably priced tire air compressor up to 80 PSI

I wanted to be able to easily top off my tires so I got a DeWalt inflator that can run off my 20v max lithium-ion drill batteries. It also runs on12v and has a optional cord for running on AC.

So far I am really impressed, you just set the desired pressure and it shuts off when it is reached, it has 160 psi max pressure and a high volume side for inflating air mattresses and the like.

As far as being reasonably priced that kind of depends, if you already have DeWalt batteries and charger you can get the inflator as a bare tool for $99 on Amazon. If you need everything you can also buy a drill set that comes with 2 batteries and a charger for around $100 which is cheaper than buying the batteries and charger alone.

[W5CI]

Originally Posted by lpj123

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reasonably priced tire air compressor up to 80 PSI

Harbor Freight has a couple for less than $50 that work very well

[dcheatwood]

Originally Posted by 67L48

Duty cycle is basically the fraction of an hour that the air compressor can run continuously.

The 400P is 33% duty cycle, so it can run for 20 minutes continuously before needing to shut down to cool down.

The 450P is 100% duty cycle, so it can run continuously for an hour before it needs to cool down.

However, to do this, the 450P actually runs slower than the 400P. That is, the 400P inflates at a faster rate. The 450P runs at 1.66 CFM and the 400P runs at 2.54 CFM. That's over 50% more air flow. However, in real-world use, I doubt it's really a 50% difference.

How often are you operating an air compressor at 150 psi for 20 minutes straight? I literally never have. Even if I'm doing a lot of compressor work, I am not working the compressor for 20+ minutes straight.

If you expect to work that compressor for 20 minutes or more, then the 450P is probably the better option. If you're just using it to inflate low tires and such (RVs, airing your Jeep tires back up after your offroad adventure, etc.), then the 400P is probably the better options because it's much faster.

The Viair 300P is an interesting compromise. Not as expensive as the 400/450P at only ~$105. May be a bit more rugged than the cheaper compressor I linked to earlier.

Hope this helps.

This is very informative. I have the 400 and other cheaper ones, and always wondered what duty cycle really meant. Thanks.

[pilotpip]

Originally Posted by 67L48

Duty cycle is basically the fraction of an hour that the air compressor can run continuously.

The 400P is 33% duty cycle, so it can run for 20 minutes continuously before needing to shut down to cool down.

The 450P is 100% duty cycle, so it can run continuously for an hour before it needs to cool down.

However, to do this, the 450P actually runs slower than the 400P. That is, the 400P inflates at a faster rate. The 450P runs at 1.66 CFM and the 400P runs at 2.54 CFM. That's over 50% more air flow. However, in real-world use, I doubt it's really a 50% difference.

How often are you operating an air compressor at 150 psi for 20 minutes straight? I literally never have. Even if I'm doing a lot of compressor work, I am not working the compressor for 20+ minutes straight.

If you expect to work that compressor for 20 minutes or more, then the 450P is probably the better option. If you're just using it to inflate low tires and such (RVs, airing your Jeep tires back up after your offroad adventure, etc.), then the 400P is probably the better options because it's much faster.

The Viair 300P is an interesting compromise. Not as expensive as the 400/450P at only ~$105. May be a bit more rugged than the cheaper compressor I linked to earlier.

Hope this helps.

For you and I, the 300P would be a good choice. For those here running 1 ton duallies with triple axle toy haulers running tires that require more volume at twice the pressure, that longer duty cycle may come into play. Good review, and good to point out the 300p. That may be the route I go.