LR3 underhood compressor

[colb45]

Hey everyone, need a bit of input on an under hood compressor.

Using it strictly for airing tires. Thinking of going with the ARB CKMA12 ( http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-On-Board-High-Performance-12-Volt-Air-Compressor-CKMA12-P3572C9.aspx ), million dollar question is do i pony up for the twin or would this be sufficient enough. I do have a portable (back up unit), just like the idea of having one under the hood.

Currently not running a dual battery in the spare location.

Feed back and thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

[John R]

I have that unit under my drivers seat in my D2. I’ve had no issues with it. Do you really need a twin?

 

[colb45]

Do you really need a twin?

That's where I am torn if it is just over kill..

 

[Abran]

I think its fine, works for me. I did try to use an airlift to pull a vacuum on a cooling system to refill it, never got over 10 pounds and I needed 25. Anyways, works fine for airing up tires.

 

[DVD]

I have that unit in my LR3. It's fine for airing up tires.
I schlepped around a PowerTank for number of years before setting up the onboard air, and I consider the ARB a big improvement. Of course, once you are all set up and in place, the PowerTank is faster, but the ARB is quick and convenient to access and not bad in terms of air-up time, always there, and out of the way.
I have an aux battery installed, so I placed the unit in front of the battery.
Gotta admit that I'm a bit jealous of Jeepers when it comes to installation. I did a google search and found an aftermarket bracket for Jeeps that lets them tuck this somewhere under the hood. I got to spend an afternoon with a friend who has a fab shop, and he created the mount from scratch/imagination. Works great!

 

[krick3tt]

Having never aired down the Rover, it escapes me that people do it. That what the traction control is for, right? I have a compressor that resides in a 50 cal ammo box behind the second row seat. It is left over from two previous vehicles, probably only use it for inflating a flat tire after fixing.

 

[Ray_G]

Traction control can't make a bigger contact patch.

That said, much depends on what conditions you wheel in.

As far as compressors go-I have a TJM unit mounted forward with routing to a QD coupling tucked in the bumper. I considered the twin but decided it was overkill for tire airing duties. If you really want to use air tools I'd suggest a belt and suspenders approach (& get a powertank).
R-
Ray


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[John R]

My personal thought is that I’m going to need to re-inflate my tyres after some off-road fun. Does it really matter if it takes you a few minutes extra to get the job done? What are you honestly going to achieve in the 5 minutes you have saved?

 

[colb45]

I got to spend an afternoon with a friend who has a fab shop, and he created the mount from scratch/imagination. Works great!

Do you have a picture of the bracket by any chance?

Having never aired down the Rover, it escapes me that people do it. That what the traction control is for, right? I have a compressor that resides in a 50 cal ammo box behind the second row seat. It is left over from two previous vehicles, probably only use it for inflating a flat tire after fixing.

Every time I hit a dirt road, I air down. Helps make it a more comfortable drive and better contact patch, but im humping around some good weight with the RTT and all the other junk in the truck (highway mileage would horrendous lol)

 

[krick3tt]

"Traction control can't make a bigger contact patch" I get that but my tires are 10.5 inches wide and I am not really going to improve on that very much by letting a few pounds of air out of the tires. The air bags take a lot of the road bumps and I have not ever found them lacking in easing my ride. Everyone has their own reasons for what they do.
Should I ever decide to 'air down' I do carry a compressor and I still carry the Stauns from my previous vehicles.

 

[rlynch356]

i'm not going to wade into the proven concept of airing down....

Has anyone mounted the ARB single compressor anywhere else in the engine compartment? i.e. NOT in the secondary battery box and NOT in front of it?

I want to clear out the battery box to use for a battery and the space in front of it, where the above compressors are mounted, is filled with my windshield washer bottle now (bumper dictated).. i was thinking there is space in the rear of the truck behind the right side plastic paneling in the load area but not sure if i want to go to all that trouble yet.

To the OP: i have both a single and a Twin in 2 different trucks..
The single is fine if its just you using it... that said my D90 has multiple air outlets and typically i end up filling up several trucks in a row, i also carry 2 hoses as well so i can reach my trailer tires. it's use case dependant

 

[Victory_Overland]

There are a few guys who are running their ARB singles from the back cargo area panel. Just make sure the further you run it from the battery, you do the resistance drop for wiring. I think it more about preference on how you want to use your space so stuff it where you think it will work for you.

 

[colb45]

Ended up picking up a twin ARB compressor, anyone jam one of these under the hood? Figure i would go over kill route.

 

[Kennyao30]

you will be glad you got the twin, it is way faster and you never run out of air.

 

[benjaminjaninja]

For anyone who might find this helpful. I mounted a single ARB in the space in front of the spare battery compartment. I think my mount is somewhat unique since it doesn't require a fab shop.

Because of the unique shape of the sheet metal in that area there isn't a flat place to mount to. I created a mold to make a peice that would sit between the sheet metal and compressor and allow it to sit flat.
First thing was buying modeling clay from a craft store. Then shaping it around where I want to have the compressor sit. I drilled 4 holes that would accept the mounting bolts that came with the ARB. The idea was to pass those through the mounting bracket on the compressor through the molded part and then through the sheet metal. I could then thread the nuts and large fender washers in through the wheel well.
Once the I was happy with the clay I mixed my two part liquid plastic labeled on amazon "Smooth-Cast 300 Liquid Plastic Compound" and made by Smooth-On. Then poured it in, waited for the plastic to harden and then removed the clay. I was left with a mount that perfectly matched the geometry of the sheet metal and was flat on top.

NOW this was a first attempt and I will admit there is a lot of room for improvement. Things I would change:

1. Clean surfaces much better before clay and casting.
2. Use mold release on surfaces
3. Use straws instead of wooden dowels to make through holes in mold
4. Use a different cast plastic compound. The 300 series was a little brittle, I dropped it on the ground from about 3 feet up and a corner broke clean off. Also go with something already black or gray so I didn't have to spray paint the final product.

Overall though it turned out pretty good, and after a couple of trips and many more highway miles it's still holding strong.