on-board air tank, what size?

[jeffryscott]

Since the untimely death of my MV-50, I have been toying with different scenarios ... a simple replacement from Costco, or a bit more money for something like a Viair and 1 or 1.5 gallon air tank that I can install under my 4Runner somewhere.

Would one or 1.5 gallons of stored air do anything for me as far as airing up 4 255/85/16 tires vs. the Costco special?

 

[93BLAZER]

Those red tanks will do NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING for you. You need to decide whether you want an on board air compressor, CO2, Nitrogen or compressed air (SCUBA tank) air system.

Personally, I use a 10lb CO2 tank system. My needs are to inflate MY tires and operate a 1/2 inch impact gun to change flat tires. The 10lb tank suits me fine.

If I go with a large crowd and Im the only one with a tank, I might consider a 15lb tank to ensure that I have enough air for everyone's tires regardless of tire size.

Dont piss away money on the high priced "POWER TANK" systems. Build your own for under a hundred bucks.

 

[Rockcrawler]

I have a tank in my system and it does speed things up somewhat (maybe a couple of minutes at the most), but if I were to do it again, I wouldn't bother with a tank. It made the system far more complex than it needs to be. At this point I have no intention to change it, just would have been cheaper and much easier and probably more reliable with a tankless system.

 

[Willman]

I have an ExtremeAire W/ a 4 gal. tank......Yes it saves you time.....It all comes down on what compressor is behind the tank!

I can fill all my tires (255's) from 15-35 psi in about 8 or so minutes.......It is very nice!...

I use to have one of those MV-50...It is dead as well...That thing took 5 minutes a tire!

 

[ntsqd]

The way I see it the larger the tank, the less you'll have to wait to fill the tires. Having a tank in the system adds some damping too. You won't pressure shock the system as much when the compressor turns on and off b/c the tank will act as an accumulator.


Plus, you likely want a tank for the air horns........

 

[slooowr6]

You need a air compressor for your tank. 1.5 Gal is not enough air to air up 4 255/85 tires. You'll be airing up at the speed on the air compress after the tank runs low. For reference, I used a 5 Gal Nitrogen tank starts at 2000psi to air up 245/75/16 tire from 0 psi after 2.5 tires it's pretty much empty.

 

[njtaco]

Would one or 1.5 gallons of stored air do anything for me as far as airing up 4 255/85/16 tires vs. the Costco special?

The short answer, as was pointed out, is no. The tank IS good for running air tools and re-seating a tire, though.

If you do not bring air tools, bring a can of ether and a match instead and save the weight, space, and complexity of a tank.

eepwall:

 

[TeriAnn]

I have a Sun Performance 2.5 gallon tank and a Quickair2 running an ARB air locker and for airing up. I have never had a need for air tools (A wrench works just fine for me, weighs less & takes up less space). The tank is rated for 150 lbs pressure but I run it lower using an ARB pressure switch to maintain pressure within ARB locker specs. I like a compressor because it never runs out of air. I can air up and down as often as I want on a long trip without worrying about refilling the tank out in the middle of who knows where.

That said, the tank is mostly an air accumulator that stores air as I move from tyre to tyre and I start filling my first tyre from a full tank. It doesn't do much on its own but I feel it saves me a few minutes airing up all four tyres. I haven't any data but I suspect that having an air tank makes it easier on the pump at start and an air tank eliminates frequent pump starts & stops as you go between tyres.

Worth the expense of the tank & effort? Maybe not. Would I do it again? Probably. I haven't tried the system minus the tank. The Sun Performance tank is long and narrow so finding a place under the body between frame rails was easy to do.

I think it is expensive for a small air tank though. On the plus side, it is a quality tank. It has been on the underside of my rig of 8 years now and the paint (powder coating?) is still in very good condition. I think it is a few quality steps above the cheapo tanks.

 

[Nullifier]

I have a viair tank on mine. I do not think it added anymore complexity to the system. A tank with multi ports allows you to run from the tank to the desired acceories. Other wise you have to get a distribution block to accomplish the same thing. So other then the fact that a tank takes up some room it adds no compexity to the system.

I have had my system for almost 2 years now. I like the fact that when I am out I do not have to worry about getting my C02 tank refilled or running out of air. I think on my next system though I will be going with a unit that has a higher flow rate. My 460 viair is not bad at all for filling tires. I guess I do not really seem to be in the same hurry as every one else since there is always plenty of things to check over while you waiting a minute or two for the tire to fill.

 

[outsidr]

To tank or not to tank, it should not really be a question imo....

Having a compressor without a tank for reserve capacity will increase the amount of time you take to fill tires and also limit you by your compressors duty cycle.

If you think about it in an electronic analogy, it is like hooking your winch up to your alternator without a battery to provide stabilized capacity.

if you are constrained by budget that is one thing but I would strongly consider keeping a 2gallon reservoir on the long term list. You can always add one later. Beyond storing additional air to get jobs done quicker (average psi longer duration), they also allow for small bursts of greater cfm at higher pressure too that is handy with air tools or setting a bead on a tire. Granted, air tools are heavier and more expensive to carry and depending on compressor and reservoir size limited in operation times but for the additional $100 in parts for the reservoir it seems like a decent value proposition. Especially for gear intensive persons like myself. By the way....

Check out the atom air from Extreme Outback Products. It is small and has a 100% duty cycle. I am now installing two of these rather than one Vair or Extreme air jr. If you look at the stats for it, two atoms create the same max psi and cfm as the jr. but have 100% duty cycle, they are smaller physically, and redundant if one fails (you still have the other at 50% CFM in your system. Nice work George.,....:wings: http://www.extremeoutback.com/index.cgi?cart_id=6293640.440&pid=115

 

[Willman]

Check out the atom air from Extreme Outback Products. It is small and has a 100% duty cycle. I am now installing two of these rather than one Vair or Extreme air jr. If you look at the stats for it, two atoms create the same max psi and cfm as the jr. but have 100% duty cycle, they are smaller physically, and redundant if one fails (you still have the other at 50% CFM in your system. Nice work George.,....:wings: http://www.extremeoutback.com/index.cgi?cart_id=6293640.440&pid=115

Wow...as my wife would say....That's cute!

:shakin:

You need to man up and get the bad boy!

http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=173

:elkgrin:

 

[kjp98TJ]

even with an engine driven york, a tank did not improve any performance of filling tires, or tools.

 

[ntsqd]

A tank isn't going to increase the speed that the system will fill the tires. It only allows the compressor to not have to run as long IF the system is already up to pressure prior to starting to fill the tires. If the system is not up to pressure than the compressor has to fill both the tank and the tires, which will slow down the filling of everything.

If increasing the tire filling speed is the goal then increasing the size of the plumbing would be the first step. The Sub is plumbed with 3/8" PE tube, and that probably should have been 1/2"
Then look at the various QD designs available. Some flow better than others, and they do come in bigger sizes than the common 1/4" size.
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