Recommendations 12v air compressor

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WjColdWater

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Need recommendations on a good quality portable 12v air compressor. Would use for airing up tires.
Thanks Wayne
 
Really depends on how much you want to spend. Whoa, I was just going to recommend the MV 50 superflow as an inexpensive compressor but I just noticed they've gotten pricey now. I have a quickair2 in my Jeep but I don't think they even make those anymore. My CO2 setup was pricey but when you really want a fast fill you get it.
 
The Air 88p works great, not pricey, less than $75. Originally purchased for my ranger, and I was concerned it wouldn't have enough to inflate the tires on my F150. Its rated for tires up to 33". The cable and hose reach from my battery to my license plate fill for my air bags. I have a 6.5 ft bed with a supercab (half doors). If you have a larger truck, you might not reach the rear license plate fills.
 
For years the MV50 and MV-1050 family of compressors was the best value on the low end of the price range. Since they've gone up in price I don't know if that is true any more.

Perhaps a rough range for what you want to spend would narrow down the suggestions?
 
My advice is to get the best compressor you can afford. Seriously, spend til it hurts now and you'll be happy later. I've lost track of the people I've met who bought cheap compressors, used them once or twice, got tired of a 20- or 30-minute long process to air back up, and simply stopped doing it.

The ubiquitous MV50 is . . . not bad, especially for the price, but I've known several to fail very early. The Viair 300P and 400P are better choices, as is the ARB Heavy Duty and anything from Extreme Outback.

If you want to take the pro approach and never spend more than five minutes airing up, look at the ARB Twin. Please take a look here for more information on all aspects of airing down and up.

CO2 systems are attractive, but besides the obvious fact that they need to be refilled, CO2 can leak out of tires with time.
 
My Viar 400P-RV came with 2 accordion style hoses. I was able to reach from the battery under the hood of my F250 all the way back to the tandem axles of my trailer. No problem reaching 80psi.
 
I'm not surprised you've seen the MV-50s fail. Mine I had to disassemble, reinsert the screws that had fallen out and tighten up the rest. After that though its worked fine for quite a while now. I do agree though, better off biting the bullet and getting a good one.
 
We use this one: TIREWELL 12V Tire Inflator-Heavy Duty Double Cylinders Direct Drive Metal Pump 150PSI, Compressor which we picked up via amazon.
 
I have been looking at on board air compressors also. One very important thing to look at is the CFM with a PSI load. The ratings normally drop significantly:

ARB CKMA12 is rated 3.8 CFM @ 0 PSI and 2.39 CFM @ 29 PSI (https://www.arb.com.au/assets/air-lockers/6-07.pdf)
Viair 400P is rated at 2.3 CFM @ PSI and 1.86 CFM @ 30 PSI (https://www.viaircorp.com/portables/400p)

A lot of the cheaper pumps will have a good CFM rating at 0 PSI but get asthmatic once the pressure increases.

Here is a really good youtube video explaining that:
**Warning** presenter talks like bitter tug boat captain turned machinist. Those in the manufacturing industries will probably appreciate / can relate.
 
I recall reading Jonathan's comments/posts about compressors years ago.

I followed his advice over 4 years ago, bit the bullet and paid big big coin for an Extreme Air Magnum 12V compressor. It is $$$$, heavy, but a pleasure to use. My Super Duty needs 65psi for tarmac/Interstate speeds. Airing up 4 tires from 30 psi with a budget compressor would likely take half a day.

I've used it about as much helping other folks air up as my own truck tires.

It is a very robust compressor that will undoubtedly last many, many years.

It does get quite hot so it needs to cool down before stowing it or placing it in a safe place if you desire to boogie down the trail right now.
 
I think the more important rating is the duty cycle. If it can fill one tire with a great CFM (cubic feet per minute) but has a 20% duty cycle and has to cool down before filling another its much good. 100% duty cycle is what you want but it won't come cheap.

I removed the safety on my quickair and surprisingly it hasn't melted down yet. Do this mod at your own risk, Not recommended.
 
I've used my Viar 400P-RV to bring up the pressure on all 8 tires on my Super Duty and trailer after they both sat for a while. No problem maintaining output. Does get warm though, so I usually let it cool a bit before stowing it back in it's storage bag. Of course, I've never tried taking 8, or 4 tires for that matter, up to 60 or 80 psi if they were all near flat. Not concerned about that at it is a bit unrealistic in most all circumstances.
 
Our VIAIR 300P has worked well for our Tacoma tires, easily handles 20-62 psi for rear and 15-45 for front, and doesn't seem to get boiling hot. Plenty warm though. But I let it cool for a few minutes before putting back in the bag cuz I'm paranoid about melting the bag. Sometimes I pour a little water on the fins and let it evaporate. Evaporation: very efficient heat transfer! Hope I don't crack the metal though... hmmm.

I think I picked the 300P because the hoses were a little longer. Reaches fine from the ground in front of the truck back to rear tires.

The one thing I wish I'd done differently is mount the compressor inside the engine compartment. Just one less thing floating around the cab or camper. Wonder if there's a standard mount, or if I bought the wrong unit. The Taco has a nice mounting area, not sure what that's for, but looks handy for this situation.
 
For a portable, I like the Viair 450P which has 100% duty cycle. In fact, I liked mine so much I mounted it under the hood of my 4Runner. No problem airing up all four (stock size) tires.

I've just installed an ARB CKMA12 under the hood of my Ranger. Higher throughput but 50% duty cycle. Seems bulletproof, but not really a portable.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Steve
 
I've had one MV50 failure, the cold solder joint on the relay under the end cap failed. Wired around it for a field fix and removed it entirely for a permanent fix. Didn't really care about the switch and that was all that the relay did.

Scored an air suspension compressor and tank from the junkyard for the CTD. For the 4rnnr I bought a Puma to run it's OBA system and ARB's. I like it enough that I'll be putting one under the Blanc-Oh! in the near future. I split the compressor from the tank under the 4rnnr to make it fit easier and I suspect that I'll have to do so again under the Blanc-Oh. I still carry the MV50 in the 4rnnr and the CTD as a back-up, but I doubt that I'll need either.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W1TNO6U/
 
Here's a link to a good article on Expedition Portal on this topic....

The Overland Journal Air Compressor Test (you may need to be signed on to ExPo to see it)

I have a couple of those-- Viair 88Ps in my Tundras and a Smittybilt 2871 in my van.

I bought the Smittybilt in the Spring of 2016 and felt the $150 I paid for it was my limit. I thought that would be the one I'd use on my trips.

In the Summer of 2017 I saw 88Ps on sale for $48 (each) and spent quite a bit of time reading specs on the various models on the Viair Portables web page. In the end, the 88P seemed to be the best mix of specs for the price I was willing to pay for a 'nice-to-have' item. I bought two of them and put them in my Tundras.

When it came time for the next trip in the Tundra/Hawk rig, I decided I didn't need to swap in the larger and heavier Smittybilt. I have the 88P in a mechanics tool bag and it fits nicely under the bottom of the folded-up rear seat-back of my Tundra double-cab. The Smittybilt doesn't store so easily and I figured my compressor needs are really so modest that the 88P should be sufficient. I run stock-size tires and I don't need to air-up often or quickly. And by that time I had used my 88Ps several times and they seemed to do the job well. But then again I'm only airing up from about 30 PSI to 45-50 PSI.
.
 
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