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Onboard air


derekmac

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My A/C hasn't worked in the four years I've had the Jeep, and there are only a few times this year that I had wished I had it. A compressor and all the fittings and crap will cost just about the same as the Viair kit that I posted in the first post though, so I probably won't go the A/C compressor route. I would kind of rather build something than buy though. I'll have to do more research, and see if I can find a used A/C compressor.

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Keep in mind guys my 38's have much, much more volume than a 33 or even a 35. I could do my old 35's in about 20 mins from 10 PSI to whatever I ran them at (28 / 30 psi?).

One very useful feature of having a tank is the ability to immediately blast 150 PSI of air into a tire to reseat a bead - I have done that a few times on a trail - cannot do that off a compressor alone.

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I think I might go with the Viair kit. I would rather have the 100% duty cycle compressor (this one is 30%), but it'll cost around $150 more, and I (at least now) don't think it's worth it.

I might order that next week, unless anyone here has a setup they want to sell?

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if you went with an inverter and ran a 2-3 gallon compressor, there is no way you would run air tools of that. i have a 20 gallon at home and and 3 gallon for my brad nailer. the thing takes forever to fill up and never would it run an air impact. might as well get a deep cycle battery and a big inverter and an electric impact

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Yeah, I think the inverter and compressor idea is out the window. I did a bunch of research, and it really doesn't seem worth it. 12 volt OBA seems the way to go, even if I can't run air tools, that's fine.

Airing up after a run is such a PITA, so I figured I'd do it more often if I had a Viair setup, and could help others too.

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An inverter big enough to power a compressor and/or powers tools will cost you near the cost of the Viair system alone, plus the cost of the compressor/tools you may want to run off of it. I already have the tools (compressor, electric impact, recip saw, grinder, etc.) for that route to be worthwhile for me, BUT I have no room for all that gear as my back seat is used often. I also am getting a working A/C pump from a friend, for the A/C OBA setup , so that is the big reasoning for that route on my part. I may plumb a tank into the system at some point too.

Brian Palmer's A/C setup works wicked fast airing up tires almost as well as my wheelbarrel compressor in the garage.

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How expensive would it be to fit a central tire inflation system to my vehicle or any vehicle as an example?

The short answer? Expensive.

You will need to get new wheels, hubs, all the fittings, and it will all be DIY as they do not make CTIS for your vehicle. The H1's run portal axles and the air hose runs right through the bottom ring gear in the portal box... so you're looking at roughly $10k for the portal setup to run on top of the new axles you would need to buy to do that (buying new of course).

Some of the Military M35's run CTIS as well with a special hub that passes the air through a high speed rotational fitting, but I don't know much about how that setup works.

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I'm going to place my order soon, but I'm wondering if I should get a 25 or 50' coiled hose? Or the 30' Viair one that comes with the digital inflator?

Plastair Hose Koil PU450-1-3-AMZ 1/4-Inch x 50-Feet

Plastair Hose Koil PU425-1-3-AMZ 1/4-Inch x 25-Feet

Viair 00044 Digital Inflation Kit

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I didn't want to spend the extra $10 for the longer one. :facepalm:

It'll reach for me using it though. :D

I found all my wire, so my plan is to run 4 gauge to the back area to a fused distribution block, then from the block to the relay, and the relay to the pump. I know that the 4 gauge is overkill, but I wanted to run it incase I go to add an inverter, or want to put a small amp and sub in it. That'll save me having to run more than one power cable.

I just wish I had of thought about running the cable when I had the seats and carpet out. Would have made things easier. :facepalm:

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Yeah, I noticed you can get cheap coil hoses at CT or PA. I wanted to get a good one to keep in the Jeep, and didn't mind spending extra to get one. I also have a few air hoses at home that are spares for the garage, but they a bigger and heavier.

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Another thing for guys to think about, even though you dont think your compressor is working be sure to bypass the relay and try to run it. Mine actually worked fine, it was the rest of the system that was shot, thats why my XJ got O/B air from the A/C compressor, I just disconnected all the lines for the system and ran the wiring and hoses, was a pleasant surprise when i tested it. I think if i remember right it was that if there is no pressure in the system it won't run the compressor a safety,

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