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Onboard air compressor vs. CO2 tanks?


Salarios

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i have experimented with the whole onboard compressors for a year and i have quite a bit to share on this. I initially went for a camel chinese compressor and got it wired into the battery through the side panels. The setup was great until i shot the compressor once as i overworked it. After that, I replaced the compressor two more times and i gave up since i wasnt able to identify the reason why the compressors were dyingin this setup. I then went for the bushranger super max (which is not as fast as the camel chinese but way more reliable as it comes with 5 years warranty)and i have been happy ever since. But i now realize that the main culprit was the wire. The most critical element in this setup are the wires as they should deliver the required amperage to your compressor. If the power delivered is not sufficient, your compressor will work but not for long. So bottom line is that you could go for the camel chinese compressors but you will need to ensure that you get the right wires for the setup. My bushranger requires less amps than the camels, so the current wires do a great job, but if i swap it back to camel, then it will eventually die. 

However having said all of this, even though i have not personally used the arb twin pistons, i know that it is the best setup and there is a garage that is running a promotion right now whereby they are providing the unit and installation for 1999.

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I have a bit of experience with CO2 tanks. I am not 100% sure I would like to be driving round with high pressurized aluminium tanks in the car being jostled and jolted all over the place. There's no fire risk adittedly and yes, we all have fire extinguishers in the car, but they are set at a much lower pressure level than these high pressure tanks. It's OK to have your tanks for diving, and driving home from the supermarket for making your fizzy drinks, but sitting in the car as you throw it over the dunes, I am not so sure. 

There is a reason that they have a warning triangle on the back of the lorries that transport them across country and they are not allowed on planes. 

I have just grown out of the inexpensive low quality compressor and have a second hand bush ranger. As @Gaurav says, it's small, has a bag to keep it in and can be stowed where you want if you have additional equipment needed. I was getting frustrated at how long the other compressor took and this one is quicker. 

I dwill admit that I do watch jealously as @Javier M deflates and inflates with his gizmos - but will put my investments in the car in higher priority spends before I allow this convenience to take precedence. 

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1 hour ago, Shamil said:

i have experimented with the whole onboard compressors for a year and i have quite a bit to share on this. I initially went for a camel chinese compressor and got it wired into the battery through the side panels. The setup was great until i shot the compressor once as i overworked it. After that, I replaced the compressor two more times and i gave up since i wasnt able to identify the reason why the compressors were dyingin this setup. I then went for the bushranger super max (which is not as fast as the camel chinese but way more reliable as it comes with 5 years warranty)and i have been happy ever since. But i now realize that the main culprit was the wire. The most critical element in this setup are the wires as they should deliver the required amperage to your compressor. If the power delivered is not sufficient, your compressor will work but not for long. So bottom line is that you could go for the camel chinese compressors but you will need to ensure that you get the right wires for the setup. My bushranger requires less amps than the camels, so the current wires do a great job, but if i swap it back to camel, then it will eventually die. 

However having said all of this, even though i have not personally used the arb twin pistons, i know that it is the best setup and there is a garage that is running a promotion right now whereby they are providing the unit and installation for 1999.

Totally agree. People tend to forget that due to the low voltage (12V) you are pushing a lot of amps through the wiring. To properly wire a double cylinder compressor i would advise 16mm2 as absolute minimum. Lesser than that your wire will heat up which results in less conductivity which then again results in a voltage drop, which then results in even more amps. 

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"Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further."

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Thank you all for your very constructive comments, it has been very educational. 

I've decided to run the wires for my existing air compressor in the trunk; and once this fails, I'll install the onboard ARB dual compressor. 

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Just to provide an update, I talked to a few shops and they quoted me ridiculous amounts to run the wires from the battery to the trunk, from 500 to 1,000 AED. So I went to Dragon mart, got thick electrical wires for 100 AED, and found a shop in Satwa to run the wires under the cabin floorboard for 100 AED along with an on-off switch and two fuses attached to the wires. So in total, paid 200 AED, and now have a convenient and quick inflation process. 

585162370_ScreenShot2020-03-16at18_25_34.jpg.676daf603e4cda9c522bb669b021afc3.jpg

The yellow/blue wires behind the compressor are from the battery, the black hose in the bottom left is the inflation hose, the black wire in the top left is for the trailer. 

By the way, the Y62 honks its horn automatically as soon as it's inflated to 35PSI, through its Tyre pressure control system (TPCS), so no need to constantly check the pressure! 

Edited by Salarios
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  • 4 months later...

I have the ARB compressor system mounted in my ca r(the same picture which has been posted). I got it installed, below the front passenger seat. Ever since I have installed it all my post drive inflations have become less tiring and take less than 5 - 8 minutes for me to get back on the road. Really happy with it, only flaw is that I need to keep a check on it while the tyres are being inflated.

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