Benefits of tank in an onboard compressor

[Pavel Pashkovskiy]

I have two ARB dual head compressors, one with tank, one without. 2.5 times difference in time.

[Zed]

17 hours ago, Alphin Aloor said:

I would like some advice on the benefits of having a tank connected to the compressor.

• is it faster?

@Alphin Aloor no it's not faster. The tank is to run "Air-Tools". This is why ARB gave an air-gun to blow compressed air and clean your engine bay or car interior or inflate air-mattresses when camping. The best is if you need to change tires, you can use Air Impact Wrench to open your tire lugs instead of manual-wrenching 5-6 bolts 😊.

The theory why an Air Tool (airgun, air-wrench, air-hammer) needs a tank >> "A tank dampens pulsation, providing a steady flow of compressed air at constant pressure. Uniform airflow makes it easier to work and reduces wear on your machine"

See video below

https://youtu.be/xTtnPCtddyY?feature=shared 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by Zed

[Mario Cornejo]

Hi @Alphin Aloor - 

I have done the compressor + tank set up in two flavors which I can explain later.  But in short:

1. Compressor installed under passenger seat or, if a SWB Y61 then at a space in the left side at the back (this space is not available if it is a LWB Y61)

2. Tank installed under the car if a SWB Y61 or under the driver’s seat if a LWB Y61 (space is not available under the car in LWB because of the fuel sub-tank)

3. Air outlet located outside of the car - in wheel bays or rear bumper

What this set up allows you is, as Zed mentioned, running air-tools, and you can also switch-on the compressor while you are driving towards the exit.  The compressor will shut off automatically once the air in the tank reaches 150 psi approximately (all ARB compressors have a small manifold and an cut-off switch rated at 150 psi, the cut-off switch can be replaced if damaged or by another at a different pressure rating), and the air outlet outside of the car will allow you to keep doors closed and bugs away . When all tires are inflated back to your desired pressure, you turn off the compressor and can use the air in tank to blow off sand.

The setup I have in my car, a Y61 SWB, more or less allows me to inflate four ~33” tires, from 10psi to 35psi, in almost 5 minutes and also allows me to run air tools, it consists of two ARB dual compressors and a 20l air tank.

Hope this information helps.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Mario Cornejo

[Alphin Aloor]

3 hours ago, Mario Cornejo said:

The setup I have in my car, a Y61 SWB, more or less allows me to inflate four ~33” tires, from 10psi to 35psi, in almost 5 minutes and also allows me to run air tools, it consists of two ARB dual compressors and a 20l air tank.

This setup sounds really cool. Need to check it out when i get a chance when we're on the same drive.

[Alexanderrr]

@Alphin Aloor I switched from Dragon Mart air compressor to Portable ARB which comes with Air Tank. 
I installed the electric wire from front to the back, so I can use the compressor as an On-Board one.

Gives me option to remove the compressor and keep it at home if not offroading for long time, specially in the summer.(less maintanance)

I like how I can control the airflow, and compressor doesnt have to run continuously due to Air Tank, however  I dont know how it runs without it.

If I had an option to install an on-board one, probably I would do it, but only if I would use the bluetooth option with it.

At the end,if your purpose is just to inflate your tyres, keep the dragon mart one, if you want to make it more easier, enjoyable, and ready to pay for it, get the ARB.

 

 

 

 

[Emanuel]

On 9/2/2023 at 11:51 AM, Alexanderrr said:

@Alphin Aloor I switched from Dragon Mart air compressor to Portable ARB which comes with Air Tank. 
I installed the electric wire from front to the back, so I can use the compressor as an On-Board one.

Gives me option to remove the compressor and keep it at home if not offroading for long time, specially in the summer.(less maintanance)

I like how I can control the airflow, and compressor doesnt have to run continuously due to Air Tank, however  I dont know how it runs without it.

If I had an option to install an on-board one, probably I would do it, but only if I would use the bluetooth option with it.

At the end,if your purpose is just to inflate your tyres, keep the dragon mart one, if you want to make it more easier, enjoyable, and ready to pay for it, get the ARB.

 

 

 

 

This sounds like a great setup. How did you do the wiring and is yours a twin cylinder? 

[ChrisW]

So I’ll promise to stop spamming the air compressor threads soon! 😬😂

 

I recently upgraded my onboard air, and as part of that, installed the ARB Pressure Control and an air tank. 
 

The air tank does not make anything appreciably faster. But there is a logic which I’ll explain…

 

ARB Brushless Compressor, pressure controller, manifold and valves (going up to a reel air hose mounted on the roll cage). This setup will be made tidier once the line adaptive arrives and I can remove the manifold and connect the line directly to the solenoid valve block.

 

Air tank mounted to the underside of the car, roughly placed under the driver’s side passenger footwell.

 

The  ARB pressure control is a nice-to-have in that you can hook up a four-hose line, preset the desired pressure and leave it running automatically while you go and do other stuff (…take down flag, pack gear away, swat flies, send the other half increasingly fictitious reasons as to why you’re running late to the afternoon event that you totally forgot about).

However the controlling algorithm is really dumb! 
 

Most auto inflation systems would do something like this:

1.) Measure the pressure
2.) Apply pressure for a short period of time (say 10 seconds)

3.) Measure the pressure again and guesstimate the time required to reach the target pressure (based on measured pressure now, target pressure, and pressure gained during the short fill)

4.) Do a long fill for half the time you expect to need

5.) Stop, measure (should be roughly halfway to target pressure), recalculate, go again.

6.) Stop, measure, fine tune to target pressure - done  

 

The ARB controller instead stops every 15-20 seconds and measures the pressure. This stop-start is short, but if you have the compressor directly connected to the line, you’re cycling the pump on and off repeatedly (solenoid valve closes, pump runs until it quickly hits the 150 PSI cut-off, turns off until solenoid valve opens again).

 

If however you have an air tank in the mix, when the ARB controller closes the valve to measure the pressure, the pump can keep going and top up the air tank. When the valve opens you get a quick extra burst of pressure, and the pump runs continuously.

 

Testing on a like-for-like basis, the time to inflate my 4 x KN02’s from 7.5 PSI to 35 PSI did not change without (manual method, by hand) and with an air tank (with ARB controller); however with an air tank, the pump ran continuously and did not pressure cycle repeatedly.

There are some secondary benefits - using air tools and having a quick burst of pressure for a stubborn pop-out…but this would be a rare use case I expect. 

Edited March 30, 2025 by ChrisW

[Alexanderrr]

@Emanuel mine is a twin cylinder, wiring you can do at any offroad workshop, they install the wire through the cabin and extends it to the rear cargo trunk, there is small plastic lockable cover on the right hand side were they installed the power socket where you can plug your compressor everytime you use it.Just make sure they use a proper wire, as ARB pulls up to 70amp of power