Comptemplating on-board air and/or C02. Suggestions? Don't really understand the C02 except what I read about initial cost. Cost to refill bottle?
Thanks for your help & thoughts in advance.
TD
lots and lots of guys really like CO2. i've seen it in action and it is pretty neat. a lot of it depends on your situation. if you plan on doing any kind of serious expedition or multi-day 4x4 stuff i personally wouldnt reccomend CO2, purely because i'm very much a fan of redundancy. i'd much rather have a permanent on board compressor and tank setup. i've heard of guys running air tools off CO2 but i've never personally dne it and i'm just not comfortable with the idea of a non-renewable tool like compressed air on the trail. the advantage also in favor of a compressor is if you ever decide to go with an air locker you're already setup with air. i'm not downing CO2 because as i said lots of guys swear by their CO2 tanks, jsut consider the pros and cons of both systems, on the upside for CO2 users, there is no need to worry about compressors overheating or tank leakage etc. you've got what you've got, and as i understand the CO2 tanks are deceptively high capacity. as far as cost is concerned, once you're out, you're out, AFAIK those tanks are somthing like 600psi, so you cant refill them yourself, but for a nominal cost a gas companycan do it for you
CO2 can run air tools and it fills your tires MUCH faster than a compressor.
As was stated, the compressor is very redundant.
I have CO2 but don't air-down and then air-up a lot on the same run. And when I want to FILL the tires, I don't want to wait, eat lunch, go to the next tire, read a book, go to the next tire, etc.
The compressor is ultimately more practical. It depends on your use.
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Depends on your usage. IF you have an expedition vehicle and you are traveling off the beaten path you might have some challenges finding a place to refill your CO2 tank.
In terms of speed CO2 will generally refill your tires faster then an air compressor.
If you are planning to have an air locker or air tools then the compressor route would be better.
In terms of economics a good compressor set up with auxiliary tank can cost $400+. Buy once ...cry once!
C02 systems $200-$300 depending on the size of the tank + periodic refills ($15-$20).
lots and lots of guys really like CO2. i've seen it in action and it is pretty neat. a lot of it depends on your situation. if you plan on doing any kind of serious expedition or multi-day 4x4 stuff i personally wouldnt reccomend CO2, purely because i'm very much a fan of redundancy. i'd much rather have a permanent on board compressor and tank setup. i've heard of guys running air tools off CO2 but i've never personally dne it and i'm just not comfortable with the idea of a non-renewable tool like compressed air on the trail. the advantage also in favor of a compressor is if you ever decide to go with an air locker you're already setup with air. i'm not downing CO2 because as i said lots of guys swear by their CO2 tanks, jsut consider the pros and cons of both systems, on the upside for CO2 users, there is no need to worry about compressors overheating or tank leakage etc. you've got what you've got, and as i understand the CO2 tanks are deceptively high capacity. as far as cost is concerned, once you're out, you're out, AFAIK those tanks are somthing like 600psi, so you cant refill them yourself, but for a nominal cost a gas companycan do it for you
I wonder how long a tank last? Will it air all your tires up after lowering pressure for trail use? Also does the guage tell you where you are on the tank? Any idea on cost to refill? Sorry for all the ?'s---just trying to learn.
Depends on your usage. IF you have an expedition vehicle and you are traveling off the beaten path you might have some challenges finding a place to refill your CO2 tank.
In terms of speed CO2 will generally refill your tires faster then an air compressor.
If you are planning to have an air locker or air tools then the compressor route would be better.
In terms of economics a good compressor set up with auxiliary tank can cost $400+. Buy once ...cry once!
C02 systems $200-$300 depending on the size of the tank + periodic refills ($15-$20).
Thanks for the info! Where do you get the C02 refilled?
I use a Viair 450C with a constant duty compressor and a 2.5 gal air tank. When wheeling I keep the tank full and when I have to air up I don't really have to run the compressor.
It never has to be refilled and the tank and compressor are tucked away well under the vehicle.
-Ben
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I use a Viair 450C with a constant duty compressor and a 2.5 gal air tank. When wheeling I keep the tank full and when I have to air up I don't really have to run the compressor.
It never has to be refilled and the tank and compressor are tucked away well under the vehicle.
I ended up going with a small portable compressor that just clips on the battery. Most of these kinds of compressors are garbage, but I know more than a few folks on the boards here (as do I) have the MasterFlow brand. They are actually pretty good and cost much, much less than a CO2 or Compressor/Tank system.
Sure you cannot run air tools off of it (but I don't have any anyway). Some folks say it won't work if you cannot start your engine...but if I can't start my engine, well in most cases...I not too sure I would be that worried about air down tires....I'd be fixing the engine. I am sure there are situations where my engine is dead, but I would still want fully inflated tires, but those are probably going to be rare, especially on our late model vehicles.
I'm not knocking a good CO2 or Compressor/Tank system, I'm just saying for my needs the small portable compressor works fine....and the best part is that you can get these for about $50.
Also, using my portable, I can air up from 20 PSI to 44 PSI in about 3-4 minutes per tire. To do all four, including hooking up to the battery takes a little under 20 minutes...not really that bad. Maybe you can save yourself 10 minutes with a CO2 system, but it will cost your wallet. Time is money
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