Tire Inflation/Deflation Setups

Hey all. I’m looking to upgrade my current air down/up setup and have a few questions for you all.

My current plan is to purchase the Thor’s Lightning 4 tire inflator system so I can deflate and inflate the tires all at once. To pair with this, I’m trying to figure out what my best compressor option is.


I’m considering either:

1. A permanently mounted unit that I’d probably mount under the bed, forward of the spare tire. (Not sure what good options there are yet)
2. A portable unit that I’d keep in the bed and route a connection to the bed so I can connect without popping the hood.

I have 2 compressors in mind. This one from Napa https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_MTWM10215C
And this one from Amazon

$112 SMAOUT 12V Air Compressor, Portable Inflator 7.06 CFM, Air Pump Max 150PSI for Heavy-Duty Offroad Tire, 4x4 Vehicle, SUV, RV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2P5QJV2

What I want to ask you all is:

• Do you have any experiences with these compressors or the Thor’s Lighting kit?
• Would the stock electrical system be able to handle the Napa compressor (rated at 90A draw)? I have the upgraded Jaguar 120A alternator, but stock wiring. The Amazon compressor has about half the draw of the NAPA, so I’d have no worries about that one
• Do you have any suggestions for setups or compressors to use? I have a generic Amazon one that inflates my 31” tires from 20-35psi in about 2.5 mins, but I think it would struggle doing all 4 at once.

Thanks for any insight!

 

Just grab one of these. I have one and air up all my tires at the same time in under 5 minutes.

https://tireflate.com/

 

Both of these are chineseium compressors sold under various brand names and colors. They aren't weatherproof and shouldn't be mounted outside the cab, unless you use a weatherproof enclosure like a battery box (then have to consider ventilation fan, etc.)

Both are designed to connect to the battery so no concerns with the vehicle's wiring. If you decide to hard mount it, use appropriately sized wiring going to your own fusebox or inline fuse. I kept mine portable but added a quick-disconnect anderson plug going to the battery through an

$48 Bussmann (BP/CB185-100) 100 Amp Circuit Breaker

Eaton 100A breaker.



The twin-piston one will be throttled by the shrader valve's flow rate. To fully take advantage of the twin piston's speed, you'll need one of those hose kits to inflate either two or four tires at the same time.

 

For a compressor - you'll hook any compressor directly to your battery, so any compressor will be fine. This Viair is a well-known compressor that a lot of folks use, and then of course there is ARB (which has a great warranty/rep/etc.) but costs a ton. Personally, I'm running an ARB, mounted in the engine bay.

Inflating 4 tires at once is no harder for a compressor than one tire at a time, since the max PSI your compressor is pushing is still the same.

The benefit of doing all four tires at once is that you don't have "down time" when you're moving from one tire to the other (this "down time" is the only time you'll save as well when you do all four at once). The other minor benefit is that you end up with four tires that are identically inflated.

Personally, I'd rather not carry all the hose necessary to do four tires at once (that's a lot of hose - weight, size - to wrap up and stow) so I made my own two-tire setup (for a lot less money). Details on all the parts needed (with links) here:

Even Better – v2 of Old-Guy Tire Inflator & RTT LEDs – ADVENTURETACO

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Look into Moreflate bro. Their new gen dual compressors they actually patented so companies like Thor can’t knock them off.

They also have their new auto deflate shit that is pretty tight.

Me, I'm cheap and pull the valve cores and use on board air, but I also run vacuum in my 47’s.

 

Yeah, I made my own as well, not just awesome for airing up but airing down too, just one gauge to watch for all 4 tires, easy to control, fill up with a Viair 400

I used to use an ARB deflator that removes the valve core for many years. Only had one mishap early on where I messed up a core and fortunately had spares, but it was always a hassle, and fill ups were with an old MV-50 that I eventually cooked.

 

It sounds like those dual chamber compressors won’t be an issue based on what everyone is running.

It appears that there are maybe 5 popular compressor chassis that brands then slap their logos and fittings on and charge whatever their brand name allows. The Morrflate looks to be the same as the Tireflate system, but maybe they have different internals?

I’m thinking I’ll go with the Tireflate system since they’re local, and run new wiring like 3J0H22A has so I can keep things mobile and simple.

Thanks for your input everyone!

 

Just to update, I got my setup completed over the weekend.

I started with the big 3 upgrade with 4 gauge wiring, which seems to make a difference as my voltage sits a little higher now at operating temps.

I bought a Thor’s Lightning 4 tire kit which works great, as well as a portable compressor from Amazon that was on sale for $70. With this setup, it takes about 2 mins to fill all 4 of my tires whereas before, it took me 2.5 mins per tire. I did try the big twin piston compressor from Napa, but it pulled more amps than my alternator could keep up with, so I took it back.

I also ran a harness to the bed of the truck with an Anderson connector so I can plug in my compressor without popping the hood. Overall I’d say this is great improvement from what I had before.