Simple On Board Air Discussion

Looking to hear from people that have simple/clever OBA setups. Yes, I am aware of the several threads regarding this, including the mega thread which I have read. Looking to narrow this down a little and hear from people that have Viair set ups, how its wired, compressor under the hood or back seat, if they used a tank etc.... Having trouble finding a location for the tank since I dont want to sacrafice my spare tire spot. Some say a tank is not needed since this is for tires on the trail only. Just looking for input from memebers on here that can relate to my situation. Thanks!

I have a 2015 so theres not a lot of room under the hood. Ive seen others befind the rear seat, and others in the rear cubbie/fender

 

I was previously using a portable viair compressor before I got a single ARB in a group buy.

You don't need a tank for airing up. A tank would just make your first tire fill up faster but after that, you're only filling up as fast as your compressor can go. For me, it wasn't worth the extra hardware and plumbing.

As far as mounting location, I mounted my arb in the driver side cubby. You could probably mount a viair there or in the dead space between the bed and the fender if you wanted to.


I have too much stuff in the engine bay so didn't want to try to mount it there and I didn't want it inside the cab just because its so loud.

For wiring, I ran some 4ga wire from the battery to the driver bed cubby. I mounted a small plastic project box to the outside of a cubby where I installed the relay for the compressor and then ran a lead to the switch in the cab of the truck. You don't have to use a project box for the wiring, I chose to so I could leave space in the cubby if I wanted to store other stuff in there. Plus it keeps it looking cleaner when you open the cubby and don't see a rats nest of wires.

 

This is where I wanted to originally put it as well. I live in the desert so Im worried about dust, debris, etc shortening the lifespan of the unit. I think in the back seat it would be safe, but then Id be worried about the generated heat and noise. Was your Viair pretty enduring?

 

I was using one of these stored in a small plastic husky toolbox during transport. I liked it but decided to jump on the arb group buy and its nice having the compressor "built in" so I don't have to worry about packing it in the truck or not before heading out. It worked fine, it was just slow.

$90 VIAIR 88P - 00088 Tire Inflator Portable On/Offroad Air Compressor for Car, Truck, SUV & RV | 12V Heavy Duty Pump 120 PSI, Alligator Clip, Twist Chuck

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ASY23I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It does get dusty back there but I figure its better enclosed than if I mounted it in the engine bay (more water/mud/debris potentially) and other guys mount theirs under the bed / in the dead space between bed and fender where its also more exposed than inside the cubby. You could make that cubby hole fairly dustproof if you sealed it up completely. I just leave the door open when I'm airing up so it can get some fresh air while running and then leave it open on the drive home to cool down. I wouldn't worry too much about dust and debris in the cubby much.

 

Ya I think it will go in the back cubbie. I will definitiely need to seal it up as best I can though. Ive never heard of them getting to hot in the location so I think this solves some of my concerns. Do you have hook ups for the hose or just straight from the unit? I saw a few set ups that had hookups for the air house and the front and rear bumper which looked super clean and useful

 

at the time of install, I didn't have my new bumpers installed yet so I just installed a leader hose and connect to it each time. Now, I'm just lazy but at some point, I will install quick release ports on both bumpers (though, i still have to open the cubby for each use for air flow so not sure it will save me much time to run air lines).

 

I have been researching solutions as well.
I honestly may go with a 10LB CO2 setup.
You can piece one together for around $120.00.
Sure, you have to get it filled, but a 10LB tank should fill up 4 tires around 4 times, and it will do it in 1/8th of the time of the single arb compressor.

 

I mounted a 2.5 gal tank under the bed, over the rear axle. The spare tire rest against the tank but fits. The compressor is mounted in the driver cubbie.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmk4YUlnifM
this video gives a good comparison on a few compressors and the co2 tank.

 

How long has the tank been under there? Any issues. That actually looks at lot more tucked away than I imagined...

 

I have my MF1050 stored nicely behind my seat. I dont air up tons and its nice to have the portable nature more so than hard mounted somewhere incase i need to fill up a motorcycle tire or someone elses junk out in the field. Also it keeps it out of the dust and heat of an engine bay.

If i was going to do an OBA it would only be for an air locker that would need full time air. Portability of the lil compressor has been used so many times.

I have seen people take the nice ARB compressors and mount them nicely in a tool box so they have portability as well as a damn good compressor.

 

Have mine under the hood mounted on the passenger side near the firewall, but opening the hood gets old:

 

Been on the truck for 6 years with no problems.

 

Bingo! Thats how I want to mount my quick connects. Will have to get a little creative with the front as I dont have a steel bumber. The bottle opener is a nice touch!

 

So, I gotta ask...how do you secure the quick disconnect to the inside of the bumper? I have both air and water disconnects that I am trying to mount them in a similar fashion, but have no idea how to secure it to the plate it is being mounted to. Hope that question made sense.

 

Thanks man!!! Get stopped in traffic quite a bit and they ask about it haha!

I drilled the hole so the threads would fit snug then screwed the hose on and used a hose clamp up against the backside of the bumper.



Hope this helps!

 

Thanks! I was tempted to mount them this way, but didn't know if there were other options. Much appreciated!

 

I did the same as above

I used a barbed firing on the back side and a QD on the outside and some 1/2” washers if needed


Use loctite 545 on everything otherwise it’s gonna be a pain