airing down questions

The arb one screws onto the valve stem, removes the core, then you screw it back on. Unless you blatantly ignore the instructions you aren’t losing anything.

 

A CO2 tank is definitely the way to go. Not necessarily the Power Tank brand though.

Power tanks ARE pretty, but they are also expensive. I bought a 20# tank from my local welding supply dealer for about 1/4 the price of a power tank. AND they, or any other welding supplier will swap it out for a refilled one anytime I need it.

Getting one of those PRETTY tanks refilled can be a hassle. Many places won't do them at all.

I bought the same regulator that Power Tank sells from a different supplier for about 1/4 also.

Now for the reasons to go with CO2:

1. Faster air up. From start to finish, I can air up all 4 265/75R15 tires on my Colorado from 15 psi to 32 psi in less than 5 minutes. No onboard air compressor that I know of can come close to matching that.
2. Can operate high volume air tools, such as an impact wrench with it.

Yeah, the tank needs to be refilled. But not as often as some would think. I use mine a good bit and only have it refilled every couple of years.

Safely note: A CO2 tank can be transported laying on its side, but absolutely MUST be standing upright to use it.

 

See my air pressure for sand driving link in my signature...
Here it is, also: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/baja-beach-4wd-32-psi-to-15-psi-see-the-difference.104202/

 

I use an OLD Oasis kit for airing down and it simply works. I Test it with good old shade tree mechanic stuff but it works.

Airing UP has never been an issue.

 

Just don’t spin them on rocks, you’ll be fine.

 

I agree until you factor in screwing ARB deflator then unscrewing valve stem then rescrewing valve stem and unscrewing deflator. 4X Also stock tires don’t hold that much air. That being said I have 285/75r16 and buddy has 275/70r17 and we went from 32psi to 20psi. I’m just saying I was surprised. I still use my ARB though.
Airing down larger tires is a completely different story. This info is meant for OP. Invest money in system to inflate tires before deflating tires. If I wasn’t going to be running F/R air lockers I might have built a c02 system.

 

I got the deflators as a gift and used them a few times... I actually don't think they save much time over just going to each tire and using a small tool or pen cap to depress the valve and deflate. Maybe 2-3 minutes per tire to drop from 34 psi to 18 psi (my first go-to pressure for deep sand driving on my Hankook Dyna-Pro tires). The BFGs the truck came with floated at 15 psi max but 12 was better. All Terrain TAs and mud terrain style tires need to be down to 10 psi before they will float on sand.

Fear not down to 8 psi if needed... but do not drive fast, hit the brakes, or turn sharply when deflated!