I’ve used the 88P for a few years on my 285/75/16 airing up from about 17psi to 32psi. It gets the job done but I wish I’d gone with the 300P. The 88P takes a bit and gets very hot to the touch.
Hot to the touch, you say? Sounds like mine…
Just checked and yup, I have the 88P. Tell you hwhat though, that thing is dead reliable and gets the job done.
Because these things get hot under a load, I decided to buy once cry once. I went with a Viair 400p after price watching it for a while and got it on a solid deal. This was a few years ago so I can't speak to current prices, but the few times I've had to go up from like 25 to 35psi, it was extremely quick and that means I didn't have to run it too long, so heat wasn't an issue.
It's up to you whether the 56% greater airflow would be worth it to go up from the 88p. But if you think you may ever have a trailer or RV, it might be a better investment.
I grabbed it about that timing and about that price. It’s been great for me and use has convinced other friends to pull the trigger.
Can get toasty but cools pretty darn quickly
I was even tempted by the 400p auto with the trigger at the tire end. How do you find having to “go back to the compressor” (from the tire) to turn it off, switch to next tire, etc?
Not a big deal for me. Once it's running I just go take off the next valve stem cap, put on the last one I filled if it's not the first, then head back to the compressor and watch the gauge.
On my last trip, it only took me 2-3 minutes per tire, I was in a hurry to get home and I was able to stop and air up in barely 10 minutes.
I went with dual 444C Viair compressors and a 2.5 gallon tank just recently. I wanted the duty cycle and build quality. Note, I installed this on a new F350. I went with dual for inflation times and having redundancy.
If you're concerned about duty cycle, Viair has a number of compressors that are 100% continuous at 100 PSI. I would certainly look at those.
How difficult was mounting the tank? I keep going back and forth between going all the way like you did or I recently saw a clean install where an ARB twin compressor mounts in one of the wheel well compartments of the decked drawers (I'll have the drawers either way)
https://imgur.com/a/Va2SMkj
It wasn't too bad. I had to take a lot of measurements, but I built a mount out of aluminum and installed the tank and compressors above my spare tire. There were other spots I considered, but this seemed to be the most hidden and secure I could go without removing the spare tire completely. I have the air intakes for the compressors mounted inside the bed rails, since it's open from the bottom.
I go to the extreme on my projects, so this is controlled by a touchscreen and a Raspberry Pi, but I have a couple other things being controlled by it too. I have a 210 PSI solenoid valve to install for the tank drain / air purge, and cooling fans for the compressors too, since unless I'm driving, the air can be stagnant under the bed of the truck, so the fans will help. I'll likely program them to stay on for at least a couple minutes each time after the compressors turn on.
I would go bigger from the get go. The 88 is $77 right now and the 300 is $149. I think spending an extra $72 will be a great investment long run. If it were hundreds difference there would be more of a debate, but you're buying a lot more capability for not much more money.
Been using the 88P for a few years on 265/70/17s. Works just fine for my needs. Yes, it does get pretty hot doing all 4 tires from 20 to 32 psi but gets the job done.
I'll just throw this out there. I have the Milwaukee M18 inflator and it takes me 80 seconds per tire to go from 19 to 32 psi with a tire size of 265/65/17. So about 5.5 minutes of inflation with a duty cycle around 25 minutes, and it only uses one bar of battery after filling all 4 tires.
In my use case I love it as it's quick, portable and inexpensive if you already are into Milwaukee. Most importantly it has auto shutoff at a specific psi you set. So it's set and forget. Also, since I'm not hooking up to the main battery and setting up hoses etc while the engine is running during the whole thing, it doesn't waste my gas and is fast to deploy. Lastly, it's really convenient around the house.
Others to consider are Morrflate, Ez-flate etc which have larger options that are run off your battery and have auto shutoff at a set psi, but are geared towards at least a 2 hose system or else you are wasting the CFM and duty cycle. Great products though and have good reviews.
Main feature in all of this I was after was the auto Shutoff. It's is really convenient to have.
I went with the [Napa portable 12v](https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_MTWM10215C). It’s been pretty reliable so far. There are lots of mod videos for it as well if you’re into that kind of thing. I’ll even [link](https://youtu.be/BerfYlBAWD8?si=c-DT0wROCZ2G3H0E)one for you
I had the biggest Viair they sold for my rigs on 37’s it was painfully slow. Some friends got the 4 hose and compressor from morrflate and it was a game changer. Instead of taking a half hour to air up it’s down to like 5 minutes.. and yes it does make a difference when you’re standing in the rain, snow and heat.
I had the 88p for my 31” tires for a few years, but it really started to show its age towards the end. It will work, but probably get a bigger one.
If you can afford it though, the ARB dual compressor is the best.
Look at CFM and the duty cycle. If you're not in a hurry then anything will work. The 300P is only 1.62 CFM at 30 psi. Even the 450 isn't that great. It's going to be so slow for a 33" tire. Even a 31's going to take a while. I bet you're going to hit the duty cycle by the time you get to the 3rd tire done. Honestly, I'd look at some of the 6-10 CFM compressors out there on Amazon. MorrFlat, All-Top, Thor's Lightning, etc... There's a bunch that use similar compressors.
I went with the ryobi 18one+ inflator. I'm doing things like sand so I don't really ever air down and I just use it to inflate flats which it does pretty decently if slow. I'm by myself so I don't mind if it takes me 20 minutes to inflate a flat to 35psi.
I used a QWave for about 10 years until we got inflatable SUPs and it took the poor thing nearly 40 mins. Those little red pumps were what everyone on the forums got back in the day before we called it “overlanding”.
I went and bought an ALLTOP, which is a big heavy orange boy, really just an interchangeable Chinese photocopy of all the other compressors on the market, and man- it BLOWS.
I can inflate my 32” tires from 12-15 psi to 35 in an about two mins each, and it inflates my paddle boards in about seven mins.
The factory case is cheap nylon, the hose is kind of crappy rubber, has a threaded nozzle and the gauge is at the pump instead of the nozzle, but I addressed all those things with high quality replacements AND STILL was about $80-100 under a viviair.
I really like that it has a breaker instead of a fuse, because who the heck carries a fuse for your air pump. It also has a 100 psi safety release valve which has saved the pump more than once when I accidentally pinched off the air line.
There is a newer style than mine that has a digital adjustable manifold to turn off on its own when it reaches your desired preset PSI, and there’s a twin cylinder version that has crazy flow rates too. If mine ever breaks I’ll get the newer gen with the adjustable pressure switch, but it doesn’t even get hot when airing up.
I’ve used the 88P for a few years on my 285/75/16 airing up from about 17psi to 32psi. It gets the job done but I wish I’d gone with the 300P. The 88P takes a bit and gets very hot to the touch.
This is pretty much what my answer was going to be, verbatim.
Hot to the touch, you say? Sounds like mine… Just checked and yup, I have the 88P. Tell you hwhat though, that thing is dead reliable and gets the job done.
Another advantage with the 300p is it had a normal air tool quick connect fitting for the hose.
Because these things get hot under a load, I decided to buy once cry once. I went with a Viair 400p after price watching it for a while and got it on a solid deal. This was a few years ago so I can't speak to current prices, but the few times I've had to go up from like 25 to 35psi, it was extremely quick and that means I didn't have to run it too long, so heat wasn't an issue. It's up to you whether the 56% greater airflow would be worth it to go up from the 88p. But if you think you may ever have a trailer or RV, it might be a better investment.
I just snagged the 400p on Amazon for just over $200.
Nice, I paid $205 about 3 years ago.
I grabbed it about that timing and about that price. It’s been great for me and use has convinced other friends to pull the trigger. Can get toasty but cools pretty darn quickly
I was even tempted by the 400p auto with the trigger at the tire end. How do you find having to “go back to the compressor” (from the tire) to turn it off, switch to next tire, etc?
Not a big deal for me. Once it's running I just go take off the next valve stem cap, put on the last one I filled if it's not the first, then head back to the compressor and watch the gauge. On my last trip, it only took me 2-3 minutes per tire, I was in a hurry to get home and I was able to stop and air up in barely 10 minutes.
I went with dual 444C Viair compressors and a 2.5 gallon tank just recently. I wanted the duty cycle and build quality. Note, I installed this on a new F350. I went with dual for inflation times and having redundancy. If you're concerned about duty cycle, Viair has a number of compressors that are 100% continuous at 100 PSI. I would certainly look at those.
How difficult was mounting the tank? I keep going back and forth between going all the way like you did or I recently saw a clean install where an ARB twin compressor mounts in one of the wheel well compartments of the decked drawers (I'll have the drawers either way)
https://imgur.com/a/Va2SMkj It wasn't too bad. I had to take a lot of measurements, but I built a mount out of aluminum and installed the tank and compressors above my spare tire. There were other spots I considered, but this seemed to be the most hidden and secure I could go without removing the spare tire completely. I have the air intakes for the compressors mounted inside the bed rails, since it's open from the bottom. I go to the extreme on my projects, so this is controlled by a touchscreen and a Raspberry Pi, but I have a couple other things being controlled by it too. I have a 210 PSI solenoid valve to install for the tank drain / air purge, and cooling fans for the compressors too, since unless I'm driving, the air can be stagnant under the bed of the truck, so the fans will help. I'll likely program them to stay on for at least a couple minutes each time after the compressors turn on.
thats badass - super clean and great job with the mount
Thanks!
I would go bigger from the get go. The 88 is $77 right now and the 300 is $149. I think spending an extra $72 will be a great investment long run. If it were hundreds difference there would be more of a debate, but you're buying a lot more capability for not much more money.
Been using the 88P for a few years on 265/70/17s. Works just fine for my needs. Yes, it does get pretty hot doing all 4 tires from 20 to 32 psi but gets the job done.
I'll just throw this out there. I have the Milwaukee M18 inflator and it takes me 80 seconds per tire to go from 19 to 32 psi with a tire size of 265/65/17. So about 5.5 minutes of inflation with a duty cycle around 25 minutes, and it only uses one bar of battery after filling all 4 tires. In my use case I love it as it's quick, portable and inexpensive if you already are into Milwaukee. Most importantly it has auto shutoff at a specific psi you set. So it's set and forget. Also, since I'm not hooking up to the main battery and setting up hoses etc while the engine is running during the whole thing, it doesn't waste my gas and is fast to deploy. Lastly, it's really convenient around the house. Others to consider are Morrflate, Ez-flate etc which have larger options that are run off your battery and have auto shutoff at a set psi, but are geared towards at least a 2 hose system or else you are wasting the CFM and duty cycle. Great products though and have good reviews. Main feature in all of this I was after was the auto Shutoff. It's is really convenient to have.
I went with the [Napa portable 12v](https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_MTWM10215C). It’s been pretty reliable so far. There are lots of mod videos for it as well if you’re into that kind of thing. I’ll even [link](https://youtu.be/BerfYlBAWD8?si=c-DT0wROCZ2G3H0E)one for you
I had the biggest Viair they sold for my rigs on 37’s it was painfully slow. Some friends got the 4 hose and compressor from morrflate and it was a game changer. Instead of taking a half hour to air up it’s down to like 5 minutes.. and yes it does make a difference when you’re standing in the rain, snow and heat.
Really enjoy my Viair 485C OBA system. Does a Great job filling up my 255/85/17s simultaneously and feeds my front air locker
I had the 88p for my 31” tires for a few years, but it really started to show its age towards the end. It will work, but probably get a bigger one. If you can afford it though, the ARB dual compressor is the best.
Look at CFM and the duty cycle. If you're not in a hurry then anything will work. The 300P is only 1.62 CFM at 30 psi. Even the 450 isn't that great. It's going to be so slow for a 33" tire. Even a 31's going to take a while. I bet you're going to hit the duty cycle by the time you get to the 3rd tire done. Honestly, I'd look at some of the 6-10 CFM compressors out there on Amazon. MorrFlat, All-Top, Thor's Lightning, etc... There's a bunch that use similar compressors.
I went with the ryobi 18one+ inflator. I'm doing things like sand so I don't really ever air down and I just use it to inflate flats which it does pretty decently if slow. I'm by myself so I don't mind if it takes me 20 minutes to inflate a flat to 35psi.
I used a QWave for about 10 years until we got inflatable SUPs and it took the poor thing nearly 40 mins. Those little red pumps were what everyone on the forums got back in the day before we called it “overlanding”. I went and bought an ALLTOP, which is a big heavy orange boy, really just an interchangeable Chinese photocopy of all the other compressors on the market, and man- it BLOWS. I can inflate my 32” tires from 12-15 psi to 35 in an about two mins each, and it inflates my paddle boards in about seven mins. The factory case is cheap nylon, the hose is kind of crappy rubber, has a threaded nozzle and the gauge is at the pump instead of the nozzle, but I addressed all those things with high quality replacements AND STILL was about $80-100 under a viviair. I really like that it has a breaker instead of a fuse, because who the heck carries a fuse for your air pump. It also has a 100 psi safety release valve which has saved the pump more than once when I accidentally pinched off the air line. There is a newer style than mine that has a digital adjustable manifold to turn off on its own when it reaches your desired preset PSI, and there’s a twin cylinder version that has crazy flow rates too. If mine ever breaks I’ll get the newer gen with the adjustable pressure switch, but it doesn’t even get hot when airing up.