Air Compressors

[protrash64]

Im still piecing together my air-ride system. Ive been looking at compressors and thought Id ask people here about their set-ups.

How many compressors and what pressure do you run in the tanks? I'm looking at 150psi and 200 psi set-ups. Nothing crazy.

Seems to me its simple to run one compressor and feed it w/ juice to get what some of the 2 compressor set-ups offer.

Any comments would be appreciated; thanks in advance.

[C10-Driver]

Somebody chime in on this but aren't most bags rated at around 150psi max pressure. At ride height, I'm currently running my system at 80lbs up front and 65lbs in the back which gives me a nice smooth ride. You would probably need a 130-150psi pressure switch so 200psi would be more than you could use anyway. If you're planning to go up and down a lot you want to have lots of air storage (large tank or tanks) and look for a high duty cycle on the compressor which means that it can run longer without any problems. Im definitely no expert but someone with more knowledge will let you know if I'm blowing smoke up your you know what.

Oh ya, 2 compressors will give you more volume of air... You don't need more pressure necessarily but 2-150psi compressors will provide twice as much air as 1 at 150psi.

[baggedcten]

i would run two viair 380's or 480's if your going to run at 200 psi you could get them in a dual pack from ***************** free shipping too.

[XXL]

Originally Posted by C10-Driver

Somebody chime in on this but aren't most bags rated at around 150psi max pressure. At ride height, I'm currently running my system at 80lbs up front and 65lbs in the back which gives me a nice smooth ride. You would probably need a 130-150psi pressure switch so 200psi would be more than you could use anyway. If you're planning to go up and down a lot you want to have lots of air storage (large tank or tanks) and look for a high duty cycle on the compressor which means that it can run longer without any problems. Im definitely no expert but someone with more knowledge will let you know if I'm blowing smoke up your you know what.

Oh ya, 2 compressors will give you more volume of air... You don't need more pressure necessarily but 2-150psi compressors will provide twice as much air as 1 at 150psi.

You may be missing the point... while your bags are only going to use (as you mention) 80# of pressure, there is value in having a compressor and tank capable of holding more pressure. The point of more pressure is to hold more air volume in the tank-- a 3 gallon tank at 80psi has less air in it than the same tank at 200psi. When you want to air up a bag to 80psi, you'll be able to do it more readily with the latter.

[C10-Driver]

Originally Posted by XXL

You may be missing the point... while your bags are only going to use (as you mention) 80# of pressure, there is value in having a compressor and tank capable of holding more pressure. The point of more pressure is to hold more air volume in the tank-- a 3 gallon tank at 80psi has less air in it than the same tank at 200psi. When you want to air up a bag to 80psi, you'll be able to do it more readily with the latter.

You are absolutely correct. I guess what I was trying to get across is that you can easily over-build a system. Unless your truck is going to be hopping up and down the road, you don't need to have 2-200 psi compressors and 10 gallons of air (or maybe you do???). I have one small compressor and a 3-gallon tank on my truck. Is it a little slow? Yes. Do I need a bigger system. Not really. It all depends on your specific needs.

[protrash64]

Anybody have any opinions or comments? Air-Zenith vs Viair? refill rates? Pressure levels? ...........maybe it doesnt make that much difference. Let me know if you have any thoughts.

[bedsled71]

i had viair and it worked good for a few years.. last year i got an air zenith to see what all the fuss was about... worked great for a about 7 months then one day didnt work past about 50 psi... sent it in.. got it fixed under warranty but when i got it back.. it didnt fill up as fast.. i would get the viair dual pack.... with the 150-175 pressure switch with two 3 gal. tanks

[Shane]

Originally Posted by protrash64

Seems to me its simple to run one compressor and feed it w/ juice to get what some of the 2 compressor set-ups offer.

What is "juice" ...

[baggedcten]

Originally Posted by Shane

What is "juice" ...

probably nitrogen

[protrash64]

Juice=electricity.

[Shane]

Apparently I do not understand the question ... because a single compressor system is not gonna be as efficient as a double compressor system regardless of "juice" ...

[protrash64]

I meant in the original post that it would be less work to hook up one compressor, thats all.

I am an electrician..........when one powers up things they have "juice".


I have been reading about fill times etc. Just curious what experiences people have had w/ different products and set-ups in their rides.

I found bedsled71's response helpful, for instance.

[revn67]

i got the dual viair 480c compressors and 2 5gal tanks....my other buddy has 2 viair 480c's with a 7 gal and it takes about a minute or so to fill that tank up...it all depends on if your gonna play alot with your switches or not. there are compressors that fill tanks really fast by oasis, never had any experience with these but i've good about them.....and on both of our set-ups we have a seperate battery for our air system and another for the rest of the truck

[ChiefRocka]

The best thing to do is run an EDC or Engine-driven compressor. You can pick a York at your local wrecking yard, fab up some mounts and away you go.

Believe me...you'll have AIR for days !!!

Then run some Via-Airs for back-up.

As a rule of thumb I use with ALL of my installs is TWO comps. per tank.

I would go for the dual-pack of Via-airs...the 380 or 480 as mentioned above.

I thought your were going with "juice" ??

Later

[ChiefRocka]

Here's a install I did a while back on an F-150.....This particular customer just wanted a "basic" set-up, nothing fancy....
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Beside this, he later came back for a 230 cu ft. Nytrogen cylinder at the rear of the bed.

[Slmd92DIME]

I am thinking about nitrogen on my 65... That is a good looking set-up in that Ford

[BigSky71]

I have one Viair 450 and a single 5 gallon tank. I can go up and down usually twice before the compressor kicks on, that is enough for my tastes. With my BigRed valves and 3/8" line rise time is about a second or so with the 135psi switch.

[edflores]

2 480's with 10 gallons and you'll be happy. and with 200 psi, you have more playtime. quote:
"A 5 gal tank at 200PSI
Filling (4) bags twice to 100PSI
Final tank pressure is = 120

A 12 gal tank at 145PSI
Filling (4) bags twice to 100PSI
Final tank pressure is = 112PSI

They are equal but the key is now you can have the same play time as a 12 gal at 145PSI with a 5 gal at 200PSI"
djd did a thread on the s10 forum here:
http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f125/1...e-info-327231/

[bagged69c10]

I have nitrogen. I love it. No compressor compares. But it sucks when it goes out and it sucks paying to fill it up.

[HotRodYJ]

I will be using an engine driven York that I piocked up at a swap meet for $30. I have the 9cfm unit. WAY more air than I actually need but I can run air tools off of this thing if I want. Great for late night side of the road repairs. Oasis is just an electrically driven York compressor but they draw really high amps to turn what is basically just a winch motor. York compressors come in 3 sizes, 6cfm, 9cfm, and 10cfm (using round numbers). No other electric compressor even comes close to doing these volumes. If you don;t want to run engine driven and just really want electric, pick up a $30 York then buy a new winch motor for about $70-80 and build your own Oasis.