Last time we talked about the ins and outs of deflating your tires for better off-road capabilities, but after airing down to go off the road, we need to air up to get back on the road! First things first. The main reason you want to air back up after getting done driving off-road is that your tires need to perform how they are intended to perform on the street/highways and in order to do that, they need all that extra air you took out when you deflated before going off-road. If you have not read that article yet, click here. Airing up is a must, especially if you don't have Beadlock wheels, since you can pop a bead out of the wheel, and that can a catastrophic, especially at highway speeds. Now that we made the whole "why airing up is crucial" clear, let's get to the "How". We are going to go through a few of our favorite airing-up methods, there are many more but these are the ones that work for us and the ones that we prefer.

Power Tank:

This is by far our favorite airing up method. We like it because of how easy it is to use, carry, and store in the vehicle, there is no need for professional installation and the quickness in the airing-up process. These tanks can air up a 40" tire from 12psi to 36psi in less than a minute. Another plus for this set up is the ability to run air tools like impacts, ratchets, and others, at full pressure with the option to carry it around for repairs on other vehicles. Stop by the shop if you want to see them in person and one of our 4X4 Specialists can demonstrate how easy it is to use.

Hard Mounted Air Compressor:

Even though there are many different brands and models for this kind of compressor, our favorite one, has been the ARB Twin Compressor. These seem to work better with an air tank attached to them. A tank can provide a faster airing-up process and the ability to run air tools for a short period of time, depending on the capacity of such a tank. These compressors can get mounted pretty much anywhere in the vehicle. We have mounted them inside the engine bay, in the cargo area, the bed of a truck, under the bed of a truck, and even under the passenger seat on a 2-door Jeep Wrangler.

Portable Compressor:

Usually with a 12V Connector attached to it. These are designed to get carried like another piece of luggage and most of the time they have some kind of case or bag. Easy-peasy, take it out, plug it to the 12V terminal, plug the hose to it, and the other end to the tire and begin the process. This is the slowest one out of the 3 processes we just mentioned, but the big plus is that it does not require installation of the compressor (and/or tank) and there is no wiring to a switch and solenoids involved. Just plug into the cigarette lighter and boom! Great for carrying in different vehicles depending on the occasion and it can be used to inflate tires, water toys, balls, etc.  

If you have any questions about the airing down the process or what deflator would work the best for you. Stop by the shop anytime or give us a call (928) 227-2026