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The following information may help you
make an educated decision about which compressor will be the best
for you.
The following features are critical in
your decision.
-
CFM - Cubic Feet
per Minute (CFM) is an accurate measurement of the actual speed
of the compressor. A higher CFM indicates that a compressor will
do a faster job of inflation or pressurization. Most compressors
on the market are rated at a certain CFM at zero PSI (Pounds per
square foot, a standard for pressure measurement) The CFM of all
compressors will decrease as the pressure increases.
-
Duty Cycle - Duty
cycle indicates the amount of time that a compressor can be run
without overheating or damaging the compressor.
-
Maximum Pressure -
A simple measurement of how much pressure a compressor can
produce. High Max Pressure does not indicate that a compressor
will be fast. In fact, most high-max pressure compressors are
relatively slow.
-
Physical Size -
Physical size is an important consideration when you plan to
install a compressor in your vehicle. Typical installation
locations are under the hood, in storage compartments, under
seats, etc.
-
Price - You
typically get what you pay for. If a unit is very low priced, be
wary of the quality of the compressor.
REGARDING THE COMPETITION.........
ViAIR makes several compressors which are quite popular
in the 4WD Market. We have tested all of them and have found the
following issues:
-
Most of the smaller
compressors are equipped with a thermal protection device that
makes them practically worthless in the real world. The thermal
switch typically turns the compressor off after only inflating a
few tires.
-
In our opinion, the only
ViAIR product that is worthwhile is the 550 series. This unit is
similar to the MaxAIR 4.0 because
it also is 100% duty and has a high maximum pressure rating.
The 550 produces 2.90 CFM compared to the 4.0 CFM
produced by the MaxAIR 4.0.
-
The intake filter is made
of plastic and tends to fall off and get lost. The price is
about the same.
QuickAIR has been on the market for about 10 years and
offers the QA1, QA2 and QA3.
-
Sun
Performance claims a duty rating of only 15% for all of their
compressors.
This means that for every 15 minutes of running, the unit needs
85 minutes of cooling to prevent damage.
-
The QA1 produces 1.3 CFM
and has a max pressure of 115 PSI. MSRP is $185 for the
hardmount unit.
-
The QA2 is a bit faster
at 2.2 CFM and has a max pressure of 105 PSI. MSRP is $255
-
The QA3 claims 3.65 CFM
and has a max pressure of only 70 PSI.
Interdynamics / TRUCKAIR- These little guys are
inexpensive and feature a really high Max Pressure (250?).
Unfortunately the CFM is only about 0.78.....only get this one if
you are OK with a compressor that is REALLY, REALLY SLOW.
Thomas / Currie - The big TA4101 has been on the market
for years, and is a great compressor with 100% duty. The flow rate
is slightly more than 2 CFM. The physical size is slightly larger
than the MaxAIR 4.0, and it features a retail price around $500.00!
Currie Ent. has recently discontinued this compressor from their
product line.
WE HAVE RUN THE
MaxAIR 4.0 at 100 PSI FOR MORE THAN 8 HOURS CONTINUOUSLY WITHOUT
FAILURE. THE TEST UNIT WAS ACTUALLY COOL ENOUGH TO TOUCH!
4.0 CFM
100% Duty 150 PSI
THE MAXAIR 4.0 THE
REAL DEAL.
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