Not to be confused with an air-conditioning compressor, an air compressor is used to inflate the tyres of your vehicle. With this, an air compressor is a vital supply for any serious off-roader, with the ease of tyre inflation after having ‘aired down’ for driving off-road making your favourite pastime even more convenient and enjoyable thanks to this portable accessory.
In this blog post, we reveal how the air compressor really is a tool no avid four-wheel driver should be without, and how it unlocks more advantages than you think!
Why do tyres need to be deflated for off-road use?
Deflating your tyres for off-road use is crucial. Airing down gives better traction and a better ride across a variety of terrains, and can even minimise the wear and tear on your suspension and the off-road trail itself. For more top tips for respecting the environment when green-laning or off-roading, please read our essential guide.
Slightly deflated tyres help to improve the surface contact between your vehicle and the trail to aid tyre flexibility, lessen impact, enhance grip and prevent tyre punctures, especially across mud, standing water or sand.
When should I air down my tyres?
There are some circumstances where airing down isn’t such a good idea. By airing down when it’s not needed, you risk your tyre detaching from the rim and incurring sidewall lacerations. The decreased ground clearance can also cause issues for some vehicles across selected terrain.
Here Club 4×4 explains when and why airing down is necessary:
“If you’d have let some air out of the tyres, they might have been pliable enough to flex over the mulga stick… Flat tyre or blowout averted! And this is why you need to deflate your tyres off-road. Less pressure allows the tyres to flex more. Not only this, you’ll get a better ride over rough surfaces like corrugations and rocks. In turn, you won’t be shaking your vehicle to pieces as much.”
How can an air compressor help?
What goes down must go up, and this certainly applies to your 4×4’s tyres. As a primer for tyre inflation and deflation, the use of an air compressor is a must. Our air compressors help you manage your air so you can complement your vehicle’s weight and varying terrain types.
Air compressors can be portable or vehicle mounted, with many onboard air compressors able to be fitted in the cab or engine bay. Cab fittings are however better suited to older 4x4s, which tend to have more space to accommodate a compressor than newer models.
An air compressor isn’t just great for inflating 4×4 tyres. With the right attachments and accessories, they can be used to inflate a number of supplies, including camping mattresses and other equipment, in seconds.
Which air compressor should I choose?
When it comes to top-rated inflation products, there’s no better brand than ARB. We stock a full range of ARB compressor kits for varying uses in three different sizes. The compact unit is however intended for air lockers and not for inflation. The other two sizes are designed for inflation, with the twin compressor great for the fast inflation of larger tyres. With our ARB air compressors, there’s also an optional 4-litre air tank available to make inflation even speedier.
Shop our compressor range, which includes air tools, compressor kits and portable compressors, today to find a convenient solution for quick and easy tyre inflation and deflation.
