Cal Club Autocross Forums

For those that use a portable air tank rather than a 12 volt compressor, how do you fill the tank? How often during a weekend does it need to be refilled. Why did you choose a air tank over a compressor, or do you have / carry both?

Thanks

Art

I personally use a portable compressor.

However, for an air tank, you just use a compressor @ home to fill it up (or even the one @ a gas station, for example).

An airtank is lighter and more portable than a compressor. It also fills up a tire MUCH QUICKER than a regular cigarette or battery powered compressor will fill up a tire. The only disadvantage is there is a finite amount of air available, but that's only a problem if you are really playing around w/ inflating/deflating the tires several times throughout a day.

Just like air compressors, you'd probably want to fill up the air compressor the day before or so of the event & empty it out after the event. This will prevent condensation build up on the inside of the tank that can cause rust, etc.

I've got a 30 gallon compressor bolted to the floor in my garage. I've tried to bring it out to the track before, and it was just a pain in the ass to get in the truck and lug down to El Toro. ... Just kidding, but I do have a standup compressor, and that's what I use to fill my air tank. The compressor is also setup for regulated air (90 PSI for air tools) and unregulated (I think the compressor's limit is like 150 psi). I use the unregulated side to fill the portable tank. I also don't use the air tank to 'fill' tires, only to top them off. It's up to the job.
Mark D.

Any recommendations for a cheap and good air compressor for home garage use? Does Harbor Freight have anything?

Art ... if you have a number of big Vette tires that need to be refilled from a previous event ... after all of the bleeding of air ... the practical portable air tanks don't hold a lot of volume. So either pre fill the tires at home after which you can refill your tank, or have a back up portable compressor with you. They make some really small emergency ones. BUT, I like the larger portable compressors that are also a Jump Starter, power station and work light. Ours has lasted for many years and the Jump Starter has come in handy numerous times. I think we got it at Pep Boys. I'll post a photo later.

IF you want to have a tank, you might looks into a small Nitrogen tank. I just bought a new replacement one, 20 cubic feet of high pressure, DRY nitrogen. I think it was something like $14! (Refills are cheap at your local industrial gas dealer - actually they just trade out tanks) BUT you have to also buy a regulator and hose. Inexpensive at Harbor Freight. BUT with a Nitrogen tank you have to be careful that it doesn't fall over and break the regulator/gauges. Our 40 cubic foot tank fell over at the Divisional breaking a gauge. Fortunately even at AirGas a replacement gauge was only about $10. The 20 foot tank is small and light enough to keep in a carry bag so it won't fall over.

We need to carry nitrogen anyway for our adjustable Penske shocks ... one of which has a leak. Usually we use the compressor to fill the tires, but if we need a quick large fill the nitrogen tank will do it very quickly.

Ideally, if you have nitrogen filled tires (Costco uses nitrogen) and keeping topping them off with nitrogen, you won't get as much fluctuation in tire pressure. It's the moisture in the plain old air in your tire that when heated causes a big build up of pressure when you start running. Dry nitrogen is more stable.

If you want relatively small, cheap and light ... at least one of our drivers uses a bicycle pump ... with the added benefit of getting a bit of a work out.

Randy Chase wrote:Any recommendations for a cheap and good air compressor for home garage use? Does Harbor Freight have anything?

Now there is an oxymoron for you. (cheap and good)

I would recommend something I found at Pep Boys. (Harbor Freight and others sell these too)
It is a combination air compresson/battery jumper. You don't need to plug it into your car for it to work. Just keep charge it up. About the size of a lunch box.
Costs about $99.

Sorry Randy, I did not comprehend that you were looking into a larger air compressor.
Harbor Freight has warranty/insurance policies to make up for quality.

Randy Chase wrote:Any recommendations for a cheap and good air compressor for home garage use? Does Harbor Freight have anything?

Costco, Harbor Freight, Sears, Lowes, Home Depot.

I would go for one that max's @ 150 psi.

They are loud.

Bob Plante wrote:

Randy Chase wrote:Any recommendations for a cheap and good air compressor for home garage use? Does Harbor Freight have anything?

Costco, Harbor Freight, Sears, Lowes, Home Depot.

I would go for one that max's @ 150 psi.

They are loud.

The trade-off for oil free.

Ron Tsumura wrote:

Randy Chase wrote:Any recommendations for a cheap and good air compressor for home garage use? Does Harbor Freight have anything?

Now there is an oxymoron for you. (cheap and good)

I would recommend something I found at Pep Boys.
It is a combination air compresson/battery jumper. You don't need to plug it into your car for it to work. Just keep charge it up. About the size of a lunch box.
Costs about $99.

I have one of those and they are indeed the way to go. I like not being tethered to a cig lighter (specially for karts). But I am looking for a real compressor also that can seat kart tires. Or is that possible with a home garage compressor?

The portable compressors that I use do not plug into the cigarette lighters, ie. jump starter type ... but of course they can't pop a tire onto the rim ... that's what Engine Starter Spray is for!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M0GNLvP ... re=related

This is the one we've been using for several months that is working great:
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 96157.html


Don't forget to use the 20% off coupon!

This is the air tank I have: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... ockType=G1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Craftsman was actually cheaper than the Harbor Freight special. It much quicker than any portable electric pump. I fill it up at home with my 13 gal compressor ($120 w/ air tool kit at Kragen). It's enough air to adjust tire pressure for the whole day for me. I'm on street tires though, so there's only 4-5 psi added per tire at most (fill in the morning, after lunch, before I go home).

I should note that I seldom have to add air, when I have it's been a pound or two, and I have both a jump battery with compressor and a small 12v, they just both seem slow when your on grid, which is why I asked about the tank. I guess no one fills there tank with one of the 12v compressors or similar?

Arthur Grant wrote:I should note that I seldom have to add air, when I have it's been a pound or two, and I have both a jump battery with compressor and a small 12v, they just both seem slow when your on grid, which is why I asked about the tank. I guess no one fills there tank with one of the 12v compressors or similar?

Oh god no. It takes a few minutes to fill it up with a household/commercial compressor and I hate waiting for that. I can't image how long it would take with a 12v compressor. You'd need a household/commercial compressor anyway to get the portable tank to capacity anyway.

The portable tank is ideal in grid as it only takes a few seconds for a few pounds of adjustment.

Daniel Yeung wrote:This is the air tank I have: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... ockType=G1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Craftsman was actually cheaper than the Harbor Freight special. It much quicker than any portable electric pump. I fill it up at home with my 13 gal compressor ($120 w/ air tool kit at Kragen). It's enough air to adjust tire pressure for the whole day for me. I'm on street tires though, so there's only 4-5 psi added per tire at most (fill in the morning, after lunch, before I go home).

This is what I use. I added a long coiled hose (the cheap yellow plastic kind) for convenience. My routine on the morning of the event is as follows: Go to gas station. Fill up tires to approximately what I will run on course. Fill up the tank as well. Then, at the track, use the tank to top off a couple PSI if needed. Usually though, I'm bleeding air, not adding. Use the tank again to replenish the tires if there are fun runs, or if not, then for the drive home. I have never run out of air using this method, although the tank is pretty low buy the time I'm done with it.

Besides not developing useful pressure to fill a tank, a 12V compressor could overheat and die if left on too long.

Karen had a great combo compressor/jumper/power station/work light that had a Set and Forget tire pressure feature. One could set ones target pressure and it would auto turn itself off while one was doing say numbers. Alas we can't seem to locate a replacement one after this one finally died.

Randy,

http://shopping.yahoo.com/34505805-d551 ... wA8jJlB8Yu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

small, cheap (but will last), big enough to air up tires...

Eric Clements wrote:Randy,

http://shopping.yahoo.com/34505805-d551 ... wA8jJlB8Yu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

small, cheap (but will last), big enough to air up tires...

Looks like enough PSI to run a spray gun or nailer.

Michael Smith wrote:This is the one we've been using for several months that is working great:
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 96157.html


Don't forget to use the 20% off coupon!

I bought one of those, but it only worked once.

Sebastian Rios wrote:

Michael Smith wrote:This is the one we've been using for several months that is working great:
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 96157.html


Don't forget to use the 20% off coupon!

I bought one of those, but it only worked once.

The QC on most of those compressor/jumper units is going to be very hit/miss. I had one from costco that lasted 3 years heavy use & finally the comp. went out. Got a new/different one from costco & it's going ok for 6 months now.

For the OP, I use both. 7 gal bottle for quick fill in grid & the compressor/jumper at days end when the 7 gal is getting low. 150 psi comp at home to fill up the 7 gal.

Is there no end to the stuff you have to buy for this sport?

Ok, I have one car garage in a condo. Already own a boat, fishing gear, horses, and couple of bikes. With a tire trailer, two extra sets of wheels, 12 used tires in the garage. Wife can't get to her freezer after I put the trailer in there this week. I hope I don't need anything more to compete in this sport, I haven't got a place to put it. I can't get to my roll away right now either.

Arthur Grant wrote:Ok, I have one car garage in a condo. Already own a boat, fishing gear, horses, and couple of bikes. With a tire trailer, two extra sets of wheels, 12 used tires in the garage. Wife can't get to her freezer after I put the trailer in there this week. I hope I don't need anything more to compete in this sport, I haven't got a place to put it. I can't get to my roll away right now either.

Art, it looks like you need only one more thing--A new house with a 4 car garage on the water with a stable and a boat house!!!!

Don

Arthur Grant wrote:Ok, I have one car garage in a condo. Already own a boat, fishing gear, horses, and couple of bikes. With a tire trailer, two extra sets of wheels, 12 used tires in the garage. Wife can't get to her freezer after I put the trailer in there this week. I hope I don't need anything more to compete in this sport, I haven't got a place to put it. I can't get to my roll away right now either.

We use the 12V with battery compressors from Target or kragen auto parts.

You would be surprised how much stuff you can get in to a small space. We have a boat, 6 bikes, 70 wheels, countless corded tires but no freezer.
I even have an air tank.

Why do you keep corded tires?

Sorry to hijack...Doug, how do you load and unload the lift?