Whangler wrote:
Here's a few more questions:
1. With the Viair, can you set the shut off pressure needed, start it blowing up tire, and go do something else, until it shuts off?
2. Viair owners do you agree with The viair claims that it will "inflate 275/80/22.5 tires from 80 to 90 psi in just 30 seconds".
3. Will the 6 gal pancake compressor inflate the tires as quickly as the viair?
The home depot brand; "rigid" pushes 2.6cfm at 90psi.
And yes, the home depot brand rigid has a 3 year warranty. I think I'd go with that one if a 120v tank compressor is the choice. I bought a "Rigid" brand reciprocating saw rather than a "Sawzall" and can attest to the brand quality.
Since I don't have and haven't used a Viair unit, take this with a small grain of salt. Everything I have seen and read suggests that they're quite good quality, and I haven't heard of many if any disappointed buyers. They are not inexpensive, of course.
On question 3, I would expect the pancake compressor to be somewhat faster assuming it is set up properly (i.e. with a hose and tire chuck that isn't overly restrictive) and can reasonably reach the pressures needed (which should be the case). The Viair is rated at 2.3 cfm at 0 psi, and would be lower at 90 psi, maybe 1.5 cfm but I'd guess somewhat less. Looking at the electrical specifications corroborates this: the Vair has a maximum power consumption of 360 watts (30A at 12V), while the Rigid's maximum is 1440 watts (12A at 120V).
On the plus side for the Viair for filling tires quickly overall is the lack of the tank, which would take a minute or two to get up to pressure on the 6 gallon pancake compressor. Also be aware that the Viair is much smaller in size.
To raise my 16" motorhome tires up from 70 psi to 80 psi with the Fini AirBoss takes maybe twenty seconds of air chuck time, I think. I have not timed it with a stop watch. The pancake compressor should be very roughly similar I think.
Of course, if one doesn't get a good seal with the air chuck or it fails to properly engage the valve core's button it can take a very long time indeed. That's true with any compressor.
