An air compressor is one of those 4WD accessories that can quickly become something you use more often than expected.
Whether you’re lowering your tyre pressures for the beach, heading off road for the weekend or setting up a vehicle for longer touring trips, having a reliable way to inflate your tyres again makes the process much easier.
ARB offers both portable and onboard air compressor options, along with single, twin, brushed and brushless models. So, which one actually suits your 4WD?
The answer comes down to how often you’ll use it, what you’ll use it for and how you want your vehicle set up.
Why Carry an Air Compressor?
For most 4WD owners, tyre inflation is the main reason to carry an air compressor.
When travelling on sand or certain off-road surfaces, reducing your tyre pressures can help improve traction and allow the vehicle to travel more easily over softer terrain.
Once you’re back on the road, those tyres need to be brought back up to the appropriate road pressure.
That’s where having your own compressor becomes particularly useful.
It also isn’t always just the four tyres on your 4WD that need air. Depending on how you travel, you could also be inflating tyres on a caravan, camper trailer, boat trailer or dirt bikes.
The more tyres you regularly need to inflate, the more important compressor performance becomes.
ARB Portable Air Compressors
A portable air compressor keeps things simple.
You can carry it in the vehicle when you need it, store it away when you don’t and move it between vehicles if required.
An ARB portable compressor can be a good option if you:
- Only head to the beach or off road occasionally
- Want something primarily for tyre inflation
- Use more than one vehicle
- Don’t want a permanently installed air system
- Prefer to keep your setup flexible
For many weekend 4WD owners, portable air may be all that’s required.
When Does an Onboard ARB Air Compressor Make Sense?
An onboard compressor is permanently mounted in the vehicle, giving you access to air whenever you need it without having to unpack and connect a portable unit each time.
This becomes particularly useful if adjusting tyre pressures is a regular part of how you use your 4WD.
At ARB Rockingham, we also regularly incorporate onboard compressors into touring, beach and general 4WD builds, with the location planned around the rest of the setup.
An onboard ARB compressor may be worth considering if you:
- Regularly drive on the beach
- Frequently travel off road
- Are building a touring vehicle
- Regularly air down and reinflate your tyres
- Want your air system permanently installed and ready to use
Depending on the vehicle and accessories fitted, compressors can be incorporated into engine bays, toolboxes, canopies and other suitable locations to keep the installation practical and easy to access.
ARB Single or Twin Compressor?
Once you’ve decided between portable and onboard air, the next question is whether a single or twin compressor better suits the job.
An ARB single compressor is a great all round option for general tyre inflation and suits plenty of weekend and touring 4WDs.
An ARB twin compressor is better suited to drivers who need more airflow and use their compressor more heavily or more often. That can mean inflating a full set of larger 4WD tyres, then moving onto a caravan, trailer, dirt bike or other gear without wanting to spend a long time waiting between each job.
This is where the extra output of the Twin really starts to make sense.
For example, if you regularly tow a caravan and air down the 4WD for beach driving, you may need to reinflate more than just four tyres before heading back onto the road. The same applies if you travel with trailers, dirt bikes or other vehicles that may also need air while you’re away.
ARB’s Twin compressors are designed for high airflow and rapid tyre inflation, with the current brushed and brushless Twin models also offering a 100% duty cycle.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs a Twin.
If you only air down your 4WD occasionally for a local beach trip, an ARB single compressor may be more than enough. But if you regularly have multiple tyres or multiple vehicles to inflate, the extra capacity of a Twin can make the job considerably quicker and more convenient.
It comes back to how much air you actually need, not simply choosing the biggest compressor available.
Brushed or Brushless ARB Air Compressor?
The next decision is whether to go with one of ARB’s proven brushed compressors or step up to the newer Brushless range.
ARB Brushed Compressors
ARB’s brushed compressors have been a trusted part of the range for years and remain a strong option for everyday 4WD, touring and off-road use.
Available in Single and Twin configurations, as well as portable and onboard setups, there’s a brushed option to suit everything from occasional beach trips through to more demanding touring setups.
The ARB Twin brushed compressor is particularly capable, offering high airflow and a 100% duty cycle, making it well suited to larger tyres, frequent use and inflating multiple sets of tyres across a 4WD, caravan, trailer or other equipment.
For many 4WD owners, a brushed compressor will give them all the performance they need without having to step into the Brushless range.
ARB Brushless Compressors
For drivers who want to take performance another step further, ARB’s Brushless range offers increased output along with newer cooling, control and protection technology.
ARB states its Brushless compressors provide 50% more air output compared with the equivalent brushed compressor.
In practical terms, that means less time spent waiting for tyres to inflate.
That can be particularly noticeable when you have larger tyres or need to work through multiple sets of tyres on a 4WD, caravan, trailer or dirt bikes.
So, does everyone need Brushless?
No.
If you only use your compressor occasionally, one of ARB’s brushed options may provide everything you need.
But if you regularly air down, run larger tyres, inflate multiple sets of tyres or want higher output as part of a serious touring setup, the additional performance of the Brushless range is well worth considering.
So, Do You Actually Need Onboard Air?
Not necessarily.
If you only need a compressor a handful of times each year and want something you can move between vehicles, an ARB portable compressor may make more sense.
If beach driving, off road trips and tyre pressure changes are a regular part of how you use your 4WD, having the compressor permanently installed can be much more convenient.
Then there’s the amount of air you need.
Inflating four tyres occasionally is very different to regularly inflating a 4WD, caravan, trailer and other vehicles while travelling.
That’s why we look at the complete setup rather than simply recommending the biggest compressor available.
Choosing the Right ARB Air Compressor
A simple way to narrow down your options is to ask three questions.
1. Portable or onboard?
Think about how often you’ll use the compressor and whether you want it permanently installed and ready to go.
2. Single or Twin?
Consider more than just your 4WD tyres.
If you regularly tow a caravan, travel with a trailer or dirt bikes, have larger tyres or need to inflate multiple sets of tyres, stepping up to a Twin may make sense.
3. Brushed or Brushless?
ARB’s brushed compressors remain a proven and capable option, while the newer Brushless range offers increased output along with additional cooling, control and protection technology.
The right option depends on your vehicle, how often you use it and what you expect your compressor to do.
Talk to ARB Rockingham About Your Compressor Setup
At ARB Rockingham, we can help you compare the ARB air compressor range and work out which setup suits the way you actually use your 4WD.
That could be a portable Single for the occasional beach trip, an onboard compressor that’s always ready to go, or a Brushless Twin for a touring setup where you regularly need to inflate multiple sets of tyres.
If you’re planning a larger build, we can also look at where an onboard compressor can be incorporated into the vehicle so it works with the rest of your setup.
Book an appointment with the team at ARB Rockingham to discuss the right ARB air compressor for your 4WD.
