ARB Air Compressor Tutorial

 

At Diff, we equip our 4×4 vehicles with an ARB Air Compressor and digital inflator/deflator to help assist you with the correct tire pressure for your adventures. There are 2 functions to this: airing down, and airing up.

Airing Down

Airing down is simply reducing the air pressure of tires to achieve improved vehicle performance while traveling off-road. Airing down may: 

  • Reduce the risk of getting a flat 
  • Increase traction on sandy, muddy, or rocky surfaces 
  • Smooth the ride resulting in increased ride comfort
     

Airing down is optional, and it is perfectly suitable to drive off-road on tires that are inflated fully to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI levels. However, if you choose to air down, we recommend these common PSI levels you may seek to achieve before heading off-road: 

  • 20 to 25 psi in the mountains 
  • 17 to 20 psi at the beach in soft sand

Airing Up


Airing up is simply increasing the air pressure of a vehicle’s partially deflated tires after an off-road session and back to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI levels. Look for a sticker on the driver side door jamb of the vehicle to confirm the PSI recommendations for the vehicle you are driving. The PSI figures listed on the sticker are for normal everyday driving primarily on roads. Normal street pressures on common 4×4 vehicles are as follows: 

  • 37 PSI for Jeep Wrangler Rubicons 
  • 39 PSI for Ford Bronco Badlands 


It’s not easy to achieve the exact PSI that is recommended by the manufacturer, so just get as close as you can. The TPMS system will alert you if the tire pressures need to be adjusted on a specific tire. 

The air compressor and its accessories are typically located at the back of the vehicle. The exception is on the Jeep Gladiator, where the compressor is under the front passenger seat and the accessories are located under the bench seat on the 2nd row of the vehicle. 

  1. Attach the digital inflator / deflator to the air hose
  2. Connect the air hose to the air compressor using the spring-loaded quick connect
  3. Start the engine on the vehicle – the engine should always be running when using the air compressor!
  4. Turn the air compressor on
  5. Remove the cap from the valve stem of the tire
  6. Attach the digital inflator / deflator to the valve stem
  7. Squeeze the trigger to add air to the tire
  8. Release the trigger to get a PSI reading

There is a small button on the side of the digital inflator / deflator if you need to bleed air out of the tire. 

When you are finished airing up all tires, turn off the air compressor and squeeze the trigger on the digital inflator / deflator to release air pressure from the hose. For your safety, it’s important to remember to bleed air from the hose prior to disconnecting the air hose from the quick connect of the compressor. Otherwise, the air hose may eject with a force that could cause injury. Also, be mindful that the air compressor will build up heat while in use so be careful not to touch metal components of the air compressor immediately after its use. Be especially careful to keep children from playing with the air compressor at all times. 

There you have it, now know how to air up and air down just like an off-road pro! 

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