The concept of using compressed cylinders to manage the pressure in your tyres is nothing new to road racers and go-carters. They’ve been using them for years to ensure the PSI in their pocket rockets are set to perfection. But it’s a concept that’s taken quite a while to expand into the 4X4 segment. That wait may be over with Air-up’s answer to your slow and noisy old air-compressor…

You see the biggest problem with typical compressed cylinders is that to carry the sort of air capacity you’d need on a decent off-road trip you’d lose half your boot space. The difference between a typical compressed air system and the air-up system is the use of CO2 . This gives the same size cylinder about 10 times the normal capacity.

So we’re talking here about a tank (size of a scuba tank), that’s got the power to inflate a 31 inch off-road tyre in 20 seconds, and the capacity to repeat it 30 times. Not bad…

On Air-up’s web site they claim that you can undo 200 wheel nuts, inflate 30 tyres (31 inch), run your lockers, and that it’s got more than enough power to lock beads on a flat tyre. In our own testing we experienced result very close to the stated levels.

They also have a neat set of accessories as a companion to your tank which only makes the unit more attractive. Having said that, it’s not the perfect solution so let’s look at the pro’s and con’s of the Air-up system.

Why it’s worth the money:

• Nothing mechanical is going to let you down

  In my mind this is number one. An electric or belt driven air-compressor has a gazillion more working parts. These working parts create so many more points of failure. It would be fairly safe to say that over time, the reliability of the Air-up system will stand tall against the alternatives.

• Much more power than a mechanical compressor

  It is simply quicker. Not endless, but still super fast. You’re also going to have no trouble locking that bead back onto the rim after a puncture repair. Even on a 35 + inch rim!

• The air jack is a thing of beauty!

  Not essential, but I still love it. As the cylinders got a lot more oomph effortless jacking is possible. I can’t see it being all that useful on rocky or muddy terrain, but when I swap my 35’s for my road tyres, this jack is a beauty. Seriously, if you going to but the cylinder, buy the Jack…

Why you might want to hang onto that compressor a bit longer:

• What happens when you run out of CO2

  A ready supply of CO2’s not all that common in the middle of a forest or a desert, I doubt if it’s readily available in country towns either. So if you’re embarking on a long trip, I’d take the tank as a backup rather than primary source of air. It’s the key difference between a compressor or a tank. one is fast, silent, transportable the other is an endless supply.

• Running Air Lockers, I’m not convinced

  I just can’t seem to back this up with a great deal of fact, but I just don’t like the feeling of locking my diff with the tank. Perhaps because of its silent operation, you don’t get that reminder that your locker is activated or that integrating it with your lockers takes away a little from the units transportability – it just doesn’t work for me.

Summary:

I think this product deserves it place in the off-road tool kit. Although I wouldn’t use it exclusively on a long journey (a backup only). On a weekender where you might only need to inflate your tyres once or twice, it’s going to be well worth the price… The accessories (specially the jack) are well worth considering also.

Cost: AU $568 for the small kit, AU $643 for the large. Air Jack AU $750 and other accessories vary.

Manufacturer: Air-up

Where to buy : Order from the manufacturer

10 Responses to “Review: Get Pumped With Air-up”

• August 28th, 2008 Monster4X4:

  that’s pretty neat — $750 for the jack seems a little expensive though.

• August 28th, 2008 David K:

  I’ve got one of these things and I can say it’s VERY handy

• August 28th, 2008 bushwhack:

  Thanks for the review – Is this only available in Australia or can I get one in the US?

• August 28th, 2008 Jason:

  Been using one for years — worth it, and the jack too!

• August 28th, 2008 Luxy:

  Where can you go to get the bottles refilled?

• August 28th, 2008 Shayne:

  @ Monster4X4 — I think it’s worth it’s weight in gold

  @Luxy — There’s a few places around, give them a ring, I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to help

• August 28th, 2008 wyworry:

  I’ve been using these on most of my day trips. It’s extremely handy and a real time saver. As Shayne mentioned, I used this as a backup when I’m going in a longer tour, but to be honest, I end up using it a lot more than my compressor. It costs about $20-30 to get the cylinders refilled.

• September 17th, 2008 pump it up:

  [...] years to ensure the PSI in their pocket rockets are set to perfection. But it??s a concept that??shttp://4×4fever.com/reviews/4×4-product-reviews/review-get-pumped-with-air-up/Gustav likely to bring higher pump prices The Shreveport TimesJust as Americans begin packing up [...]

• September 18th, 2008 8pot:

  I went and ordered one of these from this review, and I’m more than happy with the product.

• September 18th, 2008 MateyMate:

  Nice review Shayne thanks. I think I’ll stick with the old compressor, but if it lets go I think about it

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