viair mounting questions

i got a few questions about mounting viair compressors. Can they be mounted upside down? Im putting them in the trunk of an accord and i was thinking about mounting them on the rear deck upside down under the speakers... also can they pump 'up' i heard its not good to have the air tank above the compressor, such as having the compressor under the bed and the tank in the bed forcing the air to pump 'upwards' just wondering. hopefully mr viair(lance) will be able to answer my Qs.

no one?

Edited: 11/14/2006 1:56:10 AM by AirRideTalk dot com

That 'pump up' thing is total bull hockey. 100% untrue. The only downfall to 'pumping up' is that if you use a port on the bottom of the tank, any sludge or crap can get into the check valve and or compressor head and damage it. Running it to a port not on the bottom of the tank would solve that issue in a heart beat.

As for upside down. I'd recommend against it. The heatsink is on the top of the compressor, and heat rises, so by putting the compressor upside down, you've taken away the compressors ability to effectively disapate heat and you run the risk of overheating or damaging the compressor.

Edit, just noticed you're in Litchfield Park... not toooo far from me in North Glendale. :)

Yeah, the compressor below the tank has absolutely no affect on the compressor as far as having to pump the air upward. And about the compressor being upside down, I see no problem with that either. The heat sink will still properly work because it just dissipates the heat away from the piston cylinder and wall.

Check out my truck and the set-up, Mine work great and have had no problems with them

i've read not to mount them upside down, they can be sideways, but not completely upside down, the heat from the cylinder head will rise right back up into the cylinder

i don't know that they wouldn't rip a rear deck apart from the vibration as well, unless you're bracing them up

ive been running 2-280c viairs under my truck to a five gallon tank for 2 years now. the compressors are mounted up side down and drive through rain, sleet, snow, cold, heat, etc. and there still running fine. however, my compressors are outside under my truck upside down to the wind cools them. if your going to put them in an enclosed space not really sure what would happen. mine run fine upside down.

ya im close to glendale. i live across the street from luke AFB. hit me up sometime. thanks for the info guys...

Originally posted by IB2LOUD



i've read not to mount them upside down, they can be sideways, but not completely upside down, the heat from the cylinder head will rise right back up into the cylinder



yep! the heatsink works alot better when the heat can rise off of it, the comps will need all the cooling help they can get trapped in a trunk, so it would be a good idea to mount them right side up.

Sorry, I didn't see this - and forgot to sign on before I went on vacation last week on a cruise ship to Mexico (yes, it was badass!)

YOu can easily mount VIAIR pumps upside-down, just keep in mind that the head does indeed act as a heat sink and upside-down operation will not allow the heat in the motor to rise to the head. You may see a shorter lifespan of the compressor overall, but not enough to keep you from installing them otherwise. Now, if you're talking about a behemoth of a compressor such as the 500C/550C or the new pumps that we're coming out with soon (that are also HUGE) - I'd recommend not installing them upside-down since if they were to come loose, you'd be essentially hauling a high performance boat anchor!