AIr Compressors elect/engine

what is the "best" compressors?

air zenith? viar? york? whats everyone runnin, and whats the word out there as the "best"..

this will be an endless thread just to let you know

if u want endless air,id have to say EDC

OMG man... They should shut this thread down now... Its gonna turn into a brawl i can feel it.

BUT... IMO ViAirs are good for the $ and will last if you dont beat on em. BUT if you got the money it up the Air Zeniths. And as far as throwing the Yorks in there... Its basically like comparing Apples to Oranges. Yorks are engine drivens are are sometimes reliable and pump a hell of alot more air then the electric comressors. BUT you cant really compare engine drivens to electric comps. Their 2 different animals.

Electrics are good for the $ and dont really require maintenance. Whereas the engine drivens require alot of maintenance (from what ive seen. AND people tend to burn the engine drivens up due to oil issues.

SO bottom line is. Figure out what your budget will allow... As in a few hundred for a couple electric comps, or upwards of $600 for an engine driven kit. Figure out how much youll use the comp and how much maintenance your willing to do on them. And then start looking some more.

get viair,they are reliable,i beat on my and its still clickin,lol

get viair,they are reliable,i beat on my and its still clickin,lol

For electric pumps, I prefer the Zenith- they have been very reliable, and when our customers have had problems they've always taken care of them. They also keep refining their products- the new models have higher output and include a cooling fan on the head, all at no extra charge!

If you don't need large amounts of air, a Thomas or a small Viair will work for you, but the Thomas can't take a beating or it will die, and the Viair, even though it's rugged, is a boat anchor if something goes wrong with it- replacement parts and support are scarce.
If you have the money, and you need the insane air output, Oasis makes some killer pumps- more output than engine driven compressors (10 cfm plus!), and no pulleys to deal with. However, they are pricey, you have to check the oil in them (other electric pumps use teflon piston rings, so they don't need oil), and they usually require charging system upgrades to handle the current draw.
If you have the space for it, and engine driven compressor is a great way to go for the money. Several bolt-on applications are available through AirLift and other manufacturers, and with proper maintenance they last a long time. Plus, York compressors are rebuildable, so your investment isn't going to go down the drain if something bad happens. The downside here is that many newer vehicles don't have room under the hood for one...

Hope that clears things up a bit. Everyone's right- this thread could go on forever, and you'll get 100 different opinions from 100 different people. Good luck with your quest!

-Phil at FBI

what phil said, i run a york and i have more air than i would ever need, takes 13 seconds to go from 170-200 psi, and i love watching the needle jump right back, but i can hide it in the engine bay pretty easy, may not work well for your app. Viar has 2 for a good deal, that be great too.

Originally posted by framelayer521

...and the Viair, even though it's rugged, is a boat anchor if something goes wrong with it- replacement parts and support are scarce.-Phil at FBI

Gonna have to disagree with you on this one Phil. Just about EVERY part you could need to rebuild any VIAIR compressor is available (unless you want a new armature, then there's no chance of a replacement - but that's the same with ANY compressor MFG. As far as them being boat anchors, how do you make that type of statement? They're no heavier than their closest counterparts in another MFG's lineup, unless you're referring to the 500 series - then you need to specify since there are well over 50 different models of VIAIR compressors. As far as service and support, I think that if you polled people who've received service over the past year - you'd see that VIAIR has indeed stepped up in their response to customer needs and service.

oasis uses a 210 york,
the air lift kit uses a 209 york,
u can buy a 210 york and build ur own kit for far less money then buying a airlift edc or a oasis

i built my own edc with a york 210 and put a serp clutch on it
but i have viair 325's as back up