Tire Inflation
Proper tire inflation is kind of a big deal, and it can be more complicated than you might think if this is your first camper. Sufficient air pressure within the tire is required for the sidewalls to be able to support the weight of the vehicle. Failing to keep the tires properly inflated can lead to catastrophic failure of the tire itself which can cause you to lose control of the vehicle and crash. Every RV tire manual I’ve ever read has had some form of the following schedule of maintenance printed in it: “Inspect tires for damage and ensure proper inflation monthly, and before each trip”.
The importance of this maintenance task cannot be overstated.
Given how often you’re likely going to be adjusting the pressure in your tires, you’re going to want an air compressor that can keep up with the demand, without making your life miserable. We will discuss how to maintain your tires in another post, but for now lets just talk about the tool.
Viair 400P-RV Automatic Air Compressor
Viair Corporation is an American company which produces some of the highest-quality heavy-duty DC-powered air compressors on the market. It’s pretty much all that they do, and they do a very good job of it. You really can’t get a better portable compressor for your RV.
The model we use on our Winnebago Forza is no exception. We’ve owned this Viair 400P-RV for over a year now and we use it almost every time we go out. The tires on our motorhome require 120PSI (cold) for maximum sidewall strength and the 400P-RV has no trouble getting them there with it’s maximum pressure of 150PSI.
The kit includes just about everything you could ever want for reaching those tricky valves and for making filling or purging relatively painless. Viair wisely included about 60ft of nicely coiled air hose which makes reaching every tire on our Class A rig a breeze. The main filling attachments are rigged with quick-connect fittings which makes switching between them super quick. Additional accessories were also provided for filling up various inflatable objects (like balls, air mattresses, kayaks, or floats). Everything fits nicely into the sturdy carrying bag and stores nicely in the basement of the motorhome.
The process of filling is straightforward enough, attach the hoses and filling “gun” first so the air has something to fill. Then attach the battery clamps to the terminals on your rigs battery bank, flip the switch to turn on the compressor and it will air up the hoses. Choose the appropriate filling tool and attach to the quick-connect before attaching to the valve stem. Pull the trigger and let the air flow!
There is a built in pressure gauge on the air gun, and this particular component is my one single complaint about this kit. The gauge we received with our kit was wildly inaccurate. It would register approximately 15PSI higher than the actual pressure in the tire. I’m not sure if there’s a production failure with these, or if I just got a bad gauge but I confirmed the bad readings with three other gauges including one at the Freightliner Custom Chassis Service Center - all three other readings were within 1PSI of each other. The bad reading is not the end of the world as long as you KNOW about it and test with a good gauge.
Bottom Line
Overall I rate this compressor a 4/5, the compressor is perfectly fit for the task of maintaining the big-honkin’ tires on my RV, but I’m knocking off one star for the gauge that would be better if it were just not included.
What if I’m more of a visual learner?
Check out this video from our fancy pants YouTube Channel
[Imagine a sweet video here]