Jeep Articles / General (SuperFlow Electric Air Compressor)

SuperFlow Electric Air Compressor

Article written by Moab Man

Date Added: 08/10/2006

A key element of off-road capability is how well your tires grip, or wrap around objects, while trying to climb. For this reason many of us will air down for off-road capability and then limp home on low tire pressure.

Truth be told, engine-driven air compressors can be extremely cost prohibitive, and many electric compressors capable of handling large tires still cost too much. Or, we're just too cheap to spend the cash for this minimally-used piece of equipment.

For all you "wheeling poor" and cheap skates, I bring to you the SuperFlow 12 Volt Air Compressor...

With the exception of the wheel/tire, all shown is included.

Carry bag
Air hose
Compressor with integrated gauge
Instructions (who are those for?)

Bubble protected on/off switch
Rubber feet can be removed to hard mount
Air filter with washable filament
Integrated pressure gauge

Getting Down To Business

We ran this little compressor on a number of LARGE tires to really run this compressor through the paces.

Following a standard measure, here are SuperFlow air times from 15 to 30 psi.

Tire Size		Time
33X12.50		4:30
35X12.50		6:00
35X15.50		7:30

Comparing the SuperFlow

Run times from 15 to 30 psi.

	ARB	SuperFlow	Viair 200H	Viair 450C
33x12.50	-	4:30	*4:00	-
35X12.50	-	6:00	*5:15	3:30
35X15.50	-	7:30	-	-

* We do not recommend the Viair 200H for tires this large.

Tire psi at 11 minutes run time starting at 0 psi.

	ARB		SuperFlow		Viair 200H		Viair 450C
From 0 psi	24 psi		26 psi		-		-

Although an ARB compressor is not meant for airing tires, it is commonly done. For that reason we put the SuperFlow head-to-head with ARB.

Ok, so you're probably wondering how much this little compressor is. But, before I tell you, here are a few prices for comparison.

ARB Compressor	$212.95	4WD.com / Nov 21, 2004
Viair 200H	$153.95	wheelersoffroad.com / Nov 21, 2004
Viair 450C	$279.95	4WD.com / Nov 21, 2004

So here it is, you can purchase the SuperFlow from your local Checkers Auto Parts Store for only....

$50

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Final Thoughts

This is a great little compressor for the "wheeling poor" and cheap skates alike. If you look through the information above, you can see it was faster than the ARB and slower than the Viairs.

It should be noted the 450C is not in the same category. It is a larger compressor and has a 100% duty cycle (continuous run) as well.

So where does this compressor fit in?

Although the Viair 200H fills faster, it simply doesn't quite fit the bill (overheats) when filling four tires any larger than 31s. The SuperFlow seems to fit, for personal use, to fill tires up to 33s.

Our Thank You's!

MoabJeeper Magazine would like to say thank you to Matt "The Big Sgt" Westrich for providing and performing the testing of the SuperFlow Compressor at the DATC Jeep Show in Kaysville, Utah.

General Articles - Product Reviews

SuperFlow Electric Air Compressor

A key element of off-road capability is how well your tires grip, or wrap around objects, while trying to climb. For this reason many of us will air down for off-road capability and then limp home on low tire pressure.

Final Thoughts

Our Thank You's!