Compressor argument

[piglet]

My husband bought me a Zook for a Chrissie presie but he now has taken over. He now wants to purchase a compressor but I don't think it's neccesary as we will probably never drive on sand but he says we need to deflate the tyres even on 4x4 tracks. Whats your opinion on this matter. Do you really need to deflate the tyres even on sand. Isn't the Zook light enough to drive on soft ground without deflating the tyres? We have BFG muddies.

[jtraf]

lower air pressure bigger contact patch.....

Your hubby is right.....You need an endless air setup and storage tank to facilitate the air up process.....

In all seriousness he is correct that you should not run road pressure in tyres when offroad and especially on sand. Running road pressue makes the car work harder than it needs to.

James

[Goatse.AJ]

Definitely need to air down when offroad. Even if you're not tackling anything hard, you'll find the extra traction from airing down makes it a HEAP safer going down even slight inclines. Believe me, I learnt that from experience a couple of time when I was too lazy to get out and air down

A compressor is a good investment.

However, what sort of driving do you mainly do? i.e. How far would you normally be from the nearest servo, where you can air up for free?

There are a lot of cheaper compressors out there, but you get what you pay for.

[piglet]

Thanks James,
I just needed to learn from someone else. My husband likes to pull the wool over my eyes on some of these things he buys. Someone else had suggested that we wouldn't need to let the air out as the Zooks are light enough to cope with soft surfaces. We've only had the car since Christmas and we've just got into this thing called 4x4. We are newbies. Learning alot from this forum though. Thanks for your input.
Toni

[PJ.zook]

For a zook thats running normal size tyres, ie below 33", a standard 12volt compressor will do the job, preferrably something up the decent end of the scale like a Blue Toungue. You could buy an Endless Air setup as this would inflate your tyres a lot quicker and you could also use air tools, but this costs around $400 for a basic kit off the top of my head.
Then again, as AJ said, how far would you be from the nearest servo. BFG muds can take a beating onroad while deflated to get to a servo, especially compared to the likes of Simex, etc...

[piglet]

Definitely need to air down when offroad. Even if you're not tackling anything hard, you'll find the extra traction from airing down makes it a HEAP safer going down even slight inclines. Believe me, I learnt that from experience a couple of time when I was too lazy to get out and air down

A compressor is a good investment.

However, what sort of driving do you mainly do? i.e. How far would you normally be from the nearest servo, where you can air up for free?

There are a lot of cheaper compressors out there, but you get what you pay for.

We are newbies to 4x4 driving. Just purchased our Zook 4 months ago. We are learning alot from this forum. We have purchased a few things for our car and as we go we will improve on it. We have been down to The Otways several times but we need to do a few more mods before we tackle anything else. ( no servos for k's) We have looked at a few compressors and have come to the conclusion you do get what you pay for and I guess that counts for eveything. I say" do it the right way the first time"


[/b]

[cj]

I have an ARB comp. due to having lockers but from what I have seen the Bushranger Max Air seems to be a good compromise between performance and cost and if you go shopping at Ray's when they have the big Sales you might get between 20% to 30% off it.

[Vineboy]

Listen to your husband. We are a wise and ancient breed. Best known for our careful choices in all things (except kitchen stuff). If wise husband says you need 1.6 litre conversion....Do it without delay. If wise one says need winch (plus bar to carry), UHF, CB, GPS CD playstation, spring lift, turbo, 44's, Rockhoppers etc then prey God you must comply! The universe is at stake!!!

[piglet]

Listen to your husband. We are a wise and ancient breed. Best known for our careful choices in all things (except kitchen stuff). If wise husband says you need 1.6 litre conversion....Do it without delay. If wise one says need winch (plus bar to carry), UHF, CB, GPS CD playstation, spring lift, turbo, 44's, Rockhoppers etc then prey God you must comply! The universe is at stake!!!

BOW TO THE MASTER!!!!

[GV]

Newbies to 4wding huh?

26-29 Oct 06 at the Melbourne convention centre. Goto the 4x4 / fishing / camping show. Best day to go is Sunday, look around in the morning and then buy show specials on the Sunday afternoon. Youre sure to get some really good bargains on offroad gear.
http://www.fishingshow.com.au/melbourne/

For the time being, tell hubby to get back to washing the dishes and he can wait until October to buy his gadgets for the 4by.

Before he gets a compressor he should be looking at getting some basic recovery gear first. long handle shovel (from garden shed), bottle jack (get one from the wreckers), wooden baseplate for jack (offcut timber board), snatch strap and a pair of shackles (buy at 4x4 show in October).

No need to lash out the hard earned dollars to buy things at full retail price. Be smart and buy smart.

[Tiny]

agree that recovery gear should be the first expenditure, compressors are nice, and unless you 4b along way from a servo then a slow carfull drive to a local servo will get you through in the meantime. Most say 80kays max on the fre way with low pressures and take the corners easy.

plenty of good gear at the right price, brand name is bnot alway the best option. MAX AIR $390.00 no name from the same factory $165.00

also think about joining a club, lots or people to give you advice, check out there mods etc and a driver training course chucked in.

[grimbo]

agree that recovery gear should be the first expenditure, compressors are nice, and unless you 4b along way from a servo then a slow carfull drive to a local servo will get you through in the meantime. Most say 80kays max on the fre way with low pressures and take the corners easy.

plenty of good gear at the right price, brand name is bnot alway the best option. MAX AIR $390.00 no name from the same factory $165.00

also think about joining a club, lots or people to give you advice, check out there mods etc and a driver training course chucked in.

agree on all those points. You can get away with driving on quite low pressures on Zuk on the road. I've been known to drive on about 10psi with my Swampers,mmmm cushy ride but the steering is a little heavy

[CHOPS1]

agree that recovery gear should be the first expenditure, compressors are nice, and unless you 4b along way from a servo then a slow carfull drive to a local servo will get you through in the meantime. Most say 80kays max on the fre way with low pressures and take the corners easy.

plenty of good gear at the right price, brand name is bnot alway the best option. MAX AIR $390.00 no name from the same factory $165.00

also think about joining a club, lots or people to give you advice, check out there mods etc and a driver training course chucked in.

Some people never learn! its $165 coz its not the same and doesnt have a 5yr warranty, by saying that your telling people to buy crap!!!!

Chop

[lay80n]

Sometimes cheaper is crapper, but sometimes its the same product exactly, but you are not paying a mark-up for the brand. Careful and informed choices will get teh most reward for your hard earned dollars
Layto....