Tire Deflators

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Lifestyle Overland

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I went with Stuan. I've seen the struggles folks in my club have had with the off-brands and the ARB setup that removes the valve core... they all went with Stuan after several trips.


 

Steve

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What do they do different than putting my tire gauge on and bleeding down to the desired pressure?
 

Mike W

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The inflator gun thing with the pressure gauge on my Viar 450p compressor has a little button that deflates. Its maybe not as quick as those screw on deals, but you can use it without the air hose connected, so that is what I have used before. I like the gauge.

 

Lifestyle Overland

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@Steve They are primarily big time savers. You set them to a specific PSI (mine are set for 18), screw them on all four tires and they bleed down to your setpoint and shut off.
I can go from 40-42 PSI on all fours down to 18 PSI in about 2 minutes on my 275/70R17s.
You probably wouldn't see as much advantage running your current tire setup and the pressures you run, whereas someone who has larger tires and run lower pressures would.
There are plenty of methods one can use, these are just a nice time-saver. Set them, and forget them while you prep the rest of your rig.
Some of my club members used to spend 20+ minutes airing down and 45 to an hour airing up with a small compressor. That cuts into trail time pretty bad in my opinion. They're nice to have.
 

SLO Rob

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So looking at these...how are they set at a specific psi? I don't see any...marking or anything that would indicate what they are set at?
 

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You adjust spring tension with the ones that have an operating range, so you have to set by trial and error.....make an adjustment, install and air down, when it shuts off the outflow check the tire pressure, adjust again if it's not where you want, air up, repeat until you get them set where you want them. I believe some have a reference that tell you psi of change per adjuster turn. I.E., for every one turn, target pressure will go up or down by X psi.
 

Lifestyle Overland

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@Mad_Garden_Gnome is right. There's a lock ring that loosens which will allow the spring tension to be adjusted by twisting the body halves.
They are a little tricky to get set right, so do it in your driveway with a good compressor nearby.

@Steve no problem!

Here's the manufacturer's guide for those interested:

http://www.stauntyredeflators.com.au/how_to_deflate.php
Mine are the SCV5 models.
 
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jginca

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I have these :
I would not buy again. I had a very hard time getting these set right(if at all). I had to match them to a particular wheel. I found the length of the metal piece in the valve in relation tot he top of threads on the valve stem was a huge factor. I had to clean them up inside, as there was slag from when the drilled the holes in the sides. Took about a total of three hours to get them close. I set them at 12 psi. They would not bleed if the starting tire pressure was less than 20 psi.
 
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TreXTerra

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I am using Smittybilt tire deflators, which I think are the same ones as are used in the Overland Bound videos. They are easy to calibrate.

1: set a tire to your desired pressure. I have mine set to 20 PSI and then I can lower it more if I need to.
2: spin the smaller set-ring all the way to the bottom.
3: spin the larger spring cap all the way to to the bottom
4: apply one of the 4 deflators and slowly spin the cap to the left until you hear air start to come out of the tire. Tighten it again until the air stops.
5: Lock the deflator in place with the set ring.

Repeat steps 2-5 for the other three deflators. The whole process takes just a few minutes. When you hit the trail, just screw the deflators on your valve stems and wait for them to hit the desired pressure, then put your caps back on. (EDIT: Be sure not to twist the spring cap when using the deflators, put them on and take them off by twisting as close to the bottom of the deflator as you can. Moving the top of the deflator will change the pressure setting.)

I know some people will put them on and start driving the trail with them airing down. I don't like to do that because if one malfunctions and lets too much air out you can damage your tire. Plus, I don't want to lose one.

EDIT: Also, if they make a farting noise (sorry, no nice way to say it), just tap the little button that sticks out of the end and it should stop making rude noises at you.
 
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dagen

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I went with Stuan. I've seen the struggles folks in my club have had with the off-brands and the ARB setup that removes the valve core... they all went with Stuan after several trips.


I use the Staun's as well. They do the job, and are well built. . .
 

Overland-Indiana

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I went with Stuan. I've seen the struggles folks in my club have had with the off-brands and the ARB setup that removes the valve core... they all went with Stuan after several trips.


I have these but have never used them or set them yet.. I need to get on that.
 

Overland-Indiana

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The inflator gun thing with the pressure gauge on my Viar 450p compressor has a little button that deflates. Its maybe not as quick as those screw on deals, but you can use it without the air hose connected, so that is what I have used before. I like the gauge.

I have this same compressor, love it...Haven't used it to deflate yet.
 

Desert Nomad

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I've used the automatic deflators as well but not sure which brand they were, being in the desert sand kept getting trapped in them making them need frequent cleaning as well as the settings would always go off when they got banged around on board. Now i just remove the valve core and it takes approx 25-30sec to deflate from 38psi to 15psi. For peace of mind i stick in an air gauge after a few seconds and check the pressure, once close core goes back in and fine tuning to required psi.
 
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