Viair 88P Air Compressor Review – critical gear for offroad & overland road trips

air compressor offroad tires

Someone recently asked me what preparation and recovery gear is essential if you’re going offroad or overlanding. One of the first things that always comes to mind is the Viair 88P portable air compressor. Airing down your tires when going offroad is important and you’ll need a quick way to air them back up when you are ready to hit the pavement.

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Running at 12 volts off the truck or camper battery, I’ve aired up my tires from about 18psi to 30psi in a few minutes per tire. Per the manufacturer, this will work for tires up to 33″.

Viair 88p specifications/features:

  • 12 VOLT – 120PSI Max Working Pressure, engine must be running during use.
  • 1.47CFM Free Flow @ 0 PSI.Max. Amp Draw: 20 Amps
  • Portable air compressor powered via alligator clamps direct to battery.
  • Good for small ATVs, trucks, SUVs, and sedans with up to 33″ Tires.
  • LED/Power indicator, 10 Ft. Power Cord, 16 Ft. Air Hose, 3pc Inflation Tip Kit

Best offroad air compressor under $100

I like the Viair 88P better than the under-the-hood installed ARB air compressors mostly because of its portability. Someone at the back of your offroad caravan might need to air up — just walk it over there since you probably won’t be able to get your truck around next to him/her. You can use it around the garage or let a buddy borrow it if their tire is low and they just need to air up to get to the tire shop for a repair. I’ve ran into this situation multiple times and was glad to have the air compressor portable rather than mounted to the truck.

The PSI guage is highly visible and the body has a light built-in for when it’s dark out. Small touches like this have been pretty awesome for us. I store the Viair 88P behind the rear seats of my Toyota Tacoma. It fits in there perfectly for easy access along with the rest of my recovery gear.

It could be better if it aired up faster and didn’t get so hot if running for awhile. But other than that I haven’t had any issues with it after about 3 years of use. I take it on every trip with me and truthfully have it in the truck at all times. You never know when you’ll get a slow leak and need to air up just to get you the last few miles to the tire shop.

Best Price on Viair 88P

For under $80 at Amazon the Viair 88P really is a no-brainer for your offroad recovery gear collection.

Need an Air Compressor for 35-inch tires? Check out the Viair 400p

This beast comes with a bag, inflation gun, and heavy duty hose. For true offroaders with massive tires — this is what you want. Check it out at Amazon.com.

Happy trails! Enjoy the dirt.

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5 thoughts on “Viair 88P Air Compressor Review – critical gear for offroad & overland road trips

  1. The Viair 88P blows fuses frequently. To air up 4 tires I need 4 of the 20-amp blade fuses. The fuse blows after airing up a tire and when the compressor rocker switch is flipped to the off position.

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