Whether you travel off road or not, having an ARB air compressor in the vehicle is going to prove its worth sooner or later. These Australian made compressors are able to assist in a lot of situations, from taking care of the youngster’s inflatable water toys to getting your (or other’s) vehicle out of trouble in a serious situation.

Tyres perform best when set up for the current situation. Highway driving requires high pressure but when on the beach or travelling in really rocky terrain a wider footprint is more advisable. It’s simple to reduce pressure with the ARB E-Z tyre deflator, which backs the valve core out of its housing while keeping the user reliably informed of changing pressure via a dial, and inflating tyres later is going to be made easy with the ARB compressor.

The compressor kit is conveniently packed within a strong but compact carry box, complete with a 6m air hose, battery clips and an impressive amount of battery-to-compressor wiring to cater for all makes of vehicles. The kit also includes all necessary fittings to inflate tyres, camping or leisure equipment. The kid’s surf mat? No worries…

One thing about the ARB compressor kit that really impressed me was the snap on connection between the compressor outlet and the air hose. No threads to worry about, one just pushes it into the outlet and it locks. And it’s quick as well, inflating a totally flat 4X4 tyre in a couple of minutes.

A handy accessory is the ARB E-Z tyre deflator (as mentioned previously). It is a precision instrument in its own right and is constructed from heavy duty brass and stainless steel. The unit comes in it’s own protective pouch with full instructions for use.

Another item of use is the ARB Low Pressure gauge. It’s calibrated in 1 PSI and 1 kPa increments and has a big easily read dial catering for inflation levels applicable to all vehicular tyre inflation situations.

I have a Low Pressure gauge myself and have relied on it extensively when re-inflating tyres after beach use or when repairing tyres with the ARB Speedy Seal kit, the latter having proved its worth on a recent trip to Texas after cod. Two flat tyres on the one day saw a lot of praise heaped on the Speedy Seal Kit, which is kept permanently in the car along with the L.P gauge, E-Z deflator and air compressor.