It was August of 2016, I’d never been wheeling, I had no clue what the ARB E-Z Deflator was, had never even seen it before.
Having recently purchased my Jeep Rubicon I was just looking forward to my first “newbie” run. The run was to take place at Hidden Falls Adventure Park in Marble Falls, Texas. I was a little nervous, but to be completely honest, more eager than anything else.
The word “newbie” was definitely an accurate descriptor for where I was in the lifestyle. As of this writing, I still resemble that remark. But with each passing off-road journey I take, I gradually gain the knowledge and wisdom passed down from more experienced Jeepers.
My very first newbie run was with a group called Austin Jeep People. It was early on a Saturday morning and I headed out not knowing what to expect.
After arrival and check-in, I headed to the staging area where one of the leaders welcomed me and said, “Air down to 16, disconnect your sway bars, and put it into 4-Lo, we’ll be driving that way the rest of the day.”
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First Experience With the ARB E-Z Deflator
So I hopped out of GUARDIAN (my Jeep) and took a look around the staging area to see how people were deflating their tires.
Keep in mind I’d never been wheeling before. It must have been obvious.
I must have had that deer-in-the-headlights look because one of the run leaders, “Cooter” a.k.a. Brent, came over as soon as he saw my confused look and handed me this gizmo that looked like something out of an steampunk doctor’s kit.
It had a red gauge, brass fittings and tubing. He said, “Here you go, this will make it easier.” and started to walk away.
Not ashamed of my newbness, I shouted after him, “Wait! I don’t know how to use this thing.” He smiled one of those smiles that just says ‘aren’t you the helpless one’ but didn’t betray his smile by speaking the words aloud.
Instead like all good Jeepers he gave me a quick tutorial. Thanks Cooter.
How to Use the ARB E-Z Deflator
It is pretty simple actually. Cooter gave me a version of these instructions that were slightly less official, but just as effective. But just to keep everyone safe out there, from the official ARB website here are the instructions:
I was surprised how easy this gizmo was to use. The ARB E-Z Deflator lived up to its name. It really was beyond E-Z. So easy in fact that I put a note in my phone to go out and purchase one for my Jeep kit ASAP.
–> Hop over to Amazon yourself to read reviews or purchase.
Why I Recommend the ARB E-Z Deflator
Simply put, any tool that is going to be used often, is simple to use, and dependable is going in my Jeep kit. That may change with experience and personal preferences. But for now, my inexperienced thoughts are, if I can use this dohickey, a monkey could use it.
I’ve told several other newbie friends about this “discovery” (all the old Jeepers are laughing at me right now) and several of them went out and got one too.
If you are new to off-roading and are looking for an affordable must-have deflator to add to your arsenal, I’d highly recommend you try this one. It has consistently high ratings and reviews, and comes from a well respected company in the industry.
There are other deflators out there. I haven’t tried them yet. Down the road I may do another product review, but for now I’m really happy with my ARB E-Z Deflator. I think you would be too. Price point on the ARB E-Z Deflator is about $40.
Now that I have my deflator, the next mod on my wish list in the air series is this one, the ARB On-Board High Performance 12V Twin Air Compressor. Gotta be able to air back up when I’m out in the sticks. Stay tuned for an article on this unit if I end up picking it up.
Any questions, or stories you’d like to share, hit me up in the comments.
Until next time, keep it dirty and wheels side down.
~ Eric
Good article! We use a set of four deflators that screw onto the valves and automatically Deflate the tires to a set value. You can even drive with them on, at an early, easy part of the trail.
For inflation, Viair makes good portable 12v compressors. Our 400p inflates all four of our 31″ tires in under 10 minutes.
Thanks Eric! I’m keeping my options open on the compressor. I really like the idea of a built in unit, simply because it takes up less cargo room and I’ll never forget it. I’ve seen some of the “automatic” deflators. Haven’t tried them yet. What I’ve heard about them is that you have to “set” them to the desired PSI. How difficult are they to change the PSI if you want to use your Jeep for a different purpose. So say you wanted to change them from being set at 16PSI down to 12PSI. How long would it take you to make the adjustment on all four deflators?
They suggest setting g one tire at the desired pressure. I use the spare.
Then, connect each deflators and adjust them until they’re not letting any more air out. It’s pretty easy.
I set mine at 16 psi. That’s soft, but I like them that way. If I’m on really soft sand, I can manually drop them another couple of psi with the inflator end of the compressor hose. It’s not as fast as removing the valve, but lower pressures have been pretty rare for us.