Who it is for / not for
If you are airing down 35-inch tires on a trail and need to air back up before the pavement, the ARB CKMTA12 is the answer to a specific question: what 12V compressor can live permanently in the truck and still move enough air to make a four-tire fill feel quick? It is an on-board twin-cylinder unit, not a portable box you toss in the trunk. The listing puts it at 6.16 CFM (174 L/min), which is the number that matters when you are kneeling in gravel with a hose in your hand.
This review is not for someone who wants a $60 cigarette-lighter inflator for a passenger car. The CKMTA12 is a hard-mounted, wired-in compressor for trucks, Jeeps, and overland rigs. If you are inflating a minivan tire once a season, skip it — you would be paying for airflow and duty cycle you will never use.
- Buy if: you run oversized tires off-road, have air lockers, or want a permanent air source in the bed or under a seat.
- Skip if: you need a glovebox inflator for a commuter car, or you are not comfortable running a wiring loom and fuses.
ARB CKMTA12 '12V' On-Board Twin High Performance Air Compr
Highlights
- 12V portable inflator
- Manual watch-the-gauge fill
- About $629.95 list
- Category: offroad-high-flow-air-compressors
Best for
- Trunk / glovebox emergency top-ups
- Cold-morning placard top-ups on cars and light SUVs
- Drivers who want a more durable weekly driver
Pros
- 12V socket convenience without opening the hood
- Straightforward fill-and-check workflow with a separate gauge
- ARB build is aimed at repeated top-ups, not a one-weekend toy
- Fits the portable tire-inflator job: soft tire → placard, not shop compressor duty
Cons
- Cigarette-lighter circuits can trip; check fuse / amperage on older vehicles
- Compressor gauges often read high — verify with a dedicated tire gauge
- Duty cycle / heat soak limits flat-to-full fills on large truck tires
- Heavier / bulkier than an ultra-compact emergency mini pump
Owner voices
Short takes from public retail reviews — paraphrased or translated when long or non-English; meaning kept close to the original.
“4/5 — This compressor is highly thought of, but I found several issues that I would not expect in a high end product: 1) The housing at the outlet port appears to be made of cast aluminium, and cracked causing a huge…”
“5/5 — Compressor works great! Not too loud, fills up tires quickly after a day on the trails. Also great peace of mind for road trips combined with having plugs and a repair kit with you. Lots of wiring involved with…”
“5/5 — Great compressor, fast to fill tires, I can actually inflate the tires faster than my staun deflators can remove the air. I also have mine mounted in the rear of the SUV and have posted a video no youtube to sho…”
How we checked this
Figures on this page come from manufacturer listings and owner-review themes on file — not bench fill-rate tests. When a number is missing it stays n/a (not on file). I cover tire-pressure and roadside air tools as an editor using a checklist approach against the catalogue, not a lab visit.
Specs that matter (from listing only)
The headline number is flow: 6.16 CFM at 12V, which ARB claims is the highest in its size class. That is a listing claim, not a bench result, but it lines up with owner reports of fast trail fills. The twin motor and dual cylinder design are why it can move that much air without cooking itself — the listing says the motors are water-sealed, ball-bearing equipped, and internally thermal protected. In plain terms: it is built to run longer than a single-cylinder portable before heat soak sets in.
Noise is listed at 6 sones. Sones are not decibels, and most shoppers have no reference point for 6 sones — think of it as loud enough that you will not forget it is running, but owners repeatedly call it "not too loud" for a twin. The listing also notes a 4-liter tank volume and a 100% duty cycle claim in owner reviews; the duty cycle is not stated as a spec in the listing details, so treat the 100% figure as an owner observation, not a manufacturer number.
Dimensions are listed as 4.0" x 7.5" x 10.8" (H x L x W), which is compact enough for an under-seat or rear-cargo mount. Weight is n/a (not on file) — the listing's "1.6 ounces" item weight is clearly a data error, and I will not pretend to know the real shipping weight. Plan your mount around the footprint, not a number I cannot verify.
- Flow: 6.16 CFM / 174 L/min (listing) — the reason to buy.
- Power: 12V, dual Maxi-Fuse circuit protection (listing).
- Noise: 6 sones (listing) — moderate for a twin, not silent.
- Footprint: 4.0" x 7.5" x 10.8" (listing).
- Weight: n/a (not on file).
Trade-offs / cons
The install is the first real cost. The listing includes a full wiring loom for Air Locker solenoids, and owners describe a job that involves pulling panels, soldering, and routing heavy-gauge wire. One 5/5 reviewer put it plainly: not for the novice installer, and a shop would be expensive. If you are not comfortable with 12V wiring, budget for labor or pick a portable inflator instead.
The second trade-off is the price. At $629.95 list, it costs more than most portable twin compressors and several small tanks. You are paying for on-board packaging, thermal protection, and the ARB name. One 4/5 owner reported a cracked cast-aluminum outlet housing causing a leak — a single data point, but worth knowing if you plan to hang a heavy hose off the port without strain relief.
Finally, this is not a tire-inflation-only tool. The Air Locker manifold kit (#171503) is required to mount solenoids, and that is a separate purchase. If you do not have lockers, you are paying for wiring you may not use.
- Install is a half-day job for a confident DIYer, longer for a first-timer.
- No included tank — the 4-liter figure is the compressor body volume, not an air tank.
- Outlet housing durability is a reported weak point in one review.
- Price is $629.95 list; historical low is the same, so no discount to wait for.
Decision / buy-skip
Buy the ARB CKMTA12 if you are building a truck that needs permanent air: 35s, lockers, and long dirt-road days where a portable inflator would overheat or take forever. The flow rate and thermal protection are the reasons it earns its price. Owners who wheel regularly tend to call it the best small compressor they have used, and the 4.6-star average across 504 ratings supports that it holds up.
Skip it if you want a portable inflator for occasional passenger-car use, or if you are not ready to wire a compressor into your electrical system. A $100 portable 12V inflator will fill a 31-inch tire eventually; the ARB is for people who are done waiting. If you are still comparing on-board versus portable, our guide to 12V inflators for trucks and SUVs covers the trade-offs without the install burden.
- Buy if: you air down and up regularly, have lockers, and can handle the wiring.
- Skip if: you need a glovebox inflator, or you are not comfortable with a fused 12V install.
What owners report
The owner themes line up with the listing's pitch: speed and trail usefulness first, install pain second. Noise is rarely a complaint — several reviewers call it quiet for a twin. One 4/5 review flags a cracked outlet housing, which is the kind of failure that shows up in a small percentage of hard-mounted units and is worth checking at install.
- Micheal knoles: works great, very handy — short, positive use note.
- Joe and Jessica Willard: fast trail fills, not too loud, but heavy wiring and not for novices.
- 5/5 reviewer: fills tires faster than Staun deflators can remove air; mounted in rear of SUV.
- 5/5 reviewer: best small compressor, 100% duty cycle claim, mounted under passenger seat.
- 4/5 reviewer: praised the compressor but reported a cracked cast-aluminum outlet housing and a leak.
Method and sources
This guide is built from product data and list prices pulled from Affiliate Hub at build time, together with owner feedback we summarize on the cards. It is catalog-backed buying help, not a lab ranking of every model.
Read how we test for the protocol behind any measured figures we still cite in Guides & Tips.