Strike Force Zebra Air Command Install write-up

Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
I just recently purchased and installed one of the first few production SFZ Air Command systems and I gotta say I'm really impressed. For all you tech geeks out there, you'll love the integration with your smart devices and being able to not only control air up/down, but also see stats regarding how long it takes. Being that this is one of the first few systems released, there were no instructions so I worked with Steve from Strike Force Zebra to get it installed. I figured I'd do a write-up as everyone's setup may be slightly different and I thought it's about time I gave back to this community.

As luck would have it. I got the package in the middle of a backyard project so I couldn't get started right away. Packaging was very secure and had everything you need including all the tubing and fittings.

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First step is always the most nerve racking as it typically includes drilling holes into sheet metal so its a one way street. I started on the rear wheels as any mistake could easily be hidden. I used a drill punch tool, then a small drill bit (9/16) to get the hole started, followed by a stepped drill but and worked my way up to 13/16. Make sure you sand and paint to edges to deburr and prevent any rust.

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I chose this location so as to make hide and protect the inlet at much as possible. Its about an inch or so down from the edge as it provides room on the driver side to still get a socket in under the fuel breather valve when you go to tighten the quick connect air inlet. I also like the subtle look so you can't tell its there.

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Once drilled, I sanded and painted the holes at attached the Quick connect Air inlets picture here with the whip attached. (I believe you have the option to get red or blue whips. I went with blue to match my coilovers, but I think Red airs up and down faster ;))

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Once complete with the rear I moved to the front. I have the EVO Full Liners so depending on what you're running your setup may be different. If you are running EVO liners, I located the hole about an inch under the top self tapping screw. This should clear the sheet metal so you're only drilling into the Liner.

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Next step was running the supplied black hose to the various locations. Again, I wanted to go with a subtle "hidden" look so I went thru the frame. This probably took the most amount of time as fishing it thru the frame and around various bolts was a bit challenging. I started here on the passenger to keep the hose away from the muffler as recommended by Steve from SFZ (pictured with connections already inserted) and used the holes along the frame to pull the hose out and back into the frame being careful not to kink the hose as I fed it back into the frame. I found looping it back in to form a circle seemed to work.

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I exited the frame at a hole on top of the frame near one of the body mounts.

(Pic to be added later)

Once I got enough hose to get to the general vicinity of the front wheel I came back to the rear and made my first cut to the hose making sure to cut it as straight and clean as possible and connected it to the first T- Fitting just past the rear crossmember near the diff breather hose. I plan to drill two small holes and tuck the T-fitting up behind the sheet metal to keep it hidden and from rattling around.

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I drilled a hole into the bottom of the plastic cover leading into the rear break light assembly area doing my best to avoid the insulation foam.

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After which I connected the rear wheel fitting and started working my way across the rear crossmember, which was pretty straight forward. I brought it up along the gas filler tune and make my third hose cut on the passenger side once I had enough hose to reach the driver side rear wheel fitting.

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Working my way back to the front passenger side, I connected the T-fitting to the Quick Connect inlet as shown and started feeding more tubing from the wheel well up behind the battery and across the engine compartment along the rear wire harness loom and down to the driver side front tire.

(Pic to be added of T- Connection)

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Once I cut the hose and made my connections to the quick connect and the tube running from the passenger side, I started from inside the cab and push the hose through the firewall and made the connection to the T-Fitting. You may not be able to see clearly in the picture but there's two hoses going through the firewall. One for the connections to the tire and the other for the airsource.

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Once this connection was made I cut the hose with plenty of room to go under the driver's seat. Then ran a second hose through the firewall as pictured above for the air source. and connected to the available port on my ARB compressor, being sure to use the supplied silicone heat sheath for the tubing connected at the compressor. Note how the silicon sheath is completely covering the connector. Not sure if this is required but its how I say it depicted on the pictures I got from SFZ.

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This completes the hoses routing and installation. I tightened up most of the lines up and used zip ties to secure everything and to keep it from rubbing.

The connection of the command unit was a breeze and all of the connections are clearly labeled. I used a common ground next to the door stop on the drivers side and rand the remaining wire through the firewall and onto my switch management system using the same switch as my compressor. The hose connections and wiring harness were pretty idiot proof.

Once all setup, you can download the SIMBLEE app from the app store, switch on the compressor and connect to the unit via the app. The default passcode is 7777 and the interface is pretty intuitive.

Huge shout out to Steve over at Strike Force Zebra for walking me through everything and patiently answering my 101 questions.

Whew!! That's my longest post ever. Mad respect to those that have done a write up before. Hope this helps.
 
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Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Just updated it. I need to take a few more pics and then talk thru the app portion. But really routing the hose was the hardest part because I wanted to make sure it looked professionally done. You're gonna love it!
 

Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Did a quick video walk thru as well. It's my first youtube video upload and I don't have Cindy's editing skills or Eddie's story telling mastery but it gets the job done! Its a hell of a lot harder than it looks. Even more respect for Eddie and Cindy on their videos!

https://youtu.be/Qs57LVsD14o
 

Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Took me about 4 hours but much of that was just planning it it and talking to SFZ as there weren’t any instructions. Running it through the frame took the longest time. If you route it on top of the frame you can probably finish it in a couple of hours.


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WJCO

Meme King
Great write-up and video. I really may get one of these. So is the control unit always on? Or does key have to be on? Also, how does it detect temperature for accurate pressure readings?
 

Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Great write-up and video. I really may get one of these. So is the control unit always on? Or does key have to be on? Also, how does it detect temperature for accurate pressure readings?

I connected the command unit to the same switch as my compressor so its only on when the compressor is on. Being that I have electronic lockers, I only use my compressor for airing up tires so that works for me. I suppose you can put it on a separate switch if you wanted to but I have to imagine the power draw is minimal and is all solid state circuitry so doesn't generate a ton of heat. I don't believe it detects temperature to automatically adjust for accurate pressure readings but it does have the option to set a "Pressure offset" so if you know what it is you can modify it.

One real cool thing it does is allow you to calibrate it to your setup. Basically by default it will sample the pressure during the air up/air down procedure based on a default interval of like 84 seconds or something like that. Once you calibrate it, the sampling intervals change based on your air up method (powertank, dual/single compressor, tire size, weight of your jeep, etc. ) according to an algorithm Strike Force Zebra developed. So in my case the interval changed to around 40 seconds or so. I believe it learns the speed of airing up and airing down and optimizes the sampling so its not constantly stopping to check the tire pressure. Love the level of detail and intelligence put into this.
 
Thanks for the write up! We’ve put the instructions together and having them vetted, so haven’t posted them up or included them yet. It’s really simple to install and the app, after seeing it run once,..... well my 14yr old daughter likes to run it. Thanks again!


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Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Thanks for the write up! We’ve put the instructions together and having them vetted, so haven’t posted them up or included them yet. It’s really simple to install and the app, after seeing it run once,..... well my 14yr old daughter likes to run it. Thanks again!


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app

Agreed. Super intuitive. Fighting the urge to go out there and time myself airing up the old way and with the Air Command.


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Agreed. Super intuitive. Fighting the urge to go out there and time myself airing up the old way and with the Air Command.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app

Hahaha. Airing down will always be slower than airing up! It’s not a constant pressure going out( forcing out) as it is airing up. At low pressures to start, you will especially notice this. Even without AirCommand.


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Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Did a quick test on airing up. Took 15:42 to air up from 8.86 PSI to 27.93 PSI start to finish! This included getting out of the vehicle, pulling the leads out from the storage in the back, connecting them, opening the app (from scratch), airing up and putting everything away.

In the meantime I fiddled with my winch, checked the under carriage for any recent damage, talked to a neighbor and convinced him to buy a 1966 CJ-5. Oh and I stopped the timer as I was chatting with him as I wasn't even next the jeep when it finished.

No more hanging out at each tire waiting!!
 
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15:42 Seconds to air up from 8.86 PSI to 27.93 PSI start to finish! This included getting out of the vehicle, pulling the leads out from the storage in the back, connecting them, opening the app (from scratch), airing up and putting everything away.

In the meantime I fiddled with my winch, checked the under carriage for any recent damage, talked to a neighbor and convinced him to buy a 1966 CJ-5. Oh and I stopped the timer as I was chatting with him as I wasn't even next the jeep when it finished.

No more hanging out at each tire waiting!!

Nice! Thanks for posting!!!


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Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Quick update on this writeup. Turns out the location for the rear tire hose connection is way overkill. I don't think I needed to put it so high up and out of the way. You can probably get away with putting it lower as it would be easier to get to. The plugs provided do a good job of keeping them clean and they're still gonna get caked with mud no matter what you do. I probably lose 30 seconds trying to reach back in there each time. Still works great but this minor change would make it even easier overall.

https://wayalife.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=299575&d=1524090009
 
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