Tweet
I’ve been working for the past few days at compiling my knowledge of air ride suspension systems into an FAQ of sorts. Hopefully this will help you to figure out what you need and what to stay away from. I’m going to list products by name and brand but this is by no means advertising since I’m not a dealer.
One point I like to stress a lot over is; if you want a reliable air suspension, you’re going to HAVE to spend the money. You cannot go out and spend $1800 on new equipment and not have to tweak, adjust, and rebuild your setup time and time again. Spend the money now and do it right or DON’T do it at all. There are many manufacturers of air ride “kits” for multiple cars but I tend to think of these as universal applications and they aren’t all that great. If you buy a kit from a trusted custom Probe builder you’ll most likely get the best results.
Otherwise I suggest you purchase your parts separate and build the system yourself. You can buy a partial kit then get the struts separate for your specific application which is a way to get by for a little less money out of your pocket. You may have a local shop that prefers selling some brands over others because either they are tried and true, easily available, or they are getting the most profit for each sale of that part. Talk to them and see what they say, since you may prefer to have your suspension installed or serviced by them, instead of doing the work yourself. If you decide to go through a local shop hang around at the shop to see if they have people coming back with problems. Try to get some background on their work. There are many shops that come and go within a few years and it’s best to look for the ones that know what they’re doing.
I’m going to list a few various alternatives for each item on the list so you can get some ideas of what it will take to put together a system. The following is the bare minimum you’ll need to get your car on air suspension.
Things you NEED:
-Air Compressor
-Air Tank
-Air Valves
-Air Pressure Tubing
-Air Fittings
-Air Pressure Switch
-Air pressure Gauges
-Air Struts (preferred method)
-Heavy Duty Relay/solenoid
Things you may want to add for comfort and reliability
-Check Valve
-Inline Oil Reservoir
-Water Trap
-Inline Orifices
-High Quality Circuit Audio Breaker
-Computer Programmed Ride Control
Air Compressor
There are many different sizes and manufacturers of air ride compressors. All are loud. I found a way to mount mine under the hood so it wasn’t noisy inside the car. But you could build a box with a fan to circulate the air and isolate the sound inside the car. Only a few are going to be mentioned. Because they what I personally have used on either my car or a friend’s vehicle.
-Thomas/firestone air compressors are something I try to stay away from. The motors are built cheap and burn up after repeated use over a year or two.
-Air Ride Technologies has a few compressors of their own which are built exactly like Thomas and Firestone but with better motors. These are good.
-Vi-air is “OK” but I have seen problems with these where the hose connects to the head port. They have a good warranty though so it’s easy to replace problematic compressors.
-AIM industries sell multiple compressors. I prefer their 3/4hp 12v DC5000 compressor to all other electric compressors out on the market. (Best bang for the buck)
You can get drive line compressors and build custom brackets but I’ve never done much work with them and do not recommend them for someone doing the work themselves unless they have some background with air suspensions and A/C units.
Air Tanks
This subject is straightforward. Although there are a few types available. Ceramic coated tanks: If they’re coated on the inside will prevent rust. Standard are usually just heavy gauge steel and will rust over time. Although it’s not that big of a deal there are ways to get around this problem. Most household air compressors use steel tanks without an internal coating. You’ll need a minimum of 3 gallons for show cars or 5 gallons for daily driven. If you plan to play with your suspension you may want even more. I picked up a 11 gallon bare tank and had a friend Tig weld some brackets on for me. Worked great! Do not build your own tanks unless you are certified and have them pressure tested before use.
-On a side note some use Scuba, Nitrogen, or Nitros Oxide tanks and have them filled with high-pressure air @ around 3000psi. They can then run off of that for a few weeks without having to wait for their air compressors to fill the thanks due to temperature changes or a minor leak. I however don’t recommend this because of the fact that if you are in an accident you have a bomb in your trunk. It’s ok for show cars that aren’t moving around on the street.
Air Valves
There are a lot of valves on the market as well. You can choose between 2-way (cheap) and 3-way valves. I prefer only 3-way valves due to ease of install and less can go wrong. I’ll again name a few I know to work well.
-Air Ride Technologies offers multiple sizes and types of “manifold” systems. They all seem to work well and I haven’t seen many that have problems. They however are expensive. They’re probably the easiest to install however because they come with everything pre-wired and all you have to do is supply a power, ground, and remote.
-Aim industries “manifold” valves (4 valves = 3-way) {I’ve seen a few problems with these but all were due to installation errors}
-Master Image Custom’s manual air valves (hardest to install but most reliable overall)
With air valves a 3/8” port is plenty fast enough any larger and you’ll have problems leveling the car. ¼” is fine as well just seems a tad bit slow. If you’re going to car shows and don’t feel like showing off, this is a great size and they are cheaper as well. With manual valves you’re opening and closing the valves by pushing a lever. With Electric valves you’re opening and closing the valves with a switch. Electronic valves have a lot more that can be expanded upon. Remote installation (trunk), whereas the manual valves have to be somewhere you can reach them.
Air Pressure Tubing
In my past experience I’ve found the black “double layer” tubing to not be as reliable as white/clear single layer polypropylene tubing. You can go to Home Depot, Lowes, or any major home improvement store and find the polypropylene tubing needed for low temperature, high-pressure systems in the plumbing area. If you have a hydraulics and pneumatics supply house you can pick up a few better alternatives.
-Stainless steel braided hose (make sure it’s pneumatic grade.) One problem with this is if you have a blow out you have to have an entire new hose to fix the problem. Second problem with this is it’s entirely too expensive for it’s reliability.
-Stainless steel hard lines usually used between compressor, tank, and or valves due to heat from compressor.
-Last solution is High Temp, High-pressure poly tubing. It’s white in color. I used this in my engine bay with no problems. It can withstand 500 degrees and 300psi at the same time. Keep away from your exhaust though.
One point I like to stress a lot over is; if you want a reliable air suspension, you’re going to HAVE to spend the money. You cannot go out and spend $1800 on new equipment and not have to tweak, adjust, and rebuild your setup time and time again. Spend the money now and do it right or DON’T do it at all. There are many manufacturers of air ride “kits” for multiple cars but I tend to think of these as universal applications and they aren’t all that great. If you buy a kit from a trusted custom Probe builder you’ll most likely get the best results.
Otherwise I suggest you purchase your parts separate and build the system yourself. You can buy a partial kit then get the struts separate for your specific application which is a way to get by for a little less money out of your pocket. You may have a local shop that prefers selling some brands over others because either they are tried and true, easily available, or they are getting the most profit for each sale of that part. Talk to them and see what they say, since you may prefer to have your suspension installed or serviced by them, instead of doing the work yourself. If you decide to go through a local shop hang around at the shop to see if they have people coming back with problems. Try to get some background on their work. There are many shops that come and go within a few years and it’s best to look for the ones that know what they’re doing.
I’m going to list a few various alternatives for each item on the list so you can get some ideas of what it will take to put together a system. The following is the bare minimum you’ll need to get your car on air suspension.
Things you NEED:
-Air Compressor
-Air Tank
-Air Valves
-Air Pressure Tubing
-Air Fittings
-Air Pressure Switch
-Air pressure Gauges
-Air Struts (preferred method)
-Heavy Duty Relay/solenoid
Things you may want to add for comfort and reliability
-Check Valve
-Inline Oil Reservoir
-Water Trap
-Inline Orifices
-High Quality Circuit Audio Breaker
-Computer Programmed Ride Control
Air Compressor
There are many different sizes and manufacturers of air ride compressors. All are loud. I found a way to mount mine under the hood so it wasn’t noisy inside the car. But you could build a box with a fan to circulate the air and isolate the sound inside the car. Only a few are going to be mentioned. Because they what I personally have used on either my car or a friend’s vehicle.
-Thomas/firestone air compressors are something I try to stay away from. The motors are built cheap and burn up after repeated use over a year or two.
-Air Ride Technologies has a few compressors of their own which are built exactly like Thomas and Firestone but with better motors. These are good.
-Vi-air is “OK” but I have seen problems with these where the hose connects to the head port. They have a good warranty though so it’s easy to replace problematic compressors.
-AIM industries sell multiple compressors. I prefer their 3/4hp 12v DC5000 compressor to all other electric compressors out on the market. (Best bang for the buck)
You can get drive line compressors and build custom brackets but I’ve never done much work with them and do not recommend them for someone doing the work themselves unless they have some background with air suspensions and A/C units.
Air Tanks
This subject is straightforward. Although there are a few types available. Ceramic coated tanks: If they’re coated on the inside will prevent rust. Standard are usually just heavy gauge steel and will rust over time. Although it’s not that big of a deal there are ways to get around this problem. Most household air compressors use steel tanks without an internal coating. You’ll need a minimum of 3 gallons for show cars or 5 gallons for daily driven. If you plan to play with your suspension you may want even more. I picked up a 11 gallon bare tank and had a friend Tig weld some brackets on for me. Worked great! Do not build your own tanks unless you are certified and have them pressure tested before use.
-On a side note some use Scuba, Nitrogen, or Nitros Oxide tanks and have them filled with high-pressure air @ around 3000psi. They can then run off of that for a few weeks without having to wait for their air compressors to fill the thanks due to temperature changes or a minor leak. I however don’t recommend this because of the fact that if you are in an accident you have a bomb in your trunk. It’s ok for show cars that aren’t moving around on the street.
Air Valves
There are a lot of valves on the market as well. You can choose between 2-way (cheap) and 3-way valves. I prefer only 3-way valves due to ease of install and less can go wrong. I’ll again name a few I know to work well.
-Air Ride Technologies offers multiple sizes and types of “manifold” systems. They all seem to work well and I haven’t seen many that have problems. They however are expensive. They’re probably the easiest to install however because they come with everything pre-wired and all you have to do is supply a power, ground, and remote.
-Aim industries “manifold” valves (4 valves = 3-way) {I’ve seen a few problems with these but all were due to installation errors}
-Master Image Custom’s manual air valves (hardest to install but most reliable overall)
With air valves a 3/8” port is plenty fast enough any larger and you’ll have problems leveling the car. ¼” is fine as well just seems a tad bit slow. If you’re going to car shows and don’t feel like showing off, this is a great size and they are cheaper as well. With manual valves you’re opening and closing the valves by pushing a lever. With Electric valves you’re opening and closing the valves with a switch. Electronic valves have a lot more that can be expanded upon. Remote installation (trunk), whereas the manual valves have to be somewhere you can reach them.
Air Pressure Tubing
In my past experience I’ve found the black “double layer” tubing to not be as reliable as white/clear single layer polypropylene tubing. You can go to Home Depot, Lowes, or any major home improvement store and find the polypropylene tubing needed for low temperature, high-pressure systems in the plumbing area. If you have a hydraulics and pneumatics supply house you can pick up a few better alternatives.
-Stainless steel braided hose (make sure it’s pneumatic grade.) One problem with this is if you have a blow out you have to have an entire new hose to fix the problem. Second problem with this is it’s entirely too expensive for it’s reliability.
-Stainless steel hard lines usually used between compressor, tank, and or valves due to heat from compressor.
-Last solution is High Temp, High-pressure poly tubing. It’s white in color. I used this in my engine bay with no problems. It can withstand 500 degrees and 300psi at the same time. Keep away from your exhaust though.
Comment