The land ’s cargo shipments ride on air travel , and now your car can , too . Airsuspension systemshave long been used in the trucking world , but in the last decade or so , they ’ve moved into the commercial public . Motorcycles , all - terrain vehicles , custom railway car , performance railway car – even everyday commuter cars – are using the suspension organization .

change in engineering science mean that organization are no longer clunky , dull and imprecise . Instead , they use fast , preciseness - based technology with advanced electronics that see everything from ride height to cup of tea atmospheric pressure , propose a smooth , controlled crusade .

And it ’s about clip , as the car ’s abatement system is an often - overlooked area . From a comfort and safety point of view , your car ’s suspension is inbuilt to how your railcar drive . impact absorber and coil saltation aid suck up and verbatim road force , keep cycle cycle , jounce and rebound .

However , every time you add or take away weighting to a vehicle , speed up or slow down , or turn left or good , this challenges what the blow absorber and leaping are open of . Traditional stockshocksand spring are designed and installed with only a fixed set of situations in mind .

Air respite systems essentially supercede a fomite ’s coil spring with air bounce . The air springs are simply problematical rubber and plastic bags inflated to a certain pressure and height to mimic the ringlet springs . But the similarities stop there . By adding in an on - boardair compressor , sensors and electronic controls , today ’s air suspension organisation allow several reward over all - metal , conventional springs , including near - second tuning , and the ability to adapt handling to unlike site and change lading capability .

Whether the arrangement is manual or electronic , or instal by a weekend auto-mechanic or a seasoned technical school , melody pause can lower a motorcar to improve its street cred , even out a heavy payload , or simply improve the ride of a vintage Detroit metallic element street monster .

study on to learn more about this trend and what to look for when you want to give your automobile a lift .

Air Suspension System Components

Early version of line dangling systems were relatively simple-minded . Air bagsreplaced the coil springs . The old bag was inflated to the correct pressure or summit with an external compressor through a valve on the pocketbook . change in technology and use added more components , and control , to the arrangement . But today ’s air suspension system systems all have a canonic stock of similar components that vary little from Almighty to shaper . The differences come in the main in controls and ease of installation .

Air bag material has changed little over time . The handbag is a composite of rubber and polyurethane , which provides structural unity , air - tight building , toughness against sluttish scratch from route dust and sand , and resistor to salt and chemical corrosion .

The bag come in three canonical embodiment :

Most melody suspension systems now amount with anon - circuit board compressor . The compressor is an electric pump feeding breeze to the bags through a series of compressed line lines . The compressor is generally mounted on the vehicle ’s shape , or in the trunk . The Brobdingnagian bulk of compressor come with an affiliated drier . The compressor works by drawing outside air into the heart , contract it and moving it to the bags . extraneous melody is often laden with wet , and wet can wreak mayhem in a closed organisation . The drier apply a substance know as adesiccantto take in as much wet from the zephyr as potential before the air is sent through the system .

Simpler compressor scheme rely on the compressor itself to asseverate , gain or decrease imperativeness . More forward-looking systems add together an air armoured combat vehicle to maintain insistency and provide an even transition between pressures . Compressorscan be trigger off manually or automatically , and insure entirely by the driver , automatically through an electronic system , or a compounding of both .

Solenoids, Valves and Lines

Of course , there ’s more to an tune suspension organization than just a simple bag . Here are the parts the supporter make an gentle wind suspension system work .

Linescarry the compress tune to the bags . The lines are similar to common high - pressure air travel lines and are routed along the flesh of the fomite . While most business line are a rubber / polyurethane make-up , they can be replaced with usance steel air , offering a cleaner look and a more rugged construction .

Valvesare the gateway for the air to enter various parts of the system . In today ’s air temporary removal system , valvesplay a decisive roll in sequester and controlling where melody is target and how . Early generation gentle wind interruption organisation were two - way frame-up . fundamentally , each left and correct strain grip was connected by a line and shared air . As the fomite corner , one melodic line grip compressed its air and pushed it through the billet to the other melodic line base , which was blow up . This ensue in severe body roll and accounted for part of the repute air respite systems had for causing a fearful ride . Now , system use a series of valves that control this tendency and volunteer bettering manipulation .

Solenoidsare used in electronically - control systems to fill and air each tune bag . As the organisation adjusts for different conditions , it command eachsolenoidto receptive or confining , changing the amount of air in each of the bags .

Electronic systems are manage through anelectronic control module . The controlling package can be very basic , almost a digital version of analog on / off control , or it might guide a more sophisticated software system , monitoring press and ride height in literal time . The modules receive data through a variety of input , including drive - pinnacle sensors , and toggle the compressor on and off as needed . The electronic side of the system is where most initiation has occurred , and where change will likely happen in the future . These systems in the main remain separate from the vehicle ’s on - plug-in modules and communications .

Air Suspension Kits

yield car expend setshock absorbersand scroll springs , and changing those from stock without ruining the car ’s ride or handling withdraw time , longanimity and expertise . And choosing a intermission kit can be a daunting task . There are a people of manufacturers and company selling a wide range of components in a bewildering combination of quantity and lineament .

Added to the mix is the fact that air abatement kits only replace coil spring , and scroll natural spring are part of a big suspension organization . Given this fact , many companionship tender full suspension overhaul kits , where everything from tie rods to control arms and jolt are supercede with high - remainder components plan to maximise what an melodic line suspension system of rules can propose .

However , in general , the most basic kits hail with melodic line bags to replace a fomite ’s curl spring , along with a compressor and air job . Most canonic kits are a two - way scheme that can leave in heavy consistence roll . Stepping up the job in price means better constituent , which mean more restraint and variance , better components , and more speed in making variety .

bribe a kit should not be a casual matter . Owners need to put a caboodle of thought into what they want from a organization . The owner of a classicEl Caminoshow car looking to throw off his abeyance to raw low would need a different system than a heavy - tariff pick - up number one wood depend for better payload capacity and control when hauling tools and building textile . Similarly , a backwash driver would be looking for a dissimilar level of carrying out than the driver of a touring car .

Top - of - the - railway line kit use a four - way system coupled with an advanced controller . Each air bag is controlled separately , but they ’re unite together by the electronic restrainer for dynamic and motionless control . When choosing a outfit , consumers also need to understand the differences between pressure systems and ride - height system .

press - based systemsmonitor only the gentle wind air pressure in the bag . This is fine in most cases when you desire to do something like preset a press to lower a low - passenger at a show . However , tote up drive - height sensor into the electronic mix contribute the kit to a novel degree . Ride - height systemsmonitor how much a machine raises and lower berth while monitoring the pressure needed to attain each level . drive peak and pressure come into play in performance practical app as well as oeuvre app , like keep abeyance up on a getaway truck adulterate with a few tons of mulch .

Air Suspension System Installation

In a little lingua - in - cheek attempt at reverse psychology , RideTech , one of the diligence leaders in air hanging organization and portion , target the idiom " Do Not spread " on their facility instructions . The biggest job citizenry faced in installing their novel system was that they never read the instructions . The ship’s company felt that perchance people would actually start the manual if they were distinguish not to .

RideTech illustrate a very valuable point . facility of even complex systems is possible , but people need to record the instructions and be them . However , an induction should not be try by someone with slight knowledge of how to work on cars ; someone who has never worked on a abatement ; or someone who miss the tools and facility to do the job safely and capably .

RideTech estimated installment for theirmuscle carbolt - on outfit at 12 to 15 hr for the undercar break components , and an additional 10 for the compressor system . Add another five to six hour if you are adding a leveling organisation . That said , proper installation will go a long agency toward preserve money by making certain all of the components run right and are place up to forfend the chafing that most often drink down an air suspension organization .

Air suspension organisation are designed to be airtight . Most problems arise when an installer does n’t take the proper precautions , usually delineate in the directions , to see to it the arrangement is as airtight as potential . RideTech approximates that 90 to 95 percent of wetting could be forbid if installers used sealant tape recording on all threads where advise , and gouge argument away from possible chafing point .

The company also emphasized being sure that the bags themselves had the proper headroom so they did n’t rub against part of the car , and that they were clear of raging components like fumes tube andmufflers . A heedful and persevering installer would supply a organisation that could well last more than a ten .

Another thing to regard during installing is tuning . Among the addition suggest by most ship’s company is to change the car ’s shock at the same fourth dimension you change the coil springs to air bags . Shocks are design to work in tandem with springs , and installing a $ 4,000 - plus air temporary removal organisation on a vehicle with factory shocks is a waste of money . The change is relatively simple-minded , but it add another level of tune up to the intact projection .

Air suspension systems are complex and intimidating , but they can yield telling smell and operation if instal and tuned right . For lots more information on machine part , see the links on the next page .

Air Suspension System FAQ

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