retrospexo

I wanted to ask some of you air riding gurus what one should look for and ask about IF a decision has been made to drop a car off at a shop to have air suspension installed. Don't get me wrong, I understand completely that choosing your own kit/components is the connoisseur's m.o., I just wanted to clear a few things up.

Example: Person walks into shop, tells the personnel to install air bag suspension, person leaves (without the vehicle).

Forgive the crude, celebrity-inspired example, but you get the idea. Are there some components that might be typically overlooked which one should make sure they address with the installer before hand? If so, what are they? What behind-the-scenes issues/topics (things which may be obvious to someone experienced with air suspension, not a novice) should be discussed?

Thank you

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

Because it is a niche type of thing that most shops do not know much about or know the customer knows little about , lots can go wrong.

What car are you doing it to .
What is your budget .
what do you want it to do ,
rise drop rapidly or slowly
quiet or loud.
1 touch or holding switches
analog gauges or led displays
bags or sleeves
drive low or ride height
lay the frame or just low.

You have to ask yourself these types of question before to know what to ask the shop as unless it is a referral they may take you for a ride.
The shop i went to bragged that a week before they did a S500 with air for $7000 with the best lcd display and everything. Later i found out he has the same set up i have and his car was already equipped with air shocks.
I am sure the guy is happy and none the wiser that he could have paid less than $1000 for it.

BTW research and find out if their is a kit premade.
Otherwise my recommendation is to buy the air runner kit as it is simple and any mechanic not even technician can install it with in a 4 hours for the first time as it is bolt on.
You can then buy upgraded parts like pumps tanks and switches as you learn what you like.

retrospexo

thanks for the input sk, I've pretty much settled most of the points you listed except for loudness, that never crossed my mind before until I read that. Were you leaning more towards the compressor's loudness, the sound of the air release, or altogether? I don't think I really care about loudness, then again I haven't had a custom air-suspension ride for a significantly long time. I have found a kit which I am in the process of inquiring about, but I just wanted to explore the 'other' option as well. thank you again.

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

Not much you can do about compressor loudness but the release valves can be quite loud when going down.

IS3_FTW

iTrader: (3)

Sorry to thread jack, but where would you mount the release valves? (trunk or outside)

retrospexo

I'd prefer outside, I like the sound

ACleanSC4

iTrader: (7)

I'd leave them inside the trunk and run an open line to the outside if you wanted to hear the action. Although it's not as loud as leaving it outside, you'll get bored of the loud psssssss all the time...at least I did...

retrospexo

sk, I was under the assumption that sleeves were like cups. Are they different or the same/similar? Thanks.

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

The release/purge valve/solenoids should always be mounted inside the car as they can be easily damaged by dirt and temps. This way if it gets to the freezing point , a few minutes of the heater on high will get into the trunk and warm then up . It works great for that when it happens to me in the winter.

I agree with ACleanSC4 , he is right and have lines run outside to purge them there. Plus it gives a nice water vapour effect if you have no trap and kicks up dust. If you want that.

Cups and sleeves are totally different.
A bag or sleeve is an air spring , so it replaces the actual coil spring with an air bag .
A bag is wide and is what you see most of the time . It usually has 2 or more bellows that fill so it looks like 2 small bags on top of each other. It has a higher load weight than sleeves.
A sleeve is a straight air spring that folds onto itself or crumples .(air runner and Lexus use this style) It is good for more performance driving as it is easier to tune and stiffen . It is also faster to raise but needs higher psi to raise than bags by psi and surface area since it has less area to push to do the same work (raising). Also good for tight spaces like my car and fitting them inside the rear control arms which would rub if i had bags instead.
I would get bags in there if it could just for he better ride smoothness i want.

Now a cup is something that sits on top of conventional suspension such as the factory set up or coilovers and has a smaller tank as it only needs a little air to raise.
It is now a option on exotics with low front ends so they can go over speed bumps. It sits on top and when you press the button it adds air to raise the car. Could you have coilovers with it , YES.
If you were to use it with that you would have to get come that can slam the car and still give you some shock travel (highly unlikely) and then all you to fill the bags to max pressure so the airbag is now solid as a rock and the only give is in the factory spring shock set up instead.

Sorry for the long winded version but this is really the short version as their is more to it but it gives you an idea.

GS430V8

hey skperformance, where in T.O did you get your air done?

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

My car was butched and mutilated and i was ripped off by Altered Altitude Customs in Scarborough .
Mangled hub broken studs , welded them on again to the hub since they would not hold, added a Nissan thread pitch nut and bolt like i would not notice and forgot to tell me. bent studs wore out 2 holes on my wheels wiggling around as they were not straight. Poorly welded shocks all at different heights. Forgot to check clearances and i could not change the dampening adjustment so they deburred around the sleeve to make an opening. ****tty welding has frozen the rears which work slow and have to be replaced, did not use the 2 weeks i left all the parts with them with oem suspension to trial and error , instead waited for me to drop off the car before taking the time to look at it as promised, welded a rear strut wrong so it locked up gouged a control arm while breaking the wheel bearing and hub and not to mention cracking my rims.

Hope this helps.
No one needs help installing air suspension with some basic research which is why i always post in every air thread to clarify things so people don;t get screwed like me.

We should meet up a day i would like to see your car as i have an 03 430 as well in the same colours.

retrospexo

ah thanks for clearing that up for me sk. i've seen sleeves before but i always saw them underneath the "bags" category without their specific/appropriate title. and good point on the inside mounting of the release valves. i forgot about the weather and other factors that can affect the valve. (big)+1 for you

GS430V8

yea sure... sorry to hear that, i remember last year i called these guys up and they said they can insatll me air for 7g's but i passed. i was thinking of getting air or just coilovers but not now since winter season is here, next summer its going to have to be one of them for sure. there's no meets in all in T.O, i would really want to see how air works. maybe some time we can meet and show me may be a nice photoshoot?

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

Were both in sauga , I'm by Creditview and Britannia , so one of the 4 Tim Horton's in the block should work.

GS430V8

PM'ed!.....