air ride can work great, the problem is that most set-ups run either too big of bag, too small of bag, wrong shocks, wrong pressure....or E: ALL OF THE ABOVE.

a proper designed air system can be taylored to YOUR specific needs, at the push of a button and some fine tuning of shock adjustments...you can have a ride just like YOU like it, i do agree with the STREET car comments, meaning it does handle "ok", great for the street...not the track.

shockwaves have enough choices that getting the right size "bag" is as simple as a tech line away(actual corner weights will help), and with single/double adjustments available, the shock tuning is right there waiting.

i think for a cruiser street car, air ride is the ONLY way to go, rides great, looks cool parked, and has a comfortable cruising altitude for the nations less that perfect roadways.

i say ditch the leafs, mini tubs, 4 bar and shockwaves...IF its a cruiser....if its a track whore...bring it to my house and i will "trade" ya an A-body :unibrow:

I've been considering the Air Ride stuff too for my Barracuda but have heard alot of concerns over safety with an air bag system on the street.... the big issue that concerns me is what happens if you loose pressure in even one bag while driving the car ??? One line melting or fitting coming loose etc and the car hits the ground at 65 MPH. What happens if you have a malfunction with the system and the car is on the ground already ?? How the hell do you get a jack etc under it to even get it up in the air ???

The look and flexability is wicked, but I'm having serious concerns about safety with my car on air bags

Most people on this site know my opinion on Airbags so I won't elaborate. I agree with race rodzs assesment but, honestly Paul, you know that there will be that time that you get a chance to really put your foot into it. Don't you want the suspension to be there for it? Especially after all the work that you've already done to the car? I think you should consider either a 3 link/Watts setup(Definitely talk to Mark Magers on this one since, in my humble opinion, I think he has the best one out there right now! Although.......Art Morrisons got a pretty good one to!) or go the extra mile and commit to an IRS! I have a feeling that if your going to be doing big shows your going to want something that stands apart from the rest and I feel that an IRS(That is correctly engineered!) will do that along with giving you many miles of well mannered driving pleasure! It will definitely require some fab work so seriously consider it especially since you already finished the car and now you have to go back in and tear it up again! :eek: :wow: :lol:

Same thing that i am concered about.....


-PAul

Do you have any links to where i could find this stuff....

I always question a statement that starts with "I have heard..."

What happens if you break a ball joint at 65mph?, or bust a leaf spring? or hit a pothole with big rims?, or blow a tire out? or an oil line feeding a turbo melts and blows oil all over the exhaust and tires? or if your new wheel studs let go in a turn at 100+? or a brake line bursts? or you throw a rod out of the side of your block? etc etc....You get the point. There are countless theoretical situations you can site for any modification to your car....You should be concerned about using an aftermarket wiring set-up because it may short out and catch fire...see what I mean. By this logic, you should not be driving anything modified, just a straight up OEM factory engineered piece...I might suggest a nice Saturn Sedan. Like ANY modification, if done properly, airbags are extremely durable, and just as safe as any other suspension system out there....

:captain:

I see what you are saying......One thing I allways think about is 2 years ago at columbus after the show my dad and i were riding back to the hotel in his nova and the car sat so low and didnt have air ride......we hit a low spot in it the road and put a hole in the oil pan.....Wouldnt it have be nice to have air ride then.....

-Paul

I love the stance on this car...Its mini tubed and air ride.....

Paul,
For the look and function you are going for, I think Air ride is the way to go. The car will most likely never see a track, and it will look killer all laid at a show. Like BAD6SPD said, if installed correctly you shouldn't worry about blowing a bag.

Bad6spd.... I understand your point but your other "scenarios" are alittle different... most of them would occur if you were pushing/punishing the car hard and then it wouldnt be unexpected. If you beat on stuff, it may break. I'm not talking about "popping" a bag, I'm talking about something as simple as an air fitting coming loose or one of the many hoses you have to run leaking. Those things could easily happen without the driver beating on the car. The hoses are the "weak link" that I'm concerned about most.. How easy would it be to accidently have one chaff a hole or melt or catch on some debris you hit on the road ?? A small air leak and your car could be on the ground while driving at any speed

You could compare it to having an oil line come loose, but if that occurs the most likely thing is you make a huge mess and the motor goes bye bye.... an air line coming loose and the car hits the ground....

Yes, anything can happen and no matter how well something is engineered, there is always the risk of a failure that can result in serious life threatening issues. My point was just to mention some of the concerns that I had been thinking about....

I like the Air Ride stuff and I've been SERIOUSLY considering it, so dont think I'm in the "air bag bashing" camp. Its not that at all.