Air ride.....Mini tub poll

[JUSTANOVA]

as far as all of the reliability concerns....look at how many millions of miles are put on by semi trucks each year that all have airride suspensions and the same pushlock lines and fittings that most aftermarket airride systems use. If the lines are routed correctly there should be no problems

[ScotI]

Originally Posted by DRJDVM's '69

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

An improperly installed suspension is just that.... regardless of type. Ensure the installation is done w/safety in mind.

Loss of air @ speed? When you set the car up, make sure it has bumpstops that limit suspension compression so the vehicle can steer & roll safely to a stop.

Most fittings are secured w/thread sealer so losing (breaking) a fitting is rare. Fittings are also common among components in an air-ride system & are small enough to fit next to that spare tire you carry (they're cheap enough to grab 1-extra of each for the extreme doubters).

Lines melting? See the bump-stop guidline above & route lines away from heat. It is popular these days to run hard-line w/short sections of flex where required.

Getting under it w/a jack? Oddly enough, this requires some consideration. They make 'jacks' that are simple air bags. You can compress them to almost nothing & air them up to raise the car (using your on-board comp/tank). The better idea is to set the car up so it has a jacking point @ every corner that would allow enough lift to put the jack in a 'typical' jacking position.

If you have no intention of trying to win a track event, air suspensions can offer great handling, ride, & adjustability when planned that way.

[DCreations]

My buddy has a wrx with some type or air suspension. I don't think its airridetech, but not sure. anyways I got to ride in his car when it was new and after. He didnt tell me he did an air ride. All I have to say is I'm a believer of air suspensions.

[BThibodeaux]

Paul,
An option to consider is using the Air Bar tiangulated four link bracketry with coil overs. This what I have put in my car with mini-tubs. I like this set-up for several reasons:

Plenty of room for exhaust without heat worries
No need to narrow gas tank to clear relocated leaf springs
No additonal alterations to the trunk/floor pan required
Any concerns associated with air bags are eliminated
Clean and asthetically appealing look
Lots of adjustability


Now the car is still under construction, so I cannot definitively speak to how it will ride or handle, however with all the adjustability that I will have at hand, I cannot imagine not coming up with a setup that will make me happy.

Thanks,
BT

[Sales@Dutchboys]

Well....It has been done....We mini-tubed it and four linked it up. Im going to pull it outside tomorrow and get some pictures if its nice out. Its been pretty craping up in Michigan....But I will post them tomorrow so you guys can take a look.

Paul

[TravisB]

Originally Posted by mazspeed

You have a long way to go to prove this. I have driven 1 properly built air ride car on a track and it was acceptable as a performance upgrade to anything out nowadays. If this was the case, then why don't professional race teams use it. Is the product good for the street, yes. Is it good for light duty autocrossing, a little, but in no way in it's present form, remotely close to anything out there for after market performance suspensions.

Holy **** is the a site for hot rods or professional race teams......dam I must have logged into the wrong place....

[Steve Chryssos]

Wow. I never saw this thread before today. Too damn busy I guess. Check the post dates: 08-17-06, then yesterday and then today. Somewhere in between these dates, we ran the Autocross from Hell in Pigeon Forge (Sept 17th 2006) AxH is run not on your typical flat, dusty parking lot. We ran a 3/4 mile course set up on an actual track surface with hard transitions from apron to banked turns.

The Air Ride issue can be argued back and forth indefinitely. But in the end, many people watched my 68 Camaro--with traditional springs--run a 63. Then we watched Bret's big A-body Buick run a 63 with Air Ride. Both cars were run by the same driver, on the same track, and on the same day.

And yes a 63 or 64 was fast for a street tired P-T car. Not only did we watch the Air Ride cars run a number, we watched the Air Ride guys whip it out and lay it on the table. They put their reputation on the line. We hung out with them and learned that they are real car guys and real drivers. If it somehow turned out that their cars were not competitive (they were), Bret and his crew would have gone home and figured out how to make them fast--just like any other handling car enthusiast.

[Steve1968LS2]

Originally Posted by streetfytr68

Wow. I never saw this thread before today. Too damn busy I guess. Check the post dates: 08-17-06, then yesterday and then today. Somewhere in between these dates, we ran the Autocross from Hell in Pigeon Forge (Sept 17th 2006) AxH is run not on your typical flat, dusty parking lot. We ran a 3/4 mile course set up on an actual track surface with hard transitions from apron to banked turns.

The Air Ride issue can be argued back and forth indefinitely. But in the end, many people watched my 68 Camaro--with traditional springs--run a 63. Then we watched Bret's big A-body Buick run a 63 with Air Ride. Both cars were run by the same driver, on the same track, and on the same day.

And yes a 63 or 64 was fast for a street tired P-T car. Not only did we watch the Air Ride cars run a number, we watched the Air Ride guys whip it out and lay it on the table. They put their reputation on the line. We hung out with them and learned that they are real car guys and real drivers. If it somehow turned out that their cars were not competitive (they were), Bret and his crew would have gone home and figured out how to make them fast--just like any other handling car enthusiast.

Didn't Bret have the fastest (by a fraction) time of any car on non-r-compound tires at the event?

I swear.. an Air Ride car could win every race for a solid year and still some would go.. "yea, but on paper it doesn't work" ... lol

I liked how the DSE car looked going around the bank.. so squished down and flat.. it was sweet.

[Sales@Dutchboys]

Well I think Im going to be happy in the long run not doing air ride
the car has killer stance with the bigger tire back with the dished wheel
and looking at it from the back looks really sweet too.

[race-rodz]

Originally Posted by chevy2boy333

the car has killer stance with the bigger tire back with the dished wheel
and looking at it from the back looks really sweet too.