Thread: Any Air Ride Opinions Out There?

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I am contemplating putting air ride technologies bags on the front of my 39 coupe. I have mustang II suspension now but was wanting it lower. My problem is I have heard a few things about air ride in general I was hoping some of you might clear up for me. One, it's basically a pain in the arse, two, the ride is not near the comfort I'll have with my coil springs and shocks, and three, if your compressor goes out 800 miles from home, you're basically flat bedding it home.

Any first hand opinions will be appreciated.

warm regards,
Jeff

One of Don's sons use to install air bags I believe. Here is a link showing one setup
http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38675
Post number 9.
Maybe Dan or Don will see this and chime in.

For the stuck when the compressor goes out deal, I add an air valve to the tank so I can fill it at most any gas station should the need arise. Another thing, do you already have the 2" lowering spindles on your MII??? The ride IMO is a bit more harsh then with coils, but the right shock will compensate for a lot of it....

Dave, I have stock spindles. I was either going with the bags or the Heidts
2" drop spindles. Then I might cut a coil if I had to. I just didnt know if the air ride bags would be worth the trouble. I have never drove a car with the bags, but have always heard the ride is not as good as coils and shocks. Thanks for the reply!

I'd do the spindles first. If you want to be a bit lower then you could also consider the coilover conversion for the MII--- Bags are nice, but certainly not the only option you have....

Dave, what about the drop spindles and the coil over conv. Too low, or are the coil overs adjustable to suit? How would the ride be with the coil overs?

thanks!

If you get the correct spring on the coilovers, the ride will be a bit more harsh. There's a lot of adjustment for the ride height on the coilovers, too.... If the drop spindles give you what you want, think I'd stop there. The OEM style spring and shock is going to be the best ride IMO.....

Dave, thanks for your opinions and expertise. It means alot.

cheers!

Jeff

You're certainly welcome... Just hate to see a guy spend a bunch of $$$$$ and not get the desired results....

just sent you a pm back .

bags work great if installed correct , ride is as good or better if installed correct .
#1 most common problem is improper installation .
#2 most common problem is a cheap kit

kenny d i have a question for you. how much air pressure do you run front to back, side to side. i have installed bags on my 36 i am building. jonathan

Originally Posted by OHMY34

kenny d i have a question for you. how much air pressure do you run front to back, side to side. i have installed bags on my 36 i am building. jonathan

airbags are made to run at a " installed height " not pressure . i know it sounds odd, but it dont matter if it has 60 psi of 120 psi . its all about the height of the bag . example if you use a firestone bag f6957 ( typical on a mustang 2 ) with the car on the ground and the suspension at ride height it should be 4.5- 5 in tall , that will get the best ride quality , if it has 50 psi or 100 psi it will ride the same if the installed height is the same .

now some cars take more pressure to get the bag to the installed height , example my 57 with a 505 ci bigblock takes 95 psi in the front and 80 in the rear .
but my 33 with a alluminum head smallblock takes 40 in the front and 40 in the rear .
my camaro with a all alluminum ZL1 takes 70 front and 85 rear

hope this helps

kenny the reason i ask is because i have not bought a air mangment system for the car but do have the bags where i can air them up manually. the front will raise up to ride hieght with less than 10 lbs. and the back is the same so i am hoping that i get some more weight from some where to need more air. jonathan

od you have the front sheetmetal and engine in the car ? and what bag are you using ? do you have a photo of your set up ?

Kenny, I got this big old tank of a '54 Buick and considering air for it...as with most of my stuff I'll get things mocked up to ride weight then scale it and make the rest of the suspension purchases---Question being, how much "fine tuning" can you do on the air ride system if you have all the idividual wheel weights, front/rear split, etc. on record when you start buying bags?????