Considering AirRide; Got questions...

[Mad$ella]

I was looking into an air ride package for my '91 5.0L Mustang, it was 150 psi. and I wanted to learn all i could about air ride, pros, cons, that kinda stuff. I heard that they are also not good for cold temps. is that true. Someone please post general info about air ride for me.

[shane]

yea i was wonderin about the handling a car with air ride would have

[ghosts-10]

Hey Guys,

Yea, air ride is great. I have been running it for about a year now and love it. It rides like a Caddy when I want it to and at a flip of a switch it turns into a F1 road hugger.
You can run bag in the winter but limit the use. See what happens is the compressor heats incoming air and when the hot air cools, moisture collects in the lowest place or places. This means stuck valves. It's not a hard fix but can be a pain at times.
If you are running a sway bar you will have no problems with handeling.
There are problems with car and air ride. Due to the limited space under a car most of the system is placed in the trunk. Stuff like tanks, valves and the compressor eat away at your space. Speaking of compressors, if you mount you compressor in the truck it is loud enough to be heard up front. Next issue is current draw. Most compressors draw about 15 amps min.
Now the last big issue. Running the lines. One of the biggest problems is the lines leaving/ the trunk. It's a major invite for rust.
If you have any questions feel free to hit me up at [email protected]

Jason

[TegLover]

air ride is the best thing evarr especially for a stang

[Mad$ella]

Yeah, i got a package priced out at $2200 installed. I am not conserned with 'taking up space' its fine with me to put the tank in the trunk, thats what the guy informed me of anyways. He also said that the kit comes with 150psi compressor, which he said would be pretty fast, is this ture? I am not too consernd about the compressor making noise, that is alright with me. And ghosts-10 talks about 15amps of current draw, what is that equivelent to in audio amplifier output, cause i run a 1500W Alpine V12, with 2 Pheonix Gold Titaniums at 2 Ohms and dont have too much problem, light do dim tho. Please tell me about any more drawbacks to air ride, cause i am seriously considering doing it in the next few weeks. Thanks for all your help so far tho.

[lowryder99]

Who gave you this price and what parts are they using? There are a LOT of crappy parts out there. Also the kit will only be as good as the install, fitting can leak, bags can leak, it can be a big pain. Make sure the shop has experience doing this sort of thing.
You should have line dryers(not necesary and not many people run them but it's good to have for winter bag use) and a good water trap set up to eliminate freezing.

With a big system and a compressor you typically need to run another battery or a beefed up alt, if you don't run another battery count on your alt crapping out on you sooner than later...just too many amps for a stock system.

[Mad$ella]

I got the price from a really good shop, that specializes in hydros etc...

Line dryers sound like a really good deal, how much?

Alternator is a concern, maybe a battery, well have to see...

What are the other draw-backs to having Bags???

[SAiamNE]

There is a solution to that moister freezing valves etc in the winter..
It's called alcohol injection I believe..
Many big semi trucks use it in the winter...

[Mad$ella]

IMMA DO IT!

I CAN'T WAIT!

[theken]

Originally posted by SAiamNE
There is a solution to that moister freezing valves etc in the winter..
It's called alcohol injection I believe..
Many big semi trucks use it in the winter...

it is called an ether start and that has nothing to do with freezing air
if you want to not have mositure in your line empty your tank before you go to sleep at night, purge all the moisture out of the lines after using

[Mad$ella]

Originally posted by theken

it is called an ether start and that has nothing to do with freezing air
if you want to not have mositure in your line empty your tank before you go to sleep at night, purge all the moisture out of the lines after using

Set the baby on the ground you say...

[lowryder99]

No setting it on the ground isn't the best idea, I know with the more common bag applications I deal with (88-04) chevy/gmc trucks the frame will sit on the ground and basically freeze to the ground just making more effort in lifting the vehicle back up.

Letting the air out of your tanks/lines whatever isn't the best idea because you will still have to let your compressors fill them back up in the morning, condesation develops a lot when the tanks go from empty to full.

The best solution I can give you is two run two compressors (one compressor for each 5 gallons tank you have is a good rule of thumb) anyways my suggestion is to use nitrogen in the winter time. Just use the system to air up and down when need be and compressed nitrogen will last awhile and is not that expensive to fill back up.

What makes air systems in the winter crappy is the condesation in the valves freezing and making them stick open or closed, basically allowing air in or out of the valves, if you run nitrogen gas (nitrogen cannot form condesation) your valves will not freeze no matter how cold it is.

I mean really it's the best suggestion I can give besides running a good high quality valve, line dryers and a good water trap set up. However even a set of really good valves like from air ride tech won't give you that many problems in the cold.

PS. Make ABOSOLUTELY sure that the shop will be adding shock relocators and new shocks for that price....if they tell you that you don't need shocks with a bag setup don't walk away.....run.

[youngbex]

hmmm air ride on a mustang never seen that before.

[Mad$ella]

Includes new shocks, and relocation if needed.
Still looking for more info, and people who have air ride just to give comments on what is good and bad.

[mikeleb1]

just wondering what shop is doing the install

[Illusionsir]

Originally posted by theken

it is called an ether start and that has nothing to do with freezing air
if you want to not have mositure in your line empty your tank before you go to sleep at night, purge all the moisture out of the lines after using

No An ether injector hasnt been in use since the mid-late 90's because of the obvious long term effects it has on the engines wear. lots of motors have them, very few work. What he is refering to (heavy duty) is an alcohol injector placed right after the air dryer that holds about a litre of methyl hydrate and with air pressure, is ran through the air lines to the "wet" tank. which prevents airlines/valves from freezing up.

Your best bet if your running a bagged set up is to add a little methyl hydrate to your air system and adding more periodically. methyl is very easy on rubber o-rings/gaskets. that should solve your froze exhaust valve problems!

[Mad$ella]

I am still looking for more input. It's a big decision... but i really want it done.

[NiteRider]

i thought that u loose all handling performance, when u bag a car?
and its just one more thing to break, i wouldnt put it on an old ford, u dont need more things to worry about fixing.

[Mad$ella]

Originally posted by NiteRider
i thought that u loose all handling performance, when u bag a car?
and its just one more thing to break, i wouldnt put it on an old ford, u dont need more things to worry about fixing.

Understandably so, but this is something that i really want, and would take the mustnag to the next level, espically considering the new paint going on in Feburary.

Someone please tell me more about handling...

[Ekliptix]

I just saw a show today on performance suspension with airbagged cars.

http://www.ridetech.com/

They put their kit on a 99 Firebird and the pro car drivers said it really improved throght the cones.

BTW, the stock mustang alternators blow so you'll have to upgrade.