Air suspension vs Springs and shocks

[AftershocK]

great pics cully

[2010SLVRBULIT]

[VictoryRacingEngines]

[live2well]

Yeah I dig the look and the ability to adjust on the fly. Durability is really my only concern. I dont want to be stranded with my pants/bags down. :-)

[JCO2185]

the only way a bag will blow is if it was not installed correctly. I have airride on my other vehicle, 97 s10 and never had any problems. I have been running the same bags for 8 years now and they are holding up fine. Just remember, tractor trailers all use airbags for the suspension and they are ALWAYS on the road.

[live2well]

Very true. I wasnt referring to the bags as much as the hoses and links. I guess it just boils down to craftsmanship.

[JCO2185]

same deal with all those parts. Most of them are designed to last, especially Airlift products. Majority of the time something fails is due to inproper installation. Anytime you are dealing with airbags, obviously make sure the bag will not rub on anything, the hoses are not near any heat sources, little things like that

[Brian@AirLift]

As promised, here is a brief clip from Camaro5fest this year. BTW, I may have been the fastest Camaro that wasn't on race tires. In fact, the tires were not even true performance tires at all. They had unbelievably high 540 treadwear rating!

Again, not to say that our suspension is equal to a full race set-up on the track but rather that it works just fine for the task of going fast and handling well!

Hot lap at Camaro5fest 2 with Air Lift Camaro from ALEngineers on Vimeo.
">Hot lap at Camaro5fest 2 with Air Lift Camaro from ALEngineers on Vimeo.

[live2well]

Thanks For all the informative responses. :-)

[MJM Distributing]

I'll go out on a limb here and say that we're probably one of the few (if only) shops on this forum with in-house shops cars that run on air ride (Air Lift), coilovers (KONI and B&G) and springs with shocks (Eibach and Bilstein). The point? That we have best of all worlds right here in our shop on each of our cars and driving them every day, giving you hands-on experience and real world situations on air vs. coilovers vs. springs. Without a doubt, there is a benefit and downside to each and no two people want the same thing from their suspension, hence why we have a different vehicles here within our in-house project cars with a different set-ups on them. Below will give you the breakdown of each.

SPRINGS WITH SHOCKS:

Because of cost, this is by far the most popular combination when choosing a performance suspension for your vehicle. The set-up can pretty much give you the same benefits of coilovers without the ride height adjustability. Rebound dampening adjustability (if using KONI Sport Shocks - which will hopefully be under development for the '10-up Camaro models shortly) can also be tailor mated to the spring of your choice, again, giving you the same exact options of a good coilover kit. The downside, however, is that unlike coilovers or air, you cannot adjust the ride height. Determining what drop is right for you (i.e. 1", 1.5", etc) and deciding on what springs to go with (B&G, Eibach, H&R, Vogtland) is the biggest challenge. How low or not low do you want to go?

COILOVER KITS:

No different than a spring with shock combo, but with the ability to adjust ride height and rebound dampening adjustability (kit dependent). Some kits on the market today offer rebound dampening and some do not (the difference being $$$$). All will offer ride height adjustments, though. Typically used for racing (most notably for corner balancing), coilovers are going to typically cost more than a spring and shock combo, but not typically as much as an air ride system. Most "real world" coilover users today are typically buying coilovers for the "idea" of having them and not necessarily what they're intended for (racing and corner balancing). What we've found with a majority of our customers is that they're buying coilovers for their cars, installing them that first time, dialing them in with ride height and dampening (where applicable) and never, ever touching them again. That is nice and all, but somewhat defeats the purpose of spending $1000+ (or more) on a "racing" suspension. This being the case, a good spring and shock combo (for a lot less in money) will get you the same exact results with improved handling and steering response. Ultimately, it's the end user's decision on what he wants to do.

AIR SUSPENSION:

Obviously, air is going to be the most superior in "adjustability" options when it comes to suspension. Like already mentioned in this thread, air ride is not a full-on "racing" suspension, but nor is a spring and shock combination necessarily, either. For real world conditions (i.e. daily driving with occasional "spirited driving"), an air set-up can be the perfect solution for those wanting comfort and ride height adjustability. Air will indeed ride the best in respect to comfort, but also comes with a price tag and minor trunk space loss that springs with shocks or coilovers do not have. We recently removed coilovers on one of our cars and replaced it with air and two things were immediately evident; 1) The handling did not change whatsoever. 2) The ride comfort did indeed get better after changing to air. Air ride is not for everyone, but on the particular car we did it on here at our facility, we would not go back to any other suspension set-up and the difference is night and day over coilovers. In hindsight, we wish we would have made the decision to bag one of our cars a lot earlier than we did. It's cool for only about 101 different reasons.

Suspension is our core business here and we have experience with pretty much every single combination of set-ups you could imagine. Feel free to PM us here through the forums for some 1-on-1 consultation on what would work best for you based on your driving style, driving habits, road conditions, performance desires and budget for suspension modding. We're Authorized Warehouse Distributors for Air Lift, B&G Suspension, Eibach, H&R Special Springs and KONI. Feel free to hit us up if we can help or if you have any questions.

[1hevy_chevy]

Hello. I plan on getting an SS soon and I was wondering, if I bag it, will I be able to go at least 600-650hp? I do tend to do some more...spirited driving on the street. Maybe drag strip once or twice. Also, how soon will you guys have a setup for 2016?!

[Jeremy@AirLift]

Originally Posted by 1hevy_chevy

Hello. I plan on getting an SS soon and I was wondering, if I bag it, will I be able to go at least 600-650hp? I do tend to do some more...spirited driving on the street. Maybe drag strip once or twice. Also, how soon will you guys have a setup for 2016?!

600-650hp would be no problem on our suspension. We have people around 1,000hp that beat on their cars with no issues. Let me know if you have any questions.

[MJM Distributing]

Originally Posted by Jeremy@AirLift

600-650hp would be no problem on our suspension. We have people around 1,000hp that beat on their cars with no issues. Let me know if you have any questions.

[MJM Distributing]

Are you a Facebook user? Interested in learning more about air suspension? Check out The Air Suspension Support Group on Facebook. With reps from both Air Lift and MJM online to help with any questions you might have, it's a great way to meet other airheads and to learn more about how air suspension might benefit you. From installation tips, to where to buy your kit, to advice from other Air Lift users, to why air might be better for you than coilovers, to ideas on trunk designs for your components, this Facebook Group might be a little easier for those that aren't on forums as much as on social or on their phones. Join up today and don't forget to invite your friends.