ahh i cant see the bags and cups weighing more then a spring maybe atiny bit more...the setup in the back seat will weight alot with the 2 tanks

but im one to careless about 1/4 times so it doesnt bother me

 

So where are the pics/ viceo? Did you post them at aother site for hosting??

REALLY wanna see that video. I am tied up buying powertrain parts, but next spring I want to do a nice (not over the top) air ride set up, just so I have the adjustability on the street and at shows. I would love to hear a list of parts you used. So that if yours is exactly what I want, I can just buy all the parts you got, slowly. THX for any help.

 

awesome man , i like it . i want that look for my trans am , but hows the ride, be honest, is it bouncy or a crappy ride or what , right now i have sportlines and 34 and 40 series and bilsteins and it rides hard when the road brakes up and you hit like bridges and stuff. Im just concerned with the ride quality .

 

the ride is the same as it would be stock,

unless you drive with it fully aired up (all the way up) or fully lowered..(all the way down)

when its up...itll ride like a tank,
low it will be bouncy as ****!!

have to find a happy medium

iroc2nv

 

do either of you guys have pics of the cars fully up , fully down and then at your normal ride height , I guess what i want to know is how it will sit when its at driving height , is it low as mine with sportlines or do you have to make it a little higher for driving .

 

well my car isnt done yet so the video and how it rides questions i cant answer...sometime this week it will be done

bodys i imagin around you height would be the best driving height..i might even drive at my cut spring height im not sure...gonna test it out then set it for it

this is my full down pic

 

I read a super chevy article about air ride struts, and they said it made the cars handle increadibly, while still having all the ride adjustability. My car is a street car and I think it would be a great upgrade. Boyd, I think you would end up finding your favorite hight after having the set up for a while. I would probably drive around town pretty damn low, cuz my town's streets have pretty much all been redone in the last 3 years But for now the sprotlines/KYB AGX adj. will have to do.


Oh 18inchboyds, you are running sprotlines, do you install them flat part up, or down???? There is a pretty good chance I put them in upside down. Look at my website and there are pic of how i have them in, I am pretty sure i screwed up. THX for any help.

 

you guys are asking redundant questions... unfortunately there is no true answer as you can see everyone is going to have a slightly different setup. your strut choice will also hinder how your car handles and rides as well as the height of the bags themselves. i guess the only way in true retrospect is to ask the individual owner or take a ride in one and match it exactly if you are fortuante to do so. changing a valve, changing a bag style even can make a different combination. maybe not night and day but enough to change handling characteristics, height and quickness. don't forget about bracing to the car as well, tire choice, rim size and make, cage or no cage... there are so many factors. you also have to take into it personal vehicle expectations, someone such as slammed_z had his car already so incredibly low for normal driving that air ride should have made a huge impact but when function is second to looks that can play a large part in how you decide to discuss something.

it's good to ask questions to get an idea but then you are on your own. you can not take a general question such as ride quality and expect it to compare to anything you plan to do unless you had the same setup before hand and expect to duplicate the new setup in question. one day you may want a little more air then the next, the setup typically should give you 1/2" of adjustment without causing any major tire wear and in most instances they are setup to be 2" lower then factory ride height for normal everyday driving. the best part is being able to maintain that with full passengers or less as well as the adjustment you can achieve for whatever you desire. just think of it as a sportline setup with the ability to adjust when necessary. at that level they ride and work great, if you want to drive safely over say 30 and want it lower or higher you need to build your kit accordingly. remember to just use the answers as a guessing medium to help you in your decision, unless you see it first hand for yourself or duplicate their setup you won't be able to gain much more then basic information to make your own decisions.

 

You make a lot of good points Kandied, but now I am sorta lost as to what I should be asking....Are you saying someone like me that wants to have a daily driver with air ride, should ask more questions or less??? I know I am never gonna run into a camaro with air ride, so what do you sugest I do? Ask what you have and get every last part # and copy your set up exactly?

Your car looks great, I guess what i am lookin for is for air ride guys to tell what there set up is well, "set up" for.



side note....I just updated my site. Check it out

 

honestly i wouldn't put air ride on a camaro if it's a daily driver... not that there are problems but it does happen from time to time, if you depend on a car to get you some where (hense a daily driver) you should leave the mechanics alone as much as possible.

as far as questions, ask whatever you want... the point is ask new ones. all i am saying is you can't ask someone how one rides because everyone will have a different opinion and chances are their before setups won't match either. a good example is if i have gabriel gas shocks and upgrade to air ride, of course it will be outstanding. if i had something like bilstein/koni and eibach upgrading to air ride and it still rides great then to most that's an accomplishment but who's to say, what if the setup was old an worn out... and then you'll have to copy that setup to get the same height, ride, etc.

the point is ask all the questions you want but use them to make your own judgement. do your own research. i rode in many air vehicles and spoke with over a dozen owners personally before i made a decision and that was after the 4 years of internet research and phone calls i made..

 

to build on that, you CAN modify everything on your car as a daily driver... just be prepared to have a backup car for the first few months until all the bugs are worked out.

 

well I have moded eveything else at this point, done a total tear down, sand blast and rebuild, using all new aftermakrket parts. I am not affraid of it not being as reliable as a Carolla. It is gonna have a 500 HP 383 haha. I left the land of not moding the crap out of the daily driver years ago.

I still think it is a good idea.

When i say daily driver i mean spring-summer-fall. And not super long distances. I can use the Aveo for that stuff. All my driving to the g/f house, around town and to work, ect... will be in this.

 

your blending the lines of what many would consider a daily driver. i may drive my car 4-5 times a week and put 10,000+ miles a year on it but it's hardly a daily driver. when many discuss a daily driver it's in a different context. reguardless as long as you have another vehicle you obviously understand there will be down time during several points. in which case wether the car in question is daily driven or not having a second vehicle shows that it isn't your only means of transportation. back to the topic at hand, you had better change your tire setup if you plan to run air ride or you will have problems as your tires stick out way to far.

good luck.

 

How high can it go? Got any 4 wheeler action pics? haha

 

Kandied, I am not done modding the rear fenders. They will tuck eventually. And this is MY only means of transprtation. I borrow the Aveo from my mom. I am 21 and in colledge, I don't really need a car for anything, thats why I ripped appart the one I had in highschool to make this.

When this is done, I plan on driving it 7 days a week 75% of the year. Around here that is a daily driver. Most people here have a truck or SUV for the winter. At least families in my area.

 

well here are the done pics..the valve system is only running off 1 pump and 1 dump for all 4 sides..we havent sold the problem yet but at least it works

 

heres the vid..pause it for a minute to fully load
http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=MOV0142456

 

awesome, looks like you can get some bigger tires now and get a better ride from something less like a rubberband. Looks cool . hows the ride?

 

There's no way to pause it

 

well right now since we are having valve issues its only on one switch..and when i want it to go up..the back raises then the front cause the weight..and lower the same thing..front all the way down then the back..so right now i slam the front at a safe level and gotta drive with the back up..its a bouncy ride but it will be fixed soon enough

and i think im sticking with the same tires there abit better then my 215s i had..i like these
plus i can go all the way down and still not have to rip out my inner fender liners so this is another reason why

 

definately wouldn't go as low though.

what is the problem with the system? i might be able to help.

 

congrats on getting ti done, but imho the rims and tire combo looks like crap. not insulting you just stating my opinion.

 

well jeff we hooked up all the 4 valves and made sure the arrows we pointing in the direction of flow like they should be..had it all wired up
then we turned on the compressor to fill the tanks..then slowly the bags started to fill
so we thought we mighta hooked them up backwards and it was back feeding..but it was all fine..and btw its all new parts so its not like dirt would be sticking it open or anything...but even if it is electrial why would it back feed? cause if your not hittin a switch it shouldnt back feed

 

in most installs to be honest this is why it's best to pre-fill the setup with a standard industrial or home style compressor when you first start out.

i'm assuming your still doing a 4 way 8 valve setup right? 2 per a corner. the reason your having issues with one side going up faster then the other reguardless of having only wired one swithc to all 4 at the same time is the length of hose not the fact you only wired one switch for all 4. the weight of your front end definately plays a factor but it would have to be twice the weight of the rear to cause the situation your talking about.

from your picture it looks like the valves are right behind the tanks? if this is true that means you have a shorter distance to your rear then the front correct? typically this would mean the rear raises quicker and the fact it should be lighter it will lower quicker. going up with the setup you have using one switch to control all 4 at the same time this would definately cause a seasaw effect. obviously it will help to wire them to all 4 to correct this so your sending air all at the same time rather then equally trying to distribute which it's doing. in essence though wether you have one switch for all 4 or 4 switches it won't change how it raises and lowers. the number of valves and length of line between the bag and valves will.

if i'm missing something here let me know or i'll continue..

 

oh i knew all that part that you just said..
the problem is well right now im only using 2 valves one pump 1 dump for everything cause my other 4 dont respond to anything..like they dont click or anything when there is powering going to them
so we had to rig up other valves he had kicking around so that i cuold take it to a show this weekend

 

fill how, fill when you hit the switch and are slow or as soon as the compressor comes on they fill, like a stuck valve?
if you followed the arrows it shouldn't be backwards and if it did you'd have alot more issues then you speak of. a new part can still fail, sounds like a valve is sticking, are you sure your electronics are correct?

 

your talking hydraulics here, 2 valves is definately going to cause the issues you have at hand then and take alot longer to fill as well. definatley one pump and one tank is all you need, it's all you need for the whole setup entirely but reguardless it sounds like things for that area are right. if you aren't hearing any clicking either your valves are dead or aren't wired correctly. its not that hard to wire them up so i'm going to guess dead. if the above is true sounds like things are fine, this is good though as you'll get to see what it's like running on 2 valves, you'll appreciate the 4 way setup immediately when it's time, you won't get the body roll that you'll feel with 2 and especially just one.

 

like you turn on the compressor and dont even touch a switch and 5 mins later your rear is full of air

well another friend who installed his own is an electrian and he says he thinks its electrial..but shouldnt it be plumbing if its just filling on its own?

 

no... your valves are electric aren't they. the only way to test this would be to use a manual valve setup and tie the lines into that. let the compressor feed the tank and see what happens. essentially elimating the "gate" or electronic valve.

think of it as a cutout system for exhaust. manual you unscrew and remove the plate and air flows out. electric the plate moves out of the way on it's own. valves can stick new out of the box, if it gets to much current or wired wrong initially when turned on they can open and stay open... they can also stay shut.

this is why when i had my system hooked up they used the manual valve stems first and then i wired up the electric valves just to check.

if the car is filling up and holding air your lines are good. if you have electric valves in line and it's filling up when the compressor kicks on then theres an issue with them sticking open. it's the only possible solution assuming that what your saying is everything is hooked up, electric valves and all. when the compressor kicks on the car airs up as if you hit the electric switch to raise the car. definately check the valves and the wiring to them. something isn't right in that area. on the plus side glad to see the bags and lines are working as they should.

 

im not going for the all up all down setup or i just woulda did 2 valves or 4 even...i did 8 so i can do side to side and different things..not corner to corner cause that may be alil hard on it

well there this new brand of valve this air tac i believe is how its spelled..we were gonna do smc but the company said these are just as good so we used them..but instead of just power and ground theres a 3rd wire on it..but there is an led on the valve so that everytime you hit a switch it lights up,so the installer said that would be the led power..so he didnt hook it up..kinda gay having an l.e.d i think

 

you should have bought hydraulics and even then you'll need to modify the car so much. our cars will not do side to side... the body won't allow it without some major changes. you can't do much other then all up, all down and seesaw.

as far as valves, i've never heard of air tac but that doesn't mean anything. smc has been around for years and they make various styles for your budget. usually good parts. as far as how a valve works there should be 2-3 wires. in air ride tech case they have 2, you ground the valves by the body instead of a wire and the two wires work for the controls, one for up and the other for down. you have 2 valves in a single block. 4 of these blocks will make up a complete 4 way setup, 8 valves total. this is what your aiming for correct?

every vavle is different though. there is no reason why a company would put an led on a valve for asthetic reasons, it's probably for trouble shooting. didn't you recieve directions? i would check this as it sounds to me like that should be hooked up and it isn't. i've seen setups similar to that and the led can be wired for letting air out or in. it depends. one way or another though if your going to have buddies help with things like this don't always believe what your told, just check around and double check for yourself. it's nice to save money but you also want the parts to work right.

 

no the dump shop we got the stuff from didnt tell us much about the valve so were calling monday and asking about the 3rd wire..maybe it does need to be hooked up he didnt wanna try to and fry something..

(4 of these blocks will make up a complete 4 way setup, 8 valves total)
but yes that is the setup im looking for

im not talkin like fast side to side action i mean like drop a side leave it kinda thing..iroc2nv has it on his car...mines setup up for it to..just as long as i get the valves done

 

what did you do to set it up for seesaw/side to side? i guess my thirdgen is different then but without chaining the rear i can't do a true side to side with the air ride on my z28 or my rs.

as far as your valves. they should have came with directions if they didn't though i'm assuming you have them fused correct? if you have them fused you should be fine, i'd wire the last wire up using a 10 amp, depending on guage obviously and go from there but it should be wired. unless it's some wild design which i doubt i'm sure it's there for a purpose (the extra wire).

either way good luck..

 

the reason i can do side to side, is because i am running only 4 valves, 4 switch setup. all i do is hot the 2 switches for the one side...and she sits low on one side, high on the other..rather easy

looks good ian..

you hitting any shows this way this year? it would be cool to see two bagged camaros side by side

iroc2nv

 

no it isn't that easy... that's typical of a seesaw deal yes. neither of my thirdgens on air will do that. maybe a few inches differences between the two but nothing truly noted of such move without work to the rear as it stays to straight. the front is easy yes, the rear isn't so on mine. a few inches hardly qualifies for that, show me a picture of your car as i'd like to see it.

 

like this right...

 

not that extreme but thats the look yeah..

sorry you have to click the link..pic is too big..

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...74_82_full.jpg

iroc2nv

 

i see, yes mine will do that too... i was thinking it was a real degree. thanks for the picture.

 

i was meaning afew inches side to side like gerrys car..that car is doing a front 3 wheel..probably hyrdos on that.

why would you chain the rear? i got bolts holding the top and bottom of the bag in place

 

HAAAHAHHAHHHHAAAAA!!!

 

true seesaw or however it's described is at such a degree you could not get out of the car on the passenger side. it's very difficult to achieve with a thirdgen. either way a few inches is a few inches, i understand what your saying. just wanted to make sure were on the same page. yes a 4 way setup will do what your describing..

 

guys give Air Ride Tech. a call. I got a catalog from them a few months ago, and they said that they would be releasing a kit for 3rd gens possibly this fall.


check it out.

 

they already released it..i have it on my front
i didnt wanna use the sleave bags for the rear

 

why?

 

my installer said he never had good luck with the sleeves on his truck..so we used air life 2b6 bags instead

 

why??

 

he said the ports were really small,and the sleeves wore out and cracked

 

hmm..

as long as your happy with your setup that's all that matters.

 

ya maybe he just had bad luck with them who knows..but ya im happy with it

do you have and videos of your car going up and down jeff?

 

no to be honest after the first month i quit that. i barely ever move mine anymore unless i absolutely have to.