wondering about suspension

ptrudel · 11-19-2003, 10:01 AM

is it possible to put a air bag suspension on an alero? has anyone done this? i wanna know as much as i can before i get myself into this project...any help would be greatly appreciated

11-19-2003, 12:59 PM

Yes it has been done. Silentalero had it for a little while. He would be the expert on it.

Silentalero · 11-19-2003, 01:26 PM

Wouldnt say expert but yea i know of it

What kinda of air re you trying to do

bagz or cylinders?

ptrudel · 11-19-2003, 03:39 PM

that's the thing, i'm no expert in this and i been doin lots of reading and what not, but i'm trying to figure out what would be the best set up for this car...and when choosing, will the rim size and body kit be a key component to choosing the best system? any info will be helpful...

Silentalero · 11-19-2003, 04:38 PM

ok well your lookin at alotta $$ to if your wanting all this

it really gets into personal preference, but word is air doesnt work well with mcpherson strut cars, I had strut bagz and had no problems (exceptthe company) but now im on juice and dont regret it

ptrudel · 11-19-2003, 05:34 PM

ok...and by going the route of the juice, is there a very big price increase? isn't it harder on the car?(that's what i was told...but ppl here don't know squat) and is the install time/cost about the same?

Silentalero · 11-21-2003, 10:34 AM

Ok with air and juice, no install will take longer with juice simply because of the lines your running.

well juice is fokin harder than poop on your car if you dont have accumulators (another $500) and right now im reaping that because my fitting just popped outta my cylinder because of the rough ride (literally had to drag the car back into the garage.) but with juice itll cost more $ but give you more play and more options to ddo with air.

11-21-2003, 03:29 PM

I'll give my thoughts on this as well...
air
Pros: cheaper, no batteries to charge, no mess, can be smoother ride
cons: run out of air, compressor noise, leaks are harder to find

hydros
Pros: more "play time", goes lower
cons: batteries need charged, leaks are messy, takes up more trunk space, expensive, need accums for smooth ride.

as for which is faster, it all depends. I have 1/2" lines with air cylinders, and i'd say it's prolly faster than most hydro setups...with a full tank running 150 psi, i can get my rear off the ground, but i dont reccomend it.

Silentalero · 11-21-2003, 03:52 PM

some air maybe faster but another advantage of hydros is there is a speed control knob where you can adjust how fast the car goes down from each pump

11-21-2003, 04:10 PM

^^^^^^^^u get your accums yet?

Silentalero · 11-21-2003, 04:32 PM

na just had a fitting bust outta the cylinder so im not gonna drive it untill i get the accums, im guessing the ride eventually made it snap.

Im hoping it just unscrewed and not to hard to get back in rather than if it stripped the cylinder

11-21-2003, 05:59 PM

I'm probably missing something but if the ride with hydraulics is so harsh why don't you switch to thinner hydraulic oil? Won't that help? Or is that not the issue?

Silentalero · 11-21-2003, 06:13 PM

lol, i wish it were only that easy, no hydraulic oil is only there to push the motors in the pumps that make the car go up and down.

the suspention itself is instead of a shock and spring, right now i have a long shaft (cylinder) and a 6" mini coil that acts as a suspention. The accumulator bags are filled with nitrogen and hydralic fluid to mix and act as a shock absorber. Its like riding on factory springs with no shocks.

ptrudel · 11-24-2003, 11:13 AM

this is sum complicated poop...so really, the difference between juice and air is really personal preferance then?

i know one guy here had juice and went to air and says he wouldn't go back, but then silent had air and is on juice now...

man....i got lots of learning in front of me if i'ma do this...

Silentalero · 11-24-2003, 12:14 PM

well its a lil more than persona preferance, juice alos costs alot mroe but has more movability mainly.

with air youd never lay frame (certain $$ kits u will)

with hydro's i can lay the crossmember easy and still got room to go lower

Silentalero · 11-24-2003, 12:14 PM

well its a lil more than persona preferance, juice alos costs alot mroe but has more movability mainly.

with air youd never lay frame (certain $$ kits u will)

with hydro's i can lay the crossmember easy and still got room to go lower

sound_xtreme · 11-24-2003, 01:06 PM

Quote:

hydros
Pros: more "play time", goes lower
cons: batteries need charged, leaks are messy, takes up more trunk space, expensive, need accums for smooth ride.

i wouldnt use air cylinders without accums either.

ptrudel · 11-24-2003, 03:00 PM

alrite, well thanx for the info everyone, it'll give me something to think about and look into even more...

-Alero- · 03-07-2004, 10:18 PM

i would consider getting air bag suspension. what are some good hyper links too look at for my alero