The Pros & Cons Of An Air Suspension System | Air Suspension Benefits
Air suspension is one of the most popular modifications that car enthusiasts do to make their vehicles stand out. With your car’s stance adjustable at the touch of a button, it's easy to get it as low as you want. Air suspension raises a lot of questions because each kit involves many components. Today, we are going to look at exactly what an air suspension system is, air suspension benefits, and what the pros and cons are of air suspension.
Oftentimes, we are asked: "Is air suspension worth it?" Yes! It is absolutely worth it to get adjustable suspension, comfort, and a great new look on your vehicle.
What Is An Air Suspension System?
An air suspension system replaces your factory shocks and struts with air shocks that allow adjustable ride height. Some vehicles come from the factory with air suspension, but we can cover that in a later post. For the sake of this article, we'll focus on aftermarket air suspension systems.
Air suspension systems include an air compressor, an air tank, a manifold, air lines, and air struts. There are a few miscellaneous pieces as well, but these are the main components. These components work together to draw in air, pressurize it, and send it to each air strut. An air strut is outfitted with a bladder that inflates with air to raise your vehicle and deflates to lower it. These air suspension systems can be controlled by a smartphone app or by a wired/wireless controller, depending on your specific setup.
What Is Air Suspension Used For?
Air suspension serves many purposes, depending on what the end user wants to accomplish. With its great versatility, an air suspension system can be used in many different ways.
Adjustable Ride Height For Show Purposes - One of the most common uses for air suspension is to air out your vehicle. This means the vehicle owner wants the vehicle to reach a certain stance but doesn't want to drive at that height all the time. Air suspension makes this easy because it can adjust on the fly.
Keeping Truck From Squatting When Towing/Hauling - Another popular use for air suspension is to keep the rear of your truck from squatting while towing or hauling. Trucks can be outfitted with air shocks in the rear to inflate when the truck has a heavy load. This helps to keep your truck level, reducing stress on components such as your driveshaft, and helps with fuel economy & wind resistance.
Raise/Lower Vehicle For Specific Purposes - Last but not least is the use of air suspension for specific purposes. If you need electronically controlled adjustable suspension to clear obstacles or to allow for something to be loaded into your vehicle, an air suspension system could be a great addition to make life easy.
Is Air Suspension Good For Daily Driving?
A common question we receive here at AccuAir is: “Will air suspension be good for daily driving?” The simple answer is yes. Air suspension has been proven to be a great addition to vehicles for daily driving if installed and maintained correctly. If you don't maintain your air suspension system or install it correctly, you could run into issues that make air suspension feel like a pain to operate. A professionally installed system will be perfectly fine for daily driving.
That said, a few things are worth considering. In the winter months, you will want to ensure there is no water or condensation in your air tank. A water trap can fix this issue and help prevent freezing. You will also need to routinely check all components and air lines to ensure they are free of defects. This is really important for exterior-mounted items such as air lines and air shocks.
What Are The Pros Of Air Suspension Systems?
There are many advantages to installing an air suspension system. This is why you see these kits being installed more and more often. Let’s take a look at some of the pros of air suspension systems.
Suspension Adjustability - The most obvious advantage of air suspension systems is the ability to quickly adjust the height of your vehicle at the press of a button. This is the main reason people add air suspension to their vehicles. This allows you to get the perfect look for your vehicle that can't be achieved with traditional suspension.
Ride Quality - Converting your shocks, struts, and coil springs to an air suspension setup allows for better ride quality due to the design of the air shock. Air shocks provide a more comfortable, softer ride quality that is leagues ahead of your factory suspension setup.
Less Wear & Tear on Other Components - Using air suspension for your truck or trailer can help reduce wear and tear on other components. When a truck is loaded down from hauling or towing, stress can put on the U-joints and driveshaft as the pinion angle shifts. With air shocks, you can add air to the shocks and bring your truck back to a level position.
What Are The Cons Of Air Suspension Systems?
While air suspension systems offer great advantages, they also come with disadvantages. Let’s take a look at some of the cons of air suspension systems.
Cost - The biggest disadvantage to air suspension is the initial cost of the kit and the installation costs. This is a big deciding factor for many people on the fence about air suspension, but the investment is definitely worth it!
Durability - Air suspension is another downside compared to a spring and shock setup. Factory springs rarely fail and are built to take on a wide range of climates. With more components involved, and some installed under your vehicle (like air lines), your chance of a problem or damage increases.
Malfunctions Can Cause Vehicle To Be Inoperable - Since your suspension now relies on air to reach driving height, one small leak can prevent your vehicle from airing up correctly. In a worst-case scenario, your compressor could fail or you could have a hole in an air line, rendering your vehicle inoperable. For these reasons, a proper installation is paramount to any air suspension setup.
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