UTV Air Suspension - Everything You Need To Know
With UTVs rising to the top as one of the most popular off-road vehicles, it is no surprise that more and more people are looking for ways to modify them. Much like cars, UTVs are being modified to become faster, look better, and show off the owner’s personality and style. Since these off-road vehicles can be used for just about everything, many owners are looking for ways to modify them to fit all types of needs. Today, we are going to look at how UTV air suspension is becoming a popular modification and the basic components you need for your UTV.
What Is A UTV?
A UTV, Utility Terrain Vehicle, is a vehicle built for work and play, with more and more people purchasing them for recreation than ever before. Commonly known as a side-by-side, these vehicles can fit anywhere between 1-6 people on average and are equipped with 4 wheel drive to take on just about any terrain. While these UTVs are mostly used for rock crawling, trail ridings, and good ole fashion mud-bogging, they are actually quite the workhorse when utilizing the correct accessories. Many ranch owners and people with large amounts of land use them to navigate their property, maintain their land, and transport supplies or animals.
UTV Air Suspension - What You Need
Setting up your UTV air suspension system is going to be very similar to setting up a system in a traditional vehicle. You will need many of the same components, but you could downsize when it comes to compressors and air tanks as you will not have to lift up nearly as much weight. You will also run a considerably less amount of air lines for a UTV. To make things easier, we have put together a quick list of the basic components you will need to run air suspension on a UTV.
Air Compressor
As with any air suspension system, you are going to need an air compressor for your UTV air suspension kit. The air compressor is the pump that creates air for your system and no system can run without it. Since a UTV requires less air than a vehicle, most UTVs will only require a single, smaller compressor.
Air Tank
You are also going to need an air tank to store all of the air created by the compressor. While most vehicles run a 5 gallon tank to hold the air needed to lift a heavy car or truck, a UTV will be able to utilize a smaller air tank such as a 3 gallon tank.
Air Lines
Air lines will also be needed for a properly running air suspension setup on a UTV. You will be able to use much less air due to the small frame of the UTV, but you will need to make sure that the air lines are as protected from the elements and potentially sharp objects since UTVs will be used harshly outdoors.
Vacuum Manifold
In order to get air to each air bag, you will need a good vacuum manifold and solenoids. This can be a 2 corner setup or a 4 corner setup. We suggest a 4 corner setup so that you can control each strut individually, which could come in handy on the trails.
Air Struts
Air struts are needed to replace the factory struts to allow for adjustable, on-the-fly adjustments. These struts are equipped with a rubber bladder, referred to as a bag, that fills and deflates with air to raise and lower your UTV. At the time of this article, the aftermarket only has a few options for UTVs, but we expect that to change very quickly.
Water Trap/Filter (Optional)
A water trap or filter is an optional accessory but highly recommended to avoid damage to your system. When air becomes stored in the tank, it can condensate, leaving behind moisture in your tank which can travel throughout your system or rust your tank from the inside out (steel tanks). The water trap helps to filter out the water so that this does not become a problem for your system.
Management System
Lastly, you are going to need a good management system to easily control your UTV air suspension. AccuAir has everything you could ever need to control your UTV from inside the vehicle or wirelessly with your phone. Choose from our top-of-the-line air management systems and upgrades to fully customize your UTV and get the perfect ride height you have been looking for.
AccuAir’s UTV Air Suspension Management Systems
If you are looking for the easiest and highest-quality air suspension management system for a UTV, look no further than AccuAir. AccuAir is the industry leader in air suspension management and our innovative management solutions can be used both on vehicles and on UTVs in the near future. This will allow you to get the same great wired or wireless management functions you can get on a vehicle, on your UTV for even more customization.
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