Air Suspension Air Struts

Air Struts

Air struts are one of the core components of any air suspension system. They are what make your air suspension adjustable on the fly. By replacing your factory hydraulic struts with air struts, you are able to control the height of your vehicle at the touch of a button. AccuAir now offers Universal Air Suspension for a wide variety of vehicle applications to give you more options for building your air suspension system. Air struts are struts that are equipped with air bags, or bladders, that can inflate and deflate to raise or lower the vehicle. Air struts mount in the factory strut location and are very easy to install. Taking a look at the air struts, they look very similar to factory struts, but are equipped with a few more features. Your air struts will be inflated via air lines that are routed from the air tank, through the manifold, and to each air strut. An exhaust valve opens when you want to lower your vehicle, letting out air from the air bag. Founded in the early 2000s, Universal Air Suspension set out with the goal to manufacture an air spring that would outperform the others. Operating out of San Bernardino, California, all airbags are manufactured in house for a high-quality construction and excellent quality control. Universal Air Suspension currently manufactures the only airbag that is designed for use with your existing strut. They also produce an air spring that extends several inches higher than any other bag in its size class. AccuAir is proud to offer Universal Air Suspension and suggests these air struts with any of our AccuAir components. If you are building an air suspension system from scratch, there are a few different components you will need to purchase. Besides the air struts, you will need an air tank, one or two compressors, a manifold, air line, a filter, and a management system. Depending on how you want your system to be laid out, you may want hard lines and custom mounting brackets. The size and type of components you will need will be based on your specific vehicle and preferred setup.


What Does An Air Strut Do In An Air Suspension System?

The air strut in an air suspension system is a direct replacement unit for your factory struts, coil springs, and shocks. The body of the air strut is very similar to a factory unit, but the coil spring is replaced with an air spring. The air spring is a rubber bladder that inflates with air to raise your vehicle and deflates to lower the vehicle. At the top of the air strut, you will have fittings that attach to air line that travel to the manifold. Once the manifold valve opens, it sends air to the air strut, inflating the air bag, and raising your vehicle.

Are Air Suspension Air Struts Universal?

Air suspension air struts are not universal and will be vehicle specific. Since they directly replace your factory components, you will need to find the correct air strut that fits your vehicle. For example, if you have a Lexus IS300, you will need to find an air strut built for your specific year IS300. They will be a bolt-in installation to avoid any modification or clearance issues.

Furthermore, for vehicles such as Land Rovers, Porches, and other OE air equipped vehicles, switching over to an aftermarket air suspension system will require the use of aftermarket air struts, air management systems, and other air ride suspension components.

What Do I Need To Complete My Air Suspension System?

Air struts are just one part of a complete air suspension system. To complete your system, you are going to need an air management system, an air tank, a valve manifold, compressor, fittings, and air line to get air ride on your vehicle. You can piece these components together to build out your own system, or purchase one of our air suspension kits to make things much easier and get everything you need. You can also purchase additional items such as height sensors to get to your favorite ride height at the push of a button.