AirRide Suspension Interest

Would anyone be interested in an AirRide Suspension for the n-body series of cars?? If there's enough interest, AirRide technologies would fabricate a kit for us, currently they have a kit for the Grand Prix series of cars (body type??), but nothing for the n-bodies. It would run around $1000 (prolly a lil lower), and we could see drops to 3 inches, adjustable to OEM ride height in a matter of 2 seconds!!! I am dying to put this on my car because the handling differences at just an inch and a half are supposedly amazingly noticeable. Plus a lowered stance just gives an amazing look of aggression!!

If you guys show enough interest in somehting like this, I will get the ball rolling, and unlike some group buys, there's no time constraint on this, when ya get the money, YA GET THE MONEY!! I just need to see the interest in the product to the point that I can get the company to make this product!

BTW-I'm posting this on GAOwnersClub.com, GrandAmGT.com, and N-Body.net so I can get a full response

[jordanGT]

drops up to 3 inches? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! sorry...i'm better now. if you're gonna do air, do it right. Get the bitch to lay.

[DumpsterDamon]

Originally posted by 03MetGrnGT
Would anyone be interested in an AirRide Suspension for the n-body series of cars?? If there's enough interest, AirRide technologies would fabricate a kit for us, currently they have a kit for the Grand Prix series of cars (body type??), but nothing for the n-bodies. It would run around $1000 (prolly a lil lower), and we could see drops to 3 inches, adjustable to OEM ride height in a matter of 2 seconds!!! I am dying to put this on my car because the handling differences at just an inch and a half are supposedly amazingly noticeable. Plus a lowered stance just gives an amazing look of aggression!!

If you guys show enough interest in somehting like this, I will get the ball rolling, and unlike some group buys, there's no time constraint on this, when ya get the money, YA GET THE MONEY!! I just need to see the interest in the product to the point that I can get the company to make this product!

BTW-I'm posting this on GAOwnersClub.com, GrandAmGT.com, and N-Body.net so I can get a full response

i'd be interested, but a 3 inch drop is not impressive at all, i want to be able to lay frame.

[jordanGT]

another thing, air-ride's not going to improve your handling. it'll give a cushy ride, but handling won't be as good. think of it this way. the less the body rolls, the better the car handles, in general, right? What's going to be easier for the car to overcome, the tension of a steel spring, or air pressure? and for that $1000, you're probably only going to get your strut bags. you won't get any valves, no controllors, no tank, no compressor. Air-Ride Tech is expensive...

[DumpsterDamon]

Originally posted by jordanGT
another thing, air-ride's not going to improve your handling. it'll give a cushy ride, but handling won't be as good. think of it this way. the less the body rolls, the better the car handles, in general, right? What's going to be easier for the car to overcome, the tension of a steel spring, or air pressure? and for that $1000, you're probably only going to get your strut bags. you won't get any valves, no controllors, no tank, no compressor. Air-Ride Tech is expensive...

true, but the prez and vice prez of my car club has connections to a company named air-lift that's in lansing, mi. i can get a good deals thru them. i'm not sure what would be better overall air ride or hydros. i dont wanna make my car hop, i just wanna have fun with the switches.

[jordanGT]

i'd run hydros with accumulators. getcha lower any day of the week with less fabrication. you could get low with air, but you wouldn't get the travel you'll get with juice out of it, and it'd require some fabrication work. throw on some accumulators and you'll ride like it's stock. (without 'em, it rides like a big 'ol pile of donkey poop) just make sure it's all installed right, cuz hydraulic leaks suck. there's more maintenance to hydraulics, but it gets ya lower on our cars than air will. strut bags from Chassis Tech lay out decent, but I have to trim my rear fenders cuz they hit the WHEEL right now.

this thread reminds me of a guy i heard at ITB (import truck bash) in Indianapolis this summer.... talking about a truck in the hydro competition... "that b*tch has f*cking nitro bags"...

i had never heard of nitro bags until then... and jeez they were quick

-derek

Ummm, well, I guess you guys felt like bashing the hell outta that idea. A few retorts tho, if I may...
1.) Air is Cleaner
2.) Air can be very quick
3.) Not everyone wants to sit on the ground; three inches with nice rims and low pros is an extremely noticeable difference.
AND I read that they go to 4 inches for parking lot profiling, that's pretty damn low...
4.) Lowered with air about an inch and a half or lower DOES make a difference in handlng when you've got an open throttle on the highway. I know this from experience because I have a friend who is running airride tech's system on a 99 Mustang Cobra SVT, he lowered it a bit (1 1/2) and opened it up on the highway with nice curves and quick jumps between lanes, there is a very nice difference.
5.) As far as pricing, that was a guesstimate, as far as I know, it'd be around $1500 for direct strut replacements with valves and all, and then possibly another $600 max for a 4-way quick rise air kit (compressor and tank, lines, any other fittings, and wiring harness with switchbox) So roughly $2000 for a quick rise kit that requires no fabrication and will drop ya 4 inches, practically grounded.

It's a great kit, trust me this is first hand, cuz I heard it and saw it in action in that cobra, it's very quiet, and VERY quick, ALSO EXTREMELY reliable!

Just my lil defense...

[jordanGT]

1.) air leaks, too, they're just easier to clean up, but hydraulic leaks are easier to fix
2.) very good...i never mentioned a damn thing about quickness. my hydraulic set-up is slower than my friend's air set-up he's got on a honda
3.) if you're gonna take the time to do an air-ride suspension, layin' out is at least something you'd like. otherwise you'd just go with coilovers and crank 'em down the the 3 inch drop when you wanna show off at a show.
4.) dropping it an inch and a half over its lifted height with air may make a handling difference, but you're not going to handle corners better with air than with any solid spring. not going to happen...just doesn't work out that way
5.) $1,000 for the struts (i'm figuring that's the $1,000 you were quoted), $940 for the 4-way system (with a little compressor, 1/4" line and a 2 gallon tank), $50 to upgrade to a 450C compressor, and $50.00 to add another 2 gallon tank (which only give you a total of 4 gallons reserve capacity; that's NOTHING. your compressor will have to refill the tank as soon as you lift the car one time) for a total of $2,040 for a 4 inch drop (at most, you say) with 1/4" airline, which isn't going to be quick, so you can erase argument #2 from your list unless you spend MORE money to upgrade to bigger valves and bigger air line...and that's just for equipment.

I love air-ride...just not on our cars. You can't get low enough with it. Once again, with a simple hydraulic set-up I tuck a little bit of wheel in the back. You mentioned 'practically grounded.' 4 inches down is NOT practically grounded. I have 8 inches of travel out back, and it's PRACTICALLY grounded. Grounded would mean stuff layin' actually on the ground, and nothing does. For our cars, a simple hydraulic set-up with accumulators (trust me, you don't wanna ride with no accumulators; if you don't believe me I'll take you for a drive in my log truck Grand Am) will lay you out, and if installed right, will function every bit as well and as cleanly as air.

There's my big defense. I've done lotsa research on adjustable suspensions. I'd planned on having a bagged truck since I've been 14. Ever since the day I saw Dustin Haven's old orange S-10 with some SICK graphics roll by all done up (Minitruckin' cover truck) I knew I had to roll something custom. I've been reading about air-ride for years. I've been learning more about hydraulics recently as I found out that's what it took to lay a Mac strut car out. I wouldn't ever put air-ride on a Grand Am. And if you do, piece together a kit. Go with Chassis Tech's strut bags, cuz you'll at least get down to your tires (look at silentalero's car) and some Parker or SMC air valves (3/8 or 1/2, depending on how quick you want it), with a Viar 450C compressor and however many switches you want. Air Ride tech makes good stuff, but it's expensive. You can get quality stuff for less elsewhere.

And that's my much more than 2 cents on the topic. Thank you, and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[jordanGT]

But, hey, it's possible that you'll be happy with the air-ride, so don't let me stop you. It's not THAT bad, I just feel that the products already on the market are more than sufficient that you don't need to go have another company make bolt-in struts that you can already get for the same price. I wouldn't go with air on our cars, but some people do, and don't get me wrong, i love silent's alero, but i don't care about adjustables unless you're hammered...maybe that's just me.

and by the way, just to make sure you understand that i'm not the anti-air or something here, the next vehicle i'm gonna build is an older body-style S-10, which will be bagged and bodydropped; I wouldn't dream of juicing a truck like that; it's just what it takes to get laid out like i desired with this car...

Oh, one more thing...the nitro bag thing. You use regular air springs and air valves and everything and just run nitrogen through it. it's MUCH quicker that way, but also more expensive. but the bag itself isn't any different...the only difference is that instead of air compressed into the tank with a compressor, you run a nitrogen bottle with a regulator on there to set the pressure you desire, and hop with crazy pressure pushin' through big 'ol valves. it's an awesome thing to watch an S-10 with 20s hopping a foot or so off the ground with air.

[tbone]

Well After all is said and Done if anyone can put together a package for under a g I would definitely be interested Even if it was only 3" hydro or air.

[DumpsterDamon]

i suggest everyone check out Sekond 2 none, i've been in contact with them for an air suspenion kit and they have the best prices and the best drop that's heard of so far.

100% duty compress
5 gallon tank
all lines, fittings, etc.
heavy duty bags
1 switch box
$1500
the only thing is you have to custom make the brackets

for another $300 you can add another 5 gal tank and another 100 duty compressor.

as far as a drop goes, since i'm on 18in rims he said i'll still have about 1 to 1.5inches between my fascia and the cement, but that's nothing a body kit can't fix.

Thankyou!! That's what I was looking for!! Something constructive instead of DEstructive, I wanted to see what else was out there by all means, the goal here is to save money not just go hell-bent on one company and no one else, and Jordan, u mentioned about another company having bolt-in struts, so let's hear it!! That was the purpose of this one, to see what kind of deal we can get goin on some very nice air ride for our machines!!!

[DumpsterDamon]

Originally posted by 03MetGrnGT
Thankyou!! That's what I was looking for!! Something constructive instead of DEstructive, I wanted to see what else was out there by all means, the goal here is to save money not just go hell-bent on one company and no one else, and Jordan, u mentioned about another company having bolt-in struts, so let's hear it!! That was the purpose of this one, to see what kind of deal we can get goin on some very nice air ride for our machines!!!

if you could, i'd like to see what's available in the kit you're tryingto make, if it has a similar drop with a 100% duty compressor (my only concern) then i may be in because i don't want to have to make my own brackets. let me know.

[jordanGT]

i already mentioned the chassis tech struts that will bolt in. they won't set you extremely low, but they'll get you to around the tire with your fenders.

I apologize if i'm been DEstructive to you; I was just giving my knowledge base from the research I've done, first-hand experience, and pictures I've seen. Other than 1 Alero with custom-fabbed EVERYTHING using real air bags all around that lays body kit, I've never seen an N-body on air that comes close to sitting as low as an N-body with juice. I drag my air dam all day long, and if I trim and re-support a little bit of my inner fenders, I should be able to drag some actual chassis stuff, which would make a nice little show of sparks.

I'd be excited to see what sekond 2 none gives you and to see how well it actually lays out. If it sits every bit as low as my hydraulics set me, then I'll take back all my comments about air-ride on an N-body. Until then, however, my experience stands...juice'll get ya lower MUCH easier and cheaper on our cars than air. And 3 inches of drop is ridiculous when putting together an air system. You may disagree with me, and that's fine, but 3 inches is NOT worth the cost of air-ride.


I don't care if it's adjustable if it doesn't LAY.

Thankyou Jordan, that's what I was lookin for, I think that I'm not fully alone when I say that alot of us aren't looking to sit ours on the ground, as nice as it'd look, I just know that's something I'm not looking to do, I want to get a nice agressive look (i.e.-tires-to-fender) but be able to jump right back to factory height when needed, especially cuz my college has nothing but steep parking decks
Sorry for sounding like an a$$hole but I was just getting frustrated because it felt like u were doing nothing but shooting my idea straight into the ground.
One question tho, u know of any good places to look into those chassis tech strut rides?? And do u remember what they ran?
thanks

[DumpsterDamon]

Originally posted by 03MetGrnGT
Thankyou Jordan, that's what I was lookin for, I think that I'm not fully alone when I say that alot of us aren't looking to sit ours on the ground, as nice as it'd look, I just know that's something I'm not looking to do, I want to get a nice agressive look (i.e.-tires-to-fender) but be able to jump right back to factory height when needed, especially cuz my college has nothing but steep parking decks
Sorry for sounding like an a$$hole but I was just getting frustrated because it felt like u were doing nothing but shooting my idea straight into the ground.
One question tho, u know of any good places to look into those chassis tech strut rides?? And do u remember what they ran?
thanks

PM NeonGA he has a air bag setup thru chassis tech. but can i ask one thing? see if the company that you were gonna get to fab. this air ride kit to see if they can make brackets. i doubt now that i will be getting air anytime soon (nor do i know if i will be driving) but i eventually plan on putting it on a grand am and like i said, i will be going with sekond 2 none for my kit but they don't have thr right brackets for our cars.

[jordanGT]

just do a yahoo or google search for chassis tech. they have about a million websites.

[2002GT]

May I ask one question...

Why the f*ck would you spend $1000 + install to be lowered 3 inches... Buy Intrax for $213 shipped, and install it yourself for 2 inches... Wouldn't that make sense?

Is the Intrax just a lowering kit?? Because the main idea of air, WHICH I ALREADY MENTIONED, is that I need to get right back up to ride height in a hurry. I go to a school where I have to drive into parking decks which have steep ramps, so therefore I need ride height so I don't destroy my car and look like an idiot in the process of doing so. I don't think I'm alone in that state of mind either, it's quite convienient to hit two switches and have the ease of mind knowing I'm not gonna need a repaint on my front end every week. Plus, it's pimp when u can be driving down the street and suddenly drop the car or pick it up a bit, even tho it won't be near as pimp as Jordan's hydraulics, it'll still get a few heads turning.