TheSamba.com :: View topic - Air Ride - Air shocks are not designed to be used independently

Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:51 pm

Please correct me if I am wrong.

I've read through a lot of articles here but I can't find a thread on the fact that air shocks are NOT designed to be used as a primary suspension. Air shocks are not air bags therefore removing the leaves and installing a through rod puts a lot of pressure on the shocks no? Air shocks are designed to work in conjunction with the cars suspension ie. leaves, springs, coils etc. Is this not dangerous and has anyone experienced issues?

I'm not against using them in my project, I just want to hear from people that are more educated than me in this area.

Thanks.

Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:39 pm

With all the torsion springs in air shocks make the ride very harsh. The correct answer is air shocks are not intended to be used anywhere on a stock suspension. If you mean the air shocks should be independent as in left in a box in the garage then you are correct.

Tue Sep 06, 2016 7:03 am

Even with suspension air shocks are a poor choice. Back in the 80's I had a 69 Firebird with wide ass rear tires on Cragar 5 spokes. PO jacked the rear up using air shocks to clear the tires. Great in concept until one of them failed and dropped the rear fender onto the tire. Ah the stupidity of youth. 😂

Tue Sep 06, 2016 9:31 am

Jughead wrote: Please correct me if I am wrong.

I've read through a lot of articles here but I can't find a thread on the fact that air shocks are NOT designed to be used as a primary suspension. Air shocks are not air bags therefore removing the leaves and installing a through rod puts a lot of pressure on the shocks no? Air shocks are designed to work in conjunction with the cars suspension ie. leaves, springs, coils etc. Is this not dangerous and has anyone experienced issues?

I'm not against using them in my project, I just want to hear from people that are more educated than me in this area.

Thanks.

There is very little weight on the front suspension of these cars. Tons of people are using airshocks only and are happy with them.

Airkewld uses the airshocks over airbags for the front end for a few different reasons. IF I understand and remember correctly....Its the simplest solution that requires the least modification to the car and air bags are made to support more weight than we can put on them...so the ride is very hard with front bags.

Tue Sep 06, 2016 2:56 pm

Thanks porkchop-rob. Makes sense. Thanks for the information.

Fri Sep 09, 2016 5:13 am

the air shocks ride great in the front. I'm running an Airkewld beam, and I have no issues with the ride quality, or drivability.

Wed Sep 14, 2016 12:50 pm

I set up my front air shocks using the upper tube still using the torsion springs and the bottom one having a threw rod. It acts like a sway bar. I have a narrowed beam (4") and 2.5 drop spindles. I only have to used between 60 -80 psi to ride comfortably.

Wed Sep 14, 2016 1:04 pm

Drewmon wrote: I set up my front air shocks using the upper tube still using the torsion springs and the bottom one having a threw rod. It acts like a sway bar. I have a narrowed beam (4") and 2.5 drop spindles. I only have to used between 60 -80 psi to ride comfortably.

Thanks for posting Drew, can you elaborate on the set up a little more thoroughly? If you have a set of torsions up top or bottom, are you using an adjuster with the center grub screw in place? If this is the case, and you are using a through rod on the lower or upper tube, how are you dialing in the thrust, side to side? Are you running a bearing equipped beam, poly urethane bushing beam or delrin?

Wed Sep 14, 2016 2:36 pm

Two words.

FAIL SAFE.

Learn it. Know it. Live it

Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:10 am

Airkewld wrote: Drewmon wrote: I set up my front air shocks using the upper tube still using the torsion springs and the bottom one having a threw rod. It acts like a sway bar. I have a narrowed beam (4") and 2.5 drop spindles. I only have to used between 60 -80 psi to ride comfortably.

Thanks for posting Drew, can you elaborate on the set up a little more thoroughly? If you have a set of torsions up top or bottom, are you using an adjuster with the center grub screw in place? If this is the case, and you are using a through rod on the lower or upper tube, how are you dialing in the thrust, side to side? Are you running a bearing equipped beam, poly urethane bushing beam or delrin?

Sure,

I'm using an Airkewld beam narrowed 4" I bought it with the torsion springs and I also bought the threw rods and other bits and pieces to assemble the front air suspension I sourced my own air shocks, pumps, valves, gauge, and controls, I’m using ¼” line. I used the torsion spring in the upper tube, threw rod in the bottom tube. Both tubed use Derlin bushings with the beam. I used the air shocks to set a ride height that was about where I would normally drive before I tightened the upper center grub screw and adjuster on the upper beam (lower adjuster is not used with the threw rod). I’m just using the spring rate of the torsion springs for the thrust side to side. The ride is smooth and doesn’t feel hard or bouncy. Cornering is good and doesn’t feel awkward. This is still in “testing” for me. The next thing I may do is install one-way valves on each of the fill lines and have separate exhaust lines so that the shocks do not transfer air from side to side when cornering. It is still drivable with all the air out of the bags, but I would NOT do that unless there was a failure of the air system. The system does not scrape the ground when fully empty. See video below.

Tire size: 185/60/15

Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:20 pm

Ok here is my experience. I have been running air shocks on my bug for 3 years now. Last year at about the 3,000 mile mark my passenger side air shock went bad. Seems like a premature failure to me, but like you said they are not made to be run on a setup like mine. The only way I knew it failed was silicone oil started coming out of my manual valve when I would let the air out. When I looked at the shock the rubber boot is saturated with oil from inside of the shock. It still holds air, and I have put about 700 miles on it that way.My setup is all Airkewld, with a 4 inch beam. I just ordered a new set of Monroe MA750 Air Max shocks. Will replace it this week.

Mon Sep 26, 2016 10:51 am

So I replaced my shock this morning. Just in case you wanted to see inside one. I cut it open.

Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:49 pm

Airkewld, aside from cost, why not use small shockwaves like your bus setup? I always liked shockwaves and they seem a bit better design than the monroe's, or similar air shocks. Do our light front ends make them ride rough or bouncy?

Tue Sep 27, 2016 5:00 am

Bigg Tim wrote: Airkewld, aside from cost, why not use small shockwaves like your bus setup? I always liked shockwaves and they seem a bit better design than the monroe's, or similar air shocks. Do our light front ends make them ride rough or bouncy?

I'm thinking of swapping mine to shockwaves, but it's a lot of cash to lay out for trial and error. It would be nice to hear if Pete has messed with it on one of his beams

Tue Sep 27, 2016 1:01 pm

Bigg Tim wrote: Airkewld, aside from cost, why not use small shockwaves like your bus setup? I always liked shockwaves and they seem a bit better design than the monroe's, or similar air shocks. Do our light front ends make them ride rough or bouncy?

They can not fit in the same location, not enough room to the control arm, to the body or to the tie rod. Tried it back in 2005

Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:10 am

How about the rear, using 7000s or 8000s...same thing?

Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:38 am

Correct, no bueno. The space needed is not available for the bag to inflate. Side note, there have been custom shops that have reconfigured the lower mount to make it work but I personally have heard of this mount being too low and hitting bridge gaps and train tracks so I can not recommend this option.

Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:02 am

Good to know......1 more thread hijack.

Any chance you will bring back the bolt on rear swing axle kit? It would be great to have another rear bolt on option, but one that is made in the USA though. I only see the ine offshore bolt on option, that looks pretty good, now.....i know a lot of people are not too keen on perminant modifications like the weld on option.

Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:54 pm

Bigg Tim wrote: Good to know......1 more thread hijack.

Any chance you will bring back the bolt on rear swing axle kit? It would be great to have another rear bolt on option, but one that is made in the USA though. I only see the ine offshore bolt on option, that looks pretty good, now.....i know a lot of people are not too keen on perminant modifications like the weld on option.

Not going to happen, sorry. To many variables.