Coil Spring Conversion Kit
for Most Makes & Models!
What is air suspension and what vehicles are equipped with it?
Air suspension is a type of automotive suspension where a vehicle's weight is supported by air in a flexible reinforced rubber bellow called an air spring, rather than the traditional steel coil or leaf spring. Its purpose is to provide a smooth, self-leveling, consistent ride quality. While most people refer to them as an air bag, the actual technical term is air spring. Air springs in the automotive field are usually a “rolling lobe” type and generally consist of three parts, permanently crimped together by a steel ring. The ends of the air springs are called pistons with a reinforced hollow “tube like” bladder, tying everything together. Vehicles that use air suspension today include Lincoln, Ford, Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Range Rover, Audi, Subaru, BMW and many more.
As far as load leveling goes, as air pressure increases in the air spring, the air spring will extend length-wise, rather than expand outward like a balloon. When weight is introduced to the vehicle, an onboard electric air compressor pumps air into the air spring and the vehicle rises until the desired ride height is achieved. The air compressor will then shut off and await its next command.
To provide a consistently comfortable ride, the desired soft spring rate is achieved by having the correct air pressure inside the air spring, combined with the way the end pistons manipulate the inside air. Some vehicles like the Lincoln Town Car are fitted with air springs only in the rear while most have air springs at all four corners like the Lincoln Mark VIII(8). Some of the modern electronically controlled suspension systems, like the Range Rover, even feature an optional driver-controlled manual raising or lowering function suitable for making it easier to enter the vehicle, clear bumps, or clear rough terrain.
With all this being said, no one can disagree that air suspension provides a better ride than a traditional steel coil spring, but having that better ride does come at a price. While a coil spring will show its age and go bad by sagging a little bit over the span of many years, that itself gives a warning that something will need to be done….in the next 5 years or so. Even then, if nothing was done, the result would only be poor ride quality and depending on severity, maybe excessive tire wear. The result of an unmaintained air suspension system is the vehicle seemingly working perfect one day and down flatter than a pancake on the side of the freeway the next!
The real problem with air suspension is that it’s not well understood by most mechanics today and surely not by the vehicles owner. The vehicle manufacturers don’t help matters much, as they rarely suggest any type of maintenance to the system. Apparently they would much rather you go 10 years with “0” maintenance, which pretty much guarantees the whole air suspension system to self-destruct and require a major overhaul.
Keep in mind that an average air system is comprised of miles of wiring, a least one on-board air compressor, multiple air springs or air strut assemblies and a vast number of sensors, all of which plus labor, would cost thousands of dollars to replace. Up until now, you’ve been forced to pay a ridiculous amount of money to repair the air suspension on your aging car. Now there’s an even better way to keep the old girl going for years to come. With the purchase of our Air Suspension Conversion kit, you can instantly make your vehicle more reliable with a great ride, all for a fraction of the cost of staying with the air suspension.
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