[media]http://vimeo.com/78528697[/media]



http://www.stanceworks.com/2013/11/a...-vs-coilovers/



I saw this today and it really has me questioning my stance () on air suspension.

I have classically been one of those people that thought you had to decide between looks and performance. However this video really opened my eyes to how far technology has come! My old Caprice has hydraulics which were really fun, but when it came to ride quality it was like driving our old pontoon boat. Back then I knew people that had air kits on civics and what ever have they, and those were just as bad. When I eventually procure a wagon I really want to go with air, but always assumed that meant ride was done; it would a fun beach cruiser and that's it. But this video really has me second guessing all of that.





A few things I'll point out though:

• Which coilover systems are they comparing it to?
  
  If it's something cheap like the Megans I have on the Tib, that does sway the issue a little. I mean, you talking about a well built, performance minded air lit designed to go after the c/o market. If you're comparing a cheapy, budget c/o to their kit, which is 3-5x more expensive, that's like... well...
  
  
  Quote:

  Originally Posted by i8acobra

  In related news, bananas taste nothing like apples.
• What tires are they using for the comparison?
  
  Tire selection will make a HUGE difference in performance regardless of suspension. Look at the beginning of the video again very closely. They show 2 VERY different sets of tires on the WV and what looked like slicks on the Mustang. Doesn't give me much faith in the results accuracy.
  
• What other suspension mods have bee done to these cars?
  
  We clearly see them doing a full corner balance, which means that other suspension mods are present. That will even the results considerably, not the playing field.
  

There's a few other things to consider, but regardless it does make a valid argument despite the numerical results being questionable.

 

Air has come a really long way over the years. I was the very first Hyundai owner in the scene to ever put an air suspension on their car (my first Tib, when I was known on the forums as 2KLo&Show). Long and Guilty followed up with air on their tibs, if anyone remembers those names/members.



Handling was non existent back then, even with sway and strut bars on. Unless you were doing a full weld-in cage, going around corners at high speeds SUCKED. Having really good tires does help some, but now a days...air components have skyrocketed in quality and handling is just as good as coil overs. Prices have gone up too with the quality, so if you're comparing a great coil over system versus air in terms of how much to get everything and install it...coils will win every time. Air is basically for the "cool factor" and instant adjustability.

 

Details are very important I agree with you there, and there is a lack of it in the video and description.



Despite the fact that the tires were different between the vehicles, they proved their point. They used the same wheels each run in the VW so I assume they used the same tires. In the video they are trying to compare Air Ride vs Coilovers. They are not trying to compare VW vs Subaru vs Ford (thats been done over and over.) They are simply showing the difference between the two suspension types.



I assume the comparison used E-Level to control the bags which senses the height on each of the corners of the car and adjusts accordingly. Other systems base the height off of the pressure in the bag.



I agree 100% the brand of Coilovers is important, comparing Raceland Coils vs Air Lift Performance Series would just be wrong lol



I've ridden in a few cars with Air lifts Setups. The first car was a 2012 Subaru WRX with Air Lifts Prototype Suspension. The way it handled blew my mind. It instantly had me sold... just need to save a little more

 

Air is a crazy expensive option, but it does look like the technology has caught up.

Very cool Going to very seriously consider it next time.

 

Air is no magic bullet, nor are coilovers. The height adjustability is the only real advantage to air suspension systems.



In engineering terms, all you have at each corner is a spring and a damper. All that the car cares about is a) the stiffness of the spring, and b) the damping characteristics of the damper. For a given set of tyres, and a given set of suspension kinematics (ie how the wheel cambers and toes when you corner and hit bumps), changing between steel, fibreglass, and air springs means nothing if the spring rate doesn't change. However, a quality set of digressive dampers will be far more effective than the weak linear or progressive damping that air and rubber tend to offer.



In english: what are you trying to achieve by installing air springs? A stiffer/softer ride can be achieved with stiffer/softer springs. A quality set of dampers will give a better ride/handling compromise over air, every time.



-No competitive race car uses air springs.

-Cars such as the citroen DS that made air ride famous, simply had ridiculously soft air springs. It only managed to handle by having giant sway bars, which is why it can drive around on three wheels. This is sub optimal but the explanation is tl;dr

-The reliability of air springs has improved enormously: trucks have been using air springs on the cabin for trouble-free decades now.

 

That's the only reason to chose air, and I'll amend the statement even further to say "on the go height adjustability..."

As I stated prior, for a log time people like me have chosen not to go with air simple because it was the decision between show and go. But with that no longer being quite the same case, there's a whole world of options available.