Bagging an Seat Ibiza 6J.

[togashi]

Hey all,

I've been thinking for a while now about bagging my car yet I'm a total and complete noob when it comes to air ride. I already got some info from here and from the companies that are associated with air ride but I still have a lot of questions.

I'm currently on KW V1 coilovers and my objective would be to keep the shocks and change the springs to bags. In the front I would need something like sleeve bags or something like that.

1) What are the alternatives for this? I know that UAS has some but are there any others available?

Regarding the rear bags, the spring seats are similar to the ones from a Golf MKV.

2) What kind of springs should I look for? I saw that AirLiftCompany has some that probably fit but I'm wondering if there are more that would do the trick.

Now comes the part where I have absolutely no idea what to look for. Compressors, tanks, management systems, etc.

I would like to have a setup that would have a good performance besides delivering a serious drop.

3) So what should I look for? I read something about 4 valve and 8 valve systems if I'm not mistaken but I'm not sure of the differences in performance between them.

4) Regarding compressor and tanks what am I aiming for? How big of a tank and what power of compressor would be appropriate for my car?

Last but not least the management system.

5) What are your suggestions for a good but not over expensive solution?

6) Also I'm from Portugal/Europe. Does anyone know of air-ride shops in Europe?

Thanks all and sorry for all the questions!

[togashi]

Anyone to help out a noob fellow?

[Alex@BagRiders]

I'm currently on KW V1 coilovers and my objective would be to keep the shocks and change the springs to bags. In the front I would need something like sleeve bags or something like that.

1) What are the alternatives for this? I know that UAS has some but are there any others available?

UAS is the only company out there that makes bags like the AeroSports used for bag-over-coil applications. They are pretty wide so you need to make sure that you have enough room to mount them.

Regarding the rear bags, the spring seats are similar to the ones from a Golf MKV.

2) What kind of springs should I look for? I saw that AirLiftCompany has some that probably fit but I'm wondering if there are more that would do the trick.

The Air Lift's could work, or BagYard makes a set of rear bags called the Classics with built in mounting plates. If you wanted to go with a less expensive option for the rear, you can run some Slam Specialties bags (RE-5's or SS-5's) and a D-Cup bracket kit. You may need to do some custom modification but a bunch of guys with MK5's and MK6's use this sort of universal setup.

I would like to have a setup that would have a good performance besides delivering a serious drop.

3) So what should I look for? I read something about 4 valve and 8 valve systems if I'm not mistaken but I'm not sure of the differences in performance between them.

A 4 valve setup basically means there is a fill and a dump for each pair of bags. There would be 2 valves for the front (1 fill and 1 dump) and 2 valves for the rear. Since the valves are shared between two bags, air can transfer between the two bags especially when cornering creating excessive body roll. This is the main reason why air ride got a bad rep as a poor handling system.

An 8 valve setup on the other hand means that each bag has it's own fill and dump. Since the bags are separate from one another, air will not transfer from one to the other substantially increasing your performance. With the technology that is being put into struts these days, it will feel like your on on coils with an 8 valve setup.

4) Regarding compressor and tanks what am I aiming for? How big of a tank and what power of compressor would be appropriate for my car?

Since your car isn't that large, a 5 gallon tank and one compressor will be fine. The Viair 400C's are great compressors if your running a setup with a 150psi cutoff. Some people choose to run dual compressors so that their fill times will be quicker and they won't hear the compressor noise as much but it comes down to personal preference.

Last but not least the management system.

5) What are your suggestions for a good but not over expensive solution?

The management is also based on personal preference. It depends if your want 1/4" lines or 3/8" lines, if you wanted something simple without going digital, or if you wanted some sort of ride height presets. There are a bunch of options out there but it comes down to how you want to control your air ride and what's most convenient for you.

Take a look at the MANAGEMENT PACKS on our site to give you a better idea of what might interest you.

6) Also I'm from Portugal/Europe. Does anyone know of air-ride shops in Europe?

Not a clue. The majority of our customers do the install themselves since everything comes with detailed instructions (well our kits do).

Hope that helps a bit!

[togashi]

First of all, thanks a lot Rali! (assuming that it is your name) You basically cleared up all the questions I had.

When I asked regarding Europe shops I meant that sold air related material. Not for the installation itself. That I believe I can do by myself.

Just a final question regarding the management. The SwitchSpeed Analog Management Package is an 8 valve setup right?

Thanks again! Top quality support! Just won a possible future client!

[Alex@BagRiders]

First of all, thanks a lot Rali! (assuming that it is your name) You basically cleared up all the questions I had.

When I asked regarding Europe shops I meant that sold air related material. Not for the installation itself. That I believe I can do by myself.

Just a final question regarding the management. The SwitchSpeed Analog Management Package is an 8 valve setup right?

Thanks again! Top quality support! Just won a possible future client!

Glad I could help! All of our management packs that we sell are 8 valve setups. The VU4 manifold which comes with the SwitchSpeed is the best 8 valve manifold on the market at the moment.