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  • Manual Air bags???

    ok,

    so here in south africa, airbag suspension is in its infancy and those in the know want an arm and 2 legs for a setup...

    while in the oval office this morning, i had an epiphany, well maybe it was the chilli i had last night but anyway...

    mounting a bag on a strut is not rocket science and from what ive seen, the control system seems to be the biggest hurdle (cost and anti-DIY). essentially there is no cheap option.

    what if you could eliminate the control all together?

    my aim here is not to get a 100% level system but imagine have a valve, like those on your wheels, mounted somewhere under each arch that would allow you to inflate and deflate the bags manually!!!!!!

    i know this is not the ideal system but in theory it should work, right?

    what about taking this up one level...

    adding a tank that you would pressurise using your compressor and then use your bags until it ran out then simply top it up again... no need for compressors in the car... cost saving would be huge...

    no e level system, no compressor....

    what do you guys think?

  • #2
    Manual management is a thing, and it's very, very popular, though typically the valves are mounted in the cockpit, not in each wheel well. This set of valves would get you there: http://bagriders.com/modlab/products...VALVE-KIT.html

    People have also done compressorless systems, but they have a few major disadvantages. First, if you run out of air, you're fucked. Period. Second, they require relatively large tanks to provide enough movement range to really be practical. The fact is, that a compressor and pressure switch are really pretty inexpensive compared to the total cost of the air ride setup - something small like a Viair 380 will work just fine, (though it will be slow) and they're under $200.

    I think you need to seriously price out what air ride costs on any vehicle if a $200 savings is "huge."



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    • #3
      damn that chilli

      i understand your points and thanks for the link...

      just out of curiosity, after how long (based on an average sized tank) would you need to top up?

      apologies for the noob questions... especially this one:

      would a compressor used to inflate tyres, like one hooked up to your battery in case of emegencies, be adequate to fill a tank? or would the pressure it creates be far too low?
      Last edited by b5Avant; 08-04-2014, 12:19 PM.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by b5Avant View Post
        just out of curiosity, after how long (based on an average sized tank) would you need to top up?
        Depends on any number of factors. Tank size, tank pressure, bag size, vehicle weight, the number of times you air up, and any leaks.

        My vehicle weighs just a hair shy of 4000 lbs, and with a 2.5 gallon tank at 200 psi, I hear the compressor kick on for a minute every time the car airs up. I probably could get two air up movements out of the tank before the supply pressure is no longer enough to raise the car to ride height.



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        • #5
          great, thanks for the info

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          • #6
            thanks for the info

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            • #7
              Originally posted by b5Avant View Post
              apologies for the noob questions... especially this one:

              would a compressor used to inflate tyres, like one hooked up to your battery in case of emegencies, be adequate to fill a tank? or would the pressure it creates be far too low?
              Depends on the compressor and what its max pressure is. If it can reliably hit 150 psi, you'd probably be in good shape, though I'm not sure I trust a cheesy-ass emergency compressor to do that on a regular basis. An MV-50 could probably do it, and they're cheap. The other thing you'll run into is duty cycle: the amount of time the compressor can be run before it has to cool down. Cheaper compressors can have very small duty cycles, and will not survive long if they need to be run for a while, such as in a situation where you're showing the system off (lots of adjustments) or if you've got a small leak (which does happen). Considering a Viair 444c (200 psi and continuous duty) is $205 US, you're not saving much by skimping on the compressor.

              Don't take this the wrong way, but air is expensive, with lots of nickel-and-dime costs. If $200 for a decent compressor is prohibitive, you may want to consider whether you would be better served by coilovers.



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              • #8
                i get you, thanks for your help

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