The Debate Continues - Air Ride vs. Coil Overs - Tell Us Which Side You're On

[yoshioka90]

all comes down to is preference.

[fifty3bags]

I'm currently waiting on my bag setup to come in the mail, so I'll be switching from static to bags. This car is my daily and it works fine static for my needs, but if my fiancé and I want to go somewhere we can't really take it due to a lot of places here in Atlanta have inclined entrances and steep parking lots. I also have to park my car outside 24/7 because it won't clear the inclines in my condo's parking garage.

I prefer air for a daily setup that will only be used for commuting or if it's a show car. If I were to get a car that I plan to eventually take to the track, I will definitely stay static and not as low as I am now. Cost was a major consideration when I purchased my coils, I didn't want to pony up the $3500 for an air system.

[Speedline Film Werks]

We covered this exact topic in our latest video Vegas Familie (Min 9:09 in the vid)

[Irvin_e30]

bags are awesome because of being able to ride at a modest height and then air out when you show up somewhere, I feel like its a "cool dad" sort of feature. I really like the static cars that make people that don't know comment things like, "it is obviously on bags you morons." Those guys add hilarity to my days, and for that, I thank them.

[siopaolover]

I purchased what they advertise as "coilovers" for older Benzes with a spring and shock separate because it was really straightforward and something I DIYed a ton of times while I was still cutting springs. But I've honestly had to raise the car up to handle my commute home (whenever I do get to go home for breaks and stuff) and it's honestly too much of a hassle to get under there, lower the sway bar, pull the springs with adjusters out, and try to set a ride height every time I want to go a little lower. And no shops around where I live want to get my car up to work on it because they're scared of ripping my bumper off.

So within the last month, I decided to start saving for air. I'll have the functionality I need when I have passengers and if I need to clear speed bumps and stuff. I mean I'll probably still be almost as low anyways at driving height, so I'll get to air out when I wanna feel cool. Plus, who doesn't wanna see a Mercedes lay frame?

[stinkinrich]

Survey done.
I think Its mainly car dependent and of course how deep your wallet is. My E39 is sitting on £200 coilovers wound all the way down, from experience I knew that it will ride just fine as its a heavy car and takes a lot of the 'bounce' out, more than acceptable for me and my wallet. Do the same in a Mk1/2 Golf, which ive done and its hard as nails.

I've never even considered getting air ride, simply because all the cars ive owned ive prefered the static stance. However, my next venture which is an E28 will be bagged because they look better laying frame.

[PoLonY]

Survey done

Whilst I love the H&R coilovers on my C30 and the handling is amazing, I would go air ride in a heart beat if I could afford it.

Simply being although I enjoy tracking the car, I love "stance" as well, and have owned a frame dragging static car before. I don't track the car competitively and ultimate handling is not my only goal, I want to have an all rounder that I can track and take to shows etc. A performance strut based air ride would be a perfect setup for my particular needs.

End of the day it boils down to preference.

[smelly]

but you feel much more connected to your car when you are on coilovers.

exactly. same reason I will never buy a car newer than '05. I enjoy driving a car more than being just a passenger.

[NightOwl]

Coils or bags simply boils down to application.

[Byron]

This might just be my personality, but I've felt like a giant douche whenever I've aired a car down when parking.

[The Simps]

So I have only real known coilovers and had them and varying levels of quality over the last 15 yrs. My D3 A8 daily was my 1st glimpse of air ride and I must say I loved the comfort. I lowered it on lowering links known that with a flick of the switch I could still get into mutli-stories etc, something I can't do with the e46 m3 which is on colis. However, I didn't like the soft handling that came with lowering the A8 but as it was a big comfy daily I just didn't throw it about much.

The A8 has now gone and a E60 in its place. I really want to bag this car so I have a nicely lowered but practical daily. However, at £3k to do it right on e-level how I want I'm a little reserved as I tend to change daily every 2yrs.

Ive considered bagging the e46 m3 but like said before it just doesn't seem right. The car can't get into multi-storey but it can get me over the average speed bump, into my driveway and into work - it does its job.

So although my experience of air is really quite limited I would summarise like above - if its a daily and you want stance then it makes a whole lotta sense. If my M3 was my daily I would seriously consider it. Anyone who says slammed on coils is practical everyday is kidding themselves, you HAVE to make sacrifices/take diversions.

[Moose]

I have daily driven bagged cars for nearly 3 years now, and think it is a fantastic solution for a daily driver. For around a year before that I drove my e28 pretty damn low static, with extremely aggressive fitment, and it sucked to have as an only car. Not being able to take more than one passenger or get into certain places, and having to drag the whole car over speed bumps isn't fun. Was it doable? Sure, and the car looked great, it would have made a great second car. I enjoyed driving it far more after bagging it, and it was much more useful as a vehicle, albeit less "cool".

Static cars are "cooler", plain and simple, especially when executed well. Simply going low with no regards for tearing the car up, or destroying fenders with your wheel/tire setup is lame, despite it being the norm these days. I always found cars that you couldn't believe were drivable intriguing, but I think all the charm is lost when it is tore up from being low/fitted. There is no talent in spinning your coilovers way down and running wheels that smack into the fenders constantly. At the risk of sounding old/bitter, I remember a few years back when having a car that was incredibly low, and had super aggressive wheels that was still drivable and didn't damage the car was the goal, rather than simply being the lowest or most aggressive. Static cars intrigued me far more then, and the appeal has certainly been lost when being low and fitted is put as a priority over building a decent car. Your wheels and ride height should compliment your car, not define it.

Does that mean I prefer air? Not necessarily, but I absolutely believe it has it's place, and I wouldn't be able to have a low daily driver I enjoyed without it. Ride quality on the higher end kits is pretty damn good, albeit you get to a pick a sweet spot height wise in which it will ride great. It will be overly soft below that, and overly stiff above, opposite of ideal in most cases. Performance wise 99% of people are fooling themselves if they believe Air would be the limiting factor in being able to push the car to it's limits, much less set a fast time with it. Especially considering the alternative is the same car slammed on coilovers, typically with no thought of what has happened to the suspension geometry. I'm not easy on my cars, and the Air eats up whatever I throw at it.

On my most recent build, I intentionally fit the wheels so they would just sneak by the fenders, allowing me to drive quite low on air still if I want, with a fully loaded car should I desire. I think it's a great compromise, and the wheels fit well at a reasonable ride height. My e28 sat fender to lip when aired out, and tended to look a little silly at a drive height that didn't rub like crazy, but it was great being able to take multiple passengers or cargo without worry. I was never happy not being able to drive it low easily, hence the change this time around. Less cool I suppose but I enjoy the car far more. I intend to build a second car that will be much more of a toy rather than a tool, and it will likely be static.

I don't think there is a single right answer in the air vs. static debate, they both fit different situations quite well.

[yoshioka90]

well said jeremy.

[NeilP]

My current cars have no need for air, quality coilovers offer a substantial cost/benefit upgrade for a 2 seat coupe.

As for the future, well I'd be interested in venturing down the air route for an estate Alpina which would be more focused on cruising about.

As said before, completely boils down to application.

[h3llk1t3]

When we talk about preference and leaving prices entirely out of the picture it really comes down to what I would like to do with that specific car. Taking my R32 GTR for example; when popping on my second set of wheels with some grippy tires to go for a day at the track I'm clearly looking for all the performance I can get, while I do understand that modern Air suspension can perform quite well on the track too I still believe coilovers have the edge over them.

However, If my car was a pure daily driver which it currently is not, I would love to have Air suspension in it. On the street you can still trash the car around as if it had coils plus you have all the advantages of ride height adjustability and added comfort. The issue I have right now that the Skyline is so low on the coils that I can barely crawl over all the European speed bumps which is highly annoying.

What I'm looking at currently and I believe is the next step in combining coilover performance with the freedom of ride height adjustability are the likes of KW's HLS technology as well as the modules that Stance-Solutions.com are offering with their Static+ kit that can simply be added to any coilover suspension.

These are 'bags' that can be simply incorporated into a coilover suspension having no effect at all on driving performance while deflated, but giving you up to an extra ~50mm clearance when inflated.
Sounds like the best of both worlds to me and I'm highly surprised these modules are not more widespread yet.

Nonetheless, if I had a DD that was not to be tracked I'd prefer air suspension.