New to the air world, need some help.

[CeliBra]

Hey guys, been on coilovers for going on a year now. Decided I want to run air. I've looked around and I've seen the plug and play kits, and the Universal Air kits which sit down over the current strut that you already have. I've looked at the UAS bags and I think I'd like to run the Air House 2 with a 1/2 inch port, from there I know that I can purchase a management system that contains pretty much everything but the switches and gauges (which I can get.)

From there, is that all I need? Am I missing anything? I do realize it's entirely possible that I'm missing a shit ton of stuff, but that's why I am asking for help.

Thanks!

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

A couple of things that management kits generally don't generally include but you nevertheless need are a water separator (if you live in a rainy climate), a safety valve, and a tank drain.

Depending on what management system you get and how you like your system to perform, you might want flow controls to slow the system down. Dump mufflers are also nice if you like your air ride exhaust to be quiet or silent. Basically, a lot of this depends on the little details of how you want your system to work.

Since doing it on my own build, I've been recommending people put together a flowchart of how they're going to lay out their systems so you can make sure to have enough of the right fittings. Mine's a fairly complex setup - a lot more complex than your typical system - but you can get an idea from the one I used on my build:


(click to embiggen)

[CeliBra]

I live in Tennessee, and it's generally not terribly rainy here. We get thunderstorm occasionally but I live in the cumberland valley where there aren't a lot of serious weather situations, but I think a water sep would be nice to have anyway. I don't really have a preference on the sound the system will make. I'm looking for a simple front and back setup, shared air is all good with me. I'm not terribly knowledgeable on how an air system works, do you think you could help me set out a diagram like yours?

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

It's humid where you're at, which is the real concern, so, yeah, a water separator is a great idea. You will still need a tank drain, but the separator will reduce the frequency with which you'll need to drain your tank.

By shared air, do you mean left and right bags tied together? If so, I strongly recommend against that. People do it, and get away with it, but it's barely any more work and cost to go with full FBSS controls and keep the sides isolated. Having ridden in a handful with sides tied together, I do not like how they handle at all.

I'm also not aware of any management systems aside from full manual that will tolerate sides tied together.

I can throw together a quick diagram, but I'll need to know what management / tank / compressor setup you're considering.

[CeliBra]

So all four corners is the better option? What is the purpose a tank drain? I'm assuming it's similar to the purge on a nitrous system. Just to remove what you don't need?

As far as management goes, I was looking at a kit from UAS, however it seems to be the shared sides package. http://www.universalairsuspension.co...1917e4fc343980

This is the FBSS package: http://www.universalairsuspension.co...1917e4fc343980

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Each corner isolated is a far better solution than tying corners together. Think of what happens when you corner: air from the compressed side flows into the uncompressed side, causing the inside suspension to collapse further and the outside corner to lift, lowering the spring rate on the inside corner and increasing the spring rate on the outside in an unpredictable manner. In fact, these unpredictable spring rate changes occur every time the suspension moves, whether over a bump, in a corner, or when a passenger gets in or out. It's hack, and it's unsafe.

A tank drain has two uses. First, you will get condensation in your tank from the humidity in the air - this is just a fact of life. With a steel tank, that condensation poses a rust hazard. With an aluminum tank, rust isn't an issue, but I still don't want water in my tank. The tank drain exists as a way to get that condensation out without having to disassemble the system. Drains are necessary even if you have a water separator, since the separator can catch most, but not all of the humidity in the air. Second, a tank drain provides an easy way of venting pressure in the system if you need to work on it.

If you are looking at full manual management, such as those UAS kits, consider one of the two manual management kits that Bag Riders offers. They've got one with mechanical paddle valves and one with electric valves which uses the MUCH nicer AccuAir VU4 valve manifold.

If you go for the latter, which is most comparable to the UAS FBSS package, I'd set it up pretty maxed-out, with a 4-gallon tank, dual 444cs, SMC check valves, dual comp power kit, triple gauges, dual water traps, and 3/8" line. This comes to only $8 more than the UAS kit, and it's way nicer.

[CeliBra]

That sounds like a way better option. Thanks so much. What do you suggest for the bags themselves?

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Couldn't tell you. I know jack shit about Celicas, I'm afraid. I would contact Bag Riders and see what they recommend for bags.

[CeliBra]

Alright, will do! Thanks so much!

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Here's a basic pneumatic layout for manual management with a VU4 manifold, as in the Bag Riders kit:


(click for the bigness)

This is not the only way to do it - there are a lot of other configurations that will work perfectly - but this is how I'd lay the system out if it were mine. Thick lines in the diagram are 3/8" DOT tubing, thin are 1/8".