Looking into air ride

[702•LTZ]

Hello folks, im looking to do an air build for my '12 Impala. Im currently running drop springs on oem struts. From what iv learned this far is that il be best to use Universal air Aero Sport sleeve bags. Id perfer bellow style bags but since it uses standard struts all the way around, I dont think there's a way to isolate bag from strut for using bellows.
My build I plan on doing will progress over time with added features in the future, I simply want to not scrape the driveway every pass, as well as be closer to the ground. I've already got air onboard.
Thank you for your time.
This is the car in question

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

IIRC UAS Aero Sports are bellows bags, they're just single-bellows. Unless we're thinking of different things. In any case, a number of bellows bags exist that might suit your application. UAS makes a few that are designed for being mounted over a shock or strut, and Air Lift also offers universal builder kits with double-bellows bags.

[702•LTZ]

So your saying I have more options than Areo Sport bags? Im also trying to keep this as cost effective as possible for now. Do these bags allow a decent amount of lift& drop? If I understand propperly they allow for about 5" of movement. Sorry im still learning about air ride. This is all I've got for now for photos of current suspension setup.

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

I can't speak to what exactly will work for your application. A lot is going to come down to clearance (which it looks like you have a fair amount of) and the specifics of your suspension (like shock tube diameter, and so forth). I believe the Aero Sport family has ranges around what you suggest: 4.5" to 5.5" depending on model. Air Lift universals have a similar range: 4.4" to 5.9", depending on model.

Bag Riders has excellent dimensioned drawings and specifications of the Air Lift universals on their site. It might be worth having a look, taking some detailed measurements of your suspension system, and comparing kits. Since they come with a built-in shock or strut you can build off of, you'd already have reasonably matched spring and damping rates out of the box if you can find ones that will work for you.

[702•LTZ]

Ok great, thanks for your assistance. Il probably stay with the Areo sport bag sleeves(assuming my struts are less than 2.14") for cost reasons. To be clear, the flat bottom mounting plates, they are to be welded to the strut? Rear struts require no bearing but fronts do require a bearing to be mounted on the top

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

You'll wind up with two plates, one upper and one lower. Typically the lower is either welded to the strut or least securely rested on something solid. Even in the latter case, a tack weld if useful to keep things from rotating. You're likely to have to remove your stock spring cups on your shocks/struts in order to facilitate mounting the lower plates.

Only the fronts should require a top bearing, since they're steering and the rears are fixed. UAS sells a mount kit that does include a bearing that may work for your application. I'm sure some people have adapted the bearing in their factory upper strut mounts to take care of this as well, but I can't speak to whether that is possible in this application.

Keep in mind in your pricing calculations that you are almost certainly going to need aftermarket shocks and struts in order to have enough damping to make the vehicle drive correctly, and possibly to have enough range to get as low as you might want.

[702•LTZ]

Another question, is there a way around camber? I understand the standard protocol is to set ride hieght for casual cruising, then get an alignment. But id like to know if after that, there's a way to be aired out without having a ton of camber. As it looked good on most cars with bags, I would much perfer to avoid a ton of camber on my Impala(when laying flat)

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

The way your suspension is designed, you should not see significant changes in camber as the vehicle's height changes.