Air suspension or The Umbrella Auto solution?

[the hunter]

My 92 has Tein RA's and it drives great, even if the ride is a bit firm.(lowered 1.5 inches). My only problem is ongoing damage to the the front lip on ramps and driveways. I have just ordered lip number 4!. I do want to retain the styling of a front splitter and I don't want to raise the car up again. So do I just accept to buy a couple of lips every year or do I invest in a solution to avoid that horrible crunching sound when I negotiate ramps? I am tempted by the Umbrella Auto Solution which would allow me to raise the car on the fly but it does involve fitting a rather large tank and I don't want to lose trunk space or add an extra 20 pounds if it can be avoided. Anybody fitted one of these yet with a smaller tank under the hood? I was wondering if there are any other options such as full air suspension with intergral ride height adjustment. Anybody any experience on such? Can air suspension match the performance of coilovers? Is it available and at what cost?

Thanks in advance
Ian

 

[AdvansCPAP]

That's the exact reason why I purchased the Universal Air Suspension "Race" front set up. It's about halfway done right now since I'm doing the install myself.

If you get a small air tank, the compressor will constantly run since there is so little reserve in the tank. I'm running the 5-gallon tank. I'm willing to sacrifice some weight and trunk space for the advantages of having the system.

I thought about putting it under the hood too, but I don't think it's too safe with a 200psi tank right in front of you when you get into a front-end crash. I would rather have it in the trunk. At least there's more distance between you and the tank. Plus having the engine between the compartments is somewhat safer.

1400 is about what it cost me with a digital ride height controller. Push button height setting is nice, no dumb guessing with switches. Performance wise, people use the same setup when they go drifting and it works just as good plus, you keep your RA's on.

 

[bluethunder]

I'm wondering if you could use an electric air compressor without a storage tank? The compressor working only as needed to lift for the occassional driveway, etc. Or maybe a longer and narrower tank? Sometimes when I go on a trip, the only time I would need something like this is when I leave my driveway and returning.

 

[AdvansCPAP]

My guess is that it would just take too long for most people to wait. I'm sure that idea has already been factored in when developing a kit since it wouldn’t make any sense to add more components (tank) when you don’t need to.

 

[bluethunder]

I might be willing to wait, if it can be done. How about something like this?

http://www.roverworld.com/extreme_aire_english.htm

 

[the hunter]

very interesting, thanks guys. Can you give more details of your Universal Air Suspension "Race" front set up? How does this mount with the RA's? do you remove the coils and replace with airbags? Any pictures of your system, supplier details etc much appreciated. (pm me if you prefer) I take your point about the front mounted tank but I think it could be fitted in such a way to prevent it being a dangerous projectile under accident conditions. I am willing to scrifice the spare wheel space..

 

[KANE]

Hey guys just a few points of info. Umbrella Auto Design has a few different options for air tanks. The 3 gallon in my personal trunk setup is the largest. We also offer a setup with dual 1 gallon slim line tanks that can be mounted almost anywhere. I hope to have examples of all 3 tank options back in stock tomorrow and will be sure to post comparison pics. I will be doing an install of the dual 1 gallon slim line kit this week locally with the tanks and pump mounted in the rear quarter panels. Also, The Umbrella Auto Design kit works in conjunction with your EXISTING coilovers, it does not replace them, and thus does not have any affect on handling. Installing airbags on the other hand while less expensive, will have a detrimental affect on handling. The reason for this affect is the fact that in order to achieve the desired ride height, you need to add or remove air from the air bag. In this way there is no way to control or determine the actual spring rate of the air bag at that desired ride height. Another problem with air bag suspension systems is the risk you run if an air line bursts or the air bag bursts while driving. With no auxiliary spring to support the vehicle ,the body of the car will slam to the ground while driving. On the other hand, The Umbrella Auto Design system uses the existing spring and coilover. The lifting device is all metal with no posibility of failure while driving.

Ravi
Umbrella Auto Design
www.umbrellaautodesign.com

 

[nsexy91]

Hello All, I just bought the umbrella auto design air suspension kit. Ravi asked me to post some pictures including the dual 1 gallon slim line tanks. Ravi and I will be working on finishing the installation this week. I will keep everone updated.

Thanks:smile:

 

[Tamoske]

i'll be waiting and watching

 

[bluethunder]

Those dual tanks look like the hot ticket for me!

 

[AdvansCPAP]

Can you give more details of your Universal Air Suspension "Race" front set up? - Do a search under "Universal air" in this Venders section as there is long post on details of the kit along with contact information.

How does this mount with the RA's? do you remove the coils and replace with airbags? - yes

Any pictures of your system, supplier details etc much appreciated. - Not yet, but once it's done I'll post up a video.

 

[pixelhaus]

I thought I'd take the time to throw in my experience thusfar with the Umbrella system.

I have been running the Umbrella aircups for a few weeks now. The design and quality of the cups are top notch. The aluminum cups are a piece of work, and all of the fittings and hose line seem to be very high quality. I am awaiting a couple of final pieces to complete the install and will provide a write up and pics once complete, but, I can attest to the fact that the handling is not compromised by running these cups. A big factor in my decision to run this setup as opposed to an airbag type of set up is the fact that this setup utilizes your existing suspension, thus, maintaining your current handling characteristics.

Curious, what happens if the airbag setup fails? Is the car slammed to the ground? Would the car be driveable? That's another consideration since this kit would not affect your ride in anyway if failure were to occur.

Not trying to convince anyone one way or the other, just trying to share my experience thusfar.

**Also, I have been very impressed to date with the level of customer service I have been receiving. Ravi has been remarkably available and has been very helpful in offering advice and technical support throughout the process.

I'll provide a final write up once I receive the balance of the kit and complete the install.

 

[KANE]

Optional dual 1 gallon tanks

Ravi
Umbrella Auto Design

 

[makepcc]

Hey guys,

New guy here from Barcelona, Spain.....I know it sounds strange to be talking about air suspension from here, but a buddy of mine here has an air suspension shop here and fabricates air suspension for all types of cars. He is the leader in Europe for air suspension and is very known. He as just completed an air ride setup for a client and the results were amazing!!!

Since Xavi fabricates most of the suspension pieces he can adjust for the most optimum performance. The suspension travel in front is 6" inches and the back 4" . It´s all machined billet aluminium and worlks with bilstein shocks. The suspension is so tunable that it comes within an 1" 1/2 of hitting the floor. Also it has an analog control with electrical valves that control ride height automatically. That means you only have to hit the button up to get it to raise all the way up and then down to have it at perfect ride height. THere are the other buttons to control all the bags but that just FUN!!! hahaha...

My buddy thought it might be useful to some of you guys in the states and elsewhere... We have posted some pics....ENJOY...

I have also included some side to side action....

Make