DONZ3.2TL

I'm finally lowering my car in the next month and have narrowed it down to tein SS coilovers or an airbag set up. I've heard good and bad about air bags and wanted to hear from some members whom have done this already or have it as there current set up and what kind of problems (if any) they ran into. The only reason i'm considering bags is because I work in downtown seattle and have to go in and out of parking garages and several steep inclines on a regular basis and don't want to be repainting my front lip all the time.

My other question is how is ride quality on bags vs coilovers?

All info is greatly appreciated!

02type-s

Teins don't go that low, and they are too soft if you run an aggressive wheel setup. I swapped out my Tein SS for K-Sports and never looked back.

DONZ3.2TL

Thanks for the insight bro, I'm going to be running a semi aggressive wheel set up. Im going with a set of 19 x 8 Jlines, I beleive the offset is +45. I'll look into K-sports as i've heard alot of good about them. I was just thinking Tein because my friend gets a really good discount from Tein.

02type-s

Nice, I love JLines. I also love my K-Sports. lol

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

first of all OP, are you into SHOW or GO, cause that will make a huge difference in part selection

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

and btw it sounds you are more into show, and there is no such thing as cruiseing low, and not hitting your lip, so either you are going have to deal with a scraped up lip (geneally only seen on the bottom of the lip), or go the air bag way
and i would look into the Air Ride Tech system, so

http://www.ridetech.com/shop/index.p...roduct_id=5805

for the rear

and

http://www.ridetech.com/shop/index.p...roduct_id=5806

for the fronts



and don't mind the pictures, they are completely the wrong pictures

DONZ3.2TL

I'm going with show now and will work on go later.

You are correct, i understand that i'm going to scrape and bottom out now and then i was just trying to prevent this as much as possible. But the more i hear from friends and people on this forum i should just go with coilovers and just deal with it!..LOL! I'll have better performance, and it will be alot more reliable then bags.

Thanks for the links and the info, i'll be sure to post pics with what ever set up i get.

02type-s

I dont remember the last time I scraped my lip. If you have a super soft suspension, or can't drive, then yes, I suppose that could be a regular problem.

III

i used to have tein SS and later swapped to air ride... but thats because "go" isnt something i was really looking for in this car, its "show" if anything... the tein's didnt sit low enough for me, so i decided to buy the 2" shorter springs for em... but never installed em, and went with the air instead. it's a good option if you're constantly going in and out of steep driveway areas, etc.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

np, and for my lip, can't see the scrapes when you are just standing there looking at it, but if you boob your head down, you can see plenty of scrapes on the underside


but somepeople also have their car as a dd, and have to drive it in snow and such, so not the best roads, but also some driveways here are very steep, that even going crooked it scrapes

DONZ3.2TL

Thanks for the info bro, have you had any issues with your air bags since installing them? My only concern is i've heard people get leaks and they aren't very reliable. How long have you had yours and what brand did you go with? I would really like to be able to dump my car and raise it up as needed.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

semi trucks use airbags stock, and for hundard of thousands of miles, so look there for air line fittings and such, but i would also say, that the quality of the install is HUGE with cutting air lines and such straight, then also using teflon paste (since the tape can clog valves), where ever needed, all plays a big part in preventing leaks and such



also look underneth the car inline with the rear seats, on the passenger side, a perfect spot for a compressor, tank, and such

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

got any videos

SLushhYYY

iTrader: (8)

bags are for groceries...

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

kinda his whole point of wanting bags

III

ive had em installed since 08, i currently do have a leak but its due to a cracked catch can in the trunk near the tank. its a slow leak and easy fix, all i have to do is swap out the can. it is possible to puncture the bags and/or lines but when you install, just route the lines as hidden/away from the road and shit as possible... thas the best info i can give. a good system like airrunner would be most reliable i'd assume (it better be for $4k) lol.

i went with all kinda mix-match stuffs. got my tank and valves from my friends old LS400, struts are easystreet, lines, fittings, and other small stuffs we got locally... compressor was from online i forget the site... and digital gauge from dakotadigital

DONZ3.2TL

thanks for the info bro, it's good to hear from someone that has it as there current set up and btw it looks sick on your ride! I really like the adjustability you have with your bags. My friend has alot of connects and can get air runner or tein suspension at wholesale. So if I can get the bags for a descent price I'll probably just go with air runner and make sure I tuck away the lines really well!

It's Clutch

iTrader: (6)

Check your pm Donz

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

also make sure to only use DOT approved lines and fittings, to try and help make sure no leaks develop over time

808tesh

just my 2cents on air suspension - i've never had it on my TL (just got the TL) but rode it on my daily driven and show xB

used the air in the rain/snow/moutain roads in Nevada/California, took it snowboarding etc

for a daily driver, air is as reliable as the installation is good. a botched install will leave you on the ground (pun intended). I did all my installs and learned that if you're going to drive air, install it yourself, or be actively involved with the installation, because when you're screwed, you'll be getting towed home if you cant figure out the problem yourself.

so all in all - even after 3+ years of driving on air - i'd still go with adjustables/coils for the dependability and guaranteed reliablity vs the one-and-only time your air blows and screws you to the ground...

on the flipside, the air won me quite a few trophies, was badass fun and looked wicked. the rougher ride was worth the awesomeness

DONZ3.2TL

I definitely will!

DONZ3.2TL

Lot's of good information, thanks bro! It will be my Daily driver and I plan on installing the coilovers or bags with a friend so i have a good understanding of it just in case something goes wrong. You make a good argument for both cases... it's going to be a tough decision! BTW what type of bags did you go with and did you have a "floaty" ride? or are the bags pretty stiff?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

you mean cushy ride???, cause that is basically what bags are known for, and not a stiff ride


when you say floaty, i think of like a bouncy ride (car does not settle down, and just keeps bouncing); but a good set of shocks will take care of that though

DONZ3.2TL

Good to know, i'll be sure to look into some good shocks.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

but they come as complete package on our cars though (with bags), but yeah a good set of shocks does wounders for how a car rides though (and that means any car, even with steel springs)



also if you want to know what a bagged car can ride like, look at the lincoin town cars of the 90's when they had 4-wheel air bag systems (they did have shitty bags though, leak prone, but thats besides the point though)

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

that obviousaly has a set of good shocks on it though (for the town car)

yes good shocks will slow down the riase and lowering times a little bit, due to the resistence of the shocks, but it will be negectable though, like raising i would say maybe a couple of extra seconds maybe, and lowering maybe like 10-15 seconds at max


but what you are trading in the system's speed you get in ride comfort though (and bigger valve's/lines/fittings can always help the speed also, if that is kinda important to you though)

808tesh

Everyone put down some great arguments - the bags were totally worth it when I had them dialed in, it was the most fun next to actually driving haha

I had Air Lift Company 'Strut Bags' up front (stiff in my opinion, even with their 6 way adjustments) and a bag in the back with a shock that was made for a different car (long story short, they knew what part # shock would be the best next to an adjustable shock for lowered cars)

definitely get the proper shocks for your average ride height (ie koni's or similar - when the stock shocks get mid/low heights, their dampening characteristics change - i actually ripped the shock apart by raising up fully one time, shock failed internally because it was improper length)

bags are usually cushy, but it depends on how many psi you run, the higher the psi, the stiffer the ride + couple with the type of shock (when tuned right, you're good)