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How to Install Air Ride Suspension Systems
Learn everything there is to know about how to install a versatile and capable air ride system.
Air suspension used to be expensive, difficult to install, and complex to understand. However, that was years ago. Today, thanks to kits made for virtually every make and model of car and truck, plus the popularization of automatic digital levelling kits, it’s easier than ever to take a vehicle and put it on the ground. With properly installed air ride suspension, you can set the height wherever you like, lay your ride on the asphalt when you want, and even tear through the corners like you’re driving a slot car. However, here’s the most important part: it’s just cool.
Having an airbagged vehicle isn’t restricted to one vehicle class or another. While it originally became popular with mini trucks, it soon caught on with street rods, cars, and motorcycles, and even traditional lowriders have embraced the scene. That’s because where previous adjustable suspensions had their problems, air ride setups are quite often cleaner and easier to maintain. It all depends on how it’s installed and how you manage it.
In How to Install Air Ride Suspension Systems, air ride veteran Kevin Whipps walks you through everything you need to know about installing an air suspension onto pretty much anything. After going through the basics of each component, he explains how they all work in harmony in easy-to-understand terms that make it simple for even the mechanically challenged to grasp. By the end of it all, you’ll know more about air suspension than you thought was possible and have a clear understanding of what you need to do to bag your ride.
Learn everything there is to know about how to install a versatile and capable air ride system.
Air suspension used to be expensive, difficult to install, and complex to understand. However, that was years ago. Today, thanks to kits made for virtually every make and model of car and truck, plus the popularization of automatic digital levelling kits, it’s easier than ever to take a vehicle and put it on the ground. With properly installed air ride suspension, you can set the height wherever you like, lay your ride on the asphalt when you want, and even tear through the corners like you’re driving a slot car. However, here’s the most important part: it’s just cool.
Having an airbagged vehicle isn’t restricted to one vehicle class or another. While it originally became popular with mini trucks, it soon caught on with street rods, cars, and motorcycles, and even traditional lowriders have embraced the scene. That’s because where previous adjustable suspensions had their problems, air ride setups are quite often cleaner and easier to maintain. It all depends on how it’s installed and how you manage it.
In How to Install Air Ride Suspension Systems, air ride veteran Kevin Whipps walks you through everything you need to know about installing an air suspension onto pretty much anything. After going through the basics of each component, he explains how they all work in harmony in easy-to-understand terms that make it simple for even the mechanically challenged to grasp. By the end of it all, you’ll know more about air suspension than you thought was possible and have a clear understanding of what you need to do to bag your ride.
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The History of Airbags
Advantages and Disadvantages of Airbags
Lifted Trucks with Airbags
Motorcycles with Airbags
What Can and Can’t be Bagged?
Chapter 2: Air Systems 101
Air System Walkthrough
Chapter 3: Compressors
Definition and Function
Compressor Selection
Pressure Switches
Chapter 4: Tanks, Fittings, and Air Lines
Tanks
Compressed Gas
Fittings
Air Lines
Chapter 5: Valves
Valve Types
Wiring a Valve
How to Make Connections
Wiring Switches
Wiring Diagrams for Switch Panels
Wire Harnesses and Cables
Switch Box and Panel Locations
Pre-Wired Switch Boxes
Digital Air Management
Valve Manifolds
Chapter 6: Gauges
Analog/Mechanical
Digital
Mounting Options
Chapter 7: What is an Airbag?
Airbag Types
Installation Requirements
Chapter 8: Digital Air Management Systems
Pressure-Based Systems
Height-Sensor-Based Systems
Hybrid Systems
Installing an Air Lift Performance 3H Kit
Chapter 9: Suspensions
Shock Absorbers
Sway Bars
Independent Suspensions
Bolt-in Crossmembers
Straight-Axle Suspensions
Panhard Bars and Other Lateral Axle Locators
Chapter 10: Installations
Frame and Body Modification
Front Shock Installation on a 1995 Chevrolet Silverado
Cantilever Suspensions
Frame Modifications and Other Tips
Front-Wheel-Drive Suspensions
Chapter 11: Bagging a 1958 Chevrolet Impala
Installing the Front Suspension
Installing the Rear Suspension
Clearance Issues
Installing Air Suspension
Tips for Installing AccuAir Height Sensors
Source Guide
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