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Air Suspensions Have Hit Mainstream Hot Rodding. We Explain Everything You Need To Know About Them.

By Marlan Davis Photography: Marlan Davis, Scott Killeen, and the Manufacturers AIRTOBE DIFFERENT 6 9 >The current state-of-the-art in an integrated, elec- tronically controlled air suspension, Air Ride Tech- nologies’ LevelPro system uses a combination of ride-height sensors and air-pressure sensors to 8 quickly achieve and maintain the desired, user- selected . Here, it’s installed on an Art Mor- 5 rison repro ’53-’62 Corvette chassis. Check out the photos on the next two pages for detailed informa- tion about what the arrows are pointing to here.

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A sea-change in hot-rod sus- leaders in bringing practical, the point that pioneer compa- on the first try is a hit-and-miss pensions is sweeping across the bolt-on air-suspension technol- nies like Air Ride Technologies, affair, but an air suspension scene: replacing conventional ogy to the hot-rodding main- TCI, Air Lift, and others have provides a much broader enve- metal suspension springs with stream. They shared their developed bolt-on kits for most lope, so precise selection isn’t as air springs, often controlled by expertise on what it takes to popular coil- and critical as on a conventional sophisticated air compressors install a first-rate air suspension . There are even air- spring. and self-leveling electronics. on your . spring solutions for leaf-spring Handling: Most air springs Whether it’s for looks, easy and torsion-bar suspensions. are progressive. The more they ride-height alterations on the WHAT IT IS compress, the stiffer they get. fly, handling improvements, or An air suspension replaces con- WHY YOU WANT ONE Combine this inherent progres- better load-carrying ability, air ventional springs with air An air suspension offers at least sive spring rate with in- suspensions combined with springs similar to those on big five major benefits: adjustability, and the result is huge and are more 18- semitrucks. Conven- Tunability: Air suspensions enormous performance poten- mainstream than ever. To get tional coil-spring suspensions have a wide tuning range for tial. Tuning for conditions is the lowdown on air suspension, are the easiest to upgrade, with spring rate and load capacity. quicker and faster. In a sophisti- HOT ROD consulted leading the airbags slipping right in Weeks of conventional spring cated handling application, the air suspension specialists, place of the coil springs and and shock tuning can be pain- air spring should be coupled including Air Ride Technolo- often bolting to proprietary lessly compressed into a few with shocks adjustable for both gies’ Bret Voelkel and Total Cost bolt-in brackets supplied by the minutes via in-car adjustability. rebound and compression and Involved’s (TCI) Sal Solorzano. aftermarket manufacturer. Air- Getting the ride height, load, carefully selected antisway bars. These outfits are among the spring design has progressed to and rate on a right Performance customiza- tion: Everyone has his own per- looks like a large double cheese- sonal idea of how his car burger and generally has more should load capacity, a shorter stroke, ride and handle. With an air and a more progressive spring suspension, these wishes can be rate that’s best suited for use on accommodated with little or no most front suspensions where component changes. By adjust- the spring sits considerably ing air pressure and shock valv- inboard of the suspension’s ing, you can make the same car load point, which has the effect be soft and comfortable, firm of multiplying load-capacity and tight ...or anywhere in requirements while dividing between.You can drive the car travel requirements. Tapered- 1 comfortably to the track, firm and rolling-sleeve air springs up the air pressure and shock are smaller in diameter with a >With their greater load capacity, double-convoluted air springs are valving to go racing, then read- longer stroke and a more linear usually used up front. The latest development is Air Ride Technolo- just the pressure and valving to spring rate; they’re best suited gies’ ShockWave, a patented combination of an air spring and a return home in comfort. for most rearend applications that’s similar to a high-tech racing coilover. It makes Stance: Air suspensions because there are more travel replacing original factory coil springs easy by eliminating the need make it easy to lower the car so requirements and fewer load- for shock-absorber relocation. you can look cool. At the far capacity requirements. end of the coolness spectrum are spark-throwing minitrucks FRONT SUSPENSION and lowriders, but today, they Shock relocation was usually represent only a small segment required with most first- of the market. Far more typical generation air-spring setups is the guy who just wants to because there was no hollow lower his car or a reason- area in the air spring’s center to able amount for better looks accommodate the stock shock- without sacrificing any drive- absorber mounting location ability or durability. Most kits that typically ran through the come set up to deliver a normal center of the coil spring. Kits ride height that’s several inches designed for conventional air lower than the stock springs. springs come with shock- Regardless of how low the car relocation mounts and new is, air suspensions make it easy control arms as needed. This is 2 to raise the car back up for nor- an affordable and straightfor- mal cruising, getting into gas ward solution, but in some >A ride-height sensor near each wheel provides to the computer stations, or even rolling onto instances, relocating the shock information on the vehicle’s actual ride height. the trailer. can result in wheel/ clear- Load carrying: This is the ance issues, especially with original commercial applica- today’s huge wheel-and-tire tion for air suspensions: help- packages. ing 18-wheelers carry heavy As air suspensions evolved, a loads while improving driver higher-end installation was comfort. Although probably developed based on coilover not the main reason for switch- shock/spring combos but with ing over on a pure hot rod, it an airbag replacing the definitely is one solution for coilover’s coil spring. These making your dualie tow truck setups tend to be more expen- more driveable under varying- sive but offer the advantage of load conditions. In fact, some easier installation, better looks, new SUVs now come with air and more wheel-and-tire clear- suspensions. ance. On the other hand, depend- AIR-SPRING DESIGN ing on the chassis, a coilover- Today, most air springs are like design could yield less 3 made by Firestone, which pio- overall wheel travel compared neered their use on big trucks. with a separate air spring and >ShockWaves are available as single-adjustable (rebound only) Three basic types of air springs shock setup. Reduced wheel units or in the preferred double-adjustable style shown here with are available: the double- travel requires a stiffer bag to separate rebound and compression adjustments. Double- convoluted, the tapered-sleeve, avoid bottoming out the sus- adjustable shocks are more easily re-optimized when ride height, and the rolling-sleeve. The pension at a given ride height. air-spring height, and air-spring pressure changes. double-convoluted design Under these circumstances, if >With more travel and less spring rate than the convo- luted style, a tapered- or rolling-sleeve air spring is usually preferred for sup- porting rear suspensions. This 7000-series Shock- Wave replaces a conven- tional coilover on a four-link or ladder-bar–style rear 5 suspension.

>A compressor and reservoir tank allow 4 quick in-vehicle altitude adjustments. They can >Air springs can be made to work in conjunction with old-school leaf mount anywhere on the springs, but most custom rods take the opportunity to upgrade to a vehicle, but the most modern four-link suspension at the same time. Virtual bolt-in conver- popular locations are sion kits requiring only minimal -bracket welding are available under the car or in the for most popular chassis. trunk. Be sure to pro- tect the compressor 7 from direct road spray and debris damage. Run heavy-gauge wire to the compressor and use a relay to protect the low-amp pressure switch.

>Electric solenoids controlled by a dash-mounted switch or an ECU (on high-end setups like the LevelPro) are used to inflate or deflate the springs. 6 8 Solenoids eliminate underdash air lines, >Triangulated upper four-bar links typically fit most cars better plus, they can be remotely mounted in the trunk or under the car. Mount than parallel links. Laying out a ladder-bar or four-link rear suspen- electronic components in a protected area away from moisture. sion is similar when using an air spring, a ShockWave (air spring with integral shock), or a conventional metallic spring. Air suspen- sions make it easy to adjust for a large range of vehicle weight— simply vary the air pressure. ultimate is para- options. The simplest conver- 9 mount, a separate bag and sion is to remove several leaves shock setup might be prefer- from each spring pack and able. install air springs between the axlehousing and the vehicle REAR SUSPENSION frame. Residual leaves are still For cars already equipped with needed to locate the rear axle, rear coils, changing over to but airbags now perform the >The LevelPro’s in- airbags is straightforward. They primary load-bearing function. cockpit control panel often go right where the old On an old car with worn-out offers three preset lev- springs used to sit, although in leaf springs of uncertain dura- els. Level 2 is typically some cases, different spring bility and capability, the plan (if programmed for a car’s seats may be needed (if so, they you can afford it) is to replace standard highway ride come in the kit). Shock-within- them entirely by moving up to height and is the default set- airbag designs are available as a four-link suspension. Major ting whenever the vehicle is well, but additional mods may aftermarket outfits offer pre- started. Additionally, manual inflate and deflate be required to install them. made conversion kits that bolt controls as well as an air-pressure display are Leaf-spring cars have two right into popular leaf-spring available for each corner of the vehicle. cars with only minor welding time you add load without on- as a basic external-fill setup: On method of inflating and deflat- required for new brackets on board air—be it fuel, people, or a fast-acting system, every push ing the suspension. In other the axlehousing. Universal cargo—you have to track down of the button may result in a words, both air springs on each weld-in setups are offered for an air hose. 20-psi change in air pressure. axle were hooked together. This race cars and custom applica- Realizing full benefits from kept things simple, requiring tions. the adjustability offered by air AIR LINES only one control per axle. Depending on the physical springs really requires an on- Commercial, DOT-approved, However, it quickly became constraints of the chassis layout board air source. With air sus- plastic air lines originally devel- apparent that during cornering, and body clearance, the four- pension, ride-quality tuning is oped for big trucks are standard the outside (or loaded) air link kits’ upper links may be accomplished incrementally, in most kits. They provide an spring tried to transfer air to either triangulated or parallel in with very small air-pressure easy, affordable solution to con- the inside (unloaded) spring, relation to the lower links. Gen- changes. Air springs have rela- necting the compressors to the magnifying body-roll issues. erally, parallel four-links fit bet- tively low volume, so it is diffi- air springs. Typical operating Sometimes the problem can be ter in trucks, while triangulated cult to inflate or deflate them pressures range from about 75 minimized on a light car by setups are more suitable for with external air in small to 150 psi, well within the capa- installing big antisway bars, but cars. For some chassis, both enough increments to fine-tune bilities of such tubing. nowadays, nearly everyone uses parallel and triangulated four- ride quality. For the custom look, you can a four-way system, which link configurations are avail- An on-board air system con- fabricate stainless hard line, just plumbs and controls each able. If you have a choice, a sists of at least one air compres- as in a or fuel system, airbag separately. Although this handling or sor, probably a storage tank, connecting it using typical AN requires an individual control primarily street-driven vehicle and some sort of control sys- flare nuts and pipe adapters. At valve and air line for each usually performs better with a tem. A cost-effective and rela- suspension travel points, flexi- spring, it cures all air-transfer triangulated four-link; a parallel tively ble hose would be needed in an problems, plus it allows precise setup is generally the ticket for a simple solution that provides otherwise hard-lined system, control over vehicle ride height pure drag-racer/straight-line reasonable ride and handling just as it is in a brake system. to compensate for varying application. benefits would be a 2-gallon Also like in a brake system, weight, suspension bind, or tank kept full by a single com- braided stainless steel Teflon- alignment changes. Think of a COMPRESSORS pressor. On the other hand, if core hose is preferred over four-way setup as somewhat At their most basic level, air you want the car to go up and braided synthetic rubber-core akin to weight-jacking on an springs can be inflated using down in two seconds, on a fuel/oil-line hose. oval-track car. external shop air just like an old heavy car it could take as much air shock, but that obviates one as a pair of 150-psi compressors TWO-WAY VERSUS CONTROL SYSTEMS of the main benefits of this type and two or more 5-gallon FOUR-WAY Purely two- and four-way man- of suspension: in-use adjusta- tanks, huge industrial air , When air suspension was first ual controllers are available for 3 bility to compensate for chang- and ⁄4-inch feeder lines.Yet such introduced to hot rodders in those on a budget. Manual ing road conditions, vehicle an extreme setup could create the mid-’90s, a two-way control setups typically use pneumatic loads, or intended use. Every just as many fine-tuning hassles system was the standard valves mounted to a panel with

>Air suspension isn’t just for profilin’ or carrying loads. Compare the sway bars, and control arms, plus taller Fat Man spindles—it pulled red ’67 Chevelle with the blue ’66, both with similar motors and 1.12 g on the and was 14 seconds quicker around the two-mile BFGoodrich g-Force tires. The red car with its stock suspension leans Putnam Park road coarse in Mount Meridian, Indiana (1:26 compared like a drunken sailor. The blue car has Air Ride’s full air suspension, anti- with the red car’s 1:43). >Air suspensions can range from stock replace- ment bolt-ons to whole new front clips. Long known for trick street-rod chassis, TCI now offers a complete new front sub- frame for early ’62-’67 Chevy IIs. Here it’s shown with TCI’s separate shock and air-spring setup. Spac- ers are available as shown >Three basic air-spring configurations are in use today. From left they to help develop the proper are the rolling-sleeve, the tapered-sleeve, and the double-convoluted. airbag installed height. While there are many variations for each configuration, in general, the load-bearing ability increases progressively with each basic design.

>Some cars need extra clearance to properly install air suspensions. >Although pricier, the shock-within-airbag design installs easier. For TCI’s Air Ride Technologies’ tubular Strong Arms have dropped mounting ’62-’67 Chevy II subframe, it fits right in place of standard coil springs. points, plus they allow dialing in a little more caster. In some cases, This deluxe package adds Fat Man spindles and rack-and-pinion . optional matching upper arms are available that produce more nega- Note how at ride height the bag’s end plates are parallel and in line with tive camber while preventing ball-joint bind with today’s popular taller the shock mounts. Moving the spring toward the ball joint raises its rate. replacement steering knuckles.

>MacPherson ? No problem. Air Ride >Air springs can be used on a leaf- Technologies offers AirStruts that directly spring suspension. Air Ride Tech- replace the stock factory for many nologies’ bolt-on AIRoverLeaf sys- popular, late-model cars. These struts have tem offers great ride quality and slotted spindle mounting holes and eccen- extra load-bearing capacity without tric adjuster bolts that prevent the need for the need for re-engineering your the special camber/caster plates usually vehicle to accept a four-link conver- required to restore proper sion. Several leaves must still at lower-than-stock ride heights. remain in place as an axle-locating device. “I can service nearly any car with four different air springs, front or rear.” — Bret Voelkel, Air Ride Technologies a pressure gauge. A more of the vehicle for a significant sophisticated approach with time period). Under such con- less underdash clutter is to use ditions, an active pressure- electric solenoids controlled by based system attempts to a switch or computer. The last deflate the outside (loaded) air 3-4 years have seen the intro- spring and inflate the inside duction of various aftermarket (unloaded) spring, magnifying active electronic height-control and handling prob- systems that attempt to main- lems just like the old two-way tain a set ride height as the system. vehicle drives down the road. An electronic height-control RIDE-HEIGHT–BASED system adds a computer plus SYSTEMS sensors to control the electric Ride-height–based systems uti- solenoids. Both pressure-based lize separate sensors that and ride-height–based elec- directly measure the actual tronic control systems are avail- position of the vehicle’s suspen- >TCI is developing a four-link air suspension for ’67-’69 Camaros. able. sion, thereby eliminating sev- The links are parallel, so the finished kit will include a Panhard bar to eral assumptions made on a keep the rear centered in the car. The air spring is Air Ride Technolo- PRESSURE-BASED purely pressure-based system gies’ ShockWave 9000 with a tapered-sleeve airbag bellows. This SYSTEMS because now allows a softer spring rate, longer travel, and a lower load capacity With pressure-based elec- precise information on the rela- suitable for rear installation. tronic-control systems, the tionship between the suspen- computer must rely on air pres- sion and the chassis is available sure alone to extrapolate to help the computer deter- proper air-spring position, mine the vehicle’s ride height. which should then theoretically But there’s still one problem translate into the position of known as cross-loading. This the suspension, which should happens when the ride height is then (again, theoretically) achieved with radically differ- translate into the ride height of ent air pressures on each cor- the vehicle. Obviously, that’s a ner. Normally, any side-to-side lot of translations, interpola- air-pressure variations should tions, and assumptions. be held to 20 percent or less; yet Although it may work fine on a it is possible to fool a pure ride- vehicle that seldom sees load height–based system by overin- changes and is reasonably well flating two diagonal corners balanced, for many vehicles, while leaving the opposing cor- there’s a major drawback: ners significantly underinflated. When any change occurs to the The computer keeps the car >Air Ride Technologies offers a plethora of bolt-in rear four-link load an air spring sees, the level, but the handling charac- conversion kits for a wide variety of cars and trucks. This kit assumption that any given air teristics suck. (PN ABAR20400) fits the ’60-’64 fullsize Ford Galaxie. Front and rear pressure will equate to a spe- kits are even available for Chryslers. cific ride height may no longer COMBO SYSTEMS be valid. Many transients can The solution is to combine cause a load change: actual pressure-based and ride- >There is virtually weight change via the addition height–based leveling in the no limit to retro- or subtraction of passengers, same system. Each serves as a fitting air suspen- luggage, or fuel; the vehicle sit- check on the other. This is what sions onto just about ting on an incline Air Ride Technologies has done any vehicle. Here Air or pothole; or even general sus- in its new LevelPro system. To Ride Technologies’ pension-geometry or suspen- save money initially, the setup ShockWave 9000 is sion-bind factors that end up can first be configured as a installed on a Kugel requiring more air pressure to pressure-based system only, IRS. Typically, Kugel raise the vehicle than they do to and the ride-height sensors can IRS units use two maintain a specific ride height. be added later, if needed. Level- coilover shocks per Active pressure-based sys- Pro systems also include the side, one on each tems may not react properly ability to program three differ- side of the drive going through a long, sweeping ent suspension heights into the —the Shock- turn (an interstate cloverleaf or computer—low (for profiling), Waves fit right in any dynamic maneuver that normal (for touring and rac- place. increases the load on one side ing), and high (for clearing obstacles like speed bumps). it needs to cycle up and down. Simply punch a button, and the Identical springs and shocks car raises or lowers to a preset may not always yield identical level yet can still compensate at results in two different applica- each preset for changes in fuel tions, even if the weight and load, passengers, or cargo. installed height are similar. As alluded to earlier, on a front CUSTOM suspension, the spring-mount INSTALLATIONS location on the control arm Complete air-suspension kits exerts a leverage effect, multi- are available for mainstream plying the theoretical spring classic musclecars as well as rate as seen at the wheel. Just modern, high-performance like an engine rocker arm, factory hot rods, trucks, and increasing the distance of the SUVs. Because they are already mount from the arm’s pivot properly engineered and sci- point (moving it closer to the >TCI offers billet air springs to replace the standard coil enced out, these kits are pre- ball joint) yields a higher ratio, springs offered with its completely fabricated street-rod chas- ferred which multiplies the spring sis. They’re available for the rear of these chassis as well. over mixing and matching rate. Increasing the angle of the components from scratch. Pre- shock also requires more spring engineered air-suspension sys- to maintain an equivalent ride tems address all the issues of height. air-spring installed height, Once the air spring has been shock installed height, ball- selected, it must be mounted in joint travel, driveline angles, the vehicle. Every air spring has ground clearance, tire clear- an optimum design ride height ance, and other parameters that where it delivers maximum must be considered when performance. This spring- building a safe, functional sys- height dimension (available tem. from the air-spring manufac- For less popular vehicles, for turer) should be synchronized >Over the years, leading air-suspension manufacturers, which no ready-made kit is with the intended ride height to such as Air Ride Technologies, have continued refining once- offered, it is feasible for an determine how to mount the generic commercial-grade air-suspension parts specifically advanced hot rodder to cus- air spring in the car. The for hot-rod use. A typical state-of-the-art control system now tom-engineer a viable air-sus- mounting point must also includes bubble-tight solenoids, DOT-approved air lines and pension system. Fundamen- allow for sufficient suspension fittings, electronic ride-height sensors, and computerized tally, it’s no different from travel, tire clearance, ground control units. engineering traditional suspen- clearance, and appropriate dri- sion, except air springs replace veline angles. Maintain ade- metallic springs. It may actually quate clearance between the air be easier because air springs spring and other compo- have a greater operating enve- nents—abrasion is death to lope in terms of ride height and these otherwise very durable load capability than traditional units. metallic springs. A variety of premade univer- Bearing in mind the different sal brackets is available from air-spring designs and system air-spring kit makers. Air- configurations in the preceding spring units, like Air Ride Tech- discussion, it is important to nologies’ ShockWaves that match the air spring to the mount like a coilover shock, are vehicle’s weight capacity and easier to install with proper suspension travel. A dualie that geometry than separately tows a 48-foot trailer obviously mounting a conventional sepa- needs a larger air spring than rate air spring and shock the rear of a ’69 Mustang. Air- absorber. >Air reservoir tanks come in many sizes. The main benefit of spring-suspension experts can The vehicle should be a larger tank is quicker rise time. Most hot rodders use a sin- usually provide a good ballpark mocked up at its intended gle 2- to 5-gallon tank. Some hard-core truckers who want a air-spring recommendation highway ride height. At this faster inflation speed may use larger or multiple tanks and given reasonable information point, you should maintain at 1 compressors as well as larger-outside-diameter air lines. about the vehicle’s characteris- least 4 ⁄2 inches of ground clear- tics, desired maximum and ance and have adequate sus- minimum height, and how fast pension travel—at least 3 inches in compression and 2 height, understanding that it ommend supporting the vehi- inches in rebound. Be sure the will change slightly when the cle with as soft a spring as pos- air spring’s end plates are suspension sible, relying on proper shocks aligned and parallel at ride is in the raised or lowered and antisway bar–tuning to height. position. control oscillation and body Firestone double-convoluted roll. This maintains ride qual- air springs don’t require a SUSPENSION TUNING ity—one of the main reasons bumpstop to avoid damage, Shocks and antisway bars are for installing air springs—while however, your specific applica- just as important on an air sus- also enhancing cornering per- tion may need a bumpstop to pension as they are on a con- formance. >Plastic air lines are standard in maintain safe ground clearance ventional suspension. Whether After you select basic parts to most kits. The end fittings simply when deflated. For tapered- or metallic or air, a suspension get in the ballpark, the real push on with no tools required. rolling-sleeve air springs, a spring’s primary purpose is advantage of an air suspension Just be sure to cut off the lines bumpstop and an extension supporting the vehicle’s weight comes into play. Dialing in a squarely; Air Ride Technologies strap (either a limiting strap or at a given ride height. Shocks traditional suspension for the offers a special cutting tool to a shock absorber) must be used control suspension oscillation. exact vehicle load, road condi- speed this up. Quarter-inch lines to prevent the air spring from Antisway bars control vehicle tions, driving style, and driver are the standard for most sys- exceeding its design com- body roll to minimize suspen- preference requires time-con- 3 tems, but up to ⁄4-inch lines with pressed or extended dimen- sion-geometry changes and suming component changes. multiple compressors have been sions or the spring will fail. during corner- With an air suspension, fine- used by those who want their cars Finally, set wheel alignment at ing. tuning can be accomplished to hop. the car’s normal running ride Air-suspension experts rec- with the push of a button and

>Control systems can be as simple or as complex as you want to make them. This is Air Ride Technologies’ ultimate four-way LevelPro auto-leveling system with all major electronic and pneumatic components called out. Nearly all con- nections are direct plug-ins to simplify installation. “An air suspension’s ability to quickly change vehicle ride the twist of a knob. DURABILITY height is great because today’s hot rods are set up low at Quality air springs have been ride height, and with an Air Ride, you can just add air to proven in millions of miles of heavy-duty commercial vehicle get over speed bumps, get up driveways, or put your car use for more than 70 years. on the trailer.” —Sal Solorzano, TCI Firestone has tested its air- spring designs for tens of mil- lions of cycles—that translates into a 40- to 50-year life span. So long as the air spring isn’t rubbing against anything and is at least 2 inches away from hot exhaust pipes, it ought to outlast the vehicle. The most common problem is air leaks, usually caused by improper installation.Voelkel said,“The simple use of thread sealer on the fittings will pre- vent 97 percent of all leaks. The only other place there could possibly be a leak would be in an air valve if it gets any assem- bly debris or Teflon tape in the orifice. Although it is theoreti- cally possible for an air spring or ShockWave to leak, in the 10 years we’ve been in business, I >Air Ride Technologies’ four-way BigRed solenoid package makes short work of compressor-system installa- haven’t found one yet.” tion and plumbing. Designed specifically for air suspension, its bubble-tight solenoids provide reliable, leak- Although rare, anything free performance. The free-flowing, large-capacity valves are designed for fast ride-height adjustments. mechanical can break—be it metallic coils or an air spring. When engineering a custom setup, be sure there will be ade- quate ground and tire clear- “The ride quality of an air suspension is typically ance if the air suspension fully deflates—at least enough to get much better than conventional coil springs or you over to the side of the road coilovers because the driver is able to quickly tune without scraping the frame. Properly engineered and the load capacity of the air spring to the exact load of designed, air springs are doing for suspensions what EFI the vehicle and his driving style.” —Bret Voelkel, Air engine-management systems Ride Technologies and overdrive trannies have done for the drivetrain.Yes, there’s a learning curve; yes, the >An optional hand- sophisticated high-end systems held remote-control are pricey—but they’re yet unit permits out-of- another step forward in mak- vehicle control over ing it possible to truly build a Air Ride Technolo- car that you can race on Sun- gies’ LevelPro day, drive to work on Monday, system. and cruise the parking lot on Friday night. HRM

SOURCES AIR RIDE TECHNOLOGIES; Jasper, IN; 812/481-4787; www.ridetech.com

Posted with permission from the January 2007 issue of Hot Rod ® www.hotrod.com. Copyright 2007 PRIMEDIA Inc. All rights reserved. For more information about reprints from Hot Rod, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877-652-5295