air bag it

[Anonymous]

Hello all

just joined the new forum (im notsure if it is all that new i havent been here for a while)  I have just come accross Airbagit.com and was wondering if any one had any experiance with them, with the £ being so strong at the mo, the kits are an awesome price, and they do a bolt on kit for my car, that apparently only requires a small amount of welding on the back.

I guess my main worry is reliability of eh kit and availability of parts if they do go wrong.

any info appritiated

thanks

Mark

[funbags]

I wouldn't if it was my money..

[BIGPERM]

welcome back mate!!..........airbag it  hmmmmmm     ....

[funbags]

whats it for and what do you want it to do?

[Anonymous]

Ive got an Audi TT, that i use as a daily driver, doing 500 miles a week, but im really interested in geting it low on Air, my main worry is that air ride wouldent cope with that much milage.

Also i like to do all my own work, so anything bolt on would be better, as my welding isnt the best, and i deffiantly wouldent trust it on suspension components.

what you think? am i asking too much?

[ROD]

Hi Axl...........Just my 2p............
        Ive fitted air on my car (Merc coupe) ,and have done 3000 miles in the last year ,not daily ,but to Shows etc all over the place .Its been laden with camping gear,family etc ,and (touch wood) its been OK apart from one or two minor leaks (expected). Have driven it at all sorts of speeds ,motorway etc and it rides better than the original suspension in my opinion . I dont "drive it like its stolen" tho'. Try to get the best equipment you can from the outset . Hope this helps!

[funbags]

I used to daily drive my scorpio 'like i stole it' with no worries. I would recommend that you get the best stuff you can afford cos otherwise you'll either find it too slow/unreliable or just plain shit.
Either way you'll end up wanting to upgrade.
If you're not happy with welding then I would recommend finding someone who is. The best products on the market that I'm aware of for your application would be air-lift universal struts, and they will require welding to fit.

[Anonymous]

I guess I really need to do a bit of research into this then, excuse my lack of knowledge, but would I be better off getting a spare set of front struts and welding the Air bag to this, am I on the right track as to how this works. And then on the back I’m guessing I will need to weld a platform on to the rear suspension to either weld or bolt the air bag to.

Or am I totally wrong?

Also, is it possible to fit the system so that it could be removed, without trace if need be?

Thanks

Mark

[funbags]

Ok, what you are speaking about is what's referred to as a 'slip-over bag' where the airbag replaces the coil spring on the original strut. As the original strut was not designed to be air tight along its upper section you may encounter leaks.
What I use, and I would recommend, are the universal air struts from air-lift. These are new struts with an airbag in place, and the correct seals to prevent leakage. The shock part of the strut has 4-way damping adjustment so you can set up how you want the shock to respond. The bottom of the strut is machined to allow you to weld a section in to fit to the hub of your vehicle, and at the top you use the steering bearing to ensure there is adequate movement.
The rear of my car (I've never looked under a TT, only an A4) has trailing arms that allow fitment of a bellows bag to replace the coil. The coil locator needs to be removed (so unless you re-weld the coil locator back on you won't be able to refit the original coils) and you need to make up mounts to hold the bellows bag in place top and bottom. If the rear of your car is like the A4, then you will need universal struts at the back.
Hope that helps

[fatdaddy]

do NOT use airbagit [or AIM or whatever name it chooses today!] if you want something that is long term reliable.

They are NOT vehicle specific as they say they are universal. The kit they send will fit your car but you will be in or considerable work. If you get the basic kit it will lift your car a fair bit but may only drop it an inch or two.
Use EasyStreet or AirRideTech.

[BIGPERM]

aint these the same platform as new beetles.....if so you might get some bolt on strut bags like..tidy....see.....

[HOLLYW$$D]

I agree,AIM will send you a kit but i doubt you'll get much back-up.My PT Cruiser was one of the first around 4 years ago,i imported a kit for the PT from the US from Air Ride Technologies-a real reputable company,but the kit was not all compatable,some of it still sits in my workshop,some new bits made,some used from diferrent brands!.you can buy custom made strut bags like BIGPERM describes,i have them on my PT (about the only thing the company did get right!),they're like a regular strut but obviously with a bag in place of the spring and the whole thing is tailored to suit the car's camber etc.i had sleeve bags on the rear and didn't use the regular donut style,i also had them welded in place as they came dislodged under lots of lift
The PT had done 30,000 miles on the bags now,Ray of Rayvern Hydraulics fitted it and i'm glad i went that way,i also never leave the car with inflated bags,i always deplete them and "touch wood" i've never had any trouble,i drive it pretty normal too,i don't pussyfoot around! the handling isn't quite as good-it had a spring/strut kit on before,always on 19's.My advice would be to give Ray a call and go through a few things,use decent stuff like Funbags suggests,try Suicide Doors.com or Godfather Customs,pick up a copy of Sport Truck or Minitruckin' and take a look at wots wot?
hey best of luck!

[air-one]

Iain didn't you have a bolt on kit for a golf???

Same floorpan as the TT golf and A4.........

[fatdaddy]

yes, it went to Eire.

Proper bolt on bits though and fast air.
i'm surprised Airride Tech stuff didnt fit the PT, its a straight forward one to do

[air-one]

There you go then bolt on from airride........