Hey all...A couple of you were asking questions on what parts and how the install went on my Air Ride Technologies install.

Well, since I didn't do it or was part of the purchasing (original owner, not me) I decided to go out today and take some pics and get some numbers off parts. So here is what I found.

My setup is an 8 valve RidePro setup. The valves are located on the core support in the engine compartment.
It has 2(unless I'm mistaken) 3 gallon tanks (maybe 5, I've always been a bad judge of size) mounted underneath in the back. It has two Blitzluft Thomas Compressors. Model number: BL337-450KLR. Main lines to valves are 1/2". Lines from each valve to bag is 3/8".
Switches (currently) are front/back and dump. They are the rear window switches on the door. I flip a switch by my knee and it turns the rear window switches to each respective valve set. Front is (up) raised, (down) lower on the drivers rear window, while the Rear set is on the passenger side window controls. Dump is Child Window Locks and Passenger window...

The front is a Air Strut setup. Polished strut with adjustable stiffness. I got a part number off the passenger bag. Don't know if its the full part or just the bag...110 70.
No noticable numbers elsewhere.

Rear bags are labelled Air Ride Firestone. They also have polished struts that are adjustable stiffness. Part numbers I found on the strap at the bottom of the bags were labelled: 18904 9000 for Passener side and 06604 9000 for Drivers side.

Now...the part I don't understand. I was told they modified the rear setup and lowered the bag to gain about 3 extra lowering inches. If you guys can figure out where they welded or modified let me know. I'm not 100% sure what they did. The shop said it put 120hrs into install.

Here come the pictures...
Full Raise (mind you I'm on 19x8 Mod 7's. +40mm..no spacers)

Tank 1

Tank 2

Compressor

Front Strut

Passenger Rear

Passenger Rear Closeup (stock welding? lowered cup? dunno)

Top of rear bag 1

Top of rear bag 2

Valves

Drivers "Custom Strut Top" (kinda look shoddy to me...)


There you have it.
The past few days I've had wicked rubbing up front. I musta knocked the drivers tire out of whack...it was hitting the bag slowly rubbing it away. Got it aligned today and it was at -1.3 camber compared to the passenger side that hasn't rubbed at -.3 camber. Thats fixed..whew... Its developed some annoying rubber bushing like noises when I turn the wheels at slow speeds...no more rubbing though..I'm guessing the tires or some bushings up front.. MAYBE wheels bearings...as it's had the 19's and bags on since 2000 miles. It now has almost 42k miles.

If anyone else has questions...I'll try to answer them or take pictures of parts...
Kevin

 

Oh yeah,
Aired Out. Fenders touch...big time...no driving this way.

 

Most of the setup looks pretty nice. The way the tanks and compressors are mounted is pretty cool. But that rear lower cup is scary looking. From the pictures, it looks like the bag is rubbing, and if it is, its going to fail. The front mount is rough looking but it looks like it should hold, I woonder why they choose to fab a top mount, instead of using the stock one or an aftermarket one. Does the front creek and groan? But other then that, its a nice install, all hidden underneith, but it doesn't really look much lower to me then any other setup.

 

looks good, gives me lots of ideas

 

I have air lisft but not installed yet I was wondering were near my house to go but every were I go they want $$$$ something I'm little short now so I guess I have to wait a while

 

dailydriver? also how long can you play around with it before your out of air?

 

Looks to me like the top bracket in the rear was cut out and a new bracket was welded in.

 

Lets see...

The rear bottom mounts arent rubbing. It has a piece of rubber that kinda keeps everything from rubbing against the bags. No signs that I can tell.
It does look like they took the top out of the rears and welded in a longer piece. Maybe to get it lower.

The fronts groan and creak like a ****. Its horrible. If I need to do it again, Im using something that has bushings in it vs. metal and metal.

The tanks let me go up maybe 2 times before the compressors kick in. They only run 2 min at the most though. Maybe 3min to fill a completely empty tank.

I like to fly around corners...I might end up downgrading to 18x7.5's with a 40mm offset and put some spacers in...I dont need lip. Its just something to scrape.

Oh, like I said, the car has had these bags on it since about 2k miles. It now has over 40k. I think they have blown 1 bag, fried 1 compressor and just had some valve stickage. No biggy. I just need to keep an eye on things for bag rubbage.

Oh, its a daily driver.

 

I really don't want to knock your suspension, but it is much less impressive to see the pictures compared to how the guys who did the work described it.

I posted in the other thread you had a while back so you can see what they told me they did. If anyone is too lazy to go look, here is a quick break down.

Rear:
Firestone F9000 sleeve bags with HAL / ART adjustable shocks
The lower spring pockets were dropped 3" to accommodate the bags and drop.

Front:
ART Shockwave 9000 (SKW9002)
Custom sleeve style lower strut mount with built in camber
Custom upper mount for camber adjustment

All in all it sounded very impressive when it was described to me over the phone. But seeing the final product in pictures, I am just not that impressed. Then again I come from a world where a decent custom suspension can't be had for less than about $5k.

The guy told me over the phone that they pit over 120 hours alone in making the front suspension work. To be honest, at 120 hours of labor I would expect custom machined billet lower strut mounts and upper camber plates. Or at the very least the steel pieces should be cleaned up so they don't look like they just got cut with a plasma.

In the rear, they really should have spent the time to clean up the drop mounts and upper mounts for the bag. It just plain isn't clean. Also, the rubber should be absolutely unnecessary. If the bag is close enough to rub, it shouldn't have been installed that way. And that rubber isn't going to save you for long if it did rub. Sure it might take longer than rubber on steel, but it would eventually fail.

I understand they probably didn't go the extra mile because the car was originally one of the guy's personal cars. But I will tell you, if I was a customer and that was the work they gave me with the bill I know they would have presented?! Forget about it. I'd give them a couple hundred on top of parts and tell them to be happy with it or I would see them in court. There is no way their end result justifies the labor time I was told they spent on the car. (Trust me, I've had to do this before.)

In the end though, all that matters is that you are happy with it. I know you got a really good deal on the car, so you have every right to be happy. To be honest though, if it were me I would probably spend some time on clean up and inspection duty. I'd pull the front struts and rear bags. Then I would go over all of the welds thoroughly to make sure everything was kosher. Then I would spend some time with a welder and grinder to make sure everything looked super clean.

You have the basis to what could be one of the nicest air suspensions for an xB in the country. If you spent a long weekend on it, you could make the fabrication meet the standard of the components used. Then you would have a truly world class suspension even the skeptics like me couldn't question.

 

Hah!
I completely agree with you RT.
If they did spend 120hrs at their shop rate of $80/hr it should look like it. I too believe that they skimped on the finishing details. It has the potential though.

Like I said, I got a great deal on the vehicle. The suspension does need some finishing touches...especially the welding and crappy strut tops.. Unfortunately...I don't have the slightest in welding skills. I can however polish and grind like a mad man.

I don't think the rear bags rub on the lower mounts. I think the rubber protection was put in for stuff that could potentially sneak under the car and puncture. I have about had it with those boots...they rotate around and flop like I'm gonna lose it when I go above 50mph. I think Ill probably take them off.

All in all, I love the airride. However...I came from an mr2 and other similar cars that have had coilovers and such that actually kinda handle well...the bags don't do it for me. I am thinking of moving to some Tein SS's. The deal is...if they hacked all sorts of stuff, will the coilovers fit. *shrug*

I'm not wanting to find out. I'd hate to have to buy new lower control arms and rear arms...ugh.

I think I need to go adjust some mr2 valves, then I might pull the xB off the road and clean up some parts. Like you said...inspect and grind and then paint.

 

I can tell you, from the looks of the rear, switching back to springs will take some work. Going to have to make some new spring seats. for sure.

 

Yeah. Thats what I figured. Ill have to look at a hotswap rear end...Stock rear for coils...dropped rear for air. Can't take that much work to swap out the rear.

 

What theyre saying is that your upper spring perch is cut off your cars unibody. That will have to be re welded to put springs back in.

 

I see that now. I understand. Hooray.
I guess I make it work.

 

if you dont mind, how much did this whole set up end up costing you? i didnt see it, but i could be blind

 

He bought the car already equipped with the air suspension. And he got a pretty good deal on the car as a whole. I have spoken to the guy who owned the xB before him and he claimed that the shop has 120 hours just in getting the front end to work. And he works there at the shop. Assuming they didn't even charge labor for the rest of the install that still puts the labor bill at $9600!!! FOR LABOR!!! Materials would cost you at least another $2000 considering the equipment they used.

I will tell you that the previous owner told me that the shop would never do another xB like that again. They would simply buy an Easystreet kit and install it.

If you wanted another shop to do something similar using Air Ride Technologies parts I would figure around $3,000 labor, not including parts. That is a shot in the dark estimate, but I know what it would take to modify the ART parts to fit. And again, count on a minimum of $2000 in parts as well.

 

think i've seen a few specials goin around for air equimpment and installed for 2200-3000 on the forum here and SE forums... but i'm sure you have to have THEM install it... and THEM seem to be in Cali....