What if I would buy the kit mentioned in this thread at only 1200 bucks. And replace the front with a set of uas. Would that take care of the main problems?

Also if I were to build my own kit, what all do I need? Could someone help me build my own kit? I really don't know what I would need. Everything from tank to lines to struts.

 

whaaat? PTC fittings are the way to go. Good PTC fittings that is. Not the cheap ones with the o-ring around the threads.
and ya gotta run 8 valves. sharing valves is not a good idea. when you corner the air will transfer from the outside bag to the inside bag, and could cause a roll-over.
3/8" lines are optimal. 1/2" is overkill and not too easy to route thru the car.

class dismissed.

 

PTC fittings are THE way to go, messing with compression fittings sucks when you need to do a quick repair, especially when you have to undue a line and the damn fitting gets stuck on the line and you can spin it back together without kinking the line. Not fun. PTC fittings only leak if you use them excessively, only meant to have the line pressed into and removed 7-8 times max.

I agree with Randode about the valves as well, running 4 valves is shotty, dangerous and WRONG. I am not a big fan of side to side, but you don't have to wire a side to side motion just because you are using 8 valves. The bare minimum for a proper air ride setup is 1 fill and 1 dump per bag, no exceptions. If you google hacked air ride setups, most of them are running 4 valves. It ain't right.

Another thing that drives me bonkers with air ride setups, a good majority of people buy 3/8" valves and 3/8" line or 1/2" valves and 1/2" line. This is dumb A good valve such as SMC or Airlift will be sized at 1/4, 2/8, or 1/2 or whatever size it is. This size is the INSIDE diameter of the smallest orifice. The INSIDE diameter of a 3/8" line is NOT 3/8". The inside of 1/2" line is 3/8", the inside diameter of 3/4" line is just over 1/2". AKA if you want to run 1/2" line, use 3/8" valves. If you want to run 3/8" line, 1/4" valves will do you fine.

Randode, any chance you would be available to chat about your front struts? I would like to build myself a set or give yours a run for their money in the next few weeks...

 

many guys like push to connect fittings.. But working with those everyday its a pain when you have to go through 100s of those fittings and find a leak. I know about those cheap ones and even the DOT ones i have found leaking after a year or so in heavy equiptment. Very true about PTC easy to do a repare becuase they tend to leak where as i have never had a compression fittign fail. when ever i can i save my self the head ach and replace them with compression type if possible but sometimes inplaces you just have to use PTC. For me i rather take the extra step and make it bullet proff. I would hate for any customer to have to call me and say it leaking down slowly. Push to connect IMO or second best.. Compression fittings are number 1.

been running 4 valves in all my systems and not one issue yet. car handles fine.

My thing is keep it simple with less parts.. Less parts = less failures.

I guess everyone has there opinions and expriences .. but it boils down to how good is the install and quality of parts used.

 

just buy a kit from Randode.

whats in that kit for 1200.00 is it used?

 

Hit up Freddy at www.autofashionusa.com

 

Well its 2k vs 1200. If I can save money I would much rather do a build, instead of a premade kit.

 

I don't care how you paint your picture in your art studio, but do NOT give out information on suspension if you don't know what you're talking about. I don't mean to be rude, but it is NOT safe to use less then 2 valves per bag. The air WILL transfer, wether you choose to believe it or not.

This is an argument VERY similar to that of the 2 link vs 3 link argument when it comes to mini trucks in the rear end. A 2 link is not strong enough to hold the axle straight, pan hard bar or not. It will twist, and it eventually WILL fail. Same goes for your theory " less parts = less failures ." Lets stick to suspension comparisons, if you take your leak spring pack of an s10 ( 4 leafs ) and remove 3, that's less parts and therefor less prone for failure, correct? 1 leak alone will snap a LOT easier then being attached to 3 others. I know this because the very first air install I did was on my 10 in high school, before I learned how to build a 3 link. I went through 3 leaf springs before switching to a 3 link, mono-leaf is about as safe as cheaping out and using half the valves your supposed to be using.

Sorry buddy, 4 valves ain't right. The compression vs PTC thing is all personal preference, I love compression fittings for doing tank to valves, but you never know whats going to happen and PTC makes it easier to do road side repairs if something does happen.

Have you ever ridden in a car with 8 valves vs a car with only 4 valves? If you did and didn't notice a huge difference I would be amazed...

 

:popcorn:

 

....pass me some too!!

 

pass me some to.. but no forget the mochi crunch

guess some just dont know who i am..

guess i just got educated..mahalos

What are sway bars for?

 

Primo says chance um!!

 

Enough for everyone

 

Wow, not here to bash on any kits or sell my own. Just give some info. I would have to say 808 has some points and so do I.

Not sure if everyone knows this but we are a 60 year old company and we stand behind our products. Just like any company we progress. With the introduction of our 1st gen xB kit we learned of the rattle noises heard in the upper mount. With progression and testing we came to the design we have now.

If you are a suspension guy and pay attention to things like the factory upper strut mount you will realize it is also rubber. Has been for years. Nothing is quieter than a factory rubber strut mount. Our goal behind our design is to be virtually silent. This design also gives us the ability to fit many other applications using this upper cap design.

The reason we didn't see a need for a recall is once this issue came to our attention we contacted as many of the purchasers of the kit as possible. The warranty returns that we received and tested showed us that the manufacturer making the rubber in the top cap was using the wrong mixture, which caused some premature failure. We actually stopped kit sales utilizing this upper mount. Once this was corrected we shipped the right parts to the owners that we contacted or contacted us. Dealer's were also contacted and told to contact the purchasers. I'm gonna have to say we covered as much ground as any company could.

Knowing that the mixture was right we continued day to day business. Not to toot my own horn, but if you pay attention to the air suspension market, outside of the scion world, you would see that we are all over the VW market. And still pulling strong in the Scion world. With over 2000 plus kit sales since we've had the issue with the rubber in the upper mount we haven't had any issues.

Another fun fact we test every strut design to a million cycles. That's pretty much the equivalent of 100,000 miles. And we do this over and over.



Here are some other things we like to do with our kits





During the Silver State Challenge, Tim's Camaro avered 154mph for 90 miles on a full Air Lift kit.

Like I said we stand behind our products. I owned a welding and machine shop for 10 years, and installed 100’s of air kits and have always used Air Lift products. I now work for Air Lift, and am on the West Coast. If any of you guys here have any questions about air and want a non biased opinion hit me up on here. I am at shows all over the country also so feel free to stop me if you see me. To all you So Cal locals, I am in Aliso Viejo. I drive a White gen1 box with a Michigan plate. Our kit has been on it for 67,000 miles. Feel free to stop me and ask me for a ride.


If any of you guys are having any issues with the kit now give me a shout 517-927-9101. If you are in my area I would like to check it out myself.

 

Jessie thanks for the heads up.. but the owner of the www.Forjworks.com XB kind of lost faith in the product. IT was excellent that you guys quickly replaced the bag assembly after talking to you guys at spocom long beach.

But as you know its not fun getting stuck with an air leak. and have to pay to get it towed.

We are a Machine shop also and After looking at the replacement bags we were scratching our heads looking at it and it looked the same as the old stuffs that failed. Nice to know that its a diff rubber used.. but we are ???? on that o ring that seals the cap.

Is there a set up where you guys use the normal bellows bags that the upper mounts are not used as the seals? and have a seperate upper mount.

You guys spoke to me about installing your kits. but i hate doing warranty work that deals with product failers because i normally will have to do it for love.

Your rear kits are solid and the same design as air runner. that hasnt gave one issue.

 

A lot of people talk negatively about the Easystreet kit...

Randode makes a really nice kit...

So does AirLift in my opinion...

They are both good quality and have different users in mind, Randode will put you on the ground, period. Airlift is for no muss, no fuss people like me who want the thing to hand you the morning paper and a cup of coffee with some air in the morning...
(I say that because of the K.I.S.S. appeal of the digital air controller, not that Randode has any issues with his kit, in fact it is a very well produced set up with a lot of passion and perfection behind the Fab.)

I chose the ALC kit because of the digital controller. The only leak issues i've had with this setup have all been related to the tank fittings, otherwise, the system has been tight. PTC fittings suck because if you blink while inserting the air line you'll knick the o-ring and leaks-a-plenty form, Compression fittings suck because unless you want to carry a bag of ferules and wrenches, you're screwed if you need to do a repair. I have been pondering just hard piping EVERYTHING up to the wheels and be done with it. There are advantages and disadvantages to every system and design. Like everything, its personal preference and intention that drive each customer to choose one or the other. I put 1000 miles on my ALC kit last weekend on a trip to SoCal and back and had no issues. The strut plates did not like the roads in San Diego, all the potholes and divots had the bearing plates rattling a little, but on the highway and everywhere else, the ride was flawless and quiet. I would recommend the ALC kit to ANYONE if they did the following.

1.) Add the second compressor for a discounted price in the kit.
2.) Include another 20 feet of 1/2 inch air line in the kit for people with custom ideas in mind like I did when I ran out over a holiday weekend and couldn't finish the project.
3.) Lose the odd, nearly worthless tank that comes with the kit and include a pancake or low profile tank instead.
4.) Include harness extensions with the digital controller for people who want to put the ECU somewhere else in the vehicle besides within 3 feet of the valve blocks.

Otherwise, I'm pleased with the setup so far... Hope this helps people make an informed decision...

 

isnt easy street Airlift?

QUOTE=Tealtoaster;3658373]A lot of people talk negatively about the Easystreet kit...

Randode makes a really nice kit...

So does AirLift in my opinion...

They are both good quality and have different users in mind, Randode will put you on the ground, period. Airlift is for no muss, no fuss people like me who want the thing to hand you the morning paper and a cup of coffee with some air in the morning...
(I say that because of the K.I.S.S. appeal of the digital air controller, not that Randode has any issues with his kit, in fact it is a very well produced set up with a lot of passion and perfection behind the Fab.)

I chose the ALC kit because of the digital controller. The only leak issues i've had with this setup have all been related to the tank fittings, otherwise, the system has been tight. PTC fittings suck because if you blink while inserting the air line you'll knick the o-ring and leaks-a-plenty form, Compression fittings suck because unless you want to carry a bag of ferules and wrenches, you're screwed if you need to do a repair. I have been pondering just hard piping EVERYTHING up to the wheels and be done with it. There are advantages and disadvantages to every system and design. Like everything, its personal preference and intention that drive each customer to choose one or the other. I put 1000 miles on my ALC kit last weekend on a trip to SoCal and back and had no issues. The strut plates did not like the roads in San Diego, all the potholes and divots had the bearing plates rattling a little, but on the highway and everywhere else, the ride was flawless and quiet. I would recommend the ALC kit to ANYONE if they did the following.

1.) Add the second compressor for a discounted price in the kit.
2.) Include another 20 feet of 1/2 inch air line in the kit for people with custom ideas in mind like I did when I ran out over a holiday weekend and couldn't finish the project.
3.) Lose the odd, nearly worthless tank that comes with the kit and include a pancake or low profile tank instead.
4.) Include harness extensions with the digital controller for people who want to put the ECU somewhere else in the vehicle besides within 3 feet of the valve blocks.

Otherwise, I'm pleased with the setup so far... Hope this helps people make an informed decision...[/QUOTE]

 

EasyStreet is a sub brand of Airlift. I was referring to the kit name and then the actual company that produces it.

 

808
There are other kits in our line up that don't run this upper cap. There might even be a possibility down the road of a different xB set-up from us also. I just installed something a little different from us on the front of my gen1 today.

I hear you on forjworks opinion. I have been there with many things in my shop life.
It's def a different story on the kits now, no leak issues, no tearing of the top cap. We designed a machine to test these pieces even further than before.
Not sure what the engineers were thinking on this design. After seeing and installing what I have for air ride over the years I would have to say its one if the bigger advances in bags ever. And we have a lot more to come.

Tealtoaster,

Thanks for the props on the kit. Randode's kit is def a nice looking kit. I will have to get my hands on a set to do some testing, I'm guessing they should handle nicely with that spherical bearing top plate.

With getting a second compressor at a lower cost, you guys can ask your dealer to pull the single compressor out of the order and add a dual pack. It will def save some cash for sure.
More line is going to be added to the kits just for that very reason. I have been stuck at shops doing installs being held up because of no line.
Same thing with the tanks, you can always sub out the 2 or 5 gallon and go with a pancake tank if you want. You just need to tell your dealer and they can order it properly.
Yeah the harness thing probably won't change, but there will be new stuff coming out for SEMA.

 

Jesse, it would just be nice to see those things happen in the basic SKU rather than having to piece meal the system. Most of the guys who are going to buy a bolt in kit like this aren't going through a "dealer", most are hitting internet retailers to save money. In saying that, knowing the things I listed above are the FIRST things everyone does who get this kit, why not do it right off the bat and make 90% of your target customers happy out of the box, no pun?