How many gauges are you guys with air suspension running?

Should I have ONE for the front, ONE for the back, and ONE for the tank? or One independant gauge for each individual side and tank?

Whats your opinion on ELECTRONIC gauges and REGULAR gauges? Thanks!!

 

I'm running an electronic gauge that I absolutely love. It tells me the pressure in each corner plus the tank pressure. Here's a link to it:
http://store.gaugemagazine.com/index...OD&ProdID=2025

I like it because I put the sending units inline with the air lines (tee'd them in) and didn't have to run separate air lines for gauges, plus it's all displayed in one gauge keeping things uncluttered. It seems to work great and I've had zero problems with it. I mounted the gauge in the console just in front of the emergency brake.

The only thing that is misleading is the size of the sending units. In the pic they seem very small and in actuality they are easily 2 to 3 times bigger than in the pic.

 

How hard is the install for those electronic gauges? So it is better to have gauges for each corner?

 

The install was actually not too tough. With a little cutting with a dremel tool, it fits neatly in that little pop-out plate right in front of the e-brake in the console. It has plenty of room to hide the wires plus leave some extra slack just in case.

A sending unit is tee'd into airline running to each bag and one sending unit is placed either on the tank itself or in the fill line. Then you run a ground wire off each sending unit to a grounding point and the other wire off each sending unit runs to the gauge itself. The gauge gets grounded and hooked up to power (make sure you hook it up to switched - not constant - power). The gauge comes with a plug already wired to splice your wires from the sending units to and then the plug plugs directly into the back of the gauge.

I can take pics of my gauge tonite if you'd like.

And to answer your last question...I like having the pressure readout for each corner. It's not really necessary, but it's nice to have. It has told me that I have a very very small leak in my right rear, but it's so slight that it's not a problem. I'm talking maybe 2-3 lbs loss over a 24 hour period.

 

i run one for the front and one for the rear, dual needles. i usually leave the front locked up, so i know how much i have in my tank by how far up my front needles are

 

Its really just a matter of preference. In the analogue gauges I like to use the KP dual needle gauges. One for the front and one for the rear. If I choose to install one for tank pressure as well I just add a single needle KP to the mix. Of course if you run multiple tanks that aren't tied together adding dual needle gauges works better.

And I am glad to see that those digital gauges are working out for you Storm13. I was honestly kind of worried about them. For those that aren't aware, the gauges that Storm13 bought from the Gauge Store are sourced from FBI. And FBI get those digital gauges from Chassis Tech. And Chassis Tech is hands down the worst company in the industry. The nice thing about purchasing the gauges from the Gauge Store is that you should get decent customer support should something happen.

Now, if I was going digital I would spring for the good stuff. The best stuff actually. And undeniably the best stuff in the business comes from Dakota Digital. http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.c...=cat/cat71.htm They offer lots of options. Everything from basic monitoring all the way up to some of the most advanced air suspension controls, monitoring and automation on the planet. They are expensive, and most of the people that sell their products are pretty proud of them. If you look hard enough and long enough, you can usually find some pretty decent deals.

Hope that helps, and good luck in your search.

 

The guys at Kustom Kreation (where I'm getting my airbags installed) told me that it is better not to use gauges because it can posibly cause more air leaks. Is this true? or are these guys just being lazy. They also said they don't use relays.

Do you guys think I'll be fine without gauses?
Thanks!!

 

The guys at Kustom Kreation (where I'm getting my airbags installed) told me that it is better not to use gauges because it can posibly cause more air leaks. Is this true? or are these guys just being lazy. They also said they don't use relays.

Do you guys think I'll be fine without gauses?
Thanks!!

 

Using gauges does run the risk of having more leaks because you'll have to basically "splice" either the air lines for the gauges or the sending units into each corner (if you want a readout for each corner). So in turn that can in theory give you a greater chance for leaks. I have had great luck with Gates brand push-to-connect fittings and T's. Basically you push your airline into the fitting and it "clicks" into place. To remove the airline there's a small ring near the outside of the fitting that you push in and then pull your airline out. I used those for all my fittings as well as my T's and I have only one small leak from one (mentioned above) but that was my fault: I tightened the fitting incorrectly and bent it a bit.
I ran my setup for a couple weeks without gauges, so I'm sure you'll be fine without. I just found it a major pain to figure out ride height every time by having to walk around the car. Now I know when I'm at ride height when my front bags are around 68psi and my rears are around 26psi. Plus like I said earlier, it's easy to tell when you have a leak or a stuck valve with gauges.

 

I never had a single leak out of the gauges that I had on my setup. If its done right, there will be no leaks.

 

I would have to caution you against any shop that advises their customer AGAINST using gauges. There are people out there in the custom industry who advise against things like gauges, properly installed 4 links, and bolt on suspension components. Those people are commonly referred to as "hacks" or "hackers." Not saying the folks doing your work are hackers, just advising you to be cautious.

Yes, adding gauges means you have an additional risk of having a leak. But it is no more of a risk than any other pneumatic connection in the rest of they system. The only additional risk is that you another location for a leak. If installed properly you will not have a problem.

The only other time you run a risk of causing a leak at a gauge is if you are running relatively high pressure. If you are exceeding the gauges capacity (200 psi, give or take) on a regular basis, you shouldn't be running those gauges. It doesn't mean that you wouldn't run gauges at all. It just means that you will have to seek out the proper gauges at an industrial supply house.

The other problem with not running gauges is proper alignment. Even with gauges, it can be tough to hit your alignment's "sweet spot." There are a lot of variable that could cause your sweet spot to be several psi more or less than what you initially set it at for the alignment. Without gauges hitting that sweet spot is even more difficult.

The only way to be 100% sure on sweet spot location is to use some sort of suspension height sensors. Dakota Digital, Air Ride Technologies and AccuAir Control Systems all offer suspension height sensor systems. I wouldn't suggest these systems for everyone, as they are quite cost prohibitive. But if you want the ultimate in suspension, it is the only way to go.

Good luck on your install.

 

I run the dakota digital guage. Very similer to the one posted above, but it fits any guage pod, cup ot mount.

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.c...rod/prd384.htm