Air Suspension 101: What You Need to Know Before You Upgrade

 The suspension system of a car brings more than just comfort. It's actually able to reduce the effect of impacts on ride quality and helps with steering too. But some suspension systems excel in a broader range of aspects than others and one of them is an air suspension system.

Air suspension makes for a wafty ride and one that is largely undisturbed by most poor road conditions. With airbag suspension, you also get a more versatile ride since you can increase or decrease the ground clearance of your vehicle. You can do this even when your car is loaded up with stuff in order to make it easier to unload them later on.

Components of Air Suspension

Air Compressor

What makes an airbag suspension system work is one of its most advanced components and that's an air compressor. This is the part that draws in air from the outside and fills up the synthetic air suspension air bags with it so that you get a smooth and comfortable experience at all times.

Accumulator

Next comes the air accumulator which is essentially a storage tank that helps keep pressurised air ready to be used by the airbags. This is what allows you to lower and lift ride height according to road conditions. Accumulators typically store the air at 150 PSI or 10 Bar.

Air Bags

The bags that hold your vehicle to a certain standard and keep it stable through bumps are known as airbags. As you'd expect they are made of rubber or polyurethane which is why air suspension is such as flexible system. The airbags are available as double-convoluted, rolling sleeve and tapered sleeve.

Double-convoluted air suspension air bags have an hourglass shape and are the most flexible. Rolling sleeve airbags are smaller and therefore better for lighter vehicles. Tapered sleeve airbags are in the shape of a cylinder and are easy to install on most vehicles which is why they are quite common.

Supply Lines

What connects the air compressor to the accumulator and the accumulator to the airbags are supply lines. These lines are what air travels through and without them, not any of this would happen. The lines are usually made out of a 6mm thick material that's made of a combination of two materials such as elastic and polyurethane.

Valve

A height control valve is exactly what you'd expect it to be. It's used to regulate how much air needs to enter or leave the bags in order to bring all four axles to a certain level. They are connected to each axle thanks to an L-shaped linkage which connects them to the axles.

Solenoid

Not all air suspension systems make use of solenoids though as they are only found on electronically controlled air suspension systems. These solenoids are essentially electronic valves that let you adjust the height of your car by adjusting the amount of air in the bellows. This all happens by the press of a button and it's far more convenient and precise but however more complex too and therefore a more expensive addition.

Types of Air Suspension

Piston-Type

A piston-type air suspension works thanks to an inverted metal container that's in the form of a drum. This acts as a spring which is supported by a sliding piston attached to a lower wishbone.

Bellow-Type

With a bellow-type airbag suspension for sale, you get convoluted rubber bellows or airbags that can collapse and expand to a level you set them to via controls inside the vehicles. This is the more traditional approach to air suspension which is able to replace coil springs.

Elongated Bellows

An air suspension system that uses elongated bellows in the form of a rectangle. The bellows have dual half-circular sides and are placed on the rear axle. This design is what helps reduce the gap between the frame of the vehicle and the rear axle.

Full vs Semi Air Suspension

The more conventional airbag suspension for sale you'll find is a semi-air suspension system that comes with air springs. These springs are placed between the rear axle and the chassis. This design offers the ability to raise riding height and to provide more support for added weight be in in the booth or on a trailer.

With a full air suspension system you get a fully adjustable solution that when raised or lowered the action applies to both axles. The main advantage of a fully automatic air suspension system is that it can make minor bumps unnoticeable which brings ride comfort to a whole other level.

Final Thoughts

While not every vehicle is made to be equipped with air suspension you can add such a system without spending a fortune. Although airbag suspension systems are not made for smaller cars they can definitely make a hatchback with a long wheelbase more comfortable and stable with such a system in place. Just make sure you get the right one for your vehicle.