AIR RIDE TECH
It’s true to say that nothing has changed the show scene over the past decade quite as much as the availability of amazing air ride kits. But, while there are plenty of modern innovations, that’s not to say that the idea of air suspension is a new thing. Air ride systems have been around for about as long as cars themselves. Initially conceived to allow carrying heavy or uneven loads in relative comfort, there are examples as far back as the early 1900s. Various aftermarket kits have been on sale since the 1920s, and it became extremely popular with American bootleggers and whiskey trippers in the ‘30s and ‘40s for maintaining stock ride height with a boot full of moonshine.
Nowadays, of course, you’ll find OEM applications on everything from buses and HGVs to expensive SUVs and saloons. In short, air ride is far more common than you might think; it’s not some sort of underground dark art and, to be honest, it’s not particularly special either… until it comes to the world of modified car culture, of course.
But the question still remains, why should you look at air ride as an option for your weapon of choice? Well, if you’ll excuse the pun, here’s the FC lowdown…
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Air suspension is the only truly practical way of drastically changing your ride height on the go but, although many forum ‘experts’ will scoff, it comes with more benefits than simply being able to dump your car into the weeds. Yes, of course it makes your car look cool, there’s no denying that, but that doesn’t mean it has to come with a huge compromise on performance. Old skool hydraulic systems tend to offer a whole load of compromises but air? Well that’s a different animal. The best quality modern vehicle-specific kits are built with performance in
