Yea vonciod if one busted u could be stranded. But my buddy builds mini trucks with air ride and he's never had one bust. He says they usually spring a leak at the fitting or something. Wich can be fixed if u keep spare fittings onboard.
lowering spindles
- Thread starter Bowiemontecarlo86
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good to know..i m really wondering about handling, im guessing that an air spring will respond different than a coilspring but maybee not enough to be an issue...another option is to take the rear coilsprings we have and get them reworked at a spring shop if just wanting to get the rear lower and not your daily driver..i think if done at a spring shop it would be better than cutting or torching? there are a few such shops/manufactures in my neck of the woods.Bowiemontecarlo86 said:
airbags would be cool though but cooler to have front and rear
Bowiemontecarlo86 said:
Are you thinging of a adjustable or fixed height air bags? Wouldn't the cost of a on board compressor, tank, fitting and bags be close to the cost of just getting coil overs?
You could use these:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway- ... 33328.html
and choose from the large selection of springs Speedway sells to set the ride height where you want it with the spring rate you want.
For example:
Lets say there is the equivalent (due to angle of the control arm etc.) of a 1,500 lb load on one of your front springs. This is fairly close to what a G body spring will see depending on your combination.
The amount a spring will compress is determined by this load and the spring rate. The relatively soft non-SS or non-F41 front springs had around a 345 lbs/in spring rate. The SS and F41 package springs had spring rates around 420 lbs/in. The greater the spring rate, the harder it is to compress the spring which deters body roll.
A more firm or performance handling front spring rate is around 600 lbs/in. For this example, we'll stick with this spring rate. A spring with spring rate of 600 lbs/in means that it takes 600 lbs to compress or extend it one inch. So, with a 1,500 lb load, the spring will compress:
1,500 lbs / 600 lbs/in = 2 1/2 inches
The compressed height of stock springs is around 11 inches and 10 3/4 inches for a SS spec spring. So, for a 2 inch drop, our desired compressed spring height is, lets say, 10 3/4 inches - 2 inches = around 8 3/4".
This will be the total height of both the spring and adjusted spring spacer above at the desired ride height. The spring spacer has 2 1/2 inches of thread as well as 2 1/2 inches of extra material that may be cut to length if needed.
With the spacer adjusted to its lowest ride height setting (the adjuster threaded all the way on till seated), it will add around 2 3/4 inches. This leads to a compressed spring height of:
8 3/4 inches - 2 3/4 inches = 6 inches
To find the free height or uncompressed length of the spring, we simply add back the amount the spring will compress when under the 1,500 lb load:
Uncompressed length = 6 inches + 2 1/2 inches = 8 1/2 inches
Now, because springs do not normally come in an uncompressed length of 8 1/2 inches, we can choose a much more common 9 1/2 inch length spring with a 600 lbs/in spring rate and cut off at least an inch from the adapter.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Tru-Coil- ... h,163.html
More can be cutoff if desired to add further adjustment in ride height. Additionally, the adjustable spacer can be ordered without the extra material:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway- ... ,3389.html
Doing the same work but with a softer 475 lbs/in spring rate and using the first shim uncut and seated yields a spring height of around 9 1/2 inches. So, cutting off 1 1/4 inches would give you 1 1/4 inches of ride height adjustment either way. From around a 1 inch drop to around a 3 inch drop.
This obviously may be more information than you wanted but I believe it is a viable option for those who want a custom spring rate and ride height.
The main caveat is that with a short compressed spring height, the space between the coils, even at ride height, may be very small. This may lead to the coils touching under extreme conditions which would lead to very erratic handling. However, this should not be a problem for most cars unless a very soft spring is used with a tall spacer and heavy front end.
This may also be used to setup the rear springs but with a longer spring and much lower spring rate due to the rear spring only carrying around a 500 lb load.
Here is a nice page detailing stock G body MOOG spring rates and ride heights for the front and rear if you prefer a direct replacement:
http://jeffd.50megs.com/Moog_Spring_Page.htm
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway- ... 33328.html
and choose from the large selection of springs Speedway sells to set the ride height where you want it with the spring rate you want.
For example:
Lets say there is the equivalent (due to angle of the control arm etc.) of a 1,500 lb load on one of your front springs. This is fairly close to what a G body spring will see depending on your combination.
The amount a spring will compress is determined by this load and the spring rate. The relatively soft non-SS or non-F41 front springs had around a 345 lbs/in spring rate. The SS and F41 package springs had spring rates around 420 lbs/in. The greater the spring rate, the harder it is to compress the spring which deters body roll.
A more firm or performance handling front spring rate is around 600 lbs/in. For this example, we'll stick with this spring rate. A spring with spring rate of 600 lbs/in means that it takes 600 lbs to compress or extend it one inch. So, with a 1,500 lb load, the spring will compress:
1,500 lbs / 600 lbs/in = 2 1/2 inches
The compressed height of stock springs is around 11 inches and 10 3/4 inches for a SS spec spring. So, for a 2 inch drop, our desired compressed spring height is, lets say, 10 3/4 inches - 2 inches = around 8 3/4".
This will be the total height of both the spring and adjusted spring spacer above at the desired ride height. The spring spacer has 2 1/2 inches of thread as well as 2 1/2 inches of extra material that may be cut to length if needed.
With the spacer adjusted to its lowest ride height setting (the adjuster threaded all the way on till seated), it will add around 2 3/4 inches. This leads to a compressed spring height of:
8 3/4 inches - 2 3/4 inches = 6 inches
To find the free height or uncompressed length of the spring, we simply add back the amount the spring will compress when under the 1,500 lb load:
Uncompressed length = 6 inches + 2 1/2 inches = 8 1/2 inches
Now, because springs do not normally come in an uncompressed length of 8 1/2 inches, we can choose a much more common 9 1/2 inch length spring with a 600 lbs/in spring rate and cut off at least an inch from the adapter.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Tru-Coil- ... h,163.html
More can be cutoff if desired to add further adjustment in ride height. Additionally, the adjustable spacer can be ordered without the extra material:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway- ... ,3389.html
Doing the same work but with a softer 475 lbs/in spring rate and using the first shim uncut and seated yields a spring height of around 9 1/2 inches. So, cutting off 1 1/4 inches would give you 1 1/4 inches of ride height adjustment either way. From around a 1 inch drop to around a 3 inch drop.
This obviously may be more information than you wanted but I believe it is a viable option for those who want a custom spring rate and ride height.
The main caveat is that with a short compressed spring height, the space between the coils, even at ride height, may be very small. This may lead to the coils touching under extreme conditions which would lead to very erratic handling. However, this should not be a problem for most cars unless a very soft spring is used with a tall spacer and heavy front end.
This may also be used to setup the rear springs but with a longer spring and much lower spring rate due to the rear spring only carrying around a 500 lb load.
Here is a nice page detailing stock G body MOOG spring rates and ride heights for the front and rear if you prefer a direct replacement:
http://jeffd.50megs.com/Moog_Spring_Page.htm
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