Air Suspension Kits

About Air Suspension Kits

Air is for the car that has to be on the ground at the meet and over the speed bump on the way home. An air spring takes the coil's place at each corner, a compressor and tank feed it, and the management sets the pressure. The Air Lift Performance kits we carry arrive as bolt in struts with the bag built around a damper, so it's a coilover swap plus wiring and line.

Management is where the real decision sits. A paddle setup gives you up and down and nothing more. A pressure based controller gives you presets that wander with temperature and load. Height sensors read what each corner is actually doing and hold it, which is what you want on a car that carries passengers. Tank size decides how many lifts you'll get before the compressor kicks in.

Fitment on air gets checked at driving height, never aired out. A wheel that tucks under the arch parked still has to clear that arch turning at speed, and that's why the picker asks what you drive at. The other trade is upkeep. Fittings back off, lines chafe, and a slow leak shows up as one corner sagging overnight. Budget an afternoon a year for chasing them.

Common questions

Is air suspension reliable enough to daily

A modern kit with height sensors is, provided the install is clean. Most failures trace back to a fitting that never seated, a line rubbing on a bracket, or a compressor mounted somewhere water collects. Do it once and do it slow. After that you're looking at one corner leaking down every year or two and a fitting to snug up.

Does air handle worse than coilovers

A little, at the same height on the same car, because an air spring changes rate with pressure and the damper isn't tuned around one spring. You won't feel it on the street. At a track a good coilover is still the better tool. Air Lift Performance struts use a real damper with adjustable rebound, so the gap is smaller than it was.

How much trunk does a setup eat

It's down to the tank you pick. A small tank on a single compressor hides behind a liner or under a false floor and leaves you most of the space. A big tank with two compressors for quick lifts takes a corner of the trunk. Tank size is the number to shop on, and the spare tire well is the usual hiding spot.

Can I sit lower on air than on coilovers

Parked, yes, and that's the whole point. Aired out, the bag collapses further than a coil can compress, so the car rests on the ground or close enough. At driving height the two end up similar, since the tire still needs arch clearance at full compression while moving. Buy air for the parked height and coilovers for the driving height.