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Air suspension kits and coilovers are two of the most popular suspension kits available. They can transform your ride and change the way your car looks. They're both designed to help your car drive smoothly and efficiently, but you should understand which would most benefit your vehicle. Both air suspension kits and coilovers have their own pros and cons. To help you choose the right suspension kit, we've crafted this guide explaining the coilovers vs. bags debate and compared the most important factors for deciding which is the most suitable fit.
Air suspension systems are made up of air springs or air bags located at each wheel of the vehicle. An onboard electric air compressor inflates each bag until they lift your vehicle to your desired ride height. Automobile enthusiasts often refer to this system as an "air ride." It replaces the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) system to support your vehicle's weight.
In this system, air bags connect to an air reservoir and compressor. Due to the compressor, you can raise the car's height as the bags inflate. More air generally creates a rougher ride, and less air creates a smoother and gentler ride. You can easily control when the bags inflate or deflate via a control center in your vehicle to adjust it to your preferred height.
Installing an air suspension kit for your vehicle will present many great benefits. These systems are incredibly popular because they easily create a custom ride for each drive. Benefits of air suspension systems include:
While air suspension kits help your car achieve great performance, there are a few drawbacks you should consider. For example, air suspension parts deteriorate and break down faster than others. This could lead to higher maintenance costs for repairing moving parts or replacing complex systems components. This system is also more costly upfront than other suspensions and may not last as long.
Coilover suspensions use traditional coil springs to adjust your vehicle's height. You can use some kits to raise your vehicle, while others enable you to lower its stance for improved performance. They'll also work to support your vehicle to enhance its towing and load capacities.
However, unlike air suspension kits, coilover kits only use springs to help your car achieve a smooth performance. With that said, coilovers aren't as versatile as air suspension kits. You can switch out the coils to experience a softer or firmer performance or a different ride height, but it won't be as easy as pushing a button.
Coilover systems have a few exclusive benefits. The simple mechanism works to ease your vehicle over bumps in the road to give you a better ride and easy transportation. Some benefits of coilovers include:
Coilovers have unique benefits that draw automotive enthusiasts to them, but they do have drawbacks. For instance, they can produce a stiffer ride than air suspension. Additionally, you cannot adjust the ride height quickly and may need specialized equipment to complete basic maintenance. If you do need to change the ride height, you may need to remove the wheels and use tools, which is much less convenient than the push button feature of air bags.
Both air ride and coilovers can transform your ride and create a unique and personalized experience. However, if you want to determine which system is most suitable for your vehicle, you should evaluate how they compare against each other. Here, we've detailed some of the most critical factors for suspension kits so you can determine the best system for your car.
Air suspension vs. coilover ride quality is among the first factor to consider when comparing these two systems. Ride quality defines your experience in the vehicle, so you want to ensure you consider this aspect.
Both coilover and air suspension systems can create a comfortable ride under any road condition. Although coilover systems can provide a stiffer ride over bumps, the proper adjustments and struts can make a ride similar to air suspension systems.
However, the adjustability of air bags makes them a superior choice for multi-functional vehicles. For example, you can easily adjust the ride height to account for extra weight if you're transporting materials or passengers. This will help prevent the vehicle from bumping or scraping the ground and reduce tire wear over time.
One significant difference between these two systems is how you adjust ride height. For air bags, you touch a button on the control center to raise or lower your vehicle. However, coilover systems work differently. Each time you want to make a height adjustment, you must take extra steps. You cannot adjust your car as seamlessly as you can with an air suspension.
The installation process for coilover suspensions is much more straightforward than an air suspension installation. Both require you to swap the OEM struts for newer ones, but the process is much longer for air bags. For air suspensions, you will need to find ways to run the air lines to the rubber bellows, whether you're creating a custom setup or choosing a simpler method. Additionally, you will need to run electrical lines throughout your vehicle to power the system, making this process lengthy and more costly.
Coilovers have the edge over air bags for improved handling. These systems can reduce the amount of body roll you experience, making them a better option for drifting and racing on tracks. Vehicles that will experience rough terrain or frequent bumps can benefit from the design and durability of coilovers. However, air suspensions may be the better choice for daily drivers. Those looking for a way to ease their commute can appreciate the smooth function and comfortable ride.
As we mentioned earlier, the suspension system you choose can change your car's appearance. Raising or lowering your car can be attention-grabbing, and if this is a goal for you, air suspension systems are a clear choice. You can change the looks of your vehicle seamlessly by operating the control button on air bags, while the process is much lengthier for coilover systems.
Both an air suspension kit and a coilover suspension kits deliver a great performance for most cars. With that said, choosing one for your vehicle will depend on your specific needs. Whether air suspension is better than coilovers depends on what you're looking to gain from the upgrade.
Ultimately, the suspension kit you need will come down to your purpose. If you're looking for a convenient way to adjust the stiffness and ride height of your car, consider an air suspension kit. If you want something that's durable and dependable, install a coilover suspension kit.
Strutmasters specializes in suspensions, so you can always trust us to deliver affordable and complete solutions for any suspension concern. We've earned the title "The Suspension Experts" for more than 20 years of service. We turn complex air, electronic, magnetic and hydraulic systems into working solutions that meet your needs.
We're committed to exceeding your needs, and our professional, friendly and knowledgeable team makes it easy to find unique solutions for your vehicle. We're more than a nationwide provider — we're an industry leader. Our combined experience gives us more than 100 years in the industry, and we're here to stay.
We invented the first air-to-non-air conversion kit, and we've continued making strides in the industry since. You won't find another business that can say the same, and we know our experience makes us the best at what we do. If you want to know more about air suspension vs. coil suspension kits, you can contact Strutmasters online for more information. You can also shop our air suspension parts to find the right pieces for your vehicle.
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Additional Resources on Air Suspensions:
Sprindex's new adjustable-rate coil spring system lets riders alter their spring-rate without needing to swap out coils or even reach for any tools. Instead, all you need to do is rotate the Sprindex collar by hand to add or subtract as much as 30 to 60 lb/in to the spring rate. It also consists of only a few extra parts, making it dead-simple to boot.
The design uses a proprietary steel coil spring, with three different overall lengths available to fit shock stroke lengths of up to 2.2 (XC), 2.6 (EN), and 3.0'' (DH) in length, and 290 lb/in to 610 lb/in coils are available. Thin Delrin adapters are used to adapt the coils to every major suspension brand's shocks, and all three models sell for $140 USD direct from Sprindex's website or your local shop.
Sprindex Details
• Adjustable-rate coil spring• Material: Glass-reinforced polymer• Provides approx. 30 - 60 lb/in adjustment range (depends on model)• 290 - 610 lb/in spring-rate options• Compatible w/ Fox, RockShox, DVO, MRP, Marzocchi, Cane Creek, Öhlins, RockShox, X-Fusion, and Push shocks• Weight: 389-grams (2.6" EN, 350-380 lb/in)• MSRP: $140 USD• More info: www.sprindex.com
Tool-free coil spring-rate adjustment? You betcha.
If coils are so great, why aren't we all using them?
The air shock on the bottom weighs 520-grams, while the coil-sprung shock in the exact same length, and with the Sprindex unit installed, weighs 861-grams.
How does Sprindex work?
A coil spring is essentially a wound steel rod, much like the torsion bars found on many road cars. In that case, one end of the bar moves with the suspension while the other is fixed to the car's frame. When the wheel hits a bump, it's forced upward and that twists the torsion bar that's fixed at the opposite end.
In other words, it's the twisting steel that's absorbing (and storing) the force before the damper can dissipate the kinetic energy.
Coil springs twist when compressed, just like a torsion bar twists to absorb energy.
My test spring can be adjusted between 340 lb/in and 380 lb/in.
See how the Sprindex is ramped and indexed? When you rotate the collar, the ramped section is run up between the coils to deactivate a section.
What's spring-rate and why does it matter?
How big is the adjustment range?
Delrin washers are used to adapt the coils to most shock models, as well as letting it rotate freely as it's being compressed.
Neato, but how is this different from preload?
What kind of shocks does it fit?
This custom spring-rate-O-meter machine was used to verify Sprindex's claims.
But does it work?
At the 380 lb/in setting, the Sprindex required 374 lb of force to compress it a single inch.
Sprindex uses high-end steel for their coils that require less material for a given spring-rate. That means that in some instances they could be lighter than the stock spring it's replacing.
Sprindex is slightly larger in diameter than the coil, so you'll want to make sure you'll have the room. It shouldn't be an issue on most bikes.
Given the popularity of coil-sprung suspension these days, along with the undeniable benefits of less friction and more traction, isn't it a bit odd that the vast majority of full-suspension mountain bikes come with air shocks? I mean, if these coils truly are better, why aren't they spec'd on all of our bikes? There's the fact that air is lighter than steel, but it's mainly because an air shock is far more adjustable. Using only a shock pump, a shop can have any of its air-sprung full-suspension bikes work for potential customers who weigh 100 pounds or potential customers who weigh three times as much.As you can imagine, that makes it a whole lot easier to sell those bikes, and the shop doesn't need to keep dozens and dozens of different coil springs on hand.Dialing back the cynicism a notch or three, you wouldn't be wrong if you also said that dead-simple spring-rate adjustment is air suspension's greatest asset. If you want just a nip less sag, all it takes is thirty-seconds to add 10 psi before your next ride, and the fact that it's so easy means that more of us will take the time to set-up our suspension properly. Or at least get closer to it. I suspect there'd be a ton of wildly over- and under-sprung bikes out there if everything used coils.It's almost like an adjustable-rate coil spring would be a great idea, which is exactly what the folks at Sprindex have come up with.To understand how Sprindex works, we have to understand how a coil spring works. They're just squishy, right? Well, yes, but also no; if you look closer, there's a bit more to it than that.So while they look like boring, straight steel rods, a torsion bar is basically just an unwound coil spring. And the shorter the rod, the more force required to flex said rod. That means that a shorter torsion bar is stiffer than a long one made of the same material and gauge. Because a wound steel coil twists in the same way a torsion bar does, a shorter coil spring will be more difficult to compress the same distance than a longer one made of the same gauge steel. So if you could somehow lockout or deactivate a section of the coil spring, even just half a coil, you'd effectively be making the spring stiffer because it's effective length is shorter.The easiest way to understand Sprindex might be to think of it as a simple way to adjust the effective length of the steel rod that, in the case, happens to be wound into a coil.The glass-reinforced polymer Sprindex unit comes pre-installed on one end of their coil springs - it can't be purchased on its own. The bottom half is held in place in the last coil, while the top collar half turns and has fourteen indexed positions. The inner face of that collar also interlocks between the coils, and when the collar is turned all the way to the left, it's only working with a bit of a coil. Turn it all the way to the right, though, and it aligns with the bottom section to lockout half a coil and essentially makes the rod (coil) shorter.Pretty damn clever.There are probably more than a few people out there having their own 'Why the hell didn't I think of that?!' moment, as well as more than a few questions...It's the amount of weight required to compress the spring by one inch, so if it says 400 lb/in on your spring, it means that you'll need 400 lb to compress it by a single inch. Two inches? That'll be 800 lb, please. The spring-rate is what holds the rider up, and it's also what largely determines how much travel gets used at each impact. If you're not using enough travel, it probably means that your spring-rate is too high and vice versa, and it's the first thing you dial in (before damper adjustments) when setting up your suspension.Four factors determine the spring's rate: material, the overall diameter of the coil, the diameter of the steel wire used and, most relevant to our convo, the number of active coils. To alter the rate, Sprindex is effectively letting you activate or deactivate a small section of the coil spring.It depends. '''' Sprindex says on their website. '''' Just some chill math, then. You're looking at somewhere between 30 and 60 lb/in of adjustment range, depending on the spring's length and rate. That's not enough to have a single spring work for everyone, of course, but it's more than enough for tuning purposes.The threaded preload collar on your coil-sprung shock doesn't affect the spring-rate because it's only partially compressing the coil, not altering the length of the coil (your wound steel rod). If you dial on a ton of preload, the only thing you'll be doing is raising the ride height of your bike and increasing the starting force required to activate your shock. More preload means less suspension sensitivity, and the general consensus is that you only want to tighten the preload collar enough to keep the coil from moving around.If you want, you can combine your preload adjustment with Sprindex and it will work fine. That said, they recommend that you use their adjustment and modify the spring-rate to achieve the correct ride height instead. Less energy stored in the spring equals more supple suspension.With the included Delrin adapters and different diameter coils offered, you can get a Sprindex to fit shocks from all the names that matter, including Fox, RockShox, DVO, MRP, Marzocchi, Cane Creek, Öhlins, RockShox, X-Fusion, and Push models. Maybe some others, too, and you can check out the very long compatibility chart on their website to see if your shock is on the list.The spring-rate-O-meter that I ordered off Amazon hasn't shown up yet, but a dozen donuts got me access to a very neat custom-made version assembled within a burly steel frame. A small car jack that serves as the lower spring perch is bolted to the bottom, while an adjustable upper perch is used to compensate for different length coils or add a nip of preload. A digital caliper is attached to that lower perch, and all you need to do is adjust the jack until it reads zero, then bring down the upper perch with just enough preload to hold it in place. The caliper tells you precisely how far you've compressed the spring, while a load cell on the lower perch tells you how much weight you're applying to the spring while compressing it with the car jack.It's a clever machine, and while it's not lab equipment-precise, it's more than adequate for the day's job: Figuring out if Sprindex's claims are true. Can their little device, which consists of just two simple pieces, really offer an effective, tool-free coil spring-rate adjustment?It sure can.With the Sprindex set to 340 lb/in, and 10 lb/in of preload applied to roughly replicate it being installed on a bike, the spring-rate-O-meter's digital display read 348 lb/in when compressed by a single inch. Rotating the collar up to 350 lb/in saw the display change to 363 lb/in (don't forget about that preload), and each of the indexed 10 lb/in spring-rate settings tested after that corresponded to an 8 to 15 lb/in increase in the force required to keep the spring compressed by an inch.At the test spring's stiffest 380 lb/in setting, and with the preload backed off to see how accurate the numbers are, the display read 374 lb/in. The spring-rate-O-meter probably isn't quite as accurate as a commercial-grade machine, but those numbers are pretty damn close. It also proved that Sprindex's adjustable, two-piece system does actually work as advertised.Out of the lab and back in the workshop, the Sprindex unit is installed just like any other coil - it slides down over the shock body, and don't forget to use those red Delrin washers that let the spring twist freely as it's being compressed. I installed it on two bikes, a Yeti SB165 and a custom-made 180mm-travel enduro rig that you'll get to see real soon; measuring the sag on both bikes throughout the Sprindex's adjustment range backed up the spring-rate-O-meter's findings.We're probably not going to see air suspension disappear anytime soon, and the Sprindex doesn't offer enough adjustment range to see a one coil work for any rider on any bike, but it's certainly a good tuning option for those who like to tinker. Wet day? Dial back the spring-rate a bit for more compliance. Fast day in the bike park? You might want to run a firming spring-rate for all those jumps you're going to overshoot. It could make sense for bike shops as well, with them no longer needing to stock countless coil springs.I guess that leaves me with a single question: Why didn't I think of this?
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