air ride

I was thinking about putting air ride on my 62. I would probably order the TCI setup with the air ride set up. What do you guys think about air ride? Do the bags ever "blow out" :eek: what happens if they do is there a safety system that will prevent the car from just slamming to the ground? How long do the bags last I would think that rubber would dry out sooner or later:confused: ?

post any experiences you have had with air ride good or bad

Great experience with air ride. I have ran it on my '94 full size chevy truck and my '63 cadillac. The truck uses the old manual type valves to manage the air supply and the caddy uses air ride technologies' new ride-pro-e digital controller and solenoids. The ride pro system is really the only way to go. I have never had a blow out but the bags are sensitve to rubbing on other parts which will cause a blow out. As far as drying out, you will get many years of use out of the bags before that ever becomes a concern. Try to stick with goodyear air bags as the quality is great and if the semi-trucks use them the must be pretty good. If you want to know any details just ask.

Ryan

which brand do you prefer?

which brand do you prefer?
He just told you....Air ride Technologies http://www.ridetech.com/

My 65 had Air Lift Companies front air bag system. With 2" drop spindles and 17" 40 series tires, I was hoping for a nicer ride then it had on the front. For the rear, I made a four link system and used sleeve type air bags. The ride was better then leaf springs even with 17" 40 series tires. On the 64 I have now, I put a set of Air Ride Technologies Shockwaves on the front. No drop spindles and 15" 60 series tires. The ride is better then coil springs. For the rear I de-arched the mono springs and made 2 1/2" lowering blocks. I had to install a couple of tapered sleeved air bags(I had them on a shelf) to raise the car slightly to make the rearend not interfer with the exhaust. Because I only used 20 psi and the ride was equal to stock. I am in the midst(when I get the time) of putting in a TCI front and rear suspension units. Both are Shockwave units. I'm confident they will provide an excellent ride. I'd like to try 15'" 60 series tires then switch to 17" 40 ones but I've been selling all the stuff I had last year and the 15" set are gone.

The caddy setup uses air ride's shockwave unit with 2600lb bags. The ride is more firm than stock but hey, it's a cadillac and it would roll through turns before. Very happy with the shockwaves and it's a nice compact unit.

Ryan

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e29/davisengineering/IMG_0088.jpg

ive had a blow out once on my 63 wagon, not sure where the problem occured (mine or parts) the bag (sleeve style) blew where it has its factory crimp at the top
they said i overloaded it or hit a bump or too many bumps too hard, didnt cause any other damage other than the blown sleeve,

car just deflated rapidly in the rear (similar as if i were dropping it w the switches) and the rear road on the bump stops til i pulled over, wasnt too big of a deal just a pain to get it towed home only to take 15 min to swap a new sleeve in.

it probally would be a diff story if in the front, but i dont think it would be too dangerous

I've been using Air Lift/Easy Street air suspension components, and have had excellent luck with them. Their air over shocks with adjustable dampening have been working excellent.

how do you like your shock waves on the front? do they go as low as you would like? i bought shock waves for the front and cool ride for the back of my 63 caddy. when i opened the shock waves it seems like they don't have much travel so i'm wondering how much drop do you actually get on your car? im just trying to figure all this out before i install them....i was told the shock wave is restricted on raising and lowering the vehicle. how do you feel about that? thanks.

I just installed the TCI setup on my wagon. They send you firestone bags but I switched them out with Slam Specialties air bags. They have a built in bump stop so if one does blow, it will rest on the stop.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1749/11827736/21016463/350858828.jpg

http://pic60.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1749/11827736/21016463/350858833.jpg

The Firestone bags also have internal bump stops.
Tim