Air Ride Suspension: When Is It Worth the Upgrade?

As air ride suspension continues to improve, more and more builders reach for it. Hell, more and more suppliers are jumping into the mix, to provide it to enthusiasts within the automotive world. This is mainly due to the simple fact that easily managing ride height is incredibly useful. Think about it: when you need to level a vehicle out, you can. When you want to lift a vehicle, you can. And even when you want to stiffen up the suspension, you can. All on demand, too.

Years ago, there were several legitimate concerns surrounding the use of air bags. They were susceptible to wear, they couldn’t take heavy hits, and they could be limiting. And yes, in some cases, these concerns are still valid. But today’s manufacturers have put some serious time into researching and developing solutions for modern air ride suspension systems. And, as a result, we’re seeing that many can withstand these abuses, making air suspension more popular in OE applications, performance settings, and even within segments of the off-road market.

Builders of all shapes and sizes are beginning to wonder whether or not an air ride system is right for their ride. Well, let’s take a broad stroke approach here and look at performance, lift, and towing scenarios and talk about why you should, or shouldn’t, consider an air ride suspension system for your vehicle.

Performance Applications

In the performance world, air ride suspension technologies are extensively popular on street driven vehicles. With a dedicated track car, it’s not as common because you’re dealing with fixed settings and a fixed suspension type is really all you need. But as we pointed out: manufacturers are continuing to push development.

In the spring of 2018, RideTech quietly swapped out the TQ Series triple adjustable coilovers in its 48 Hour Gen-2 Camaro build for the company’s TQ Series Shockwaves air suspension. The result? “The Shockwaves were certainly no hindrance to performance,” says RideTech president Bret Voelkel. “In fact, they are almost an unfair advantage. At the push of a button, I can adjust air pressure in small increments to fine tune spring rate and ride height. At some tracks, this has picked up several tenths in lap times. The other advantage is being able to make small spring rate changes on the road to zero in on perfect ride quality. The end result is a car that is faster and more comfortable with air suspension that with other options.”

Additionally, hot rods, street trucks, and tuner cars all flock to these systems. Even high-end vehicles like Porsche and Mercedes are coming from the factory with these as standard equipment.

Why is this?

Well, it adds versatility to the system. With most performance setups, you’re pretty well married to ride quality and ride height. Even with adjustable coilovers, you can’t adjust ride height without breaking out the tools and climbing underneath the car. And even then, you may only get a little bit of height increase.

With air ride suspension though, you can set the car to a comfortable and safe ride height that allows you to travel down the road without blowing your spine and suspension to bits when potholes or speed bumps show up. Then, when it comes time to hit the track or show off, you can lower the car.

I’ve seen these on all types of vehicles: rat rods, street trucks, tuners, you name it. What’s really cool is that there are full-on performance suspension kits that include these systems, which really helps blur the gap between them and coilovers for multipurpose performance cars.

Off-Road Applications

As air ride suspension is introduced as factory equipment for the new RAMs, many enthusiasts are left wondering if this type of system if a good choice for their off-road application. In theory, the concept of being able to lift and level your truck on command seems pretty ideal for those who want factory ride height for the street and extra ground clearance when it comes time to play.

And in practice, it can be true. Air suspension is great for those who partake in a light-to-moderate amount of off-roading, but spend the bulk of their time driving on the street. However, it’s not an ideal setup for serious applications. The abuse of off-roading can be very hard on the components involved and there’s simply no replacement for a traditional-style lift kit.

I think it’s safe to say that air ride suspension kits are better suited for work trucks and weekend warriors. When driving around the street you want the ride to be comfortable, and traditional lift kits tend to do just the opposite. But when you’re headed down a dirt road with some small obstacles, being able to lift the vehicle up for these instances will certainly come in handy.

It’s important to keep in mind that there are different types of air ride suspension systems available. The kits like those featured on RAMs and many sports cars employ a shock absorber paired with an air bellow, while many others simply add a bellow to the suspension. The first type would be best suited for the segment we just discussed, as the simple bellow-type can interfere with the suspension’s ability to travel, which is dangerous in many situations.

Towing Applications

As we’ve explained on the blog before, the importance of taking proper safety precautions when towing cannot be overstated. Trailer tongue weight and even payload weight can bog down the rear end of your vehicle, pulling the front up and thereby reducing steering and control. This is just one reason why air ride suspension systems reign supreme in this segment.

“When it comes to choosing a tow vehicle, prioritize suspension over power,” says Popular Mechanics Magazine. “Your truck’s suspension is the key to your towing experience, and the best setup you can have is air suspension. When you’re on the highway and hit one of those rolling whoops that tends to come before or after a bridge, the truck and trailer stay much more composed than with a conventional system. That’s because you don’t have compressed springs suddenly unloading, launching everything skyward, then crashing back down.”

Additionally, solid load leveling systems are constantly pushing up on the suspension, which always results in a rough ride—even without a trailer attached. An air ride suspension may cost more to install (in both time and money) but the better ride, better fuel economy, and better handling will likely more than make up for it. It’s important to note that air shocks aren’t the best choice for towing and payload leveling in serious situations. Instead, air bellows attached to a separate position will be the absolute best choice.

Based on the information we’ve presented, do you believe air suspension is a worthy upgrade?