RideTech AirRide - 3 or 5 gallon tank?

[Nativefx]

Well I thought I had made up my mind and kept it simple by going with the RideTech Level 2 coilover set-up. But as we pulled the rear end and started cutting our the stock tubs to do a mini-tub conversion, I still couldn't get over my initial thought of going with an air ride set up. A couple reasons for wanting the air ride, is the 3 level presets and adjustability. When I park it I can set it down and my ride height won't be limited to where I set it before driving, so that when i have a large speed bump or steep driveway I don't have to worry. Its easy to set up coilovers for ride height, but change anything such as adding stereo equipment, people, luggage, etc and it may not ride the way I want or even cause rubbing issues. I also haven't determined the actual wheel/tire combo I will be running. I'm leaning towards 18 front & 19 back, but would really like 20's :drool:. Shockwaves could help solve a lot of that and by adding ride height sensors it makes it even easier. So now i'm trying to make some choices.

I still have time to make the switch and send back the coilovers and I already got the quote for everything I need to go with an AirPOD to keep everything as simple as possible. I'm just trying to determine if the pre-assembled AirPod is my best bet. This is being installed in a 69 Firebird. I will have to determine what space I have that I want to mount everything. So right now I am trying to determine whether the regular 3 gallon tank is enough for my car, or if I should upgrade to the 5 gallon? I'll be going with the HQ series Shockwaves if that makes a difference.

I understand it will depend on how often you need to refill the bags, and initially it may be more often as everyone likes to play with their new toys, but what are other peoples experience after that? I also saw the larger tank was initially made available for larger heavier vehicles, but haven't found specific weight limits. I plan on driving my car so it's not a trailer/garage queen but I also have my commuter car I utilize most of the week. Don't know if anything will be impacted with the use of the ride height sensors?

Any advise or input would be interested. I hope to make a final decision in the next week.

thanks

[Schwartz Performance]

Ridetech generally recommends 3 gal for smaller cars like Fbodies and 5 gal for Abodies. If you do like playing around a lot id say go for the 5 gal but make sure it'll fit decent in your trunk.
Ride height sensors are a good option to make sure everything is level when cruising but isn't 100% necessary in our experience. Others may chime in their opinion, don't take mine only :)
Don't forget to get the key fobs too.

-Dale

[rjsjea]

There are other good Air suspension management kits. I recently went through a similar decision and ultimately went with AutoPilot's V2 (8 presets). Check out AutoPilot and AccuAir along with RideTech.

The guys at BagRiders are a good resource to chat with. Also check out some of the air suspension forums if you're interested in finding the optimal setup that meets your needs

[130fe]

I had a 5 gallon in my 68, it took up a lot of room (the trunks aren't that big to begin with). You should be fine with a 3 gallon tank.

[MonzaRacer]

I used 5 gallon with bunch of ports as I added an outside hose so I could air up tires, use truck too blow off cars I worked on, or if at track blow out a carb, biggest issue I had was truck has to run as I used an AC compressor over electric air compressor. Was goig to add in JY GM compressor for back up but havent driven truck for while so now it need started first, then work on air ride. If you think air is issue get the POD, then add in another remote compressor with check valve, hide it elsewhere and you could even have manual switch on it. Just an idea. One guy I know has 3 co2 cylinders for dire emergency AND he found an air over electric starter in junkyard that he found fit a chevy engine. Yeah, he can actually start engine off air pressure if over 100 psi. Kind of cool.

[Nativefx]

I used 5 gallon with bunch of ports as I added an outside hose so I could air up tires, use truck too blow off cars I worked on, or if at track blow out a carb, biggest issue I had was truck has to run as I used an AC compressor over electric air compressor. Was goig to add in JY GM compressor for back up but havent driven truck for while so now it need started first, then work on air ride. If you think air is issue get the POD, then add in another remote compressor with check valve, hide it elsewhere and you could even have manual switch on it. Just an idea. One guy I know has 3 co2 cylinders for dire emergency AND he found an air over electric starter in junkyard that he found fit a chevy engine. Yeah, he can actually start engine off air pressure if over 100 psi. Kind of cool.

Wow that sounds kind of interesting about addind another remote compressor w/check valve. Yeah I'm concerned about the available space and how much useable room i would have to give up for an air ride set up, but I also want to know that even after ride height is set up any changes to increased weight in the car (i.e. more people, etc) I can adjust the suspension to accomodate. With coilovers, I could obvioulsy adjust the height if I knew ahead of time but that isn't always the case and is a little more work. Also since I will be driving this car, I don't want to worry about making concessions with ride height due to speed bumps, driveways, etc. Down the road with an engine swap I'll need to adjust and some of the headers that hand lower than the frame rails is something I'm worried about.

[Nativefx]

There are other good Air suspension management kits. I recently went through a similar decision and ultimately went with AutoPilot's V2 (8 presets). Check out AutoPilot and AccuAir along with RideTech.

The guys at BagRiders are a good resource to chat with. Also check out some of the air suspension forums if you're interested in finding the optimal setup that meets your needs

Well i actually already bought the Ridetech Level 2 coilover setup as I was worried about taking on the air ride setup. As we started cutting the tubs to put in mini tubs I just couldn't let go of my original plan to run an air ride suspension. Luckily I'm still within the return time to send back the coilovers for credit towards the shockwaves and air manageement system. These will not require any changes to the front strongarms and the ridetech 4 link out back. I've heard good things about AccuAir but all of this is pretty new to me so I'm hoping by not mixing and matching my setup, any problems during install and after, it will be easier should I need tech support.