coil overs or air ride?

[ron79]

building 78 nova, the will be mostly street car,it has 350ho 330hp with 4 speed,plan on running 17 by 7 with 225/45/17s on the front, been looking at coil overs and air ride for the front, but dont know which one would better

[CapSS92]

I have airride on my 65 Chevelle and while it's cool, sometimes I debate whether I should go back to stock. It wears out my front tires faster than when it wasn't bagged. I use mine daily and I did get it aligned at ride height but it still goes thru front tires quicker than usual.Something to consider.

Alex

[JEFFTATE]

I have airride on my 65 Chevelle and while it's cool, sometimes I debate whether I should go back to stock. It wears out my front tires faster than when it wasn't bagged. I use mine daily and I did get it aligned at ride height but it still goes thru front tires quicker than usual.Something to consider.

Alex

Did you start using a different ( softer ) tire at the same time as the airbag conversion ??

[bret]

I have airride on my 65 Chevelle and while it's cool, sometimes I debate whether I should go back to stock. It wears out my front tires faster than when it wasn't bagged. I use mine daily and I did get it aligned at ride height but it still goes thru front tires quicker than usual.Something to consider.

Alex

Just a couple things to consider:

1. Make sure you have a proper alignment done AT the correct ride height. This is harder than it sounds. MOST alignment shops insist on entering your vehicle information into their computerized machines and letting the machine do the work. Unfortunately those OEM specs are not correct for a car that has been lowered and may possibly have different suspension components. We typically run -.5 to -1 degree of camber, 3 to 5 degrees of caster, and 1/16 to 1/8" of toe in. I have run our 66 Chevelle 6000 miles to California and back AND run a racing event while I was there with great results. [See April issue of Super Chevy]

2. Make SURE your car is at the correct ride height going down the highway. Air pressure is a decent indicator of actual ride height but may be influenced by passenger weight, suspension bushing bind, or tire scrub. In some cases it takes more air pressure to lift the car than it does to keep the car up. A leveling sensor may be neccessary to maintain a precise ride height. I've been driving an air suspension car long enough that I can tell in 50 feet if the air pressure is too low just by how the car feels. Ride height is always more important than air pressure. You didn't say what kind of compressor system you are using, but if in doubt use one with leveling sensors to maintain the correct ride height.

BTW...here is our Chevelle I was reffering to:

http://ridetechgarage.com/more/1966-chevelle/

[CapSS92]

Tires stayed the same. I know what you mean about using the computer.I took my friends lowered 55 to a guy with a $20k machine (or so he said) and after a whole day talking with his machine tech support and having two of his best guys mess with it, he couldn't align it. I took it to an old guy in the sticks and he nailed it in a few hours. Says a lot for experience. <g>