AirRide AIRoverLeaf

[dhardison]

Has anyone ever used the AirRide AIRoverLeaf set up (http://www.ridetech.com/productinfo/airoverleaf.asp)? If so, how much will it allow the car to drop when parked? How did it perform in the curves? Anything else you'd like to offer.......

Thanks,
Dan

[Travis B]

Air over leaf has been done for a long time! Basically it uses the leaf spring to locate the house forward and backwards and the air spring to raise it back up! We use airride on everything and really if you think about air over has some advatanges over regular leaf springs! it would allow your spring rate to be ajustable and you could still drop it when you park! To answer your question a multi leaf with all the leafs taken out except the long one will not be able to hold the wieght of the vehicle so it should lay until it hits something!

[dhardison]

How much better/worse is AirOverLeaf vs. AirBar?

Thanks,
Dan

[Travis B]

I have not talked with anyone that has ran the air bar as of right now! Airride makes a very good product we have great luck with all of there components! The airbar it basically a tri 4 bar that bolts in.....that is the only thing I do not like about it is the fact that it bolts in and it is a 4 bar I am assuming they had to compromise on some important suspension geometry to get it to bolt in!! that would be my only fear! I would say call airride talk to Tony and tell him what you are doing and what you want the car to be able to do! he will steer you in the right direction!

Are you going to bag the front also?

[dhardison]

Thanks Travis. Yeah I'm looking at using the ShockWaves on the front. They won't have an AirBar available for my car until later this year, so that's why I was looking at the AirOverLeaf.

As you've experienced it, how's the ride with the AirOverLeaf? Any major wheelhop problems with the single leaf?

Thanks,
Dan

[myclone]

I have AOL (air over leaf) from Air Ride Tech on my 1 ton dually in my sig and while I just use it when I have weight in the bed or the trailer is hooked up it seems to do ok. As mentioned above if you take out all the leaves but the main leaf (not an option in my case) Im sure it will perform fine for you.

So far in my application the Pros are:
1. Weight carrying ability way beyond what the rest of the truck could handle.
2. Infinate height adjusability in about a 3" range no matter how much weight I put on the truck which is perfect for my application since Im not into "laying out" and all that other frame dragging BS. Taking out all the leaves but the main leaf would prolly give me more ride height adjustment but I really dont need it in my case.
3. Brackets, mounting hardware, etc are built sturdy and down right beefy compared to some of the other AOL systems Ive seen (the other brands were a POS in comparison to be honest).

Cons:
(keep in mind some of this may not apply to your application as well as the fact Im about as picky of a person as youll find and by no means am I complaining since I havent broken any of it yet even after trying really hard :lol: )

1. Instructions are a little vague on the installation procedure. I had to pull all the brackets off of my truck twice which is NO fun as they arent marked front/rear or right/left nor is the orientation mentioned in the instructions. The brackets all look identical and youll think they are until the install is 3/4 of the way done then you realize something isnt quite right so you have to yank everything off again. Possibly not an issue in your app as the brackets/mounting system may be easily identified as to where/which way it installs.
2. You MUST have good shocks as the rear diff tends to hop wildly over expansion joints or other quick suspension movement situations. This is will be an issue with ANY air ride suspension IMO though.
3. When I really load the truck down with weight and air the bags up to 45psi the bags being mounted behind the axle work as a fulcrum/lever against the rear part of the spring which pushes the pinion up and causes a slight vibration at free way speeds (yes, Ive verified this by measuring pinion angle loaded/unloaded). Prolly not an issue in your application since I doubt youll have ~2klbs in your trunk :) .
4. Ride height changes with temprature. Its a fact of life due to physics but the back of my truck will raise ~3/4 of an inch from morning to mid day if its sitting in the sun due to the air temp in the bags increasing. Its not an issue with me but be aware of it if youre right on the ragged edge of tire/wheel fitment at a certain height or you are trying to measure for wheel/tire fitment. Id hate to see you buy wheels, tires, modded rear diff after taking measurements when its hot out only to find they dont fit when it cools and the ride height changes slightly.

Thats about all I can offer other than putting about 15k trouble free miles on my set up with no issues to speak of so far. If that money tree thing pans out for me Im ditching the AOL/leaf spring set up and going with their air bar system in the back which I think will make for a little better ride quality on the crappy roads around here.

[Travis B]

I'm not sure about the wheel hop thing I could see that being a porblem with a monoleaf! Maybe call them on that I think that could become issue with that rat motor!

[USAZR1]

Cons:
2. You MUST have good shocks as the rear diff tends to hop wildly over expansion joints or other quick suspension movement situations. This is will be an issue with ANY air ride suspension IMO though.

4. Ride height changes with temprature. Its a fact of life due to physics but the back of my truck will raise ~3/4 of an inch from morning to mid day if its sitting in the sun due to the air temp in the bags increasing. Its not an issue with me but be aware of it if youre right on the ragged edge of tire/wheel fitment at a certain height or you are trying to measure for wheel/tire fitment. Id hate to see you buy wheels, tires, modded rear diff after taking measurements when its hot out only to find they dont fit when it cools and the ride height changes slightly.

I just installed Air Ride Shockwave V3.0's on the front and 9000's on the rear of my 69 Camino and am using their RidePro ARC4000e four-way independent control system. Have noticed a little instability over expansion joints but that could be I'm still running the damping knobs on the rear Shockwaves on the #1 setting. As I dial the system in more,I'm sure the damping will be increased a few more notches.

As for the ride height changing with temperature,I have not measured anything like your experiences,yet. 3/4" would be very noticeable and the most I've measured so far has been less than 1/4". Since my control system's ecm has a memory feature,the ride height reverts back to a preset figure every time the car is started up.

All in all,I'm pretty pleased with the handling and ride. One thing I do plan to buy soon is the remote key fob that will allow me to make ride height changes from outside the car,,much easier than crawling inside to tweak the digital controls.

[dhardison]

MyClone/Clint/Travis,

THANKS for all the GREAT info! I REALLY appreciate you guys taking the time to write such detailed responses. I'd want to go with the AirBar (when it's available), but right now I'm going with the Shockwaves v3.0s on the front, AirOverLeaf on the rear and ARC4000e control system.

Sorry but here are more questions......

Do you think the ARC4000e (3 gallon tank, single comp.) will fit mounted in the trunk of my Nova (up against the back of the rear seat)? How loud is the compressor? Will the 4000e suffice vs. the 4100e (5-gallon tank and dual comps.)?

For the leafs I have two different sets of springs from which to choose. I have a standard pair of 5-leafs multis and a pair of Hotchkis 3-leafs. Which do you think I should use for the AOL?

Also right now I'm running Edelbrock IAS shocks all around. Do you think these will suffice with the AOL?

THANKS!
Dan

[dhardison]

Also, did you guys purchase your bags/kits directly from AirRide or a different vendor?

Thanks,
Dan

[myclone]

Travis1962/USAZR1,

The wheel hop over expansion joints thing may be more of an issue in my application considering the unsprung weight of the diff (~800lbs) and those four rear wheels/tires being hard for your average shock to control. My quick solution was to put some stiff KYB shocks on the truck since I could tolerate the rough ride better than the entire truck being shaken by the rear over every bump at freeway speed. As Im sure you guys are well aware the lesser amount of unsprung weight in a car application and some tinkering with shock set ups would prolly produce any ride/handling quality you would like. I just didnt have the time due to other projects for much shock valving experimentation on my application not to mention my truck barely fits in my garage to work on it LOL.

On the ride height changing deal... Again I think this is due to the way my system (if you can call it that) is set up. Since I only use the bags for extra weight carrying I plumbed them to a shrader valve that is under the gas door and nothing else so there isnt anything to regulate/absorbe variations in air pressure. When I want to air up I use my compressor from the garage or any air source that has a air chuck for airing up tires and when I want to air down I just let the air out through the shrader valve. Yes, its a redneck set up but it works and a air tank/compressor are planned as well as a control system of my own design but I have to get the other 20kabillion more important projects out of the way first :) .

dhardison,

While I cant help you much on specifics the only thing I can say is that the more you raise/lower the car over a short period of time the more air volume you need (aka tank size/pump capacity). Also, more air volume is needed when you want to air up quicker so tank size/pump capacity is really application specific IMO. If youre application is destined for a set ride height 99% of the time with only airing it down for that slammed look while cruising shows or a trip to the track then you really dont need a bunch of reserve air capacity. On the other hand if you are wanting to change ride height by a large amount time after time then big air lines, a large capacity tank, and HD pump will be needed. While Im no fan of this "fad" if you notice some of the frame dragging/hopping ppl are using compressed nitrogen tanks and 1/2-3/4" lines/valves to go from aired out completely to fully aired up in less than a second so depending on how fast/often/much you change ride height will dictate what components will work best for you (read "cost").

Lastly, where the stuff was ordered from. I bought mine right from Air Ride via phone a few years ago. I prolly paid a few more dollars but since I was spending money with them and paying full price rather than a discounted figure from a supplier it gave me the chance to pepper them with any questions I had and to get an idea of what type of ppl were making the stuff. They are obviously busy but they did take the time to answer any of my questions and the fellow I talked to was more than just some flunky answering the phone and reading a FAQ sheet that was taped to the wall of his cubical. So, my advise is to call them up and tell them what youre doing in youre application and see what they recommend.

Sorry for not being much more help but in my application there are only two choices for off the shelf components so I picked the cheapest/quickest system to install at the time.

[dhardison]

Thanks again MyClone! I'm not at all a "fan of the fad" either, I'm just trying to come up with a set up that will allow me to be 1.5"-2" below factory ride height for driving, while also allowing me to drop her a couple add'l inches at cruises/shows. All the while hopefully improving the driving/riding quality of the car.

To be honest I enjoy the performance/handling gains the Hotchkis TVS kit has afforded me (plus the lowered stance), but it literallty beat the snot out of us on the Power Tour. A lot of this was due to all the add'l weight in the car I'm sure.

Thanks for all your help,
Dan

[Travis B]

MyClone/Clint/Travis,



Sorry but here are more questions......

Do you think the ARC4000e (3 gallon tank, single comp.) will fit mounted in the trunk of my Nova (up against the back of the rear seat)? How loud is the compressor? Will the 4000e suffice vs. the 4100e (5-gallon tank and dual comps.)?

For the leafs I have two different sets of springs from which to choose. I have a standard pair of 5-leafs multis and a pair of Hotchkis 3-leafs. Which do you think I should use for the AOL?

Also right now I'm running Edelbrock IAS shocks all around. Do you think these will suffice with the AOL?

THANKS!
Dan

Well it is much easier to plumb the stuff from Airride tech they gve you detailed instructions and walk you through it. As far as the compressor goes we have been running the Viar 450's they are a very good compressor I would say 1 v450 and a 5 gallon tank should do it for you. I have also ordered stuff from suicidedoors.com there air management kit prices are very tuff to beat! A 5 gallon tank should fit behind the seat and allow room for the compressor next to! rubber mount the compressor and it shouldn't be to loud at all!

[malibu9in]

I run shockwaves up front and bags in the rear. The car wont sit as low up front unlees you went with cups and bags verses the shockwaves. Its also cheaper with cups, but i would defiently use the shockwave for simplicity reasons. When we went on the tour last year it was a dream to drive. I run 2 comps and you can barly here them. I mounted mine on 1/2 in think rubber sheeting with no problems. I also have hotchkis sus on all 4 corners. I have a malibu with control arms. I dont think its trendy either...just like big wheels the re here to stay.

[dhardison]

Thanks Malibu9in. How does it handle the curves with the bags?

Dan

[USAZR1]

Jason's Malibu will definitely get down in the weeds. :smoke:

Actually,I'm running the ARC4000e and just upgraded to a 5gal air tank.
It's mounted under the car,behind the fuel tank,along with the compressor & valving. Unless you crawl under the car,you can't even see it and everything is protected from objects flying off the rear tires by metal guards. Having dual compressors might work better but so far,I haven't felt the need for an additional unit.

I purchased my Air Ride components from Steve Cook Creations in Oklahoma City. They are a wholesale distributor and gave me a shop discount.

[malibu9in]

I think it handles well. But I dont drive the car like a race car either. Mabye its a street machine not pro touring. Who gives a damn anyhow. Its how i like it. Mabye its like Johnny said about the whole showcar/ racer. I like to think of my ride as a modern performence car not really a g machine.

[dhardison]

Jason,

Do you have any pics of it slammed and at ride height?

Dan

[malibu9in]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

ride height

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/06/malibubagged17s18s-1.jpg

no air.

[dhardison]

DAMN that's SWEET!! Thanks Jason!

Dan