has anyone used air shocks instead of bags

Just a thought I had. Do you have to use them with a traditional spring or can an air shock be used by itself? Technically bmw and mercades and such do this I think. I dont want to cause too much fuss over this but would still like to know from others experience. Happy Bonneville oeople!

 

Air shocks can't hold up the car on its own. The ones you mentioned on factory cars were designed for that, larger and heavier "bags" inside of them.

Air shocks were designed to add a little carrying capacity to the exsisting suspension.

 

back in the 60's I used air shocks quiet a bit,,I had them on the rear of a Falcon sprint,a GTO and used them on the front,,yes front of a 66 Dodge Van.

Never had a problem. HRP

 

I wouldn't try them without the springs. It would be too much of a load on them to hold up the car all the time. Air bags are more heavy duty.

 

used them with cut springs to provide speed bump clearance---small on board compressor was real slow but you could get in and out of driveways...

 

I've got air shocks on an OT 65 mustang, with leaf springs too. Good to keep the tires from rubbing the fenders when you hit a big ass pothole at speed with them aired up. I wouldn't run it without the leaf springs though, if that's what you're asking.

Mike

 

if you cannot afford to doit rite donot do it

 

I used to use them to jack up my Mustang when I was in high school. It was still a band aid approach though.

 

I'm using the on my 50 shoebox in the rear with springs of course. Just to bump it up a bit if i need to. But it's a helper only.

 

Its not a money thing. I just dont like the looks of a bag.

 

I missed the no spring part,,,NO. HRP

 

you'll have to shop around, there available. your not talking about the 70's jacked up muscle car ones right? i saw one that were an air over shock set up.

 

I think Shockwaves from Airride are what you want then.

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the air springs on the cars you mentioned MB and BMW ect. are designed to carry the full load of the car. The air shocks from your local parts store are not.

 

Gotcha. Thanks guys.

 

Stop hanging out under the car.

Expensive, leaky and failure prone. I have now replaced more than a dozen sets, for VERY upset customers. Way too small for a heavy car, anyway.

 

Subaru used (and may still use, for all I know) air suspension that looked like air shocks but a little bigger.
I had one of the buggers (an '85 DL) and found it rode well for the size of car.
No other springs were used.
It was an old, rusted-out clunker and the suspension still worked well.
In fact I still have the old thing in the field.

I'm not saying I'd use them.. just saying they have been used without any other springs or whatever.

Joe

 

Audi used a bag that the shock went up thru the center on their "Allroad" wagons, it was a slick design. You can buy them (made in the USA too!) from Arnott, they're only about 4" diameter so they don't look like the usual air bags. The ones on the Allroad allow for over 5" of suspension movement.

I know they're not traditional, but using things from other cars is, so maybe I'll get a pass here....

The look like this....

 

The key thing is they were DESIGNED to do that from the start.

 

Some cars have shocks that are mounted closer together at the top than the bottom (angled in at top). With a lot of air in air shocks they tend to have body roll.

 

I agree.
Not that that fact stops people from putting a Chev engine in a Ford.

 

Thought I would do some extra research on those as far as price:http://frugalmechanic.com/auto-part...hanic_google&gclid=CL3kmsyQ9rgCFcdxQgodd2oAyQ Note the limited lifetime warranty,so if you put them on a non-Audi application they are not covered? One of my old High School buddies bought a Citreon back in '63 which had an interesting suspension which would raise and lower with a touch here is some info on that:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydropneumatic_suspension

 

$800, to avoid the look of a conventional airbag?

 

Those are brilliant. Wonder what kind of pressure it takes to make them work?

 

Air shocks were never designed to lift the weight of a vehicle, only designed to support any added load to bring the vehicle back to the original height. Alot of guys used them to jack their cars up. Eventually the shock mounts fail from too much weight. If I remember correctly, air shocks had a 800 pound rating.

 

I had a set of air shocks fail on my ElCamino recently. lasted 6 months, and I only leveled the car, to compensate for the sagging rear springs. Just a band aid, and a poor one at that.

 

weren't they factory equipment on your el camino ?

 

the minitruck guys started out using four in the front and two in the rear. Never heard any horror stories and there are still a few using them. They make plenty for different applications and weight ratings. Look into Shockwaves. They have a setup that uses sleeve bags so its similar in appearance

 

Interesting question, seems like they do the same thing but they don't. Typically the upper shock mount really isn't designed to carry a lot of load. In my air ride installs I want the car to sit low so in that way the air spring/shock is carrying a substantial portion of the load.

I'm just finishing up an AirRide install on my '56 Thunderbird. Shockwaves, from RideTech, are not "air shocks" per se, they are air springs, rolling sleeve type, that have a damper (shock) incorporated into the design.

The Shockwave carries load as an airspring and performs the damping function of the shock absorber. It mounts in place of the stock shock. Reason it works is the top shock mounts on the '56 'Bird are through a frame crossmember.

A couple leaf springs from each side are removed, to drop the car. Aired up the Shockwave picks up the load carrying capacity lost by the deleted leaves.

 

St.Lois Cummins, you stated you don't like the looks of bags. Can you see them on my 63 Belair in my avatar?