Air Ride Suspension for the Pantera - Front and Back!

Do you have a tank? I put a tank in but for just the front 2, I am not sure I really needed it. Where did you put the pump?

Scott, I that something new and blue in the driveway? LOL

If you are offering a system, I am also interested in just the front

quote:

Originally posted by ZR1 Pantera:
So this is what you can do with Air Ride suspension. The car looks really cool this low. Great for car shows!



I have heard it said that Air Suspension doesn’t belong on a sports car. And while I agree to a point, this thing rides GREAT!

It has much more body roll than it did with the coilovers but not so much that it feels it can't hit the next corner at twice the speed limit.



Now I installed the lowest cost shocks with air springs available. I could spend a bunch more money and get track quality shocks under the air springs and I may do that to report back how they work. So far I am impressed with the ride quality and the ability to raise the front for trailer loading or steep driveways.



I am using the digital version so I have 3 presents available. #1 is car show mode and is very low. #2 is normal ride height mode and #3 is load it onto a trailer or steep driveway mode. Ride height changes are almost instantaneous with a small air tank on board. The current system can be tuned via a small screen display allowing me to change the ride height on any corner of the car independently...



Next I will be installing optional ride height sensors so the programed height will be exact as opposed to ride height based on air pressure alone.

quote:

Originally posted by comp2:
Do you have a tank? I put a tank in but for just the front 2, I am not sure I really needed it. Where did you put the pump?

Hi Gary,

Yes, I have a 3 gallon tank installed were the stock fuel tank used to be. You are right, most people don't use a tank when running just the 2 fronts but it is nice to have instant height changes rather than having to wait for a pump.

I installed the air pump way up high behind the passenger gill, behind where the stock water tanks would be. It is not visible at all. Still a bit noisey but fortunately, it doesn't need to run too often.

Scott

quote:

Originally posted by ItalFord:
Scott, I that something new and blue in the driveway? LOL

lol, you noticed... That is Chris's new car. His 2011 Corvette is for sale...

quote:

Originally posted by pantera chris:
If you are offering a system, I am also interested in just the front

Hi Chris,

We have been offering a front only air ride system for years. Please see:

http://www.saccrestorations.ne...wave-airride-series/

Let me know if you have any questions.

Scott

I mounted mine in back on the drivers side too. The compressor was put in the void around the frame structure. I made a plate for the bottom for it to mount to. You can see it sticking up here.

Good to be able to clear the driveway on exit and other things. It will help a lot when I put it on a trailer.

I also put a fill port right behind the seat I can fill with an air compressor.

quote:

I mounted mine in back on the drivers side too. The compressor was put in the void around the frame structure. I made a plate for the bottom for it to mount to. You can see it sticking up here.

Good to be able to clear the driveway on exit and other things. It will help a lot when I put it on a trailer.

I also put a fill port right behind the seat I can fill with an air compressor.

Very nice Gary, I'm also planning on installing a remote fill port...

Is that an Electromtive ignition coil array I see there in the pic?

Yes

Scott,

Cool product! You car looks bad ass at that ride height!!!


Ron

Scott,

I assume the only reason you have more body roll is that the shocks have softer valving than your previous set-up. Can you specify the valving you want when you order the shocks or do they just offer "street" and "track" valving?

Is the ride firmer at taller ride heights?

what height is it between the chassis and the ground?

quote:

Originally posted by Anders Hellberg:
what height is it between the chassis and the ground?

I would ask that question this way, what is the height of the roof? Mine is at 42 inches now.

quote:

Originally posted by David_Nunn:
Scott,

I assume the only reason you have more body roll is that the shocks have softer valving than your previous set-up. Can you specify the valving you want when you order the shocks or do they just offer "street" and "track" valving?

Is the ride firmer at taller ride heights?

Hi David,

You are correct, I purchased the least expensive NON-Adjustable shocks that had the correct air-spring. The Air-Spring Shocks do come in RQ(ride quality), HQ(handling quality), TQ(track quality) and Electronic like I had on the car before with the coilovers.

The shocks beneath the air springs are the same high quality shocks that are part of the coil-overs we sell. The only difference is the coil-over spring is replaced by an air-spring.

So from a handling perspective, I can move to a better quality shock to improve the body roll issue. I could also play with the roll bars.

The RQ shocks have factory valving that is set for the best quality ride and is not adjustable.
The HQ shocks have single adjustable valving for good adjustability for street/track at an affordable price.
The TQ shocks have triple adjustable valving for great adjustability for track/street driving.
The Electronic shocks have 2 fixed valve stacks for instantaneous changes between the two settings, soft or firm.

The above is true for both coil-spring model shocks or air-spring models shocks. All four model coil-over shocks have adjustable ride height. The air-spring model shocks have adjustable ride height with the change in air pressure. The air-spring shocks are designed to work best when the ride height is set in the mid-travel range. The higher pressure from a higher ride height will indeed cause a stiffer ride but to get to the point were it is too stiff, the car would be riding high like a 4x4...

Scott

quote:

what height is it between the chassis and the ground?

I will measure it and let you know...

quote:

Originally posted by PanteraDoug:

quote:

Originally posted by Anders Hellberg:
what height is it between the chassis and the ground?

I would ask that question this way, what is the height of the roof? Mine is at 42 inches now.

With the car at "car show display ride height" the roof is 40 inches high!!!

A few years ago I had these guys make me an air lift kit for my Viper. It is basically a small air canister that fits on top of any adjustable coil over shock. It worked very very well. It allows you to maintain the performance of the coilover but then give you 2-3" of lift when needed. Might be worth checking out. I think the guys name was Rav or Raj or something. Nice guy and a good quality product. http://www.umbrellaautodesign.com/vrh-lift-system