A quick visit from Air Lift Suspension

Posted by Jason on 1/24/2013 to How It Works

We're getting to know Airlift Suspension systems surprisingly well. They attended our car show back in November, where they showed off their line of airbag suspensions on a Saleen Mustang, and to a lesser extent, their Scion xB show car. Despite all our efforts to the contrary, Airlift's Air Ride suspension system for the 2005 to 2013 Mustangs is still getting a bad rap. Yes, the kiddies with their Golf's and GTI's love these things. Yes, they can slam your car down until it's resting on the pavement. But do all those things really invalidate the entire system? The answer is no. No, they do not. The fact is Air Lift's Air Ride kits for the Mustang are the last kits that you'll probably even need, if you're willing to pay for the privilege. Luckily, Air Lift gives you every reason to want to.

Air Lift's Western Region Manager Matt Dougherty brought their 2005 Mustang GT show car by our shop for a little face time so that we all could learn a little bit more about their Air Ride suspension systems. The first rumor we need to quickly dispel is that the ride is this rock-hard, back-breaking experience. Given that almost everyone here at Stage 3 got to take a ride around the block in AirLift's Mustang and made it home not only unscathed, but smiling, must mean something. The ride is nothing short of incredible. Cruising down the street at traditional race height without the constant crashing and crunching that you would typically experience with other performance setups is awesome. Matt Dougherty was our guide and driver for Air Lift's amazing car. "It has the performance of coilovers with OE ride quality and a great stance," he said. Barely feeling the railroad tracks down the road as we went over them at 50 miles per hour with barely a a bounce while lowered made me a believer.

Air suspension systems are nothing new. The first pneumatic suspensions appeared at the turn of the century and have found their way onto numerous production cars throughout the years. Air suspensions were (and still are) hugely popular for looks and were an alternative to more intensive hydraulic kits for bouncing your beater Chevy truck or import boy racer off the pavement. Air kits ended up with a bad reputation that was somewhat deserved, but they've come a long way since those dark ages. Many modern OEMs offer air suspension systems on their productions cars, though these systems are fairly limited in adjustability and customization. That's where Air Lift comes in.

Air Lift's Air Ride suspension kits are built first and foremost for performance and adjustability. With over 5 inches of total travel, the Mustang Air Ride kits can ride just below stock height to dropped down and dirty. The kit comes with Air Ride's specially-designed Auto Pilot V2 digital controller that can store up to 8 preset suspension configurations. All four corners are independently adjustable to help you fine-tune the perfect suspension settings for your application. Air Lift's car, for instance, came with all eight settings filled up for one person, two people, three people, four people, maximum height, rear at minimum height, and a full drop. The settings can be changed while the Mustang is in motion, instantly sending air into the proper bellows. The customization options make it perfect for the weekend track car. "You can just drive it to the track," Matt said, "You don't need a trailer." All you really need to do is store a preset for street driving and another for your ideal race height. All you have to do is get to the track, press a button, and you're ready to race. When you leave, same deal. No polishing your undercarriage to get it back and forth to the track. The suspension components don't weight any more than the factory shocks and struts so they won't add to your Mustang's unsprung weight (though the tank and compressor add to total curb weight).

The entire system is built to be abused. Each of the front struts feature a high-quality monotube construction and come standard with anodized aluminum end caps. The bellows are made out of a durable two-ply rubber and come standard with a lifetime warranty. If they deteriorate, crack, or fail in any way, Air Lift will replace them. The rear shocks are equally tough with heavy duty air sleeves that can take all sorts of strain. If the kit's components aren't proof enough, then maybe Air Lift's car can prove it. They started out with a bone stock 2005 Mustang GT and threw on their Air Ride suspension kit (of course), six-piston Baer Brakes on all four corners, a Vortech V-3 intercooled supercharger kit, MRT exhaust, 20" Rotiform wheels wrapped in Hankook Ventus V12s, and a complete ground effects kit. This car has been driven hard on both the track and the street all over the country, from show to show, racking up a ton of mileage the entire time. It still rides like new. Smooth, crisp, clean over poorly-maintained Phoenix roads that shake most of our daily drivers apart. Air Lift's Mustang rolls over bumps like they're nothing and turns so flat with such little body roll that there's just no comparison to anything else. The only other suspension modification on Air Lift's Mustang is a Hotchkiss rear sway bar, but it handles like it's decked out with every sway bar, brace, and performance suspension component under the sun. Yet, it rides like its on cushy OEM shocks and struts. It's completely awesome and wholly counterintuitive."Everyone thinks air suspension will ride like a tank," Matt said, "Then they ride in it and change their mind."

We have just expanded our Air Lift lineup to include a a front strut kit, a rear suspension kit, and options for air tank size and hosing sizes. Don't hesitate to contact Stage 3 directly with any questions or to get a customized kit without an air tank at reduced cost.

A quick visit from Air Lift Suspension.

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Robert Mainville

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