jfzaki

Hi Guys

As you know I am new here and from Egypt where we recently replaced our camels with cars . So I bought a Del Sol EG1 chassis with a D16A9 engine (not B). Its ground clearance is a little over 2" which isn't the best in this country as pot holes, bumps, humps and stuff that you don't expect to find on the road are actually on the road and are more than the number of cars! Therefore, I want to install something like this

http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/perf...uspension_Kits

which worth about a years salary in this country! (no comment please!!!).

This is because every Time I come close to a speed hump my heart race like crazy and I hear that unpleasant noise of the hump scratching my underbody. Mind that two days ago, my oil sump hit a sewage hole cover and thanks god it didn't crack. Today I am going to install an undertray to protect the car from underneath but I want to also be able to raise and lower the car at the flip of a button.

Hence I want your opinion guys about:
1. This product in the link
2. cheaper / better products that are bolt-on with little or no mods.
3. does anyone know if I will be able to DIY?
4. expected lifetime considering moderate use.
5. do I need to do any mods for such a system?

I have emailed the guys selling this product and waiting to hear from them. you input is invaluable.

johnzy00

Air ride technology is a great option. They have kits that are almost completly bolt on (minus routing the air lines) If your cabable of replacing struts then you would be able to install a air ride kit. They are actually pretty simple. Good luck with your build. Got any good pictures of were your from? You should install it and drive next to a camel and dump the air out and see what the camel does. lol

iRIDElow

i do a lot of air ride, in fact thats about all i do, and the air lift kits are ok, but i would definetly upgrade to a dual pack viair compressors one compressor is WAYYYYY to slow, and 1/4" air line is pretty slow on your lift and dump (how fast the car riases and lowers) they are supplying you with 3/8" valves id say spend the money and buy 3/8" dot air line (stuff is cheap like $20) and it will require a few extra 3/8" fittings but you will be much more happy with it.......

TPH-DC2

pretty expensive shyt around here

starion88esir

You'd be better off piecing together your own kit at that price. That's insane. I also don't care for sleeve bags, not that much lift or drop, and at one time some of the air lift set ups had a problem with the inner ring rubbing against the bag causing blowouts over time. That might have been fixed by now, or specific to certain kits, but I still don't like them.

I'd suggest you find a set of EAI air cylinders (these are rebuildable), a tank, 8 3/8" SMC valves, 2 Viair compressors, a good water trap and some slowdowns to place on the 3/8" inch line. 3/8" would hop my Civic off the ground if I filled or dumped hard. Your Del Sol I'm sure is lighter than my hatch.

Pictures so you can see the amount of lift/drop you get on cylinders.

lifted


dropped


set up (yours would obviously need to take up less space, and disregard the lack of a water trap at the time. GET ONE or you'll rust out your tank)

iRIDElow

and please dont let it look like this when your done, if you need any help id be more than happy to help you with the setup and plumbing the valves and running lines, but i do agree with you being a ble to piece together a kit for a lot less, if looking into cylinders they are a much stiffer ride than a strut bag and the rubbing problem was only on a batch of bags and was fixed and havent seen or heard any other issues with them

jfzaki

[QUOTE=starion88esir;42023845]You'd be better off piecing together your own kit at that price. That's insane. I also don't care for sleeve bags, not that much lift or drop, and at one time some of the air lift set ups had a problem with the inner ring rubbing against the bag causing blowouts over time. That might have been fixed by now, or specific to certain kits, but I still don't like them.

I'd suggest you find a set of EAI air cylinders (these are rebuildable), a tank, 8 3/8" SMC valves, 2 Viair compressors, a good water trap and some slowdowns to place on the 3/8" inch line. 3/8" would hop my Civic off the ground if I filled or dumped hard. Your Del Sol I'm sure is lighter than my hatch.

Pictures so you can see the amount of lift/drop you get on cylinders.

lifted

dude, how big (dimensions please) is that tank/compressor back there? I don't think my delsol has a place to fit this!

I have seen
http://www.stylinsolutions.com/ec/product.aspx?id=2160 for the SMC valves, anybody know these guys and a cheaper price?

I am still looking for the EAI but don't seem to find their website, if you can please direct me.

jfzaki

also are these bolt-on stuff?? or do I need to weld and do modifications?

@iridelow: yes I would definitely need help once I start doing it.

iRIDElow

the picture of the setup is completely a wast of space a cluster plumb all your valves together and hide them (spare tire well, behind bumper, etc) ally ou will need to be worried about si mounting tank and compressor and the size of the tank is going to vary on which one you decide to go with a 5 gallon is about 2ft long and about a foot deep and i usually mount compressors in front of them angled it looks pretty nice....in most cases i get a sheet of 3/4" MDF board and cut it to fit where you want in (in most cases i shove it as far back in the trunk as possible, and then i mount the compressors next to it) soo once yuo get your board cut i usually drill my holes and mount everything and then pull it all back off and use a 3m spray adhesive and rap some speaker box carpet or whatever kind of material you want and go along the back side with staples soo the carpet stays, then re mount everything and go from there....and i like to mount the valves in the spare tire well soo i can run all the air lines behind the tank and under the floor and down to the spare tire well soo you cant see anything, if you have any other questions let me know man me a buddy started doing air suspension back in the day just because we enjoyed doing it and didnt wanna open a shop soo now when people off all the forums we do them

these pics are of a buddies car i did, he wanted nitrogen also and his bottle only fit in the back soo we mounted it in the back and the tank up front but you get the idea.....



this is the spare tire well on the same car and the valves plumbed up



and along the lines of a guages i made this for the car outta his upper console it was a sunglass holder that flipped open and i molded the guages in and got it painted and it is still a functioning sunroof switch and lights

jfzaki

@iRideLow: thanks man this is a pretty neat installation.

Listen though, I had in mind getting or even custom doing a pancake tank that have a smaller centre than the edges and use a small spare wheel like those used in Golf or Ibeza to fit on top of the tank so it is not taking a lot of space. That is, fit the tank and also keep the spare wheel. Then mount half the valves and one compressor on the very left and far back as possible behind the rear left wheel arch and do the same for the right side. This would still keep a lot of the space in the boot. However I don't now much about the logistics of the airlines in this case. What do you think? it feels pretty neat to me.

see my humble pictures...

and yes the pancake tank .. found it here http://www.stylinsolutions.com/ec/Product.aspx?ID=2208

iRIDElow

that works, i would hide he vavles inside that panel they are a big eye sore and everytime ive always popped trunk people like the way compressors look for some reason soo i show them off haha but anyways you can mount all the stuff anywere you can fit it and that is more practical for you in my personal ride i have it in the trunk because i dont use the trunk.....its all up to you and are you going to run rubber D.O.T. line or run/bend copper line? i dont use the rubber DOT line anymore because it wants to kink if you need it to make any sharp corners and it can easily be rubbed threw, and it will blow un like copper tubing, it takes a little longer to run and bend but its worth it and doesnt cathc leaks like the DOT stuff. and again its all up to you i had a friend that uses his trunk every day soo he mounted valves like in the picture i posted behind the bumper, pancake tank in the spare tire well and compressors one on each side of the trunk and never lsot any space at all it all depends where you wanna put them towards what you are doing but dont make a mess and leave it looking like junk like that other setup. after ive had to fix a bunch of diffrent setups and seeing what other people do, spend the extra time cleaning everything up and running lines where ever keep in mind you gotta look at it all the time dont make a rats nest of junk

jfzaki

absolutely I do agree. It has to look nice and neat while functioning well. That's what I meant about the logistics of the setup. I.e how the wires, airlines, etc are going to be between the compressors valves on both sides and tank in the middle?

Also, I seem to not know all the required items. Do you mind giving me some rough guide about the bill or materials?

I know I need
1. 2x compressors Viair
2. 8x 3/8" SMC valves
3. airlines (would they be copper or DOT) also what about 1/8"
4. one tank
5. the EAI cylinders / air shocks (i am unable to locate their website so far) I need minimum mods if any!!
6. pressure guages??
7. what else????

iRIDElow

you will need....

2 compressors viair makes good dual packs (the new 440's are quiet and cheap, or oyu can go 380s, or 480s....
tank
(8) 3/8" valves
3/8" air line (i like copper, but DOT works fine also)
pressure switch
cyliners there are diffrent ones for the front and the rear just bigger due to motor being up front/ or the air shocks/ stuts whatever you decided to run
guages
2 rocker switches
quick disconnect fittings ( best quality is from www.ekstensive.com there local for me but they are very large nation wide soo you can call them up)
power wire, and switch wire (i like 16 guage dual wire its color coded)
zip ties, tools, and time haha i may be forgetting some but you get it

jfzaki

so if dot lines or copper lines, don't I need end fittings to fit those into the valves...something like the brake lines ends? also stuff like 90 degrees elbow connector or do these stuff come with the valves/ struts?

check this link and pictures.
http://www.lowrideredge.com/tech/030...kit/index.html

also if you can advice on the cylinder brands?

95topless

is that a factory remote??? i didnt know del sol's had remotes?
sorry for the off-topicness

iRIDElow

ya you will need all kind of fittings go to

https://www.ekstensive.com/store/ind...80c5c7a6cacd81

you will use what is called a quick disconnect fitting on anything that requires the air line to enter into it all the other fittings that will be needed if you check back at my block of valves you can see the quick disconnects and then the other normal brass fittings, and all the other brass fittings you can get at any other home improvement store, and again it depends on what you wanna do for air line DOT works and it is easier and quicker to run copper line is harder to run you have to bend it and cut it., and honestly i have used a cylinder in a little while im not sure who even sells them anymore im sure with some research you can find some and as long as they sell rebuild kits your good to go

another good site that is very informative on air ride is

www.streetsourcemag.com
www.suicidedoors.com

jfzaki

this is not my vehicle i was too lazy to go out and take a photo so i downloaded this. mine is black and it does have a remote although I STRONGLY believe it is aftermarket

jfzaki

@iRideLow:
the only problem my friend is i live in Egypt and I MUST make sure i get every nut and bolt all at once because what is available in the US may not be available here and the installation could take months considering international delivery times............etc. that's why I NEED a complete bill of materials up to every bolt and nut required.

95soul

You must have seen the Bagged' white Del Sol in Fast and Furious that was on screen for like 3 seconds. Only one I have ever seen in my entire life.

jfzaki

No I don't recall seeing them in the movie as I saw it long time ago but I recall seeing them on ebay yesterday for slightly less than 500$ a pair and I'm considering them as I haven't found any air cylinders that are good and well priced. do you know any?

iRIDElow

well honestly thats hard to say because honestly on every bag job we have ever done we hit up auto part/ hoe depot a few times during the install, best thing i would say is some times i get a piece of paper and draw my tank, then draw my compressors next to it, then i make a layout of my valves and then draw my bags on each corners and find out what size and of what fittings you will need kinda like a big dumb drawing but if you map it out then you will be good, (basic bag job will require some plugs for the tank because you wont use all the ports given, depending on the compressor leader hose you will run those directly into the tank, but the ports you will use may be 1/2" soo you may have to buy reducers, the bags/ or cylinders only have 1 port up top where they bolt in to the strut perch and those i cant remember what size they are but you will need 4 quick disconnects for them. the valve block consists of valves, tees, nipples, some reducers for guages fittings unless you buy the ones from suicide doors that have the 1/4" or 1/4" hole drilled out on the side then you will only need the 1/8" or 1/4" 90 quick dissconnect fitting, and then you will need the end quick disconnect fittings....keep in mind those valves only run one way, soo think of it in simple terms people make things harder than they are just think one the valve block as one side air goes in (the valves have arrows on them showing which way that is) then you run into the valve then the tee which is when the air makes it way to the bag then the other valve which is were it releases the air. soo when you wire it to the switches you wire up on the switch to the first valve and down to the second valve very simple if you look on my valve block the pressure switch is plumbed in the valve block which usually i plumb on the back side of the tank but his tank was right in the front and visible soo we didnt do that, i just made it in the valve block. if its easier for you write down all those fittings on my valve block and plumb it just like that soo you know you got what you need and then order a couple more of each because honestly the only thing i would be worried aobut getting would be those end quick disconnect fittings i get all my regular brass fittings at home depot or lowes or something like that those quick disconnect fittings are harder to get local (keep in mind thats in the US im not to sure what you have in egypt) soo in theory, you need tank fittings, cylinder/ bag fittings, fittings to make the valve blocks, and then guage fittings....some companies on line sell a fitting kits for front back side to side, now also keep in mind on this kit he only wanted fron and back, you will have 8 valves instead of the 4 that i used soo you will need to buy double of everything almost... but best thing i can say is if you are gonna have to wait on stuff threw customs buy more than you need soo you arnt almost done and need something minor and have to wait and also before you go and put it on plumb the valves and get them ready to install, then pplumb the tank and compressors, and make your trunk setup before you acctually go and do the install soo you dont have your car torn down and you not have everything to do the install

95topless

alighty thanks i was gonna say if they came with one then i didnt get it when i bought the car...

iRIDElow

and ya the remote is the prestige/audivox(or it looks identical to mine) one just like i have its aftermarket

starion88esir

I had a free hatch, and everything was directly accessible should ANYTHING go wrong. That's more important to me in my daily driver. Not to mention it was all out of site out of mind with the seats up, well, minus the hum of a compressor.

Where are your watertraps on your compressors? You wasted a **** load of space on your set up, you just hid the valves. You kiddy cornered the compressors wasting more space. You should have suspended the ait tank about the nitrogen tank and done the compressors on either side of the compressor. That would be clean and space saving. Yours is just more visually appealing, but still no more of a space saver. Not to mention you lose the spare tire with your set up, which is stupid to ditch on a daily driven car, imo.

Jfzaki - EAI is no longer doing air ride set ups but their cylinders are still available used and fully rebuildable should you decide to go that route.

I suggest you ditch air and go hydraulics. This is what I had planned but I need a truck so the hatch will most likely be finding a new home soon. Www.hydroholics.net you want a 1 pump 5 dump set up. They will make all your mounting brackets for you and if you get accumulators (which you should) the ride will be damn close to stock if not better unless locked up or layed out. Their customer service is the **** and they will send you every fitting you need all at one time and help you with ANY questions you may have no matter how small. They even ship worldwide.

jfzaki

@iRideLow: thanks man ... this is too much info. for now...

@starion88esir: Yeah, I was coming to the post today to say anyone know about hydrolics. I emailed the guys and they said they can ship to Egypt but shipping is extremely expensive.

Do you know the pros and cons of hydrolics Vs air?