Conventional shock and spring suspension systems that feature steel components provide a vehicle with great handling and make for an all-round fantastic performance. Air suspension, however, replaces these components with heavy-duty rubber airbags that can be inflated using either an in-vehicle or external air compressor. This lets the vehicle raise or lower itself depending on how inflated the airbag is and can make a car much more comfortable to drive or make it look better. Does air suspension affect performance? Yes – but not necessarily in a bad way. Modern kits also have things such as camber adjustable top mounts and adjustable damping, meaning you can have the best of both worlds.
It’s important to note that there are two different types of air suspension: ‘semi’ air suspension and ‘full’ air suspension.
‘Semi-air suspension’ supports a car’s existing suspension. We often find this on heavy goods vehicles or lorries. An air spring is fitted between the chassis and the rear axle, which raises the ride height of the vehicle and generates greater spring travel. In this way, the semi air suspension helps to increase the level of comfort and stability when travelling in your vehicle.
If you’ve got suspension problems, full air suspension could be a fully automatic and adjustable solution. The conventional suspension system is completely replaced by a full air suspension system that filters out unevenness in the road surface, making the ride much more comfortable.
So ultimately, the one big difference between conventional and air suspension systems is that instead of the car sitting on a coil spring, it’s sitting on a rubber bellow of compressed air. Since the bags aren’t pre-inflated, they are fed by an air tank and electric air compressor, the car to be raised and lowered simply by inflating and deflating the bag.