Airlift suspension reliability

Mashburn94

hey guys, ive been doing a bit of research here and on other forums. Tax time is here so suspension is what I am going to upgrade.

How reliable is the airlift kit that they sell? Everyone says as long as you use DOT rated fittings you will be fine. Are the ones that come with the Airlift kit DOT rated?

and overall, how durable/reliable are the air struts? This is my daily driver, so I would like it to be as reliable as possible.

scope22

First, i dont know about bags, i've heard that they may pop and then you have to tow, i'm getting air cups system on my DD so i can drive lowered and be able to lift over bumps, not slammed obviously since cups only go about 2 inches.

Mashburn94

Yes, that is a possibility. But semi trucks have been using air suspension for years, also BMW, Audi, and I think Mercedes offer them from the factory, so it has to be reliable.

I am just curious if Airlift is reliable when it comes to nags, if not I will get another brand.

scope22

Sure...google "bmw air suspension problems"

Mashburn94

I am not interested in BMW's air suspension haha. I am just trying to figure out if Airlift bags are reliable or if I should go with another manufacture for the bags.

scope22

I spoke with a shop about this recently and they said don't do air suspension due to moisture in lines....maybe cause i'm in the south...but i'm doing it anyway, i may add some water traps to the compressor. problem with bags is that you're driving with them inflated all the time.

david123500

yeah get traps and empty your air tank for water every 2-3 weeks you should be fine. just be sure when you set up your trunk that you make it easily accessible to remove the tank or attach a line to the tank to remove the water.

MaysEffect

The cons about reliability problems are a bit of a null discussion. If you go with any of the top name companies out supplying air bags you probably wont run in to any major problems. Airlift uses firestone bags i believe which a fairly high quality for the money.

Water isn't a massive issue other than it creating some problems for the pump, so yes, evacuating the tank on a regular bases is necessary.

The only open ended question is the damper design. This is still a crapshoot imo as most of the dampers offered with airlift kits are some random generic damper.

However because air bag kits are rather kits, you can easily mix and match parts as needed. The main thing that needs to be picked carefully is the leveling system and the lines. The tank, compressor and bags themselves can be swapped out relatively easily.