odd thought about suspension

[mat3833]

ok, i was thinking(uh-oh!), does any company offer a speed-dependant adjustable suspension?

ok let me explain, around town at about 40 the 4.5 or so inches of my TS ground clearance is almoast too little but i can live with it. now on the highway, which is smoother any has no potholes wouldnt the car benefit from sitting say, 1.5 or 2 inches lower? im my mind this would reduce drag, increace stability and save money on gas! i know ferraris and such have a "selectable dampening and spring rate" control but i just want the car to squat at like 70.

if nobody sells something like that does anyone know of an in-cab adjustable suspension?? i have a feeling i could fiddle with it and make it do what i want.

questions, concerns, opinions??

Matt

[SMG]

Air suspension will let you adjust the settings on the fly.

[mat3833]

how so they ride tho? i heard airs can be kinda bouncy.

Matt

[noR]

I know of dampers that are adjustable from inside the car.

but ride height is not in most cases.

[gbgti]

It is on my Touareg

[Billsbug]

Originally Posted by gbgti

It is on my Touareg

"The optional air suspension features adjustable ride height and Continuous Damping Control, which varies shock stiffness according to driving conditions. The driver can select among three damping modes: Comfort, Sport, and Auto. The Sport mode is firmer, and we found it offered better handling on winding roads with less wallowing in corners and less chassis oscillation. The Comfort mode feels softer, and we found it to be more comfortable on bumpy roads. Road vibration can be felt even in the Comfort mode, however, particularly with the 19-inch wheels. And even in the Sport mode, this is a heavy vehicle that reacts more ponderously in corners than a sedan. We found it was often best to select the Auto mode, as the system does a good job of adjusting the damping automatically according to driving conditions.

The air suspension can adjust ride height automatically or manually. In normal operation, the driver need do nothing. The system maintains an 8.7-inch ground clearance in normal driving. At 87 mph, it automatically lowers the ride height to 7.7 inches, dropping the center of gravity and reducing wind resistance. At 118 mph, it lowers the ride height to 7.3 inches. We didn't hit the 118-mph mark, but found the Touareg quite stable at high speeds. When heading off the pavement or wading through deep snow, the driver can manually raise the high ride height to 9.6 inches by turning a knob. To ford extreme obstacles, the driver can select an ultra-high mode, raising the ground clearance to an impressive 11.8 inches. The extra-high level raises the suspension to the tops of the springs, making the ride uncomfortable, however, so you'll want to switch back to the high setting as soon as you clear the obstacle. It sometimes takes a moment to raise the suspension to the extra-high level.So the technique is to approach the obstacle, raise the suspension to the extra-high level, clamber over, and then lower it to the high level. We tackled Hell's Revenge near Moab, a challenging off-road trail, without any trouble and easily drove down the Dragon's Tail, only invoking the top level on a few occasions. On the other end of the spectrum, the ultra-low kneeling mode, which lowers the height to 6.3 inches, is quite useful for getting less-agile passengers in or out or when loading cargo or unloading big dogs. A handy side benefit of the system is that an air hose can be plugged into the system under the passenger's seat and used to inflate the tires or accessories.

In addition to adjusting the ride height, the optional air suspension automatically adjusts suspension damping, or stiffness, according to driving conditions."

[vdubbugman53]

air ride is sooooo nice. Brother has it on his scion and it feel like....well....like your riding on air

[mat3833]

i really dont feel like fooling with the compresor and such tho...! oh well, if its the best... any companies/kits you guys recomend?

Matt

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by mat3833

i really dont feel like fooling with the compresor and such tho...! oh well, if its the best... any companies/kits you guys recomend?

Matt

Hey matt, with the nice roads you have down there- What's the point of air ride? You can go nuts with low drops and high spring rates with no ill effect in FL.

[mat3833]

haha, you have to be joking right? at an inch lower you would probobly rip your bumper off...

Matt

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by mat3833

haha, you have to be joking right? at an inch lower you would probobly rip your bumper off...

Matt

Nahhhh! Not in FL at least.
Just don't go into any parking lots or driveways, or the mall, and steer clear of Sanford entirely and you'll be fine!

[Billsbug]

I'm lowered 2.5", plus have a body kit, and I never scrape. U just need a stiff suspension.

[mat3833]

yea, dont go in orange city either... if the entrances to parking lots were smooth there would be no problem lowering the car. but i dont feel like having a super stiff suspension to keep my bumper attached to my car.

Mat

[Billsbug]

Originally Posted by mat3833

yea, dont go in orange city either... if the entrances to parking lots were smooth there would be no problem lowering the car. but i dont feel like having a super stiff suspension to keep my bumper attached to my car.

Mat

I can negotiate sharp degree entrance/exits from parking lots w/ no scraping at all. Not at great speeds of course, but by easing in and out.

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by mat3833

yea, dont go in orange city either... if the entrances to parking lots were smooth there would be no problem lowering the car. but i dont feel like having a super stiff suspension to keep my bumper attached to my car.

Mat

I had a 98 taurus down there and it would scrape in a bunch of the 17/92 entrances, esp. up by blue springs! And it was stock.

[mat3833]

thats why i built a baja!

Matt

[earodgers2030]

Originally Posted by mat3833

ok, i was thinking(uh-oh!), does any company offer a speed-dependant adjustable suspension?

ok let me explain, around town at about 40 the 4.5 or so inches of my TS ground clearance is almoast too little but i can live with it. now on the highway, which is smoother any has no potholes wouldnt the car benefit from sitting say, 1.5 or 2 inches lower? im my mind this would reduce drag, increace stability and save money on gas! i know ferraris and such have a "selectable dampening and spring rate" control but i just want the car to squat at like 70.

if nobody sells something like that does anyone know of an in-cab adjustable suspension?? i have a feeling i could fiddle with it and make it do what i want.

questions, concerns, opinions??

Matt

Hey there,

I was just reading another thread about some adjustable ride coil-overs....

Originally Posted by NBTurboFreak

I am thinking of going with the Patec I.S.S by next summer if possible.

I hope this helps....

Laters,

Eric

[mat3833]

wow, that is almoast perfect! but there is no price!

wait.... 2300.00, can you spell OUCH!

Matt

[Picknicker]

Air rides are fine for show - but I wouldn't go on trackdays with them or drive to sporty.

Also Bilstein has an electonic adjustable coilover (I just don't know if it's also available for the NB).

I've also heard about someone, combining coilovers and an airride in his 3-Series BMW - he ran on the coilovers when the airride was deflatet (and it was supposed to be equal a not existing airride - hard to explain in english - like he only had coilovers) - if the airride was enflated it was like going with an airride... So that might be what you are searching for.

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

If you're dropping your car like that only because you like the look then air suspension would probably work for you, however, if you like hard cornering, performance maneuvering at speed and real spirited driving, then air suspension is not the way to go.

The best height for your car is dependant on the terrain and the type of driving you do, a low center of gravity is good but a car can be too low thereby creating a negative response, just like bigger isn't always better, lowest also isn't necessarily better.

There are many things to consider when lowering a vehicle because there are many areas of a vehicle that are effected when it is lowered, the idea is to lower the car to a point where the best center of gravity is achieved without jeopardizing the functional integrity of the car or any of it's parts.

With a daily driver, lowering the vehicle to the point where the suspension must be excessively stiffened in order to prevent constant bump stop contact or chassis to road contact, well this basically destroys the function of the suspension, it might feel acceptable at low speeds but loss of control could result at higher speeds, especially on uneven/bumpy surfaces.

Cars that have been excessively lowered and/or have highly stiffened suspensions have been known to flip over or suffer loss of control when faced with panic situations.

A suspension system is only effective when it can keep all four tires in contact with the ground, if suspension travel is restricted due to some of the conditions mentioned above, then the suspension system becomes a "hazard" rather than a "help".