Air Ride Common FAQ’s

What is the maximum drop?

The kit is designed to be limited by the shocks compressed length to just fully compress at the point where your spring plate hits the upper cup where the bump stop would originally land. The compressed shock length we supply is 222mm Eye-Eye. If you want a shorter shock and a single bellow bag we sell these also and they are interchangeable. The kit has the full capability to sit the running boards on the floor with no issue. The reason we use a shock of this size is firstly safety, and two you can still roll with no air pressure.

Does the kit add restriction on tyre, wheel size?

The mounts are all mounted behind the inner wings, there is no restrictions over factory fitment. The lower mounts sit behind the spring plate so if you have a wide back spaced wheel it will hit the spring plate before it can hit the lower mount.

Do I remove the torsion bars?

Yes, remove both the front and rear completely. The weight of the vehicle will be carried entirely by your air system from here on.

Can I still run heaters?

Yes, the “Revolution” cantilever rear air ride kit accommodates for the facility to reconnect factory heaters – suited across all Beetle, Ghia & Type 3 Platforms.

How does it ride?

The ride is in my opinion not noticeably different to a normal lowered beetle. If I lean on my front wings they have the same feel and stiffness as it did running the Spax Static dropped before. Also the rear feels the same, I still drive the 1300 in my ’66 flat out round every corner and it stays level.

What are the lifting pressures?

The lift pressure on this kit is around 30 PSI for the front depending on fuel and how many burgers you’ve had, the rear is more like 15-20 PSI.

What air systems can I use?

All the kits we build and retail use ¼” line for two reasons. One is that all systems use this, from Airlift, Accuair, Prazis, etc. the second is that you get a better overall ride. If you imagine the airline as an extension to the shock / bags air capacity, having a larger bore line makes the air quicker to move up/down as there is a larger path for the air to move it also means the air can compress and expand over a larger area when driving, making a softer ride. We feel it is better to use the shock or bag capacity alone to control the height. This gives a feel not dissimilar coilovers.

We offer both manual (analogue) and digital set-ups. They both do the same purpose, however digital systems offer significantly more features. Systems such as 3P offer “rise on start” and presets to ensure you never drive away without air-ing the vehicle up or instantly fill to the correct pressures for certain terrains. 3P also has the ability to add height sensors if required.

Why 4-Valve not 2-Valve?

First and most obvious is safety, sounds cheesy but if you do have a failure for any reason, it’s a lot easier to drive on 3 than 2. It pretty much never happens but it’s a nice feeling to know you won’t be stranded. The other reason is ride quality. Remember the old hydro-elastic suspension systems found on Austin Allegros used a gateway across the width of the car. Although it’s great for comfort you end up with massive air shift from left to right resulting in a sort of roll effect. This is stopped completely by 4-Valve as the air cannot move left to right as well as front to back improving the ride.

Smart Car Tyres, why?

Smart car tyres are used commonly on lowered VW’s on the front so to allow steering within the wings on Beetle /Ghia’s and steer within the tubs on Bus/Vans. The term refers to the sizes of the tyres, not if they actually came off a smart car, they are typically 135/70R15 or 145/65R15, you can get some even skinnier versions but we would not recommend any less than this.

What should I use to seal the air fitting threads?

We recommend using a PTFE based thread sealant paste, from experience it is much more reliable at sealing threads than the conventional PTFE tape. This can be purchased from any local hardware store.

Is there anything else I should consider with Air Ride?

Dropped Air Ride Spring Plates:

It will be a matter of a couple of hundred miles before your mate without them will be spending more on rubber than the cost of the plates themselves.
The extreme toe-in combined with the camber will chew through tyres in no time. View these here

For more information or details on this product, please see our videos on YouTube