Coilover VS Airbag IFS???
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Coilover VS Airbag IFS???
I am turning my '50 F1 pickup into a mild street rod. I will have a Ford 302 and C4 or C6 and 9" combo. I have it torn down to the frame and will be installing IFS next. I need feedback/do's/don'ts'/pros/cons of using either the Coilover IFS or Airbag IFS. Please, those of you who have them, give me guidance!! I think the coilovers are shiny and functional, and I would love the ability to put my truck in the weeds w/ the flick of a button. The prices are comparable, but how is the ride, maintenance, and functionality compared between Airbags & coilovers? Thanks in advance for your help!
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 1999
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From: Lower 48
Coilover VS Airbag IFS???
What about using a Volare/Aspen front end? It will give you the factory disk brakes/power steering as well as independant front and torsion bar suspension. You can set your ride height to your liking by simply adjusting the torsion bars.
Junior User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 89
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From: dallas,tx. area
Originally Posted by Ron Harmsen
I am turning my '50 F1 pickup into a mild street rod. I will have a Ford 302 and C4 or C6 and 9" combo. I have it torn down to the frame and will be installing IFS next. I need feedback/do's/don'ts'/pros/cons of using either the Coilover IFS or Airbag IFS. Please, those of you who have them, give me guidance!! I think the coilovers are shiny and functional, and I would love the ability to put my truck in the weeds w/ the flick of a button. The prices are comparable, but how is the ride, maintenance, and functionality compared between Airbags & coilovers? Thanks in advance for your help!
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
If you are planning a driver, go with the coilovers. IMHO airbags are for show, unless you like poor ride and handling coupled with severe tire wear for a feature only usable when parked. Also IMHO for an F1 the Jag SJ IFS is the way to go. Virtually a bolt in, with disks, R&P, and outstanding ride and handling with a low stance, and a low price to boot. Register on the site and do a search for a great thread on the install.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 369
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From: Rochester, NY, USA
You can achieve a good ride and good handling out of airbags and I don't care how many times I hear AXracer bash them, he doesn't change my mind and never will. I have ridden in at least a dozen bagged vehicles. Anything from passenger cars, to pickups, to suv's and if done properly they provide a ride far superior to springs. Throw in some sway bars and make sure you've got solenoids on each corner and they will handle too. Just check out the last issue of Classic Trucks where they took AirRide Tech's new '56 out on the track.
The only way your going to get a bad ride is if you do it wrong. Wrong pressure, wrong ride height, and bad shocks give a bad ride. Do your homework.
My only advice to anyone thinking of bags is to add up the cost of the peripherals. The bags themselves aren't real expensive but the stuff to make them work can add up.
The only way your going to get a bad ride is if you do it wrong. Wrong pressure, wrong ride height, and bad shocks give a bad ride. Do your homework.
My only advice to anyone thinking of bags is to add up the cost of the peripherals. The bags themselves aren't real expensive but the stuff to make them work can add up.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
I have no doubt they can be set up for optimum ride and/or handling, but run em up and down a few times and they won't be optimized any more unless you buy one of ART et al's very $$$ computerized control system to get back to the exact original setting. Take the springs out of an IFS and see how far the alignment changes thru it's travel range. If we change the ride height on one of our race cars even a couple inches, we have to do a complete realignment and/or change A arm lengths. Lift just one side even a small amount and it's even worse.
Speaking of all the stuff to make it work, best take a look at the size of all that stuff as well and figure out where you're gonna put it all.
Speaking of all the stuff to make it work, best take a look at the size of all that stuff as well and figure out where you're gonna put it all.
Last edited by AXracer; Jan 9, 2006 at 01:21 PM.
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Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,881
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From: North of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Wow, here's a blast from the past. [Wow, that post even had me down as a guest and not a member. That must have been before the FTE server updates.] Ya, since that time, I've gotten the Fatman MII crossmember with spring cups and have welded that in. 
I've got the lower MII arms and am slowly piecing together the rest of the front suspension. I plan to go with air bags, front and back.
I have just as much confidence in them and have installed a set in my '78 F150 so I get some real world testing and such from those until I get the pieces together for my '50 F1. I was getting some good work done on the old F1 until I got laid off from WCOM. (booooohissssss)
For now my baby is still sitting in pieces in the garage, on the side of the house, in the shed, and in the back yard. Sigh. 
Someday I'd like to have some $$$ to get back to work on it again. sigh..............
I've got the lower MII arms and am slowly piecing together the rest of the front suspension. I plan to go with air bags, front and back. I have just as much confidence in them and have installed a set in my '78 F150 so I get some real world testing and such from those until I get the pieces together for my '50 F1. I was getting some good work done on the old F1 until I got laid off from WCOM. (booooohissssss) For now my baby is still sitting in pieces in the garage, on the side of the house, in the shed, and in the back yard. Sigh. Someday I'd like to have some $$$ to get back to work on it again. sigh..............
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 369
Likes: 0
From: Rochester, NY, USA
Very true on the computerized ride height systems. They are very expensive and one of the only ways to pinpoint the exact ride height everytime. Gauges allow you to come close but not exact.
Coilover aren't flawless either. Add a fat driver (or passanger, or both) and a full tank of gas and you can change your ride height by a couple inches
Coilover aren't flawless either. Add a fat driver (or passanger, or both) and a full tank of gas and you can change your ride height by a couple inches
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Originally Posted by svooom
Very true on the computerized ride height systems. They are very expensive and one of the only ways to pinpoint the exact ride height everytime. Gauges allow you to come close but not exact.
Coilover aren't flawless either. Add a fat driver (or passanger, or both) and a full tank of gas and you can change your ride height by a couple inches
Coilover aren't flawless either. Add a fat driver (or passanger, or both) and a full tank of gas and you can change your ride height by a couple inches
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 486
Likes: 66
From: South Carolina
I'm like Ax.I didn't want to deal with all the BS of the air system.I've got 4 coil overs on the 55 and after the 2nd set of air bags on the wifes Continental I got ticked and tore all the air stuff out and put coil overs on the front and coils on the back.Glad I did it!
On an air ride, can you change the "stiffness" of the suspension without changing the ride height?
On an air ride, can you change the "stiffness" of the suspension without changing the ride height?
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Ride isn't my main concern either, handling and tire wear on a daily driver are safety concerns for me tho. I like a slammed truck as well as the next guy, but every gearhead with enough money is "layin frame" today to the point most outdoor car shows are starting to look like a salvage yard, especially with the trend towards satin paint, rat rods and "patina" finishes. It's to the point that if I had the money and cared enough to point out the irony I'd haul in and enter a straight out of the field junker, flat tires, broken glass and all, just throw a mexican blanket over the seat! 
I do think it is important to point out the negatives of airbags since the magazines only sing praises of their advertisers, and let the informed then decide for themselves if/where they wish to comprimise, before they spend their money. I have no axe to grind.
I do think it is important to point out the negatives of airbags since the magazines only sing praises of their advertisers, and let the informed then decide for themselves if/where they wish to comprimise, before they spend their money. I have no axe to grind.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 369
Likes: 0
From: Rochester, NY, USA
I think the only way to change the stiffness without changing ride height is to change the bag mounting position. I know that the bag stiffness changes throughout the range of motion. Most bag suppliers list an optimized ride height based on vehicle weight and recommend you set up your system based on that.
I always think back to the movie "what's eating Gilbert Grape" where his mom is about 750lbs. and drives an early 60's Falcon and it leans about 30 degrees to the left when she drives. That will screw up your alignment.
This hobby is all about personal choice and weighing the pros and cons. Is it worth shortening my tire life to be able to lay my running boards on the ground? To me the answer is yes. I live in NY and I will only get about 4 months a year to drive my truck anyway. At that rate I could be driving with 5 degrees of toe in and 10 degrees of negative camber and I'll still get 5 years of life out of my tires.
I always think back to the movie "what's eating Gilbert Grape" where his mom is about 750lbs. and drives an early 60's Falcon and it leans about 30 degrees to the left when she drives. That will screw up your alignment.
This hobby is all about personal choice and weighing the pros and cons. Is it worth shortening my tire life to be able to lay my running boards on the ground? To me the answer is yes. I live in NY and I will only get about 4 months a year to drive my truck anyway. At that rate I could be driving with 5 degrees of toe in and 10 degrees of negative camber and I'll still get 5 years of life out of my tires.