Shockwave Air Ride System

[CTX-SLPR]

Howdy,

First off this is not for a G-body though the vehicle will be LC2 powered.
How is the ride quality and handling on an Air Ride equiped vehicle compared to a vehicle with conventional springs and adjustable shocks?
I'm building a 65 Riviera Hybrid and while I would love to be able to run the car low on the freeway and then jack it back up for around town to clean everything I'm not willing to sacrifice ride quality and handling prowless for this. This is somewhat of a pro-touring car though I'm looking for confident backroads in the mountains handling, not an SCCA cone dodger. I'm willing to listen to testimonies, theories, and for once product/setup recomendations.

Thanks,

 

[Robbie-87plz]

Can this help, sir?

http://www.ridetech.com/magarticles/hotrod_airbag.asp

 

[disco stu]

I have Air Ride on my 59 Bel Air, and it rides real nice. I was amazed at the difference. I have never heard anybody that was not happy with the ride. With the Shockwaves, those are built around QA1 adjsutable shocks, so I bet that they ride fine. With plain ol KYB's mine does not float around uncontrollably anymore, so I bet the QA1's do a great job of dampening even more so.

I love being able to cruise low, raise it up for the highway, and be able to drop it down when parked.

DO IT. 65 Rivs are one of my all time favorites. And you won't be able to quit looking at it slammed.

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by CTX-SLPR
I'm not willing to sacrifice ride quality and handling prowless for this. This is somewhat of a pro-touring car though I'm looking for confident backroads in the mountains handling, not an SCCA cone dodger.

IMO, suspension, is right up there with brakes for needing to be dead on reliable. Having anything that *blow*, and drop the nose under heavy braking doesn't sound like alot of fun. If you want confidence in the car, that first, again IMO, means at least good, if not excellent braking.

QA1's are a nice shock, I'll give them that. I have a pair out back as coil overs.

Most *anything* will work on smooth roads, and road race courses. I'll sacrifice a little in height to have some travel to absorb the irregularities of *normal* roads.

You still need to make a run out to Greenville some time...

 

[disco stu]

Granted, it is not something I would pursue for a road race car. But for a car that you wanted to look good first and perform second I don't think bags are a bad idea. Semi's have used this technology forever, with an very low failure rate.

 

[CTX-SLPR]

Well I agree that a new improved geometry front end would be far superior to airbags but my choices are pretty much just replacement style adjustable shocks, Eaton Detroit Springs or some other coil spring manufacturer and I'll be adding the bigger sway bars anyway in addition to boxing the rear lower control arms and I'm not sure what to do with the 3rd link. Yes thats right, a 63-70 Riviera has a 3-link rear suspension. Would I loose much over that setup with this one ?
Bruce, I already have the brakes sorted out, front discs retrofited onto the stock spindles through a kit made in Australia of all places that is very well put together and a Ford 9" with Impala SS style rear brakes to keep the 5x5 bolt pattern. I'm still working with Master Power brakes to sort out if a dual diaphram booster and 4 wheel disk master cylinder will work but thats is probably well over a year away since the car will go down for the brakes only once so the rear axle and brakes will be swapped and thats the perfect but not the only time to do the suspension.
I agree that this car is probably about 55% styling ride, 45% performance ride, so when it comes down to the minor details style wins, but there will hopefully be no major compromises in performance for stylistic reasons.

Thanks for your help guys,

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by CTX-SLPR
this one ?

Nothing bashful about their pricing. For those numbers, you could do some miracles with coil-overs. I wonder how much of the endorsements are from people that don't know the true advantages of what coil-overs have to offer. Putting the shock in perfect alignment with the springs, makes for alot less binding, and things just not lining up correctly. The only thing better then coil-overs is a correctly done push rod system so the system is truely progressive rather then linear.

 

[CTX-SLPR]

its like an air spring rather than a coilspring coil over, it also looks like it has QA-1 coilover at its core. We might have to discuss what to do with the suspension, though probably after I get the car next January or so.

the rear suspension is more like NASCAR than G-body, front suspension.... no idea what to compare it too other than its pretty close to just about every other Buick 61-64 and I'm not sure whatelse.