My Air Ride Review/DIY/Build/Thought Process/Novel

Hi all! Now this is my 1st review/DIY so take it easy on me. Also the 1st time going air. I won't have everything completed till the spring when the weather breaks but I'm going to chip away at it over the winter when I'm bored. If anyone has any input feel free to let me know! I'm not liable for you screwing up your car or any of your air ride components, I'm just throwing this out here as a guideline. I'm sure I'll screw up once or twice anyways

Now that's out of the way, let's begin. It all started off with man's biggest question. Air or coils. I was just about dead set on getting coils after the drop on my h&r sports wasn't enough for me, though it looks way better then stock. I always thought air would just be such a hassle, with draining the tank and water traps, preparing for winter, and the install. I then got thinking, I'm always the one driving everywhere with friends (mostly becasue they all suck at driving, or have trucks) and being low on the shit roads of NEPA with tons of people in your car just didn't sound to appealing to me. Also being limited on where I can go (at least in my town, I scrape leaving the bank on my springs) I thought would kinda suck. Then after going on a couple cruises with some local guys on air I just thought it was so cool to be able to raise the car up for bumps, cargo/people, or bad roads and still be able to ride low when you want too. With all this in the back of my mind I was still trying to find the right coils for me. Then it hit me, my buddies girlfriend that is, she's the one who got me to go air. She said why beat the hell out of your fenders, bumper, and risk your oil pan when you can just go air and not have to worry quite as much. From that day on I had total flip flop on what I wanted to do, air was coming.

Now came the fun part, shopping around. I had no clue how many different options I really had. Between management, bags, compressors, and the other odds and ends I was a little overwhelmed. I thought about just buying a used set up off of here but I decided against it becasue I'd have no warranty on any parts and really no help if I ran into problem. Also knowing my setup in and out would also be a plus. I started off on ECS at kits just to get a ballpark on what I'd be looking at and what kinda options I had. Then I kinda read around the interwebz a little and started getting my plan together, a full functioning air ride set up that didn't break the bank, but I didn't skimp on either. Mainly what I didn't wanna skimp on was the management. I wanted something that was easy to use and still somewhat affordable.

Manual controls were out of the question, too much hassle and then to have to hide gauges everywhere, no thanks. eLevel I thought, but it's a little out of my price range. And all the extra height sensors and things, just something else to go wrong. The v2 just seemed like the right thing to me. Even though the eLevel would be nice for not worrying about having to add air for more people/cargo, v2 seemed like the way to go.

As for the rear bags, the new airlift double bellows are the only way to go so there wasn't really any choice there.

Now the fronts I was torn between the airlift slam xl's and the performance series, which I wanted from the get go. I want to keep front sway just becasue I like to drive some of the nice quite hilly roads quite spiritedly. The camber plates where kinda just a bonus on the performance series that I'd probably never use. After I saw the dorbiz sway bar brackets my mind went back to the xl's (also with some input from Kevin at underwraps but I'll get to that later). So I saved some money there and I knew I would still be happy with that setup.

As for the compressor, I chose a single 444c. Slightly bigger then the 400c and only a little more expensive I figured why not. I can always upgrade to a larger compressor or even add a second if I wanted down the road.

That was about all of the major hardware choices, now it came to getting prices. I checked a few sites but mostly the ones I know like ECS, bag riders, and so on. Just getting pricing and whatnot. Then I came a crossed underwraps on this here site. So I shot Kevin. Pm and just wanted to ask a few questions. We ended up talking on the phone one night, and this guy knew his stuff. Not pushy at all, very helpful, and knowledgeable. He could talk about air ride for hours (and we did talk about it for hours) and still be excited about it. He really helped me develop my kit and gave me some great insight along the way.

When I finally had my garage clear of most my parts and wheels I wasn't going to use (someone buy my whole stock tbe so I don't gotta stare at it up in the rafters any more ) and had the cash I was ready to bite the bullet. I ended ordering from Kevin at underwraps because he gave me good pricing and all the help he gave me really made me feel confident that if I had a problem he'd stand behind his kit and help me out. So gave him the go head and he got my kit together and shipped it out.

I couldn't if been happier on how everything was packed. Neatly, securely, and taped up very well.



I was like a kid on Christmas morning boxes and bubble wrap scattered about. I didn't take pictures of everything but I did snap a few (sorry for the cell phone pics buts it's usually all I have handy).





Almost everything had it's own little box or some other form of packaging.



The only think there was a slight problem on was the dorbiz brackets. Kevin promptly told me they were back ordered and they wouldn't be available until after the new year. He said he'd refund the cost of them if I wanted to find somewheres else. I told him it wasn't a problem as I wouldn't be installing them until spring. To my surprise he went and bought some from another supplier and shipped them out right away! Actually there sitting in my mail box right now I'm just to lazy to brave the cold and go get them

As for the quality of all the products, they look great. Good welds and a nice finish. I haven't pulled everything out if there own boxes yet becasue then I know I won't want to wait till spring

As for the build I'll be updating this post as frequently as I get something done. I plan on doing my trunk around Christmas, getting the new floor built and everything laid out. Then I'll run my wires and leave them unhooked until the spring when I wrap it all up.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or any knowledge you could impart on me feel free to post here or pm me. Thanks for reading!

Well I dislocated my shoulder at work so this is going to put me behind a little. But I have all winter yet so I'm not worried. I just have to make sure I have it all wrapped up before I go in for surgery so I'm when I'm fixed my car is good to go

Well it's all in I couldn't wait I'll be updating with pictures and whatnots when I get a chance :thumbup:

Well its been about a month since my install and i finally got some down time to post up a little DIY. Now I lost a bunch of my pictures since my external hard drive crapped out on me, but none the less here we go.



I started out in the trunk, I removed everything except the spare tire, and planned where everything was going to go.







Now I called a buddy and off we went to Lowes for some 2x4's and some plywood (MDF is what I ended up using in the end, way easier then plywood) in the jacked up ford haha. I ran one length a 2x4 up each side of the trunk and another acrossed the back of the seats laying down, making the frame for me to build off.







Next, I centered the tank on the board running crossed the seats. After I had it marked I Drilled 2 holes, one on each side for the bolts to go through, and on the bottom side drilled it a little bigger so the head on the bolt would sit flush with the bottom.







I then mounted the compressor and the V2 manifold on the sides. I did move the V2 manifold later just to put it in an easier spot to access the ports for the line. I don't have a picture of it but all i did was cut a length of 2x4 maybe 8 inches long, lay it down around the same area as it was before, secure it, and re-mount the manifold to it.



As for the lines, there is 2 grommets underneath the spare tire (one on each side) thats where I'll be running the lines. It's ghetto but i took 3 scrap pieces of wood and used them to raise the tire enough so it wouldn't be sitting on the lines.











Now, I went and put all the fittings in the tank and got everything tight. I used the pipe tape that UnderWraps send with there kit.



Then I started the wiring. The harness that comes with the V2 has plenty of length to reach the battery but the wires aren't a very thick gauge. UnderWraps wiring kit was much heavier so I ran that from the battery to the trunk. I came through the firewall in the grommet right above the pedals. Those of you who have a boost gauge know exactly what I'm talking about. From there i went behind the latch mechanism for the hood and right along the bottom edge. The molding piece just snaps into place, it is a little tricky because it doesn't like to come up easy. After that's up now you get to remove the back seats. In the trunk there is a black plastic cover right where the rear seats meet. Remove that and you'll see the bolt you must remove to get the seats out. After that is out you can lift side of the seat up and slide it towards the center so it comes out. Do the smaller seat first, then the bigger one and just let it lay in there just as long as its off of the bench part of the seat. Now the bench part took me a little while, turns out you just need a little force. Start at the back and lift it up and work your hands under it and pull. It should pop. Now everything is out of the way finish running the wires back to the trunk and pop it all back together the same way it came out. Now for your ignition source I got a add-a-circuit and tapped into the fuel pump fuse. It's the top right 5 amp fuse. I ran it with the positive wire back to the trunk. Also, the wiring for the controller went the same place as the rest except for how you have to put it in. I had to remove one piece of molding along the bottom of the center console by the pedals. then with a buddy's help he pulled back on the next section of molding while I took a drill and popped a hole into the ashtray. Then pulled the wire from the ashtray down and out. After it got to the pedals i went over them, zip tying them out of the way, and down with the rest of the wiring.











Now that you have power to the trunk and your ignition source I spliced those into the V2 harness and found a suitable ground in the trunk. On the passenger side underneath the plastic piece that has the latch on it (you don't have to remove it to see it) you'll see a stud with a nut on it, that's what I used for a ground. Just check it to make sure it works for you. Lastly, I spliced in the compressor and made sure everything was good, and filled up the tank. Looking back i wish i bought a schrader valve to fill the tank, when I take it out to get it painted I'm going to be installing one. Check for leaks now with some soap/water mix in a spray bottle. No bubbles, no problems. Let it sit over night and as long as your tank stays at whatever your left it at then call it good.



Now comes teh bagz. A good DIY I used when I did my springs can be found here, http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37480. That gives you basically everything you need to know on how to get everything out. I did the fronts first. When you get ready to start putting in your bags make sure your leader lines and good a tight with your thread tape. Its easier if you have another set of hands but not to bad if your alone. Take the bag and push the 3 stubs through the holes and put the 3 washers and nuts on the stud holding the bag up. Then tighten them up. Now its time to run the line. I cut two 20 foot lengths of air line for the fronts. Then I cut off the extra in equal lengths after they where both run to ensure that then I aired up they went up at the same rate. I went down through the grommet and over to the rear brake lines and followed them all the way to the front and connected it to the leader line off the bag. To do this the under tray. There's roughly 8 plastic 10mm nuts that hold it up there and a few t25 torxs around the front mud flap. That gives you easy access to your brake lines. On the drivers side you have to run in through the brackets but on the pass. side there is an open tab the a 1/4 line will snap right into, how convenient. Make sure you don't run the line some wheres its going to get pinched when you air out. Put some air in the bags just enough to keep it from compressing when you put the spindles back on the strut, and to check for leaks. Put the LCA back on the ball joint and using a jack, jack the spindle back up in place. Make sure that you have your strut spreader back in place to keep the spindle open. Bolt it all back together.



Now with the airlift slam's you don't have a tab for the swaybar so do what you want with it. I ended up getting the dorbitz swaybar brackets. They have to go on before the strut is in place. Shortened swaybar endlinks are recommended but not needed. I'm still using the Oem ones with no problems as of yet.



Now throw your wheels on the front and move to the back. Following the link to the DIY I posted earlier remove the rear springs. If your changing out your struts right now you might as well do them 1st. I would recommend changing them asap, the stock struts with the bump stops really holds you up, compared to the shortened air lift struts I picked up off a local a few weeks after. There simple to change 3 bolts.



http://workshop-manuals.com/volkswa...ervice_and_repair/front_suspension/page_4763/



Alot of other good things if you look around on that site as well.



What a difference they make. Please excuse my filthy dirty car



Stock Struts with bumpstops







Shortened airlift Struts







Now the rear bags are easy. Remove the springs and take your drill with a 17/32th bit (come to find out they aren't included with run of the mill drill bit sets I had to go buy one) and make the hole in the upper spring perch a little wider. Using the supplied nutsert and tool. Now that they are both nutsurted start assembling the bag. The studs go in the top that's shaped like the spring perch. There is two sets of studs, one shorter, one longer. The shorter ones are the one your going to keep your spring perch, the longer for if your cutting it out. Put your fitting in the bottom of the bag and tighten it. If your keeping the stock struts use your roll plates and don't trim the bracket on the bottom. Three bolts go into the bottom and up through the roll plate and the bracket. Now that the bag is all assembled go ahead a thread it into the nutsert. The lower spring perch has a rubber/plastic piece that sits down in it, go ahead and take that out. Run your air line through the grommet and down through the transverse link and into the bag. Reattach the transverse link but don't torque it back down. There a big black washer and a bolt the will go on the bottom of the transverse link and the bolt will go up and into the bag. Use the shorter bolt for your trimmed brackets longer if you didn't trim and are using the stock struts.



I just found a pdf for the rear bags, this will probably clear things up



http://www.catalograck.com/imgVD/AIL/ALP_MN-809_75690.pdf



Now your all ready to go for a ride after your calibrate your V2. Set some presets, lift and dump it a few times , and go for a spin. As long as its all kosher leave it aired up over night and make sure you have no leaks.

Edit: I guess I should have said something about the ride quality. It's nice and smooth. It's the closest to oem feel that's it's been since, well when I still had the oem suspension. For being at about 24" ftg (keeping it up for the winter) it's awesome still riding smooth. While it does feel softer then coils it still performs quite well through the bends. I haven't been able to push it really hard yet because snow tires suck.



There ya have it. I'm sure I missed something some wheres so I'll edit this as I see fit. Have any questions feel free to ask!

Update: I've encountered my 1st problem. My check valve on my compressor froze up on me. For two days in a row in the morning (it was -15 degrees without the windchill both days) when I started my car it would air up, compressor would come on, but the tank wouldn't fill. My fix was to just turn off the rise on start, lower the pressure at which the compressor, and leave it aired up. After driving around with the heat on and the rear seats down it did thaw out. Since then I haven't had a problem with it doing it again. From what I've found out from some threads on the vortex is that viair's check valves suck, so I'll be replacing that soon.

Congrats on the air install. Can't believe I missed this thread. We need better pics of the car now.

palma said:

Congrats on the air install. Can't believe I missed this thread. We need better pics of the car now.

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Thanks man! I'll have to put some up after it gets notched and i can put some proper wheels on. The winter steelies aren't cutting it

I still need to notch my car too. Theres just something about notching a new car that is holding me back ugh!

Hi Dave, thank you again for the order and support! We are extremely happy that you decided to come aboard the UnderWraps Automotive Team as we are enthusiasts just like yourself!

You had a good understanding of what you wanted and glad we were able to tailor a kit to fit your needs!

Please shoot me a PM with your size tee as we are finished with the UW club tees we discussed about when you ordered your kit.

If you have any other questions, concerns, or just want to shoot the shit.. You know we would be more than happy as we stand behind our customer support and quality air ride products.

Welcome aboard to the Air Ride Community!

palma said:

I still need to notch my car too. Theres just something about notching a new car that is holding me back ugh!

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I just haven't had time to get at it. Plus I'm a crappy welder

UNDERWRAPS AUTOMOTIVE said:

Hi Dave, thank you again for the order and support! We are extremely happy that you decided to come aboard the UnderWraps Automotive Team as we are enthusiasts just like yourself!



You had a good understanding of what you wanted and glad we were able to tailor a kit to fit your needs!



Please shoot me a PM with your size tee as we are finished with the UW club tees we discussed about when you ordered your kit.



If you have any other questions, concerns, or just want to shoot the shit.. You know we would be more than happy as we stand behind our customer support and quality air ride products.



Welcome aboard to the Air Ride Community!

Click to expand...

Thanks man! I planned on giving you a shout anyways here regarding a check valve.

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