Coil-overs or Twin air-shox?

[OpTimuS]

So after doing some searching and looking around the forums and tech books for a while I am at a cross roads.

I need some opinions on suspension tech (again).

I have been looking around the place at ideas on suspension and what shocks to use.
As some of you may know I have a 60-series L/C that I plan on fitting 3-link front and rear in. I will most likely use 16" shocks the whole way around. But I have no idea what shocks to use in the front of my truck. The rear will be 16" air-shox, (racerunner or air-shocks).

I realise that most people use col-overs and I have looked at this article and I have the suspension calculator from it:

Pirate4x4.com - The largest off roading website in the world.

Some of you will already be aware that I am very persistent in not conforming to the norm (bustanutley, mace) so this is what I m proposing:

2 Air-shox in each side, in the front of my car.

Adavantages:
-having 6x same shocks means easier to get spares for an easier to set-up
-ease of setup for air-shox.
-indefinate tunability

Disadvantages:
-having to find the room for 4x shocks on the front diff.
-weight?

opinion?

Cheers Davo.

[bustanutley]

If you want to use air shox on a heavier vehical, just use FOX 2.5s, they can handle twice the weight of the 2.0s

The biggest reason air shox are apealing is cost, if you put 6 on your truck you kinda negate that.

If you wanted to run coilovers in the front and are worried about breaking one, there is no reason you can't bolt an air shock in its place for a temp fix.

[alkaline747trio]

Since the subject has come up, would 2.5s be enough for a fat ass 80?

[OpTimuS]

finally found information on the Fox 2.5" air-shox.

It appears I would be foolish to install the twin air-shox in the front of my TRUGGY. For that price, (thanx for the tip bustanutley) and what its worth, for that much weight I should go with the coil-overs.

However like I said previously now that I have found information on the Fox 2.5" Air-shox. They seem to be the route to go.

guys.

[Eskimo]

Dont' forget to add in the price of a sway bar setup unless you like your rig keeping the gangsta lean all the time.

If you add up the price of coilovers vs the price of 2.5 shox + sway bar, I think you'll come out very close to each other.

And I don't buy that air shocks are more tuneable than coil-overs.. I just adjusted my ride height and the spring rate curve on my coilovers with nothing more than a floor jack yesterday. What's it take to do that with air shocks?

[Mace]

coilovers break when your links break.

Design it properly and it will nto be a problem. Airshocks are a reasonably cheap alternative to coilovers but they do not have the adjustability of a coilover.

Running 8 air shocks on a rig is just plain silly..

[OpTimuS]

Originally Posted by Mace

coilovers break when your links break.

Design it properly and it will nto be a problem. Airshocks are a reasonably cheap alternative to coilovers but they do not have the adjustability of a coilover.

Running 8 air shocks on a rig is just plain silly..

Mace I really really plan on not breaking any links (hence the thick-wall tubing, 2"x.250") But I have seen coil-over break when links over here in oz I believe the Petersons offroad UAblazer also broke a link and it killed a coil-over.

I have been thinking that the coil-overs have superior adjustability. Ride-height, compression etc.

yeah I agree with you.

[Francesco_from_Italy]

I ride 2.5" air shocks in the front and 2.0" in the rear, both with 16" travel.
In a first time I bought four 2.0", but when I put on the rear ones I figured out that in the front they would have been at their limit so I decided to buy a pair of 2.5".
In the rear I have no weight (no roof, no tank, just sometimes the spare wheel) so the 2.0" are fine (I run them to a pression of 3000/320 PSI); in the front, with engine's weight, mechanic winch and all this stuff the car is heavier and the 2.5" works well (usually charged to 240 PSI more or less).

Consider that the car is not fully complete and I tried it just a couple of time so the settings are still to be definitly regulated, but this is how it works by now:





Last of all, I don't think you have to be afraid about shocks breackings, as Mace sad they would breake only if bars or links give up; if everything works fine you wont have any problem.

Francesco

[Eskimo]

Those photos are showing that your 4-link isn't binding, and that your shocks have enough travel.. not that air shocks are better or worse than coil-overs though.

[Francesco_from_Italy]

I was just showing that, refering to car's weight and shocks load capacity, the air shocks are heavy enought for an FJ; I think that this is what Optimus wanted to know since he was thinking to double the shocks for each wheel.

Taliking about coilovers instead I don't really know: surely each type has good and bad characteristics and beahviours but since I haven't ever tried coilovers I can't make this comparation.
But one think is clear: air shocks are much cheaper than coilovers.

Francesco

[Eskimo]

Ahhh, gotcha.

[OpTimuS]

I am stilll looking into my options but at the moment I am leaning towards coil-overs as they do have greater adjustability, and it is said that they ride better.