For a while now I've been sitting on the air = suspension kit that I got from Air Lift (http://airliftcompany.com).  For the = Hollister Syncro meeting I finally made the time to pull them out of = the box and install them.  Since my Syncro is currently on the = road (without me!!! who would have thought) I installed them in Steve = Schwenks Syncro Westy first.  Steve has the Bilstein shocks and = stock springs installed.

The air suspension looks like two red rubber = cylinders with metal hose connectors on the top.  Kind of like a = rubber beach ball.  It was easy to install.  I lifted the = rear of Steve's van so that the springs expanded all the way.  = Then the two cylinders were pushed into the inside of the spring by = deflating them and inserting them between two adjacent coils.  I = connected a short piece of hose and a tire valve (all part of the kit) = to each cylinder.  Using cable ties, I attached the valves to the = brake lines that run along the top of the trailing arms.  This all = could be done without taking the wheels off.  Now the system was = easily inflated with a standard tire pump (I used a bicycle = pump).  Because the volume of the suspension is so small it took = only 5-6 strokes to bring it up to the max. rated pressure of 25 = PSI.  I set the pressure to a conservative 20 PSI and Steve drove = his Syncro to Hollister like that. 

Now the air suspension pretty much fills out the = whole space inside the spring from side to side and from the bottom of = the trailing arm to the rubber stop on top.  Fully inflated the = rubber stop just touches the air suspension.  As the suspension = contracts the rubber stop is pressed into this air ball.  This is = similar to having a spring with a progressive spring rate.  The = more the rubber stop presses into the air ball the more pressure inside = the ball builds up.  The increase in air pressure inside the ball = is proportional to the increase in force that is pushing against the = rubbers stop.  By changing the initial pressure with a tire pump = the "air spring rate" is changed.  Increasing the = pressure makes the air suspension stiffer (higher spring rate), = decreasing it makes the air suspension softer (lower spring = rate). 

Initially I was concerned that the rubber stop might = puncture the air suspension.  I called Air Lift and talked to one = of their engineers.  He insured me that this is what these things = are designed for and it should be save.

In Hollister Steve was quite impressed with the air = suspension.  His van was about 2/3 loaded on his way to = Hollister.  He thought the air suspension was an improvement over = his stock setup.  Steve also tested the air suspension on the = trails with his twins sitting in the back.  The pressure was left = at 20 PSI.  More positive remarks.

Next the air suspension went into Mark Drillock's = Syncro Westy together with the new Betts springs.  Mark has also = the Bilstein shocks installed.  In Mark's Syncro we tested the air = suspension at different pressures: 25 PSI (max. rated pressure), 15 PSI = and 0 PSI.  At 25 PSI the rear became very stiff.  I was = almost thrown out of the rear seat at big bumps.  At 15 PSI the = rear was perfect.  It now had the right damping.  The = traction of the rear axle was much improved.  At 0 PSI the air = balls didn't seem to have any effect on the suspension as = expected. 

Everybody was quite impressed with the way the air = suspension changed the behavior of the rear axle depending on the = initial air pressure.  By simply changing the air pressure the air = suspension can be easily adapted for different load and road = conditions.  Low pressure for an empty van, high pressure for a = fully loaded van.  Low pressure for highway driving, high pressure = for off-road driving.

We also tried the air suspension on Craig Drillock's = (Mark's brother) 1982 Vanagon Westy with 1.9l turbo diesel = engine.  At 25 PSI the we were able to lift the rear by = 1/2".  Guess that's great news for all you 2WDs with sagging = rear springs (the Syncro was not raised because of the higher = springs).  Handling and traction of the 2WD was greatly improved = with the air suspension in place.  We did a couple of turns on the = dirt track and it was amazing to see the difference between the front = (without air suspension) the rear (with air suspension).  While = the front felt rather unstable and was breaking out left and right the = rear seemed to be on tracks.  Completely stable. 

Everybody that got to test the air suspension wanted = to get one.  So I'm trying to put a group purchase together.  = There are also two compressor kits available for the air = suspension.  Theses kits consist of a compressor, one or tow = pressure gauges and control buttons, and all necessary hoses and = connectors.  These items can be installed in the van.  With = the gauge(s) and controls mounted on the dash board the air suspension = can be controlled while driving.  With the dual-gauge kit the two = air balls can be controlled independently.  I think that could be = very useful for 2WD Westies.  This way the weight of the water = tank or other off-center weight could be easily equalized.  Here = are some prices for the Air Lift suspension that I got from the = internet:

Air suspension for = Vanagon      =         $70
Compressor kit with single = gauge        $110
Compressor kit with dual gauge  $159

I hope to get these prices further down if we get = enough people together.  Please send me a p-mail if your = interested.  Please indicate which item(s) your interested = in.  A similar kit is available from Firestone.  I don't have = personal experience with the Firestone kit nor have I heard from = anybody who does.

Cheers,
Peter