Air ride with no compressor or tank?

[curtis73]

Is it possible to set up a system without a tank or compressor? I' m designing a system for a 66 Bonneville for ride quality and can' t imagine ever needing different pressures on the fly.

Can I just terminate the lines at a Schrader valve? Would it be as reliable as, say, tires? Just check them along with the tires? If I am planning on big loads just add a bit more air?

Just a thought. I know it wouldn' t be ideal but do the bags leak enough that I' ll be chasing after pressures every day, or will they hold air like adjustable shocks or tires?

[SpArX]

When properly installed they will hold air as well as tires or shocks. Dont' forget however that another issue you have to look at is the air temperature. If your in an area where it can get pretty cold like me in Canada, expect a variance in your ride height when it gets colder out. I do notice this from filling up my tank with warmer air from the compressor to the next morning after sitting in a garage next to freezing temps by the morning. Enough to say a 1-3" drop in ride height. Just figure a 5 PSI drop. We don' t notice that in a lower pressure 35PSI tire, but in a 70PSI air bag it makes a more noticeable difference when you only have 65PSI. Most people have this setup for air over leaf applications where they only need air to level out a load for a certain trip they are doing, much more economical.

[patatron]

As long as you had no leaks, you would be fine, but you can get an economocal thomas compressor, a check valve, and an electric valve to have onboard control (Without a tank) that would cost under $150, and be very compact, I would not install a system with out at least a set-up like this.-Pat

[curtis73]

OK, great. Thanks for the informative replies. Basically it could be done, but given the economical alternatives (which I hadn' t realized) its pretty pointless to not go with some kind of compressor.

Thanks :)