Pitstain
06-09-2009, 12:09 AM
Well it started like any other day heading out to an event, except this was MY event, I am a moderator on www.LightningRodder.com and put together a group of fellow SVT F-150 Lightning owners to roll into to the Carlisle All Ford Nationals for a weekend of fun, sun, and debauchery.
I had ten 12 packs of soda, three 18 packs of beer, four cases of water, an EZ-up tent, small tool box, chairs, wax, chips, dips, chains, whips..........the weight less than what I can easily handle going to Watkins Glen for an open track weekend.
I head out of NYC, over the Geroge Washington Bridge, and onto the NJ Turnpike, blow the doors off a Porsche 911, and am loving life, until........
A very gentle, yet LARGE dip on the offramp to I-78 west gave me a nice near zero G ride at 70mph, it was so smooth, like a gentle jump ramp at the X-games, until I heard a BANG, then saw a big fat 1 on my right rear pressure readout, try as I did, the pressure would not increase, I feared the worse, pulled onto the shoulder and found the following.
(BTW pardon my ugly upper mount extensions, I need to raise the lower axle mounts, these were just to make sure I was running the shockwaves in their intended range of travel)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3607826915_f89e643c19.jpg
Now I want to be clear this was not an airbag, airline, mounting point, or other common failure, this was a freak one in a million shot, I research stuff to the Nth degree, and shock shafts ripping out of the body barely even happen in champ off road racing, I have all the luck....and the damn NJ turnpike as well.
This was around 5pm, so before calling my GF or 911 or roadside assistance, I called Air Ride, and got Jon Marshall on the phone, it was already too late to ship that night but Jon assured me he would get me sorted out, and on my way to Carlisle, and to call him Friday morning.
Friday comes, I got my truck to a friends house who has an awesome garage, called Jon, which resulted in new shockwaves getting sent out for 9am delivery for Sat. morning.
Less than 24 hours later, my new Shockwaves come in the big brown truck, and a NASCAR speed install ensues, by 10am me my GF and the truck were back on the road on our way, and arrive at the show around 1pm to the heckles and wisecracks from my club constituents.......
The show was awesome, and we had over 25 trucks in our little mob, next year it may be almost double I think, and of course an Air Ride banner will be flown !!
Dang truck looks great all aired out in the grass, I promised Jon, and made good by pimping a big-arse AIR RIDE sticker in a prominent location for all to see, and see it they did, my truck was attracting quite the crowd.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/3607990066_c3a415d572_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3607530455_1e937de0e7_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3607534165_a0031a83fa_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3607575631_faa8d545c8_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/3608648970_f945718726_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3608659666_03fcdb932e_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2484/3608670756_b888da2f50_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3608023726_6ff3a4e850_b.jpg
I love that I can make this thing have any stance I like, this is my "I don't have a mega-bucks air suspension on a SVT Lightning" look so the purists won't freak on me.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3608173950_8bfc82b116_b.jpg
Guys I cannot say enough how amazing this setup is. The Air Ride Shockwave/Ridepro/Levelpro stuff is silky on the rough highway, pimped out at the car show and handles like a Caddilac Seville with three inch thick swaybars on the road course !!
The ONLY thing better than the performance of the suspension is the the customer service you all provide, I am a customer service freak, and Air Ride has by far exceeded any expectations, you make all other aftermarket companies look like crap, PERIOD !
Ian "pain in the butt" Schwartz
P.S. here is a link to my full Flickr set of all my Carlisle photos, feel free to download the full 10mp originals (of my truck only) if you want to use them for anything, you have my permission.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37423362@N07/sets/72157619441748166/
I had ten 12 packs of soda, three 18 packs of beer, four cases of water, an EZ-up tent, small tool box, chairs, wax, chips, dips, chains, whips..........the weight less than what I can easily handle going to Watkins Glen for an open track weekend.
I head out of NYC, over the Geroge Washington Bridge, and onto the NJ Turnpike, blow the doors off a Porsche 911, and am loving life, until........
A very gentle, yet LARGE dip on the offramp to I-78 west gave me a nice near zero G ride at 70mph, it was so smooth, like a gentle jump ramp at the X-games, until I heard a BANG, then saw a big fat 1 on my right rear pressure readout, try as I did, the pressure would not increase, I feared the worse, pulled onto the shoulder and found the following.
(BTW pardon my ugly upper mount extensions, I need to raise the lower axle mounts, these were just to make sure I was running the shockwaves in their intended range of travel)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3607826915_f89e643c19.jpg
Now I want to be clear this was not an airbag, airline, mounting point, or other common failure, this was a freak one in a million shot, I research stuff to the Nth degree, and shock shafts ripping out of the body barely even happen in champ off road racing, I have all the luck....and the damn NJ turnpike as well.
This was around 5pm, so before calling my GF or 911 or roadside assistance, I called Air Ride, and got Jon Marshall on the phone, it was already too late to ship that night but Jon assured me he would get me sorted out, and on my way to Carlisle, and to call him Friday morning.
Friday comes, I got my truck to a friends house who has an awesome garage, called Jon, which resulted in new shockwaves getting sent out for 9am delivery for Sat. morning.
Less than 24 hours later, my new Shockwaves come in the big brown truck, and a NASCAR speed install ensues, by 10am me my GF and the truck were back on the road on our way, and arrive at the show around 1pm to the heckles and wisecracks from my club constituents.......
The show was awesome, and we had over 25 trucks in our little mob, next year it may be almost double I think, and of course an Air Ride banner will be flown !!
Dang truck looks great all aired out in the grass, I promised Jon, and made good by pimping a big-arse AIR RIDE sticker in a prominent location for all to see, and see it they did, my truck was attracting quite the crowd.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/3607990066_c3a415d572_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3607530455_1e937de0e7_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3607534165_a0031a83fa_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3607575631_faa8d545c8_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/3608648970_f945718726_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3608659666_03fcdb932e_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2484/3608670756_b888da2f50_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3608023726_6ff3a4e850_b.jpg
I love that I can make this thing have any stance I like, this is my "I don't have a mega-bucks air suspension on a SVT Lightning" look so the purists won't freak on me.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3608173950_8bfc82b116_b.jpg
Guys I cannot say enough how amazing this setup is. The Air Ride Shockwave/Ridepro/Levelpro stuff is silky on the rough highway, pimped out at the car show and handles like a Caddilac Seville with three inch thick swaybars on the road course !!
The ONLY thing better than the performance of the suspension is the the customer service you all provide, I am a customer service freak, and Air Ride has by far exceeded any expectations, you make all other aftermarket companies look like crap, PERIOD !
Ian "pain in the butt" Schwartz
P.S. here is a link to my full Flickr set of all my Carlisle photos, feel free to download the full 10mp originals (of my truck only) if you want to use them for anything, you have my permission.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37423362@N07/sets/72157619441748166/