88 astro with air ride

[88Fastro]

Hi guys, I have an 88 astro van that had air ride in it when i got it. This is my first endevor with air ride. the system consists of 2 Compressors, 2 tanks, 8 solenoids. I am working on putting a stereo system in it and need some room in the back. so here is my question, i want to change from the 2 short tanks to 1 long tank acroos the top of the speaker box. Will this be OK ??? are there any advantages to running 2 tanks ??? Also i really want to learn about air ride, If i take pics of the air ride components, is there anyone on here that can identify and explain to me what i have ? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP !!!!!

[amber@ridetech.com]

Welcome! Pics are always helpful when figuring out which components you have.

I'm sure the guys will chime in soon with a ton of info, but to start you off, we have a whole page full of articles that might help with some of your questions. Try this one:
http://www.ridetech.com/files_AR/magarticles/AirtobeDif.pdf
Along with many others, found here:
http://www.ridetech.com/more/magazine-articles/
http://www.ridetech.com/more/

[britt@ridetech.com]

Tank size determines how many times the vehicle can be raised and lowered before the compressors turn on. The larger the tank(s), the more stored air you have, the more you can "play" with the vehicle before the compressors turn on.

Tank size WILL NOT make the vehicle inflate or deflate faster!

Tank pressure determines how many times the vehicle can be raised and lowered before the compressors turn on, and can directly influence vehicle inflate speed (deflate speed is still a function of the valve size). The higher the pressure, the more physical air you have stored. The higher the pressure, the faster the tank can "push" air to the bags.

However, all of our systems run at a maximum of 150psi tank pressure. There are a few reasons for this:
1-Vehicle pressure at designed height:
All of our systems are designed to operate at a pressure of 100psi in the air springs (bags). This means you will normally have a pressure of between 85-105psi in the front and 45-85psi in the rear, depending on the vehicle. By keeping the operating pressures low we do not place undue load on the compressor system.
2-Compressor longevity:
The lower your tank pressure, the longer your compressor will live. There are very few compressors that will work to 200psi, and the ones that do don't live very long (I'm talking OEM standards where a compressor must live for 10,15,20 years.) Compressor that will go to 200psi (and above) and will live normally draw a fairly large electrical load which can over-tax the vehicle charging system.

You have 8 individual air distribution valves. These valves work (if they are a bubble tight design and not industrial valves which have an acceptable leak percentage) but they do take up a bit of space and are unsightly. We use a manifold style valve which can be seen here (we offer 1/4" and 3/8" valves in 2-way and 4-way configurations):
http://www.ridetech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=1849

Your options:
1-purchase a longer tank and put it above the speaker box. This works, but we don't offer tanks with enough ports for all your valves.
2-use the two smaller tanks. depending on the size of the tanks you may be able to "hide" them somewhere under the vehicle.
3-use our RidePro or BigRed valves. Our valves save space, are designed specifically for automotive pneumatic suspension systems, can be mounted anywhere, and look a lot better than the separated valves.
For example: If you drive the vehicle in the winter you can mount the valves in the engine bay where they will be located above the tanks. The engine bay is a hot environment which decreases the chance of moisture freezing in the valves and ceasing operation (this is an uncommon occurrence, but it does get really cold in parts of the country, and is a good installation practice to provide a bit of insurance.)

[88Fastro]

Wow, thank you guys so much for these replies. I just might consider moving the tanks to the underside of the van. i looked under there and there is a nice "pocket" that might just work. Here is a picture of 4 of my valves, the other 4 are the exact same but on the other side of the van.531 Thanks again.

[88Fastro]

can anyone tell me anything about the valves in the pic above ?

[britt@ridetech.com]

I'm not sure what they are or who made them. There should be a manufacturer and/or part number on them somewhere. Just enter that in Google and you should have your answer.