Monday, November 21, 2016 - 06:40 pm, by: Raoul Duke(Hunter)
GOOD NEWS!
Gave up on the airbags!
Put the Soarer on Supra shocks last night, and WOW what a change. The car is a totally different thing. The stock 15 inch wheels sit snug inside the arches,there's still a coke can's height underneath and overall I could not be happier.
The car hugs corners now, almost no bodyroll, it is glorious. Very firm and comfy ride. I'm amazed at this.
After hearing so much about how good airbags are and how rough the shocks would be otherwise, I could not disagree more. The Soarer on lowered springs is a very pleasing machine.
The airbags are too floaty and when they are old, they are not a comfy ride. In saying that, I've been in many Soarer's through the years and I've never overly liked airbag suspension. But I've also never been in a brand new soarer, so all the airbags would have been ruined anyway, ruining a real comparison by the time I ever sat in one. Pretty sure that goes for everyone here too. Not many people would have ever tried a brand new Soarer airbagged car back in 1991 unless they lived in Japan or had connections. Don't knock a good set of shocks and springs. Airbags really are not as good as everyone makes them out to be. They are great when new, but within 10 years all the fluff wears off.
I got the Pedders Gas sports ryder shocks with lowered springs meant for the 95 supra I think. Perfect fit, perfectly stable car at all speeds now.
Just a quick note: If looking for suspension most retailers will try flog a set of 'coilovers' to you. Coilovers are pre assembled shocks with springs (that may be adjustable but serve no real purpose to the daily driver). Turns out that Pedders like to flog their 'XA extreme coilovers' or something for $2000. You can make your own set for around $600. You buy a shock absorber (the pole), and you buy a spring. You buy the top hat to bolt it into the car, and it's done.
Coilovers are a bit of a scam really, as they are being sold for daily driver cars instead of a pre assembled spring+shock+top hat. It is mainly for street cred that people buy coilovers. "Look Shaniqua, I got coilovers ho ho". Coilovers are adjustable usually, whilst springs+shocks are not. If you just get a good spring and shock combo though, you'll never need to adjust it in your life.
Coilovers worth $2000 are really only good if you plan to change your geometry weekly. It's largely a huge ripoff.
Anyone looking for new suspension to replace the airbags, just look up a shock absorber, and buy your own spring and top mount thing. All you need is a spring compressor kit which is bought for around $25 everywhere.
There is no need to be buying Pedders Xtreme XA coilover kits for $2000. The only reason people seemingly are, is because they do not realize they can build their own struts. Pedders do not like to tell people of alternatives , so when people ask for replacement suspension Pedders tries to flog their coilovers for $2000. Watch the guys eyes pop out of his head when you ask him how much it costs to assemble a shock and spring combo instead of buying his $2000 coilovers. "Damn, I just lost $1300 bucks to this customer who saw through my evil marketing plan, and the ride quality will be the exact same..."
By all means, if you have the cash go get some coilovers from Pedders or whoever, but logically you could just get a shock and spring set for under half price which will do the exact same job, and you will feel literally zero difference compared to coilovers worth $2000.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016 - 09:06 pm, by: Raoul Duke(Hunter)
Just so we are on the same page, that was an example that even the latest made stock airbags would be rooted by now. The car or year was largely irrelevant. I think the uzz31 stopped in 97 or start of 98. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less about air bag suspension or correct facts on it anyway. It's junk. Every single air strut is now junk. 20 years ago it would be another story.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016 - 07:52 pm, by: Jan van Berendonk(Janjen)
Both my Soarers run on airbags that were replaced with new units in the last three years. It is not the airbags that wear out but the shockers. Maybe in ten years when the shockers wear out I will be forced to go back to the dark ages and use springs.
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