Adjustable rear air suspension system

[mrbigh]

For all of you savvy mechanics and car enthusiast, is it there any source for an adjustable air ride suspension kit that can be applied to our Prii? 2004-06
I'm not tying to be fancy here, only practical when transporting cargo or pulling a hitch in order to level the vehicle to ground level. I though about the TRD Sportivo suspension but really doesn't apply to the purpose.
Information will be greatly appreciated

[Tideland Prius]

Nope but that would probably help solve our bottoming out problems with ppl and cargo on board!

[mrbigh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 20 2006, 03:38 PM) [snapback]335762[/snapback]</div>

Nope but that would probably help solve our bottoming out problems with ppl and cargo on board!
[/b]

Well.... I found a source for air ride suspension equipment, manufacturer is "Air Lift" and have complete Kits and spare parts also, the ones I like.
I think that I will get bussy prety soon...............

[Tideland Prius]

That's a lotta mods recently lol. gl with that!

[mrbigh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 23 2006, 11:22 PM) [snapback]337165[/snapback]</div>

That's a lotta mods recently lol. gl with that!
[/b]

I have to get a way around on almost 400lb additional, before scraping the pavement.
It may cost me another divorce....LOL

[galaxee]

might we suggest that you give some serious consideration to the impact on handling here... we know it's not the greatest as it is... but air suspension is mainly used on heavy vehicles for a reason.

the suspension on your prius is made to damp road bumps and stabilize after hitting a bump. air won't prevent the car from bouncing multiple times after hitting bumps. on heavier vehicles, the weight of the vehicle helps to damp that post-bump bouncing.

the coil-over shocks in the rear also serve to limit the amount of extension that the rear suspension member can achieve. you would have to impose your own limit with straps or something. if the straps break... ouch.

if you're looking for something to adjust for cargo and etc, check out adjustable air coilovers or an air helper spring. a full air ride suspension is drastically more expensive and could even be dangerous on a prius.

just so you know what you're getting into here

[mrbigh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 23 2006, 11:38 PM) [snapback]337175[/snapback]</div>

if you're looking for something to adjust for cargo and etc, check out adjustable air coilovers or an air helper spring. a full air ride suspension is drastically more expensive and could even be dangerous on a prius.

just so you know what you're getting into here
[/b]

Hi Galaxee, I appreciate your explanations and enrolment on the matter, as always our prius community shows up for advice and knowledge.
Our cars are designed to carry temporary extra loads, being passengers or a lot of potato chips bags, but temporary.
When this cars are loaded with 4 humans I can testify that the rear end lowers at least 4 inches and be lucky not to go thru a bump speed in a parking lot because you can end up leaving a piece of the muffler on the road.
Soon I will carry a permanent load and I have to circumvent this with a strategy of air suspension equipment to level the vehicle for everyday driving.
Air Coilovers are expensive today days, available so far for Matrixes, but there is not a demand for it on Priis; my solution will be rear bags with customized mounting plates and a simple air supply system for the adjusting needs. So far this is a plan and I 'm just getting my information together but, when the moment comes I want to be ready to get dirty.

[ilusnforc]

I've seen Thunderbirds that use a bag that goes inside the spring coil to provide extra support for additional weight, it is a very low cost and effective solution. As I recall, I think you just run the air line somewhere along the side of the car or in the wheel well area and you can stop at a gas station if you don't have a compressor and fill the bags to a specified pressure.
http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78921
I used to have a Honda Insight, the weight capacity was 365 lbs, after that it starts to hit the rubber stopper in the rear suspension and bottom out. I've seen someone that needed it to hold more weight so he fabricated a spacer to raise the suspension. That solution just happened to work because the rubber stopper inside the spring coil that also holds the spring in place is very long, so there was room to space it and the spring would still not fall out. I haven't taken a close look at the Prius suspension yet but it may not work as easily with this solution...
http://yves.fungiart.com/pages/suspension.htm
I think there should be some simple air bags that can go inside the spring coils though, that would be an easy install that anyone can do without removing any suspension components and it is inexpensive yet should be effective.

[hyo silver]

How well does the air suspension on some Citroen models work? The ability to raise and lower ride height to suit varying conditions sounds very appealing.

[San_Carlos_Jeff]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Oct 24 2006, 01:05 PM) [snapback]337556[/snapback]</div>

How well does the air suspension on some Citroen models work? The ability to raise and lower ride height to suit varying conditions sounds very appealing. [/b]

I believe the Citroen suspensions were (are?) hydraulic.