# Airlift XL ride quality vs coilovers.



## Elvir2 (Nov 19, 2007)

So my wife bought me anniversery present. Airlift XL for my mk4 jetta. 

Here is my dilema. I finally came to the point with my car where I am very happy. I have the ride height I want, and I got all the stiffness and cornering i want. My car is not soft by any means. I'm riding on Vogtlant coilovers and I have H-sport sway bars which are 32mm front and 30mm rear set to stiffest point, and they are the design that goes under axle, so lower I go the more clearance I gain. 

However, If I cannot manage to get same stiff ride or stiffer with XLs at the ride height that I drive static, I am not sure I want to install them. Can anybody that put the XLs on their ride after coilovers provide some feed back. 


Car in question 










Elvir


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## 2.OhhhGTI (Jan 26, 2003)

Very nice car! 

All that I can say is if you are very happy with the ride now, you should probably leave it alone...:roll eyes: My son and I put air on his MK2 and it's great for "show", but definitely not for the "go". His is functional to get the car in the steep driveway and have a cool park height, but definitely lost out in the drivability from the coil overs....I know that it is a totally different car, but just my 2 cents.


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

Nice looking car. If you are happy with it right now then keep it that way. My XL's ride really smooth and dont dip that much in corners but it is not a stiff ride. If you want to keep the stiffness and don't car about going lower then just keep coils :thumbup:


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## Clean PG (May 9, 2005)

i cant believe i'm saying this, but if you're truly happy with your coils then there's really no reason to change them out for bags.


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## POPOLGLI (Feb 12, 2011)

Traded my fk silverline coilover for a set of mason-tech and I really like my choice, the handling is comparable or even greater with the mason-tech


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## tonyb2580 (Jun 22, 2006)

i love my xls... but they are a bit soft... your car is so perfectwhere it is.. if it aint broke dont fix it... however that is a loving wife... and congrats


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## Mk42003 (Jan 6, 2008)

tonyb2580 said:


> i love my xls... but they are a bit soft... your car is so perfectwhere it is.. if it aint broke dont fix it... however that is a loving wife... and congrats


 :thumbup:


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## Rub-ISH (Aug 8, 2006)

There are always the airlift performance struts which have the adjustable dampening... 

I have them installed and fairly comparable to vogtlands which I also ran for about 3 years


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## Elvir2 (Nov 19, 2007)

Thank for all the input everybody. I guess one last thing I have to do is wait for SoWo and get a ride from somebody that has it to get a final opinion if i would be happy with the ride quality before making an official decision. 

Elvir


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## Squirrel Nuts (Aug 25, 2010)

*FV-QR*

Congrats............on the wife too. She's a keeper.


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## itzkv (Oct 16, 2009)

I have XL on my MkV and previously had KW v3.... I think the air rides much better and terms of handling I haven't had the v3 set on stiff settings but I had it at a good street and handling setting of my liking. I had tracked the v3 and I'm sure I could have adjusted the settings for better performance. however I love the comfy ride of the XL, and I felt it handles very well if not better than my KW v3..


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## Seidelly (Jan 23, 2011)

I had BC racing Coilovers before my airlift xl setup... 

I can definitely say that the BC's handled much better, and stiffer. 

But I cant complain about the air, its a much more comfortable ride, and its not boaty or bouncy.

I definitely like the ride of the airlift's better than the coils, although if I was to track the car or care about going fast I would keep the coils.


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## DoctorDoctor (Oct 18, 2006)

Elvir2 said:


> Thank for all the input everybody. I guess one last thing I have to do is wait for SoWo and get a ride from somebody that has it to get a final opinion if i would be happy with the ride quality before making an official decision.
> 
> Elvir


This is going to be your best bet :thumbup: Good luck on your decision :beer:


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## kilimats (Mar 5, 2006)

if you're happy with the height/stiffness and don't envy anything about air than dont bother for sure

what a beauty :beer:

ps: i love my XL, stiff is cool for track but what a mess when daily driven :thumbdown:


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## President Lincoln (Jun 27, 2005)

I'm running my airlift's with the same front swaybar and its a great ride. I'd kinda like to get lowerthough


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## Elvir2 (Nov 19, 2007)

dOWa242 said:


> I'm running my airlift's with the same front swaybar and its a great ride. I'd kinda like to get lowerthough



Whats preventing you from going lower


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## President Lincoln (Jun 27, 2005)

Elvir2 said:


> Whats preventing you from going lower


Mostly no passenger notch, but after that I would be hanging up on the swaybar as I understand.


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## jarlsberg (Apr 27, 2010)

kilimats said:


> if you're happy with the height/stiffness and don't envy anything about air than dont bother for sure
> 
> what a beauty :beer:
> 
> ps: i love my XL, stiff is cool for track but what a mess when daily driven :thumbdown:


Agreed. Par tof the reason I got bags was to have a more comfortable ride. I consder the ability to air out the added bonus


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## Niagara_V_Dub (Sep 25, 2007)

Well after a week of coils after being on h&r coils that were spun down way low, I can say that my kidneys are recouping! The ride on the h&r's were REALLY stiff and borderline too harsh. Air is BEAUTIFUL! I can ride around at stockish ride height, cause I don't care what it looks like when I am driving around town, and then park hard. And if I do want it to be stiff then I just pump more air into the bags and it stiffens up, plus theoretically better handling because the suspension geometry is at better angles then when its stiff and super low.

And I am on XL's in the front and AAC rears with h&r rear shocks btw.


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## ForVWLife (Nov 12, 2004)

its really a toss up and comes down to what you prefer

id suggest keeping the sway in....just get some brackets welded to the struts and run a r32 style sway setup....prob just need some dif endlinks 

id go to sowo and take someones car for a ride around and see how you like it


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## Elvir2 (Nov 19, 2007)

Having H-Sport sway bars, style that goes underneath axle, i dont see why i would be needing to remove them to go low unless i am missing something.

Elvir


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## President Lincoln (Jun 27, 2005)

Elvir2 said:


> Having H-Sport sway bars, style that goes underneath axle, i dont see why i would be needing to remove them to go low unless i am missing something.
> 
> Elvir


I'm sure the car will still go low. It just won't lay frame. At least according to the guys in this thread. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5446987-DIY-Low-done-Right/page9&p=77058162


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## ForVWLife (Nov 12, 2004)

Elvir2 said:


> Having H-Sport sway bars, style that goes underneath axle, i dont see why i would be needing to remove them to go low unless i am missing something.
> 
> Elvir


new airlifts do not have a tab for the sway bar

thats why i suggested some tabs on the struts to keep the sway


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## Elvir2 (Nov 19, 2007)

on an MK4 the sway bar links up to the control arm not the strut.

On my wifes CC we had to disconnect teh sway as it was bolted on the strut.

Elvir


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## ForVWLife (Nov 12, 2004)

Elvir2 said:


> on an MK4 the sway bar links up to the control arm not the strut.
> 
> On my wifes CC we had to disconnect teh sway as it was bolted on the strut.
> 
> Elvir


ahhh thought you had the r32 spindle/control arm set up which doesnt have that


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## Elvir2 (Nov 19, 2007)

Looks like Im going air. Thanks for all input everybody! 

Pg. 45, for build if interested. 


Elvir


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