# My ride quality sucks...



## bboy_jon (Jan 19, 2010)

So I am on air lift lifestyles (the old air lifts) up front and AHII's with dcups and bilstein sport struts in the rear. The car is an 02 gti 1.8t. 



















Anyways, the ride quality sucks. It wasnt that great on the stock struts (which were pretty old) and it wasnt great on my ksport coilovers either and that is with the dampeners set pretty soft. I figured air would be awesome, and I know that the newer air lift stuff is way better but I feel like the air lift stuff is barely better (if at all) than the ksports). 

I currently have the air lifts on max dampening, but I have tried going a little softer and it doesnt make much of a difference....the struts just fluctuate too much to be on anything less than 7/10 (10 being the stiffest). Is it normal for the struts to fluctuate so much? Until I get my new wheels on in the spring, I have been forced to ride with my current wheel setup which isnt "low" friendly so I drive around at about stock height, which is about 90 psi. I have tried driving a bit lower, around 80 psi but after a few bumps the pressure ends up fluctuating and ends up around 90 or so...not sure whats up with that. The front struts fluctuate so much where as the rear bags, which I run at a bit less than 20 psi rarely move and if they do its only by a few psi.

Also, if I am going up an elevated driveway or something, the pressure in the bigs goes up drastically. I will go up at an angle and the pressure in one bag will go up to passed 120 psi...I know the max is 125 psi so is it bad that the pressure ocassionally goes over it for a few seconds?

My main question is...do these bags just suck? Or is my ride quality just ****ed up? The previous owner tboned someone (which he neglected to tell me until I figured it out a while after I got the car) and the frame is somewhat f*cked, so it shouldnt be surprising that my ride quality sucks right? I noticed that my right wheel sits a lot farther forward compared to the left wheel. When I had coils, I needed to use a 5 mm spacer on the drivers side so the wheel could clear the strut, and it was not necessary on the passenger side wheel. 

The frame was "straightened" but they did a piss poor job. If I were to get it straightened for reals, would it help me or would my ride quality always be ****?


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## boostingti4ever (May 17, 2011)

driving at 90 psi is your problem. i drive at 35-40 psi


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## Slamtastic (Jul 24, 2010)

boostingti4ever said:


> driving at 90 psi is your problem. i drive at 35-40 psi


:thumbup::thumbup:

Also, the pressure in the bags doesn't go up when your inclined, the pressure in the gauge does.

My lifestyles ride pretty good, not as good as XL's, but the OG lifestyles are more for 'performance'.


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## bboy_jon (Jan 19, 2010)

boostingti4ever said:


> driving at 90 psi is your problem. i drive at 35-40 psi


 Well, if aired out completely, the car doesnt even lift to a driveable level until about 80 psi. If I raise the car all the way up to around 100 psi or so, then drop it down, than the car is driveable at lower psi's...why is this though? To me, all I can think of is that it takes a good amount of pressure to lift up the engine but once it is lifted, it doesnt take much to hold it up...? 



dubbin18 said:


> :thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> Also, the pressure in the bags doesn't go up when your inclined, the pressure in the gauge does.
> 
> My lifestyles ride pretty good, not as good as XL's, but the OG lifestyles are more for 'performance'.


 That makes sense  I am afraid to take turns fast as I see the gauges fluctuate and it scares the **** out of me...makes me wish I had coilovers again since I didnt have to care  

Are there different versions of life styles? current and older ones, or are the current ones named something different? I bought mine used back in august and they have had maybe 4000 miles on them.


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## prospal (Mar 8, 2011)

I have sort of the same problem with regards to driving at elevated pressures. I'm in a MK6 GTI with XL fronts/ss5 rears. At 40psi in the front _something_ (i think frame notch) starts to chatter with something else (definitely sounds like metal on metal). If i try to go any lower, start to get like a grinding sound, so I just stop going lower and air back up. When the car is stationary, absolutely no noises. 

So I really wonder how some people say 35-45 psi fronts is drivable. For me, stock like comfort is around 60-70psi front/40 psi rear (this pressure equates to a ride height that basically looks like i'm on koni coils). I can drive at 45-50psi front/25psi rear, but really gotta watch out for road seams, can't take certain turns or else the front wheels start to rub fender, and bumps/un-missable potholes in the road sound really rough.


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## Squirrel Nuts (Aug 25, 2010)

I ride at 40 front and 30 in the rear. I have XL's in the front with SS5 rears and I've noticed my SS5's ride rough. I run Koni shocks and have them set to full soft. Something I've gotten used to but I do wish they rode a little softer.


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## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2006)

dubbin18 said:


> :thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> Also, the pressure in the bags doesn't go up when your inclined, the pressure in the gauge does.


 That would be the inversely proportional law between the reduction in volume equating to the increase of air pressure as displayed by your air gauge  :beer: 



prospal said:


> I have sort of the same problem with regards to driving at elevated pressures. I'm in a MK6 GTI with XL fronts/ss5 rears. At 40psi in the front _something_ (i think frame notch) starts to chatter with something else (definitely sounds like metal on metal). If i try to go any lower, start to get like a grinding sound, so I just stop going lower and air back up. When the car is stationary, absolutely no noises.
> 
> So I really wonder how some people say 35-45 psi fronts is drivable. For me, stock like comfort is around 60-70psi front/40 psi rear (this pressure equates to a ride height that basically looks like i'm on koni coils). I can drive at 45-50psi front/25psi rear, but really gotta watch out for road seams, can't take certain turns or else the front wheels start to rub fender, and bumps/un-missable potholes in the road sound really rough.


 Have you checked your notch clearance to see if your axle actually sits in the notch itself? Also, check your leader lines, fittings, everything that could potentially move. With air struts, there are more parts that can chatter and vibrate at certain points. 

As for the fender rubbing, just ignore that, it's part of the game :laugh: :beer:


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## prospal (Mar 8, 2011)

The axle DEFINITELY sits in the notch when the car is stationary, I lay out even. Definitely didn't before the notch, so I know thats working :laugh:. 

It's when the car is driving that I have no idea what it's doing, as I cannot get under there to check :/


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## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2006)

Good  

I've seen people notch the frame in the wrong place and then they wonder why their height hasn't changed :laugh: 

Check the leader lines, fittings, axles, tie rods, etc. It's a bit tedious, but more often than not it ends up being a simple fix. :thumbup::beer:


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## bboy_jon (Jan 19, 2010)

hehehe, I my notch is a bit off...  It measured up fine before we did it, and it is in the same spot as everyone elses but I think since my frame is off, and as I said before, the passenger side wheel sits forward farther than the driver side, the axle is also a bit far forward...lucky for me, my subframe is still holding me up 

So I was watching the gauges again, started driving around 80 psi or so and I feel like it is a bit better but it is probably just placebo...also, why is it that I can drive at 80 psi, after a few minutes of driving, I am back at around 90...:banghead:


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## Slo.Mo.Shun (Jan 13, 2010)

Squirrel Nuts said:


> I ride at 40 front and 30 in the rear. I have XL's in the front with SS5 rears and I've noticed my SS5's ride rough. I run Koni shocks and have them set to full soft. Something I've gotten used to but I do wish they rode a little softer.


 Too little air also affects ride quality. I run about 50psi on my SS6s and they feel much better than my old XLs. 

However, I do think the Dorbritz LCA have allot to do with it. D cups on the OEM LCA limit the range of motion of the re and ss bags. With the oem LCA 50psi pretty much maxed out my rear shocks (Bags did not extend fully), now full lift is closer to 70psi (Bags can go from pancake to full extension).


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## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2006)

bboy_jon said:


> hehehe, I my notch is a bit off...  It measured up fine before we did it, and it is in the same spot as everyone elses but I think since my frame is off, and as I said before, the passenger side wheel sits forward farther than the driver side, the axle is also a bit far forward...lucky for me, my subframe is still holding me up
> 
> So I was watching the gauges again, started driving around 80 psi or so and I feel like it is a bit better but it is probably just placebo...also, why is it that I can drive at 80 psi, after a few minutes of driving, I am back at around 90...:banghead:


 Notching is something that takes a bit of work. People often forget that all the suspension geometry changes between various heights. 

What gauges/management are you using? Gauge pressure is going to depend on a number of factors... 



Slo.Mo.Shun said:


> Too little air also affects ride quality. I run about 50psi on my SS6s and they feel much better than my old XLs.
> 
> However, I do think the Dorbritz LCA have allot to do with it. D cups on the OEM LCA limit the range of motion of the re and ss bags. With the oem LCA 50psi pretty much maxed out my rear shocks (Bags did not extend fully), now full lift is closer to 70psi (Bags can go from pancake to full extension).


 Very true! Too little air will also equate to a crappy ride. 

The DD LCA's are a great addition to the MkV/VI platform. :beer:


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## bboy_jon (Jan 19, 2010)

Its a manual set up with viair gauges


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## Monkeykungfu (May 15, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Very true! Too little air will also equate to a crappy ride.


 I've NEVER driven, much less ridden, in a car on bags so I'm really curious about the ride quality aspect. 

When there is the appropriate amount of air in your bags, & an air-ride system is correctly setup, how WELL does the ride quality compare to stock??


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## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2006)

Monkeykungfu said:


> I've NEVER driven, much less ridden, in a car on bags so I'm really curious about the ride quality aspect.
> 
> When there is the appropriate amount of air in your bags, & an air-ride system is correctly setup, how WELL does the ride quality compare to stock??


 Well, come up to PA, I'll let you take our Jetta for a spin. You'll be pleasantly surprised!  

When you have a properly setup system, it rides better than stock. :thumbup::beer:


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## Squirrel Nuts (Aug 25, 2010)

Slo.Mo.Shun said:


> Too little air also affects ride quality. I run about 50psi on my SS6s and they feel much better than my old XLs.
> 
> However, I do think the Dorbritz LCA have allot to do with it. D cups on the OEM LCA limit the range of motion of the re and ss bags. With the oem LCA 50psi pretty much maxed out my rear shocks (Bags did not extend fully), now full lift is closer to 70psi (Bags can go from pancake to full extension).


 50 psi in the rear for me would look twice what stock height is. :laugh: :banghead:


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## prospal (Mar 8, 2011)

Kind of a big and specific request, but can someone here take a pic of their front ride height with Airlift XL's on a mkv / mkvi golf/gti vs reported gauge pressure? (include what management you're using, since some can supposedly have a nice error) 

For example, show me what 40 psi/50psi/60psi up front looks like, maybe I'm actually riding a lot lower than I think..


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## Monkeykungfu (May 15, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Well, come up to PA, I'll let you take our Jetta for a spin. You'll be pleasantly surprised!
> 
> When you have a properly setup system, it rides better than stock. :thumbup::beer:


 I've got some buddies that live in Philly. I've been meaning to make a trip to visit sometime. I'll have to take you up on your offer if I do! :thumbup:


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## arethirdytwo (Apr 4, 2007)

Bigger wheels  Mine is great and I ride at 45/40. XL's.


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## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2006)

Monkeykungfu said:


> I've got some buddies that live in Philly. I've been meaning to make a trip to visit sometime. I'll have to take you up on your offer if I do! :thumbup:


 Please do! We're always happy to do a little test drive, sharing, comparing and finish it all off with a cheesesteak!  :laugh:


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## bboy_jon (Jan 19, 2010)

Question, how much air pressure can air house II bags take? I see a lot of people airing up their rears, enough to fit someones head in between the tire and fender. The most that I have put is about 60 psi and I feel like that is a lot, but I definitely cannot fit my head in between the wheel/fender :banghead:

also, its normal to have to air up at a higher pressure first, before going to your ride height correct? For example...if I want to ride at 80 psi, I usually have to air up to about 100 before dropping it down. If I just air up straight to 80 psi, the car is lower than if I were to air up to 100 and lower it.


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## Shoopz (Jan 18, 2012)

Geeze at 80 psi I'm at stock or higher. Ride at around 25-30 psi up front rear at 38


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## Slamtastic (Jul 24, 2010)

Shoopz said:


> Geeze at 80 psi I'm at stock or higher. Ride at around 25-30 psi up front rear at 38


Because you have XL's.


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## bboy_jon (Jan 19, 2010)

yeah from what I know the life styles require a bit more psi...I am riding pretty much at stock height, but only because I am on stock size tires (until spring) and my wheel set up wont allow for too low of driving


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