Variable air suspension

[Frank Lee]

For what it's worth, I have otherwise identical versions of the same model car, one lowered about 1 1/2" and one stock. FE is pretty much the same between them.

[Christ]

Piwoslaw - Get an alignment done for the height that you plan on spending most of your driving time, obviously.

Also - keep in mind that when you "jack up" your suspension, you just might go higher than your springs extend, which will unseat them. This can cause serious problems. This would normally happen only if you have coilover springs, which have been shortened to accommodate the vehicle being lowered, or in any case where the springs don't actually get fastened to both perches.

Also keep in mind that lowering your car isn't really getting rid of that much frontal area, either. The only thing you're really getting rid of are the front/exposed areas of the tires that you're now covering, and any suspension components that might get hidden in the wheel wells or behind something.

The real benefit comes from less air being able to make it under the car, but there are much cheaper/easier ways to accomplish this as well. See: belly pans/Air dams.

They don't necessarily stop the air from getting under there, but if you can clean up the flow, who cares how much gets under it?

Aesthetically, it might look like you've accomplished something major, but MPG-wise, I don't think you'll be satisfied with the result of all your work.

[theunchosen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSi6J-QK1lw

My two cents. . .
Bose® Learning Center - Bose Suspension System
So yeah the idea with bose is you have a very fast EM-motor that allows it to expand and cotnract quickly and fluidly(not to mention dynamically).

If you could find a set of those it would be relatively simple. . .send a signal to expand or send a signal to contract. No leaking problems.

I saw this in PM a few years back. I think the reason it has not been developed is because the components are too long. They are about the same length as uncompressed springs. . .but they don't get much shorter once weight is applied. Causes the vehicle to ride too high.

<edit> which would not be a problem if you pick a chassis with the mounts high enough into the body to set the wheel wells just above the tires. If you were to build a chassis for these you could put the mounts very high on the frame as opposed to a few inches below.</edit>