Air Suspension vs Coilovers: Pros & Cons

Air Suspension and Coilovers are the two major and popular suspension upgrades. It does not only transform how your car handles and performs, but it also changes the way your car looks basically - makes it look cooler. 

To decide what set-up you’re going for, we made a guideline of pros and cons below. 

Air Suspension 

Air Suspension or also known as “air ride suspension” is a type of air suspension system that enables you to lift the vehicle to your desired ride height and supports the weight of your car. Air suspension systems are made up of air strings that are located on each wheel of the vehicle. 

 

Air springs can provide adjustable suspension and load support by adding air when riding fully loaded, and deflating the air when riding light. 

 

You can reduce the height of your vehicle to sit very low to improve its street credibility and rise high enough to handle inconsistencies and rough patches on the road. Air springs are the only adjustable load support product, offering various load and leveling capacities as well as improved ride comfort. 

Installing an Air Suspension kit will bring a lot of benefits to your car.

Pros

• Increased driver comfort because of the reduction in noise, harshness, and vibration on the road, that in turn decreases driver fatigue
• Less wear and tear on the suspension system as there is reduced vibration during heavy-duty driving
• It adapts the situation- varying the spring rates along with performance customization provide your vehicle endless potential in performance, enabling real-time tuning and a cushiony ride for increased comfort on a rough patch of road.

Although it has a lot of benefits, there are points that we should note.

Cons

• The maintenance costs will be higher than standard coil and shocks.
• It will take more time to install an air suspension because of the complexity of wiring, lines and hose installations. The installation itself requires the use of various tools
• Leaking is a common vulnerability seen in all air suspensions. The system will go flat when it cannot hold air.

Coilovers

Coilovers (also called a screw suspension) refers to a suspension that allows individual adjustment of the ground clearance. This is done by means of a screw thread on the suspension strut. For this reason, a car with a coilover suspension can also be raised or lowered quickly and without tools by private individuals.

 

This is a suspension component that incorporates both a coil spring and a shock absorber into one unit. Due to their adjustability and handling benefits, they  are a popular modification. They can increase the stability and performance of off-roaders, race cars, and even everyday driving.

Many people use Coilovers to provide a lot of mechanical advantages in addition to improving the looks of your car.

Pros

• Good handling. Setting up a custom suspension can help that system do more of the work in cornering and other parts of the drive.
• Adjustability. Drivers love that these custom suspensions are adjustable. That's great for anyone who wants a "low ride" for their car. Being able to set your suspension any way you want to is a huge plus for these kinds of systems.
• Prestige. The better kinds of coilovers are well regarded in the car community as useful custom aftermarket parts, and some of the best cars around run on these kinds of specialized setups.

Cons

• Stiff ride. Some drivers report that coilovers lead to a stiff, uncomfortable ride. In some cases, this is because poor quality coilovers were not able to be configured correctly.
• Possible failure. Some "sleeve type" designs can fail in certain kinds of driving. Read up on various kinds of coilovers before buying, to make sure they're not getting into a situation involving added risk on the road.

Space hogging setups. There's only so much room under the frame of your car, and for some drivers, coilovers tend to eat up more than their share. Coilovers can come into contact with parts like a sway bar, tangled up wires and cables for systems like anti lock brakes, or even end up in contact with tires, chewing off the sidewall.

The Verdict

To sum up this argument on which is a better suspension kit, both Air suspension and Coilovers deliver a great performance to your car. The options available for modifying your vehicle's suspension oftentimes can be overwhelming. 

There really isn’t a one size fits all solution – it all comes down to how you plan to utilize the car, your budget, and your expectations. 

Consider an Air Suspension Kit If

• If you are looking for a more convenient way to adjust your car’s stiffness that delivers smoother performance.
• If you prefer a better quality of daily driving

Hence,

Consider Coilovers If

• If you want something that is durable and dependable.
• if you want to lower your vehicle flexibly and adapt it to your situation. If you only want to improve the appearance and achieve a somewhat sportier handling in road traffic.

Ultimately it comes down to what you plan on doing with your car and your level of comfort in that type of driving condition. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our team – we’re a staff of enthusiasts that would be more than happy to help answer any questions you might have.