rjk

Well, I'm in the process of adding train horns to my ride, and since I have air, I wonder what suspension involves. List of dumb questions:

1. How much pressure do I need? My current compressor (Puma) only goes to 135 PSI rated. Do I need 200 PSI or is that unnecessary?

2. How much air in the tank? I have 4 gallons, but I'm guessing I should use a separate tank and check valve so that I still have some air left when I blow the horns.

3. Where the hell do you run the air lines and power cables? I had this car up on a lift a few weeks ago, and walked around underneath for half an hour trying to find a place that was clear of moving parts and hot exhaust components. There's very little room where the fuel and brake lines run, and every single cubic inch of space was used up by our friendly Japanese engineers and designers over at Lexus. And besides the air lines, what about the solenoids at each corner? I can't find any spare space to save my life!

4. I demand performance from my car. I use stock wheels and suspension because I could track it without worrying about damage. Will airbags blow at the autocross? Will they handle better/same/worse?

Let me know! This is interesting!

rjk

Pics of the train horns mounted up front:





Pics of the half-finished dual battery and onboard air setup (I will be covering the whole mess with a carpet/wood enclosure once finished):







So anyone have any answers for my questions in the first post?

XxGoKoUxX

Sorry I'm late.You need approximately 150-200psi of pressure to do air, not because it requires it, but because you don't want to overwork your compressors by making it push air up everytime. Imagine 4 bags, each needing (varying of course) 90-100+ PSI.

4 Gallons is ok, I guess. I get a minimal of 1 up and 1 down (pancaked) before compressors kick in.

There's room everywhere, just need to find it . The air lines run comfortably underneath the car (steering clear of exhaust lines of course). Also, Power wires run through the inside of the car, you should look up the aftermarket amp tutorial, lots of great info on routing your wires.

I'm not sure what you mean by solenoids, but all Accuair and Ridetech systems run ALL their components in the trunk. You take 4 lines (one from each bag) run straight to the trunk, from the trunk you stash your entire system back there.

Depending on application of how you setup your struts/bags, handling could get better/worse/the same. It's all on how you setup the dampening, how you setup the bags, and which style you use.

Hope this helps a bit, GL!

PM me if you need any help, as I haven't frequented the forums a lot lately.

rjk

Thanks for the info, I'll need to search for that. I don't want lumps in my carpet from wires, hopefully there's some other way to do it.

When I refer to solenoids, I mean the electric valves that allow you to add air to a bag or dump air out. I've heard that there should be 2 for each wheel and for them to be as close to the bags as possible to prevent leaks as well as to improve handling.

Schmexus

I ran my power wire alongside the brake lines and air lines. If you take off some of the plastic panels under the car you can run lines with the brake lines. It's obviously a safe place to run since your brake lines are safe there.

You need to figure out what you want to use for management. Individual valves is kinda old school. Most people use more modern valves that are contained in one unit.

rjk

Well I'm trying to run 2/0 wire covered in split loom for protection, so we're talking a 3/4 inch diameter here realistically. There's no room for that in the kick panels under the doors, and I was barely able to cram in the 3/8 inch air line going up front to the horns in the same location as the brake and fuel lines. I'm using huge wires for a few reasons - I have a rear battery that I want to be able to combine with the front battery for jump starting, and I want to provide expandability for future audio installers to use a big system.

And I'm also running a ground wire since I don't trust the chassis to be good enough for a low resistance ground connection, so that means 2 fat wires plus a pair of smaller air hoses for the front bags. So I'm still looking for the ideal route for these.

Schmexus

I ran a 4g no problem. There is room. It's been done.

2/0 isn't 3/4".

rjk

Not 2 AWG, i'm referring to 2/0 AWG, or 00 gauge. It becomes 3/4" when you use SGX automotive wire instead of welding cable, and add split loom on top. If I am running it inside the car I could get rid of the split loom, but I was preparing it for running underneath the car and getting wet etc.

I'm using a contactor rated for 250 amps continuous 500 amps peak and 1000 amps surge, and a fuse rated at 250 amps (for now, might move to 350 or maybe 500). You can get an idea of the diameter from the pics showing the rear battery - same stuff there as what I was planning on running underneath the car.

I also plan to eventually upgrade to a 250 amp alternator which makes a big 3 a necessity too.

rjk

Once I complete the battery project I will be able to jump start a ****ing semi truck lol.

Schmexus

I could have sworn I typed 2/0

What kind of batteries are you using?

rjk

Possible future audio, but I have the dual battery so I can run the compressor with the car off and use a remote control on the air horn. Big wires charge faster once I run the battery down, and I can also jump-start myself if that ever becomes necessary, as well as jump starting other cars without going nose to nose.

Mostly just an exercise in overkill, and if I actually want to finish the project I might have to downsize a little.

rjk

If I need to move to 200 PSI, I'll have to replace my Puma compressor. I'm thinking about a pair of Air Zenith OB2's, but they're kind of pricey.

XxGoKoUxX

You don't want to run a compressor with the battery off, the batter(ies) don't enjoy such a harsh draw (in the approximations of 10-11v?) unless you have a battery BANK (not dual batteries).

People who run 2/0 run MONSTROSITIES of a system.

I run 1/0 off of a 2kw amp (RMS) 2 compressor systems and a 600w RMS amp just fine, you should be able to too, especially since you can route that off of a buffer battery (in the trunk).

FWIW, running bigger wire doesn't mean you charge faster, running bigger wires means you can transfer MORE amperage from front to rear.

With this said,unless you're doing a 2-alternator or 3-alternator array (I most definitely doubt it will fit), you won't even come close to using up all of the 2/0 gauged wire's potential.

You say the compressor system's built for 135ish Psi? Have you considered whether or not the tank can handle 150-200psi yet? I ask because I don't want you to have an explosion, and to consider it lol.... Some tanks just aren't built for higher pressures. Also, what are your train horns rated at? You definitely don't want to build the setup for 150-200psi, only to find out your horns top out at 135psi and might sustain damage with a stronger compressor (let alone 2). Air Zenith's run quite hot, If it were up to me I'd recc viair or AMK compressors.

My fav so far is the AMK though, it runs SILENTLY in the trunk, I hear almost nothing but a very faint buzz from the trunk.

Also your batteries... Make sure you run same brand same type in front and rears, while also remembering that the best type of battery for what you're doing is AGM. (I say AGM since it's usually a deep cycle and can handle harsh draws).

Like Schmexus said, what you're doing, or thinking of doing, is old school and thrown out already.... Consider waiting, biting the bullet, and getting a full real suspension setup.

GL! LMK if you need anything else!

rjk

I have an AGM battery up front and in rear, as well as a battery monitoring system that automatically combines them for charging and sets off alarms if they get below a preset charge state.
I also have a 1kw inverter that I forgot to mention, which uses a ton of power if you have stuff plugged in that uses it.
If I go to AZ OB2, it will be a dual pack so that they can fill fast and not run for long. I want something fast, not necessarily quiet.
My tank and all other components are good for 200 PSI. I pieced the setup together from scratch. I have a big *** regulator that can to 220 CFM so I use that to make sure everything else gets the right PSI.
Only doing one alternator, but it will be a good HO model that can to 180 amps at idle speed and 250 amps at normal speed.

Thanks for your info and opinions. The accuair controllers looks awesome, and the bags from ridetech do as well. Has anyone here combined those 2 instead of using the bags that accuair sells?

XxGoKoUxX

I've never mentioned using ridetech bags, just giving you options of air management .

What I use is UAS bags, but with that you need to customize your rear struts, and order front tophats from UAS.

You can also purchase pre-fab bags like K Sport, Airrex, D2 (a few to name).

NP btw, always here to help! If you're only looking forward to 250a MAX charge/discharge rate... I'd go with 1/0 OFC wire. It honestly IS right at the requirements you need to be met .

GL!