air is definitely a luxury and as shmee stated, a transferable one! i was able to reuse most of the parts from my accord wagon.

sc0pe did a budget air build but he is mainly on the LS400 facebook page. here is his build thread.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/bui...-a-budget.html

 

I've been sleeping on that thread so badly... I do technically have my manual setup for sale in the General Classifieds board, if you want it. Everything you need to bag, without the bags Plus you're more than welcome to contact me and I can help you source things on the cheap.

As for how much money I spent:

• AirLift "Easy Street" V1 - $450 (used)
• Viair 480C - $165 (technically new)
• Airbag Depot 5 Gallon Air Tank - $105 (used, but retails for the same price)
• Sensen #1492 Struts - $207 (new)
• UAS Aero Sport Bags - $475 (used, but 50 miles on them)
• UAS Aero Sport Brackets - $115 (the uppers were new, the lowers were used, but never actually mounted)
• Fittings - $100+ (all new, though the majority of said fittings are included in that manual setup that I'm selling)
• Miscellaneous Parts - $100 (think wood, bolts, electrical bits, etc.)

So all in all, I spent in the neighborhood of $1600. Keep in mind that this is a basic setup, and I'm going to gradually upgrade it as time goes on.

 

^^^^
omit Sensen struts in favour of coilovers if you want something good though!

 

I'm only using them as a temporary strut solution until I have the money to fund a set of coilovers. Megan EZs and UAS bags are a tried and true combination.

 

I'm running Megan EZ Streets now...can those be coverted to run with a bag system?

 

yes they can! just follow the same thing i did. any coilovers can be converted by following this thread!

 

Been a few years now. Are you still running this same setup? Any upgrades, and how has the overall performance been?

 

I don't know about Timmy but I'm serious considering ditching my dual 480c compressors for a pair of AZ obd2 compressors to get my cycle times down.

 

Yeah, this must be a concern for everyone on air, right? So many factors dictate how slow/quickly you can air out and go back up...compressor size/psi, hose length/diameter, tank capacity,etc. How uncool is it to go "ok guys just give me 10 minutes to air my ride back up and then we'll get on the road". True story: a few weeks ago I saw this slammed SC400 parked near a neighbors house. I was walking my dog and as we got closer I could here the compressor in the back whirring away. On our return, about 10-15 minutes later - the car was still on the ground and the compressor was still running! Either that guy had a little baby compressor or a serious air leak. Not convenient at all.

 

He was probably running a single, small compressor.

I can air all up and all down 2 full times back to back on a full tank. The compressors kick on about ¼ of the way up on the 2nd time. I can still drop and air up to low ride height a third time on the same tank but ride height and all up take time to get there.

I think my cycle time is about 1min 30-45 seconds from 165-200psi and about 5min30sec from an empty tank.

I want to get the AZ compressors because they are quieter, have much better cfm output and run much cooler. 1 AZ effectively replaces a dual 480 setup, so two would cut my cycle times anywhere from 40-60%.

Beyond that, I have had no real problems with my setup other than a couple of leaks I caused by neglecting to have the right tools on hand when I did my install, resulting and a major deviation in the setup I had planned and band aide fix to get the car up and running in the window of time I was working with.

 

i am pretty much utilizing the same setup as you see in the original thread. all i do is constantly drain the water traps when they fill up (more so when the weather is cold). i added SMC check valves to the leader lines bc the in-line viair check valves tend to fail over time creating leaks.

one time my friend asked how high i can go, so i overfilled the bags to about 140psi. one of the valves got stuck and failed to exhaust the pressure, and i suspect it was bc i was on uneven pavement. eventually after 5 mins the valve broke free and allowed air to dump. other than that, it's been a solid performer and i've daily'd the car with no other issues thankfully!

as for compressors, my setup is very slow taking almost 7 mins to fill from empty, then 2 mins from 165 to 200. on a full tank i can air up once, and on the second time the compressor kicks back on midway. my ride height pressures are 100 psi front and 70 rears. filling up a tank faster is very ideal, and AZ comps will surely do the trick. and yes they are MUCH quieter than viair!

 

Cool. Thanks for the details. The first part of your story reminds me of the Soarer I had when I was living in Japan. It had factory air with a data systems controller. One day I thought "how high can this sucker go" so I pumped the back all the way up until it looked like '74 Grand Torino...then the front...then the back, and POW! Blew a bag.

 

hello
do you have pictures how the air lines go over the rear axle and into ur suitcase ?
im installing my air on my lexus but can not figure out how its safe
thanks im new here
(BELGIUM)

 

In this area did you drill a hole or slide the wire through an existing hole? I got behind the fender and the only thing I see is a grommet to possibly get through. I'm thinking about drilling a hole there or maybe drilling a hole through the grommet

 

no drilling! i only made a hole in the grommet using a screwdriver to stab through the rubber. be careful not to nick the wires in the loom (by pushing in but away from the wires).