midnightfxgt
07-17-2012, 01:10 PM
Hey Everyone,
Since bagging my car, I have had a lot of interested people in the Mazda3 community asking about the cost, options, and the parts needed. My goal here is to try and help provide the basics, and answer some of the questions, and Debunk the myths.
Parts Needed
==========
Bags/Struts/Shocks
As most know, the Mazda3 uses a strut up front, and a shock in the rear. The best way to think of how a bag setup looks, is to picture a Coiover setup. Instead of springs, you have bags, plain and simple. When bagging your car, you are lowering it... so treat it like lowering springs. This means that you should upgrade the shocks to something made for lowered vehicles.
A kit like AirRide (coming soon), or AirRex (available) come with basically a coilover setup, adapted for bags. You do not need shocks/struts, as they are part of the kit. Example: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X2HxlKA8fLQ/Tjb_IujQyLI/AAAAAAAAAq0/tIfohFPdLRU/Mazda3.jpg
Should you decide to build a setup from scratch, you will need to source out bags. "Bag Over Coil" setups can be found, and with fabrication, can replace the springs on your existing coilovers up front. In the rear, you should use a lowering shock (for wear issues), and a sleeve style bag.
Tank
Air Tank size is personal preference. Having a larger tank simply means, more air is stored, which means less time filling, and more time playing :) If space is a premium, and your not going to raise/lower the car often, a small "pancake" tank can fit into the spare well, or a 2.5Gallon traditional tank can be placed under a false floor. If your going to play with the air a lot, or dont care about trunk space, you can use a larger tank.
Compressor
A compressor simply fills the air tank. Choosing a compressor is tough. Without going into too much detail, a standard in the air world would be the Viair 380 or 400CC. The 400CC fills faster, and is a touch quieter, but it also draws more power (a concern for some with large stereos). A little bit of Googling will help here with specific needs. However, for most, a pre-packaged unit is fine. you will see some setups with 1 compressor, and some with more. Why? More compressors = faster fill time. If your always playing with the air ride, you may want 2 compressors to cut down on how long it takes to fill the tank. I personally went with 1 compressor, as they are easy to add later on.
Air Management
There are 3 MAIN types of management:
Switch Box - This is the old traditional way air was setup. Switches would control solenoids to fill/dump air, which you monitor on your gauges. There is more work in this type of setup, as the solenoid install and wiring are more difficult than the newer alternatives. However, its is tried and true, and some still prefer it.
Pressure Based - The Autopilot V2 from AirLift is one of the most popular (and what i run). I really like the simplicity of the install. Only a few wires to connect (PWR/GRD/IGN) and your up and running. The system includes a controller that allows you to dump/full while showing air pressures digitally on the screen, and has 8 presets. It also has no need to wire solenoids, as the system includes a manifold, with everything contained. You simply insert your PTC airlines, and your set! Like the name says, the system is based on Pressure. Therefore, if you set your preset ride height to something like 55PSI/55PSI/70PSI/70PSI, the system will constantly set your pressures to this, and maintain them, until you choose another preset, or go into "manual mode". One complaint about pressure-based systems is if you have a varying load in your car. For example, if you commute with just yourself with the above mentioned pressures, the car will be at a specific height. If you add in your wife and 2 kids/dog, the added weight will make the car sit slightly lower. This is a concern for some with VERY aggressive wheel fitments etc. One solution is to have different presets for different conditions. If you dont want to... a height based system may be better for you.
Height Based - Accuair is by far the most popular height based system available. Much like the AirLift system, it has an enclosed manifold for easy install, and uses PTC lines. It only has 3 presets, and does not display pressures. However, Accuair claims that the gauges are not needed, as they are height based. When a user sets a preset to a specific height, they car will always return to this level. Since the system uses leveling arms attached to the frame, it can sense height from the ground. This means, no matter the load in the car, you will ALWAYS have the desired height that you preset. Cost is higher, and install of the leveling arms can be tedious, but it is truly a "set and forget" system.
FAQ
What size lines? - This is a personal taste question. If your looking to raise/lower the car faster, you need bigger lines. Common line sizes are 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". I personally run 1/4" lines, and like it. Due to the slower speed, I can fine tune where I want the car to sit. 3/8" would also work on a Mazda3, but I would personally stay away from 1/2" lines. 1/2" lines can be very quick, which makes height hard to dial in. I have a friend who runs 1/2" on his 1961 Impala, because he likes to play with the switches a lot and bounce it up and down :)
Do I need to notch? - Other cars (ie many Volkswagens) need a small notch to get as low as possible. This is NOT needed with the Mazda3. An Air Ride kit will get you VERY low. The only other mod required to get you almost laying pinch weld is custom Control Arms. These are available via Custom Order from All Day Fab (http://www.alldayfab.com/Mazda3-Arms.html). i would recommend adding these later if desired, as the car may very well sit low enough for your tastes without.
Will I have to loose my swaybars? - The Mazda3 does NOT need to give up it's swaybars to get low.
How loud is the compressor? - Its not silent, but it is not super loud. This is a personal preference for everyone. The less your tank needs to fill, the less you will here it.
How do you turn on the compressor? - The compressor turns on and off based on your Min and MAX PSI settings.
Why do people with coilovers hate on bags? - Because they can't get as low :)
Air Ride Myths
Air Ride is unreliable - As with the case with all modifications, if done properly, using quality parts, you should have little to no issues. The air lines used should all be DOT, and lines should be run properly (is away from exhaust, sharp edges they may rub on etc). With the advances in pre-configured manifolds, there is less and less room for install error.
Air Ride in uncomfortable - Quite the opposite. The newer style Air ride kits available offer the same dampening found in coilover kits. In fact, I am pretty sure that AirLift uses a modified BC Coilover setup!
Bad Performance - If you have read the rest of this thread, you will already know that the new Air Ride kits are based on Coilover setups. Many offer camber plates, and dampening adjustability. That's right... a coilover setup with on demand ride height control!
Since bagging my car, I have had a lot of interested people in the Mazda3 community asking about the cost, options, and the parts needed. My goal here is to try and help provide the basics, and answer some of the questions, and Debunk the myths.
Parts Needed
==========
Bags/Struts/Shocks
As most know, the Mazda3 uses a strut up front, and a shock in the rear. The best way to think of how a bag setup looks, is to picture a Coiover setup. Instead of springs, you have bags, plain and simple. When bagging your car, you are lowering it... so treat it like lowering springs. This means that you should upgrade the shocks to something made for lowered vehicles.
A kit like AirRide (coming soon), or AirRex (available) come with basically a coilover setup, adapted for bags. You do not need shocks/struts, as they are part of the kit. Example: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X2HxlKA8fLQ/Tjb_IujQyLI/AAAAAAAAAq0/tIfohFPdLRU/Mazda3.jpg
Should you decide to build a setup from scratch, you will need to source out bags. "Bag Over Coil" setups can be found, and with fabrication, can replace the springs on your existing coilovers up front. In the rear, you should use a lowering shock (for wear issues), and a sleeve style bag.
Tank
Air Tank size is personal preference. Having a larger tank simply means, more air is stored, which means less time filling, and more time playing :) If space is a premium, and your not going to raise/lower the car often, a small "pancake" tank can fit into the spare well, or a 2.5Gallon traditional tank can be placed under a false floor. If your going to play with the air a lot, or dont care about trunk space, you can use a larger tank.
Compressor
A compressor simply fills the air tank. Choosing a compressor is tough. Without going into too much detail, a standard in the air world would be the Viair 380 or 400CC. The 400CC fills faster, and is a touch quieter, but it also draws more power (a concern for some with large stereos). A little bit of Googling will help here with specific needs. However, for most, a pre-packaged unit is fine. you will see some setups with 1 compressor, and some with more. Why? More compressors = faster fill time. If your always playing with the air ride, you may want 2 compressors to cut down on how long it takes to fill the tank. I personally went with 1 compressor, as they are easy to add later on.
Air Management
There are 3 MAIN types of management:
Switch Box - This is the old traditional way air was setup. Switches would control solenoids to fill/dump air, which you monitor on your gauges. There is more work in this type of setup, as the solenoid install and wiring are more difficult than the newer alternatives. However, its is tried and true, and some still prefer it.
Pressure Based - The Autopilot V2 from AirLift is one of the most popular (and what i run). I really like the simplicity of the install. Only a few wires to connect (PWR/GRD/IGN) and your up and running. The system includes a controller that allows you to dump/full while showing air pressures digitally on the screen, and has 8 presets. It also has no need to wire solenoids, as the system includes a manifold, with everything contained. You simply insert your PTC airlines, and your set! Like the name says, the system is based on Pressure. Therefore, if you set your preset ride height to something like 55PSI/55PSI/70PSI/70PSI, the system will constantly set your pressures to this, and maintain them, until you choose another preset, or go into "manual mode". One complaint about pressure-based systems is if you have a varying load in your car. For example, if you commute with just yourself with the above mentioned pressures, the car will be at a specific height. If you add in your wife and 2 kids/dog, the added weight will make the car sit slightly lower. This is a concern for some with VERY aggressive wheel fitments etc. One solution is to have different presets for different conditions. If you dont want to... a height based system may be better for you.
Height Based - Accuair is by far the most popular height based system available. Much like the AirLift system, it has an enclosed manifold for easy install, and uses PTC lines. It only has 3 presets, and does not display pressures. However, Accuair claims that the gauges are not needed, as they are height based. When a user sets a preset to a specific height, they car will always return to this level. Since the system uses leveling arms attached to the frame, it can sense height from the ground. This means, no matter the load in the car, you will ALWAYS have the desired height that you preset. Cost is higher, and install of the leveling arms can be tedious, but it is truly a "set and forget" system.
FAQ
What size lines? - This is a personal taste question. If your looking to raise/lower the car faster, you need bigger lines. Common line sizes are 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". I personally run 1/4" lines, and like it. Due to the slower speed, I can fine tune where I want the car to sit. 3/8" would also work on a Mazda3, but I would personally stay away from 1/2" lines. 1/2" lines can be very quick, which makes height hard to dial in. I have a friend who runs 1/2" on his 1961 Impala, because he likes to play with the switches a lot and bounce it up and down :)
Do I need to notch? - Other cars (ie many Volkswagens) need a small notch to get as low as possible. This is NOT needed with the Mazda3. An Air Ride kit will get you VERY low. The only other mod required to get you almost laying pinch weld is custom Control Arms. These are available via Custom Order from All Day Fab (http://www.alldayfab.com/Mazda3-Arms.html). i would recommend adding these later if desired, as the car may very well sit low enough for your tastes without.
Will I have to loose my swaybars? - The Mazda3 does NOT need to give up it's swaybars to get low.
How loud is the compressor? - Its not silent, but it is not super loud. This is a personal preference for everyone. The less your tank needs to fill, the less you will here it.
How do you turn on the compressor? - The compressor turns on and off based on your Min and MAX PSI settings.
Why do people with coilovers hate on bags? - Because they can't get as low :)
Air Ride Myths
Air Ride is unreliable - As with the case with all modifications, if done properly, using quality parts, you should have little to no issues. The air lines used should all be DOT, and lines should be run properly (is away from exhaust, sharp edges they may rub on etc). With the advances in pre-configured manifolds, there is less and less room for install error.
Air Ride in uncomfortable - Quite the opposite. The newer style Air ride kits available offer the same dampening found in coilover kits. In fact, I am pretty sure that AirLift uses a modified BC Coilover setup!
Bad Performance - If you have read the rest of this thread, you will already know that the new Air Ride kits are based on Coilover setups. Many offer camber plates, and dampening adjustability. That's right... a coilover setup with on demand ride height control!