mk1 air ride

Hopefully one day in the not so distant future i will be get air ride for my mk1 and im just wondering if anyone knows much about how good they are?

What brand are the best?

Are budget ones any good? 

Also wat are the pros/cons if any

Cheers dan

Hi Dan,
I have been trying to do some research on air suspension and so far I haven't found many places that do a bolt on kit!
I emailed Air-lift uk and got this reply,

Hi Paul,

Thanks for getting in touch.  At this point we've not got a Mk1 kit available off the shelf, though customers have used our universal struts in the past to create custom setups for these.

http://www.air-lift.co.uk/accessories.php?choice=airstruts

On the front there are two options really, first you could go for something like HF564 which has a narrow sleeve type bag, this should fit in the space you have and will suit the car OK.  Personally on the front I'd rather have a bellow type strut such as HF561, which is just a bit more supportive but you need a 7" space for the air bag so there's likely to be some fabrication on the bodywork.

The rear struts are easier than the front on the Mk1, you'll most likely want to go for HF566 and set up the heights to suit.

Failing that we can undertake the complete installation for you, with the control system and labour it would start from around £2800.  But we can also work with you on this kind of thing if you have a spare set of struts that we can use to get measurements from for example.

Best regards,
Jonathan

I had a look at these parts and they look good.
I have also been looking into D2 racing air suspension, these say that they do a full air suspension kit for the Mk1 Golf and is a complete bolt on system with fitting instructions, they have a UK supplier that is advertising the kits on Ebay and they seem to be good value! I have not managed to find any negative comments about D2 yet so these could be an option! You can check all the vehicle fitments and prices on the D2 racing website.
I am looking to purchase my air suspension in the new year ready for next summer (2015) so until then all of my air experience has been what I've read online.
Hope this helps and if you know of any other suppliers I can look into please let me know!
Cheers, Paul.

Its wierd that u sed about there not being a kit for a mk1 cuz i have seen the ones on ebay, which im pressuming are the d2's kit, but they seem a bit cheap to me but then agen they still might be good, but i have heard about clearnece issues about things rubbing on the bags and stuff but dnt rewally know much detail into that




But wen i do get a kit i was hoping i wudnt have to pay more than the 2000 mark

airride.co.uk/ they will fit as well

I got chatting to a guy at Stonor park show about a kit he had fitted on his cabby and he was really pleased with the performance, the basic kit was £1800 and fully automated controller kit was £2200, he said he hadn't had any issues at all, said he got it through a company called Radio world (ebay), looks like the D2 kit to me, anyway can't comment from personal experience just passing on his comments, fitted to the cabby in pics 26 onward on this link http://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=show-meet-pictures-and_2%2Fstonor-park-pics

Have a chat with @beany1234 he has air on his baby blue mk1

Jon at JH Pro Paint fits air ride to mk1's as well. Based in Sheffield.

chipster2407 said

Its wierd that u sed about there not being a kit for a mk1 cuz i have seen the ones on ebay, which im pressuming are the d2's kit, but they seem a bit cheap to me but then agen they still might be good, but i have heard about clearnece issues about things rubbing on the bags and stuff but dnt rewally know much detail into that




But wen i do get a kit i was hoping i wudnt have to pay more than the 2000 mark

hubbadubba said

 he got it through a company called Radio world (ebay), looks like the D2 kit to me,

Yeah, they are the D2 kits and one of the only BOLT ON kits available that state that they do not require mods to the bodywork!  bonus! Radio world are currently the sole UK supplier of that kit and I had an email from them today, they said the kits are

2 way manual £1599.99
4 way munual £1749.99
Digital autopilot V2 £2199.99

The kits are on back order, they have 2 available for pre order, due in by the end of July and will need a £50 deposit to secure one. Tempting 

TONYS OCD VW said

airride.co.uk/ they will fit as well

They also do kits but I've tried contacting them to see if it is a straight bolt on option and have not had any replies so unsure on customer service! Also I can't seem to find any pictures or much information about the Mk1 kit other than the price!

Melteddrummer said

Jon at JH Pro Paint fits air ride to mk1's as well. Based in Sheffield.

Thats interesting! Will you be contacting him Dan? I might check him out too! 

Best thing I can suggest is to get looking on line! There is loads of info out there but a lot of the kits are build your own! 
Check out the American D2 Racing site! They seem like a very professional company but obviously I don't know from experience and I can't find any negative comments about them so its a big  from me and I'm so tempted to get a £50 deposit down on a pre ordered set 

Did they say how long the ones on back order wud take to get back in stock?

No they didn't, I read it as if the 2 they have ordered are on back order until the end of July and I think it might be a long wait after that! It might be possible to order them from America! I've found 2 places that list them but I have left the names of them at work! I will try and remember send you the names later tonight if you want? I will also email them again and see how long it will take to get more in stock.  

I will be contacting Jon in the next couple of days, I'll ask some questions for you if you like?

GolyTheGolf said

No they didn't, I read it as if the 2 they have ordered are on back order until the end of July and I think it might be a long wait after that! It might be possible to order them from America! I've found 2 places that list them but I have left the names of them at work! I will try and remember send you the names later tonight if you want? I will also email them again and see how long it will take to get more in stock.  

Yeah u can do mate, just ask them how how long the the wait is as i dnt have the momey to get a set as of yet, also ask them how easy everything is to fit

Also bit of a random question but ask them if they sell a set through finance, like buy now pay monthly lol worth a Shot in asking

Cheers dan

Melteddrummer said

I will be contacting Jon in the next couple of days, I'll ask some questions for you if you like?

Yeah can do mate just ask him how easy it is to fit and wat he reakons a good kit is

Cheers dan

chipster2407 said

GolyTheGolf said

No they didn't, I read it as if the 2 they have ordered are on back order until the end of July and I think it might be a long wait after that! It might be possible to order them from America! I've found 2 places that list them but I have left the names of them at work! I will try and remember send you the names later tonight if you want? I will also email them again and see how long it will take to get more in stock.  

Yeah u can do mate, just ask them how how long the the wait is as i dnt have the momey to get a set as of yet, also ask them how easy everything is to fit

Also bit of a random question but ask them if they sell a set through finance, like buy now pay monthly lol worth a Shot in asking

Cheers dan

Hi Dan, 
I've not managed to email them yet so not sure how long the wait would be but I do know that Radio World offer finance! Check out their website, http://www.rw-online.co.uk/default.asp
Although I cant find the D2 Air suspension it shows details of the finance!
As for fitting, it says if you can fit coilover suspension and can fit an amp for your stereo, you shoukd be able to fit the Air suspension kit  

chipster2407 said

Melteddrummer said

I will be contacting Jon in the next couple of days, I'll ask some questions for you if you like?

Yeah can do mate just ask him how easy it is to fit and wat he reakons a good kit is

Cheers dan

Same here please Melteddrummer!  Could you also ask if the ones he fits are standard struts or threaded for adjustment like coilovers? And how much he charges
   Cheers dude!

I was reading through the d2 manual for fitting and noticed that they are threaded,

What does this mean? I understand that they are for adjustment of height but i thought that was the whole point of air suspension, for adjustment to watever suited the owner :/

chipster2407 said

I was reading through the d2 manual for fitting and noticed that they are threaded,

What does this mean? I understand that they are for adjustment of height but i thought that was the whole point of air suspension, for adjustment to watever suited the owner :/

Quite hard to explain but I will have a go!
All air springs/bellows have a recommended install height, if you use a strut without threads on (like a standard suspension strut) you only have one optimum position for your cars ride height. That is the position that the air springs have been welded on to!
With a threaded strut (like a coilover) you can have the optimum ride height at whatever position you choose by adjusting the position of the air spring on the strut.
So the threaded struts, also called bag overs, are a lot more versatile, you can drive your car at standard ride height with the air spring at it's recommended install height then lower or raise your car as much as you please whilst parked up. You could also wind your air springs down a bit and drive your lowered car with the air spring at it's recommended install height then you could raise it to get over a hump in the road or when parked up you could lower it to the floor  
Air suspension should only be used at the air springs recommended install height because you will be altering the vehicles geometry and therefore altering the vehicles handling if you use it at any other height!
  Did that make sense?  

So what is the recommended install height? When there is half the amount of air the bags? 

The recommended install height is what the manufacturer recommends and is different for all air bags. To get the air bag to the recommended install height you will need a certain air pressure! This pressure is no set figure, it varies from car to car and each air ride system is different. All I do know is that you can drive the car with lower or higher pressures in the system but its not good for the bags and will affect ride quality and handling.

I have had a reply from Radio World today and they have said that they are selling these kits faster than they can get hold of them but they will be trying to keep them in stock in future and should have some more in stock by the time I want to get some (November/December)  

If you're still looking for air ride, HAVAIR dom custom made struts for mk1 golfs which are made by gaz, give them a call