Electric valves vs manual valves (air suspension)

Just curious what the benefits are to have electric valves in comparison to manual valves.

My air-runner has manual valves, and I don't see how it could be any more simpler or benefical. This is why I'd like to understand the difference and benefits.

It's not,
It's jus cool to be able to have your set up digitaly and be able to press a button and go to the same height everytime!
Also you can program your setup to be on a wireless remote and also have it so that when you start your car it rises and lowers when u turn it off............
 
No real benafits, jus a luxary!

You should really make a trip to SD and check out our cars!
We have it all:
UAS
Digital Air runner
Air runner
All on Qs
Many examples for ya :biggthumpup: 
LOL!!!!

i have electric valves

just makes it easier so i can wire up two switches for front and rear

Sorry...newb question.

I got 4 electric switches for my Air Runners...FL, FR, BL, and BR.  Can I add 3 more electric switches so I can do....ALL F, ALL R, and ALL F+R?  Would I need additional relay?

I don't know much about manual valves but I would think manual would require air lines to run into wherever your switches are and some of these lines don't like to be bent too much.    Electric you just run wires to the valves which can be bent and looped or whatever around almost anything..plus its thinner

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;116427]It's not,
It's jus cool to be able to have your set up digitaly and be able to press a button and go to the same height everytime!
Also you can program your setup to be on a wireless remote and also have it so that when you start your car it rises and lowers when u turn it off............
 
No real benafits, jus a luxary!

You should really make a trip to SD and check out our cars!
We have it all:
UAS
Digital Air runner
Air runner
All on Qs
Many examples for ya :biggthumpup: 
LOL!!!![/QUOTE]


my thoughts exactly!!!

i like manual better

[QUOTE=REV-01;305550]i like manual better[/QUOTE]
 
 
 Why do you prefer manual over electric ?

one of the reason why I read electric valves are more prefered to some is because of less air lines, therefore lesser chance of having an air leak.

Sorry to thread jack. I am running on Manual setup with my AirRunners, but I am now ready to upgrade to an eletric setup. I want the luxury to hit a switch and it jumps to the ride height I like.

Okay, so the question is... are there any other companies out there, other than Digital Dakota that you prefer to go with?

manual FTW.

this was today
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs757.snc4/65791_1664401296081_1418726418_1754134_4857019_n.jpg[/img]

lock cylinder jammed. could not get the key to move to the acc. was able to still lift the car to get up on the tow truck. unless you get the remote sytem idk if electric valves would have still worked. idk but i was glad i had manual and plenty of air in my tank.

but if your valves r on constant this is irrelevant

you're [I]supposed[/I] to wire it to 12v remote. but you can raise your car, it's just more of a pain since you have to bypass the remote and wire it to a 12 constant, esp if your valve wiring is tucked away. you can also bypass the switch altogether and just do the ghetto way and just tap live wires together until you get the desired height. either way you have to have a stripped lead or you gotta cut into the wiring, which means re-soldering the connection. (or butt connectors or splicing if you roll that way.)

Anyone else have more input on this....PLEASE!! :)

well i can still inflate if i had a dead battery or electrical problem as well. i like manual. thats just me. some say its old school

[QUOTE=vip tint+glass;349370]i like manual. thats just me. some say its old school[/QUOTE]
 
+2 :biggthumpup:
 
I haven't seen any clean electric setups minus the ones that do it behind the bumper. 
 
And I haven't been too impressed w/ any of the setups I've seen.  I've been told it can be very accurate to where if somebody sits in the car it will adjust to compensate for that extra weight where ever which sounds coo but I need more proof of that actually working 
:shrug:
 
Manual for now.

brian at rotiform gave me a demo of the accuair e-level setup on his a4 avant -- no lie, that shit is gangster. wayyyyy better than the dakota digital leveling setup that i've played with before

Thanks 
 
Also, can you go with 3/8th lines with a manual setup?  Im running 1/4" lines right now

the main reason i havent added the autolevel systems is it just complicates the system. more places to have things go wrong

[QUOTE=vip tint+glass;349387]the main reason i havent added the autolevel systems is it just complicates the system. more places to have things go wrong[/QUOTE]

true, but if you've decided on running something anyway, the e-level pwns anything else i've seen

vip tint+glass...How often do you drain your tank and how much water comes out of it?

at least 4 times a year. and not much comes out

My switch's are started to get a brown look to them. Just when I pull them to release the air out of the bags. Then when I fill it up, one of the switch's leaks air. I have to slightly pull it to stop the leak.
 
Is this common on Manual switch's? Why does it look like my switch's look brown ?
 
 
Edit: I do the same and only little bit of water comes out as well. I thought it might have been getting into my hoses

you dont want it to get in your hoses cuz it can ruin your fittings.

just replace the switch panel or fix the leaks

loving this thread im going the the excate same thing my electric switches, this make it veruy clear, im just getting airrunner keeping electric. but heres a anouthe ? is it hasent been address....with electric switches can you still run digi?

[QUOTE=vip tint+glass;349387]more places to have things go wrong[/QUOTE]
 
:werd:
 
how i feel about air in general.

that's the biggest thing stopping me from going air. i drive out of town all the time and i'd hate being stuck somewhere because a rock bounced up at the most inopportune moment and sliced a line, or have a compressor or a valve fail. it just adds more variables into the equation.

LOL that's like saying I'm scared of buying coil overs because I'm afraid of them seizing up and not being able to raise or lower. I've had mine in my car for around 4 years daily driven now at it's lowest possible height and haven't had a single issue in 4 years. Only thing I like better about coil overs is how stiff they are for allowing to ride as low as possible. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEE the fact that I can drive as really low and then park it even lower and if I get stuck it's also nice :biggthumpup:

If a rock cuts a line then that's a pretty shitty install and most systems or at least air runner has an emergency valve for if your compressor goes out you can still raise the car.

It's all good though ignorance is bliss

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;349434]LOL that's like saying I'm scared of buying coil overs because I'm afraid of them seizing up and not being able to raise or lower. I've had mine in my car for around 4 years daily driven now at it's lowest possible height and haven't had a single issue in 4 years. Only thing I like better about coil overs is how stiff they are for allowing to ride as low as possible. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEE the fact that I can drive as really low and then park it even lower and if I get stuck it's also nice :biggthumpup:

If a rock cuts a line then that's a pretty shitty install and most systems or at least air runner has an emergency valve for if your compressor goes out you can still raise the car.

It's all good though ignorance is bliss[/QUOTE]

+1 for personal experience!

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;349434]LOL that's like saying I'm scared of buying coil overs because I'm afraid of them seizing up and not being able to raise or lower. I've had mine in my car for around 4 years daily driven now at it's lowest possible height and haven't had a single issue in 4 years. Only thing I like better about coil overs is how stiff they are for allowing to ride as low as possible. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEE the fact that I can drive as really low and then park it even lower and if I get stuck it's also nice :biggthumpup:

If a rock cuts a line then that's a pretty shitty install and most systems or at least air runner has an emergency valve for if your compressor goes out you can still raise the car.

It's all good though ignorance is bliss[/QUOTE]

that's because airrunner kits comes with manual valves... if you can't raise your car via a manual valve with pressure in the tank then.... you got some bigger issues at hand. :smiley-rofl: like i said earlier, you can open electric valves by bypassing the remote 12v line and wiring it directly to a constant 12v source. it's just a pita, esp. if you don't know what you're doing.

personally i'd run electric valves because it requires less plumbing and less line for a leak to occur. but electric valves also have their own issues like valves sticking and seals breaking down. as far as the rock and line comment, it was a flippant comment, but theres still exposed line between the fitting on the bag and wherever your line is routed to inside the wheel well. i think everyone who's had a car thats modded knows that even the dumbest smallest thing leaves the possibility of something going wrong. i think everyone that knows suspension can agree that at the very least, adding bags throws more variables into the equation.

but if you keep on wanting to think i'm ignorant about air suspension, i guess that's alright with me.  i guess that's why i have half the parts pieced together already instead of just jumping in a whole kit. :biggthumpup:

p.s. i'm halfway there cuz i'm a broke ass college student.

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;349375]+2 :biggthumpup:
 
I haven't seen any clean electric setups minus the ones that do it behind the bumper. 
 
And I haven't been too impressed w/ any of the setups I've seen.  I've been told it can be very accurate to where if somebody sits in the car it will adjust to compensate for that extra weight where ever which sounds coo but I need more proof of that actually working 
:shrug:
 
Manual for now.[/QUOTE]

most use a sensor with a rod affixed to a fixed point on your suspension, when weight enters that corner, it's senses the change and compensates based on the change in the angle from the rod to the sensor it just raises the pressure in all the bags necessary in order to level out. it's actually pretty cool to experience in person. there are also laser based systems but i don't have any experience with those. but since it changes the pressure in the bag, it's like changing the spring rate, so it has its goods and bads. 9/10 it'll work, just like everything else in that kind of set up it's dependent on the control unit, and some of the control units fail from time to time. :biggthumpup:

Ok, so my questions been answered. Thanks

Fam I figured and hoped you were kidding about the rock in the line comment. 
I do think it's funny how cats are so sketched out about air suspension but I also understand why they are do to the lack of knowledge or experience. I'd probably be the same way if I don't know anything about it. 
I'm only speaking from experience and letting people know that they shouldn't be scurd about it and there are quality kits out there.


If you want to take shit personal fam that's koo but it wasn't directed at anybody personally. Ain't nobody said you didn't know shit. lol 
Do yo thang G, this is a place of info for us all to learn from everybody. 
Like I said above I'm jus sharing my knowledge from my own personal experiences of what I've seen, heard, know, etc.

back on topic......if I knew more about E-valves then I would probably rock them but for now manual hasn't bothered me or did me wrong yet. (Inserts) ignorance is bliss HA!
:shrug:

my bad, lol. =)

from a mini truckers perspective always, Always!!! have a place where you can do a constant power setup. When doing this kind of setup it boggles me that anyone would say its a pain in the ass to do. If you are doing bags, take the length to always take in perspective something will go wrong. Have extra line a fitting and valve and tools. I mean hell if a stock car comes with tools ect.. why not yours? saves a headache and a tow bill in my opinion.

A well engineered setup.. is a well thought out one. so plan it out instead of tearing into it like christmas just to put it on!

manual or electric the length of the airline used is pretty much the same...the only real differnce is the run from tank to the swtich panel for manual and tank to valves on electic. 

i used less fittings on manual setup versus electric. for example if it is a airunner, the only fitting i used is the 5 tees for the gauge and the emergency valve. everything else is on the tank or on the struts.

it all depends on the skills of the installer...i done alot of manual set up they are all clean well intergrated to the car. some guys like electric because it is harder for them to do airline inside the cabin to run them clean. or they are not so good at removing panels and keep them all cherry.

if you ride static low all the time where the lift you need is only like 10 lbs. or you have small cars such as scion, honda fits i would perfer manual.

if you have girlfriend/wife drive your car sometimes or you have really bulky kits i would perfer electric.

one thing about electric though is that when you drain the tank the car comes down with it. versus where manual it doesn't

[QUOTE=REV-01;349492]one thing about electric though is that when you drain the tank the car comes down with it. versus where manual it doesn't[/QUOTE]
 
check valve on the tank.

i keep line and fittings in my car for a patch kit. also i line cutter. hope i never have to use them. i also have had the airrunner on for over 4 yrs w/o any probs.

if my car werent a daily driver and i had money to blow, id go airrunner, all electric, with autoleveling.  but i need security and trust the manual setup. IMO its the simplest so less chance for things to F up

[QUOTE=Kouki Monster;349469]A well engineered setup.. is a well thought out one. so plan it out instead of tearing into it like christmas just to put it on![/QUOTE]

so true, no matter what you're doing on your car

[QUOTE=vip tint+glass;349387]the main reason i havent added the autolevel systems is it just complicates the system. more places to have things go wrong[/QUOTE]

TRUE!

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;349502]check valve on the tank.[/QUOTE]

i put my check valve between compressor and tank and not tank and valves

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;349502]check valve on the tank.[/QUOTE]
where do i put it? i dont want my bags deflating whenever i empty my tank. i want to take out the tank without the car lowering.
do it put it between the valves and tank?

[QUOTE=REV-01;349529]i put my check valve between compressor and tank and not tank and valves[/QUOTE]
 
compressor/tank is a given. i have never installed one from the tank to the valve assembly, or even thought it necessary honestly; but one of my homies mentioned he always does it when we were talking the other day. made sense to me.
 
[QUOTE=5t341tH;349551]where do i put it? i dont want my bags deflating whenever i empty my tank. i want to take out the tank without the car lowering.
do it put it between the valves and tank?[/QUOTE]
 
yessir, line that feeds the valves coming out of the tank.

out going air line from tank.

wheres some good places to get check valves? online or locally in socal?

online. you can check various minitruck places like suicidedoors.com fbimini.com if it is still around.

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;349565]compressor/tank is a given. i have never installed one from the tank to the valve assembly, or even thought it necessary honestly; but one of my homies mentioned he always does it when we were talking the other day. made sense to me. [/QUOTE]

then you shouldn't quote me then...because i knew the car come down with it with check valve installed between compressor and tank.

[QUOTE=REV-01;349613]then you shouldn't quote me then...[/QUOTE]
 
guess you shouldn't make half true statments then...
 
i can't believe you just tried to quote-check me.
 
*edit - and now that i really think about it, why would an electric setup dump when the tank lost pressure?

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;349953]guess you shouldn't make half true statments then...
 
i can't believe you just tried to quote-check me.
 
*edit - and now that i really think about it, why would an electric setup dump when the tank lost pressure?[/QUOTE]

it is because you posted like you so sure. yet you never attempt to do it, heard it from a homie wow. it is like telling people how smooth air ride is yet  he/she don't have one...i can tell you even with check valve it can still leak thru compressor and if it is between tank and valves it could too...

get over yourself.