Air Suspension and Special Springs
Air suspension is relatively new compared to other systems. They may seem a bit complicated and mysterious but they really are not very different from the common suspension systems. Traditional suspension systems have shocks, bars, springs, spring mounts and links that the chassis, engine, body and driver train over the wheels. With air suspension systems, the springs are replaced by air bags or air bellows.
The air bags are flexible and offer the same function as coil springs. The difference is that the air bags can be inflated or deflated which allows drivers to change the ride height and suspension performance. This allows the driver to adjust comfort and handling ability to suit current driving conditions.
Most people that criticize air suspensions point out its poor loading capability compared to other kinds of systems. Although it is true that other systems are much more suited for carrying load, these criticisms totally miss the point of air suspensions. There is always a special spring that allows a vehicle to perform on specific road conditions better than an air suspension vehicles. As previously mentioned, air suspension is mostly focused on providing comfort and optimum handling in various road conditions. The air suspension system is able to accomplish this with the use of onboard control system that allows the driver to deflate or inflate the air bags on the go.
Moreover, the air suspension technology is also advancing to the point that newer systems are catching up to other kinds of suspensions in terms of loading capability. An evidence of this are heavy trucks and trailers that are sporting special kinds of air suspension systems.
