This is strictly an informational post. No haters, please. I feel guilty enough as it is.
I converted my suspension from air to coils because my compressor went out. If I had gotten a rebuilt compressor, I would have also purchased a spider-valve from American Air Suspensions to do it right and guarantee (somewhat) my new compressor would last. Plus, I knew it was just a matter of time before my drivers-side needed replaced. The rears may have lasted longer, but again, it was just a matter of time. Hopefully I can also recoup some of my money by selling my old air parts. So the dollars added up, and here I am with a coil suspension now.
With that explanation out of the way (I did my homework, so please no "yeah, but" remarks. Thanks.), here's my experience:
Following BlackIce's instructions, the conversion on my 97 Mark VIII was relatively simple. I didn't have any bad experiences like fossten had (but I just may be a lot stronger than him
). Having previously sensor-lowered the car and replaced the front passenger-side air/strut, I was familiar with the parts involved. The conversion went pretty much as the instructions stated with the following minor problems. I removed the bolt that connected the wish-bone (upper control arm?) to the steering knuckle on the passenger side, but the knuckle did not release the wish-bone. So a little hammering persuaded it loose. There was also a minor problem with the new coil/strut on the passenger side. The lower forks would not line up with the lower control arm, so the bolt would not thread through. It was off a few degrees. I was used to everything lining up perfectly, as it did with my previous air/strut replacement and the drivers-side coil/strut. Here's a pic:
I put a long extension through both the lower forks to line them up together in the pic. You can see how the top 3 bolts on the coil/strut are not in the same position as the air/strut. I was concerned so I contacted the manufacturer. They assured me that I could twist it a little and it would be fine. So I secured the top 3 bolts in the engine compartment and I used a pipe wrench to turn the bottom of the strut. Turning it did not permanently move the clocking? of the strut, but I was able to thread the bolt through (with the help of a hammer) while applying force to the pipe wrench. I am a little concerned that there is a constant twisting torque on the bottom of the strut, but hopefully nothing will come of it.
I got the lowered kit, and it's about 1/2 inch lower than I had it set at when I sensor-lowered it. But it looks good. There is some faint noise with the springs in the rear sporadically, but I think mainly because I'm super-sensitive to it right now. The ride feels pretty much the same, but the air ride is cushier. Going over a rise, the new coils feel like they spring the car up with a slight hop. This is the same for all other coil cars I have driven as well. With the air, you do not experience this slight, springy hop. It corners slightly better with the coils. It just feels a little tighter. The new parts totalled 70 lbs. The parts that I took off (front air/struts, rear bags, front sensors, compressor & dryer) totalled 40 lbs. So my car is now 30 lbs heavier. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume this is unsprung weight, which is worse than adding sprung weight.
In conclusion, I am satisfied with the swap so far. If money was no object, I would have kept the air ride simply because I liked that quality. I can't brag about my car having air suspension any more. That's my story.
I converted my suspension from air to coils because my compressor went out. If I had gotten a rebuilt compressor, I would have also purchased a spider-valve from American Air Suspensions to do it right and guarantee (somewhat) my new compressor would last. Plus, I knew it was just a matter of time before my drivers-side needed replaced. The rears may have lasted longer, but again, it was just a matter of time. Hopefully I can also recoup some of my money by selling my old air parts. So the dollars added up, and here I am with a coil suspension now.
With that explanation out of the way (I did my homework, so please no "yeah, but" remarks. Thanks.), here's my experience:
Following BlackIce's instructions, the conversion on my 97 Mark VIII was relatively simple. I didn't have any bad experiences like fossten had (but I just may be a lot stronger than him
). Having previously sensor-lowered the car and replaced the front passenger-side air/strut, I was familiar with the parts involved. The conversion went pretty much as the instructions stated with the following minor problems. I removed the bolt that connected the wish-bone (upper control arm?) to the steering knuckle on the passenger side, but the knuckle did not release the wish-bone. So a little hammering persuaded it loose. There was also a minor problem with the new coil/strut on the passenger side. The lower forks would not line up with the lower control arm, so the bolt would not thread through. It was off a few degrees. I was used to everything lining up perfectly, as it did with my previous air/strut replacement and the drivers-side coil/strut. Here's a pic:
I put a long extension through both the lower forks to line them up together in the pic. You can see how the top 3 bolts on the coil/strut are not in the same position as the air/strut. I was concerned so I contacted the manufacturer. They assured me that I could twist it a little and it would be fine. So I secured the top 3 bolts in the engine compartment and I used a pipe wrench to turn the bottom of the strut. Turning it did not permanently move the clocking? of the strut, but I was able to thread the bolt through (with the help of a hammer) while applying force to the pipe wrench. I am a little concerned that there is a constant twisting torque on the bottom of the strut, but hopefully nothing will come of it.
I got the lowered kit, and it's about 1/2 inch lower than I had it set at when I sensor-lowered it. But it looks good. There is some faint noise with the springs in the rear sporadically, but I think mainly because I'm super-sensitive to it right now. The ride feels pretty much the same, but the air ride is cushier. Going over a rise, the new coils feel like they spring the car up with a slight hop. This is the same for all other coil cars I have driven as well. With the air, you do not experience this slight, springy hop. It corners slightly better with the coils. It just feels a little tighter. The new parts totalled 70 lbs. The parts that I took off (front air/struts, rear bags, front sensors, compressor & dryer) totalled 40 lbs. So my car is now 30 lbs heavier. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume this is unsprung weight, which is worse than adding sprung weight.
In conclusion, I am satisfied with the swap so far. If money was no object, I would have kept the air ride simply because I liked that quality. I can't brag about my car having air suspension any more. That's my story.
