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Many people don’t think about how the air ride suspension in their car works — until it doesn’t. While these advanced suspension systems are both high-tech and a little complex, how they actually function is fairly easy to understand. Knowing how an air ride works can help you diagnose problems and fix them.

In this article, we explore what air ride suspensions are, how they work, and how to fix them when they don’t. We’ll also tell you how to find the right air suspension components for your needs.

What Is an Air Ride Suspension?

An air ride suspension is a type of vehicle suspension that uses pressurized air to provide damping and support the vehicle, as opposed to traditional coilover strut assemblies. They have become increasingly common in cars and trucks over the last two decades.

Most air ride systems are adjustable, allowing the operator to change the ride height or level of resistance. Many are active suspension systems, meaning they can automatically adjust resistance in individual air struts to account for changes in the road surface and vehicle movements. The result is a silky-smooth ride for passengers and improved performance in other ways. 

How Does an Air Ride Suspension Work?

At a basic level, air ride suspensions work by using heavy-duty inflatable rubber air bladders — often called air bags or air struts — to keep a car at the proper ride height. But the actual process of how the system functions involves several components and a few steps.

Air Ride Suspension Components

You’ll find some variation between different air ride systems, but most utilize some combination of the following parts:Air bags: Rubber air sacks mounted to metal struts inflate and deflate as needed to provide adjustable resistance and damping.

Air delivery lines: Flexible hoses carry air between the air struts, manifold, and compressor.

Air compressor: A mechanical air compressor generates air as needed for use throughout the system.

Air storage tank: A metal tank stores excess air not currently in use by the air ride system.

Control module: An electronic control unit (ECU) monitors the system and instructs it on which air bags need to be inflated or deflated and by how much.

Manifold: A set of valves directs air through the system, delivering it through the air lines where it needs to go based on instructions from the ECU.

Ride height sensors: Mechanical sensors mounted at each wheel take readings of the vehicle body height relative to the road and send those readings to the ECU.

System controller: Adjustable air ride suspension systems sometimes feature a wired or wireless controller that allows the operator to adjust the air bags on command.

How an Air Ride System Works: Step-by-Step

Air suspensions are constantly working while your car or truck is in operation. Here’s what the process looks like:

1. Ride height sensors monitor the height of the body of the vehicle at each wheel and report that information to the ECU.
2. The ECU determines whether any of the air struts need to be inflated or deflated to adjust resistance.
3. The ECU instructs the manifold on where to move pressurized air in the system.
4. The compressor generates air needed for the system based on instructions from the ECU.
5. Air travels through the supply lines into and out of the air struts, adjusting the suspension resistance to account for changes in the road and vehicle.

How To Solve Air Ride Suspension Problems

The air suspension process may be simpler than you expected, but it involves a lot of components that can run into trouble — especially as the system ages and wears down. Worn-out, tired components will likely lead to problems with the air suspension that require adjusting or fixing the system. Let’s take a look at how you can spot those issues and know what to do when you find them.

Diagnosing Air Ride Suspension Issues

Most cars that came from the factory with an air ride system have onboard diagnostics that can detect suspension problems and alert the driver. However, these systems may not detect air ride problems when they begin — only when they’ve gotten severe enough to register. The earlier you address these issues, the easier and less expensive they’re likely to be to fix.

Early Warning Signs of Air Ride Problems

There are a few telltale signs that indicate that you’ve got a problem with your air ride suspension. Some of the most common include:

Sagging or leaning: If you notice that one or more corners of your vehicle is sitting lower than it’s supposed to, there is likely a problem with one or more of the air struts. This symptom is most common in the rear of the car, giving it a “sagging” appearance. But it can also show up as leaning to one side or even just at one wheel.

Bumpy ride: Your air suspension should provide a smooth, consistent ride without noticeable bumps or jolts from the road. If you are feeling more feedback than you’re used to from the road, your air ride may be malfunctioning.

Increased stopping distance: Your vehicle’s suspension absorbs a substantial amount of the force required to bring it to a stop. If your brakes are in good condition but your car is taking longer to stop than it should, check the air suspension.

Loud air compressor: Modern suspension compressors run very quietly and should be barely noticeable. If your compressor is making a lot of noise or sounds like it’s straining to run, there is likely an air ride fault somewhere in the system.

How To Check Your Air Ride Suspension

There’s also a simple way to actively test the air ride on your vehicle called the bounce test. Here’s how it works.

Walk to each corner of your vehicle and push the bumper towards the ground. Watch how it responds. 

On a healthy suspension, the bumper will pop back up and settle into place almost immediately after being pushed down. If it takes a long time to come back up or bounces up and down before sitting in place, that air strut isn’t doing its job.

Note that passing the bounce test doesn’t rule out an issue with your air ride suspension. Failing it, however, indicates that you almost certainly do.

Adjusting Air Ride Suspensions

It may be that your air suspension only needs adjusting to get back into shape, especially if it is still relatively new. With any luck, you won’t have to buy any parts.

However, for many factory-installed air rides, making adjustments is a mechanical job similar to working on an engine. For example, you may need to tighten hose clamps, adjust the manifold, or make other changes that require a bit of skill and knowledge to do properly. These jobs are typically better left up to a professional.

If your air ride has a controller, such as the AccuAir E+Connect Wireless Controller, making adjustments is easy. You can use a controller or an app to make changes to your ride height or resistance without having to pop the hood. This allows you to see if adjusting something fixes your air ride suspension problems before moving on to other, more involved solutions.

Air Ride Suspension Repair

Most air ride problems require more than an adjustment to fix. Air suspension issues are most often caused by parts that have worn out or have broken. That means most of the problems you come across will require you to replace one or more air ride components.

The good news is that high-quality, affordable air ride suspension components are not hard to find these days. Third-party manufacturers have been able to make replacement air ride parts that offer similar or even improved performance to the OEM parts they replace.

How To Choose the Right Air Ride Suspension Parts

When you need to replace parts in your air suspension, you’ll want to make sure that you get parts that will function as intended and will last you. Ill-fitting or poor-quality parts can deliver a substandard driving experience, harm your vehicle, or even make it dangerous to drive. It’s worth taking the time to ensure you’re getting the right replacement component for the job.

Here are a few things to look for:

Exact match: Find replacements that line up with the make, model, year, and trim of your vehicle exactly. There can be significant differences in fit and function between similar vehicles.

Reputable supplier: Providers that have a strong reputation within the industry like Arnott tend to have high brand standards they want to uphold. That means you can trust the quality of their products.

Easy return process: If you order the wrong part, you don’t want returning it and getting another one to be a major hassle. Suppliers that make their return policy clear are more likely to offer a frustration-free experience.

Now that you know how air ride suspensions work, you can get what you need to ensure yours delivers peak performance. At AirSuspension.com, we only carry air ride suspension components we’d trust on our own vehicles. Use our search bar to find what you need today.