ITS ALIVE !!! at 200 psi no load 12 in ground clearance testing for leaks the larger compressor fills up pretty quick and did not even grunt to go to 200psi the clippard valve functions correctly at 200psi. it was a pain to route hoses from rear i installed some 3/8 plastic air line in the chassis to use as conduit then pushed the rear air lines down thru it worked pretty good i was going to do some side work to buy 27 tires to put on it but the work never materialized so i will have to wait. the adjustable ground clearance is one of the features i think i will like best especially when i get he 27in tires i dumped one side. in the shop it will rock on a side hill i am seeing no down side to this modification i think at some point in time i will try and find y fittings instead of the tee's it will make the install cleaner when tying up the lines. glad you did this and i found out about it it would have been unreal exspensive to have shocks made for this machine and unless you used air like this you would not be able to adjust suspension height which is a big deal considering honda actually lowers it in 2017. i will post some more pictures tommorow.
HA! Way to go man! I couldn't find 'Y' connectors- in plastic push type. I like the conduit idea on the frame, that would make line replacements or other changes much easier- I would have to remove the skid plates to access my rear lines. I used heavy duty velcro tape and used the 'furry' side to protect lines where they might be able to rub through, and to hold them in place and still allow for some movement. I did some more riding on steep terrain on Sat. and verified a very substantial increase in traction when going straight up the hill, by dropping the pressure in the front shocks. Repeated the test several times and got the same result every time. I've found that I need substantially more air pressure in the rears than the fronts- 120 psi is way too much for the fronts- even when loaded, and juggling the rear pressure makes the biggest improvement for balancing side to side and overall load. The front pressure makes the biggest difference in ride and traction. I still find that the absolute minimum to keep the front from bottoming is the best point to work from for most of my riding, and will increase it if needed for more ground clearance, and then drop it again once I'm over. We took some vids- I'll upload when I get a chance. The more I use it, the more impressed I am with the system. Looking forward to your pics and reviews!
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Here's the best demonstration video of the day that clearly demonstrates the difference that dropping the front end makes.
I didn't post all the vids, but after I watched them all, it became clear that when climbing a very steep hill, there is very little weight on the front wheels, so the front suspension tends to 'unload' to the top of it's travel, and causes the machine to transfer even more weight to the rear wheels, as well as causing the front suspension to react as though it is too stiff, so no articulation, and uneven front tire loading. Dropping the air pressure helps to keep a little more weight on the front wheels, and also gives the front suspension it's articulation back, so traction is improved dramatically- I was very surprised by the obvious difference in rear wheel spin when I got to watch the video. I could feel a huge difference while driving the machine, but seeing the difference is truly amazing, and you can actually hear the engine pulling harder too. Pictures and video never seem to capture what the terrain actually looks like in person- that hill is so steep, that one of the times I was coasting back down, I braked a little too hard, and had the front wheels lift- scared the crap outta me. The only way I could get up that hill without dropping the front pressure down, was by backing up as far as possible, and taking a run at it in second gear full throttle the whole way up. Hope this answers your question.
rocmar
Where Eagles & Angels....Dare to Fly...
Lifetime Member
rocmar
Where Eagles & Angels....Dare to Fly...
Lifetime Member
If you go back to pg 27 and read through, there are part #'s, pictures, and suggestions all the way through. At least a couple other guys have done this mod, or variation of it, so there's a ton of information and ideas. My set up is all four corners with an on-board compressor. I've been trail busting through/over small trees, brambles, downed trees, stumps etc. for hours at this point with no failures or damage to air lines or shocks so far, but I've managed to puncture another CV boot, (2nd one) and drive something into my radiator that pushed it back/bent it almost 2", rubbed a lot of paint off my roll cage, and tore my aluminum skid plate loose, if that gives you some idea of the 'testing'I've been doing. The system itself is so far working flawlessly.
Damn dude..guess you put it to
the test..sounds like..you need
a plow like bumper..for front end
protection...
best part..was you never said
.....YOU WALKED HOME....
LOVE IT..P5..LIVES ON
rocmar
Where Eagles & Angels....Dare to Fly...
Lifetime Member
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Thanks! I really appreciate the compliments. I still have a new radiator sitting in the box- the mashed one still hasn't leaked a drop, and no cooling issues whatsoever. I am considering a continuation of the roll cage that goes down to the front 'bumper' to help deflect branches away from us. I had a full polycarbonate enclosure, and it works, but it gets too dam hot, and takes away from the experience more than we like- kinda like watching the game vs playing it.
jwb here is some more pictures hope to get it out on Saturday. we have had an extremely heavy winter here in northern Utah and not a lot of good trails to test on are uncovered yet. by the way have you found a good gear bags to hang on the roll cage? I am debating on attaching a small hard box inside the cab to the roof however opening it creates its own issues.
Looks like a nice neat install. Looks amazing! I see a minor issue that you may want to address: the push lock fittings (according to the vendors sales rep) are dam near bullet proof, but do not do as well if the line has side load at the fittings. It eventually distorts the little o-ring inside the connector, and they'll start to leak. If you can, make your loops at the 'T' fittings a little bigger to address that issue. As far as storage bags- I bought the honda one that hangs from the back of the cage, tried it- don't waste your money. I just thought of another possibility though. There are bags that are made to hang from the tube 'cage' on center console fishing boats- something like that might work out. You gotta get some tires man!!
I have seen pictures in catalogs but i never ran any of the ys down either i thought about building my own with a pipe t and some 90 degee fittings it a little time consuming but not as bad as having a ride ruined by air leaks if i cant find any i will build my own to solve the stress relief on the fittings as the very thing you noticed bothers me also they use the fittings all over on heavy trucks and leak for the same reason. I wanted the hoses all tied up to make it did quite turn out the way iwanted i am going to get a manifold and up fit all those fittings by the compressor when i get time i have to finish building a trailer
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Ya, the only 'Y's I found did not go down to the 1/8 tubing. Did you see the push-lock manifolds that parker has? I forgot to mention that you can heat the tubing a bit with a hair dryer or heat gun to form permanent bends. With a little practice, you can conform the tubing to the frame or anything else for that matter. I did that with mine where there was no choice but to make a tight turn, or relieve stress at the fittings, or you can add additional 90's. I think the manifold I'm using has like 10 ports. For the ports I haven't used, I just cut a short piece of tubing and heat fused one end, and stuck it in, so if I want to add more air driven stuff, I have ports available. I can see where you ran your short lines from the shocks to the T fittings down to the frame. I looped my shock tubes so they cross each-other up to a T on the upper frame so it's a nice gentle turn straight into the T fitting. Have you taken it for a ride yet?
UPDATE I noticed my machine drooping a bit to the drivers side rear on Wed., and figured I had a line or valve fitting leaking, so I took it over to the shop today with the intention of finding the leak- took about 3 days to have a noticeable lean again. Anyways, went after it with a spray bottle of soapy water, and found that one of the shocks is leaking- the air bag. I got the shocks from Summit, so I figured 'what the hell', I call and see what kind of warranty the shocks have- never bothered to check before. So, to make a long story short, the guy at Summit informs me that they sell these shocks "as is" , (doesn't mention that on the order page) but if I want to send them back for inspection, and they find that they're defective, they may replace them blah, blah, blah. I also let him know that I was about to order two more sets- irrelevant. Didn't offer free shipping, or even a 'that sucks man' , or even a hint of apology... So I DID NOT order two more sets- From Summit. A quick search online, and whah-la!, Autozone sells them for a few bucks less- wait for it...... with a lifetime warranty!! So I drove over to Autozone- about 4 miles from my house, and ordered two sets, and they'll be available to pick-up on Monday. So, after this, replacement shocks (that just fail) won't cost anything. I'm gonna continue to ride with the leaking shock just to see if it fails completely. I have air shocks on a mazda mpv that have had slow leaks for years, and are still working fine. I'll swap in a replacement before I go on a serious ride, and might cut the shell off the leaker to see where it's actually leaking, and why. It said in the installation guide not to run the shocks with less than 20psi- oops, I've done that a few times just messing around....
I noticed my machine drooping a bit to the drivers side rear on Wed., and figured I had a line or valve fitting leaking, so I took it over to the shop today with the intention of finding the leak- took about 3 days to have a noticeable lean again. Anyways, went after it with a spray bottle of soapy water, and found that one of the shocks is leaking- the air bag. I got the shocks from Summit, so I figured 'what the hell', I call and see what kind of warranty the shocks have- never bothered to check before. So, to make a long story short, the guy at Summit informs me that they sell these shocks "as is" , (doesn't mention that on the order page) but if I want to send them back for inspection, and they find that they're defective, they may replace them blah, blah, blah. I also let him know that I was about to order two more sets- irrelevant. Didn't offer free shipping, or even a 'that sucks man' , or even a hint of apology... So I DID NOT order two more sets- From Summit. A quick search online, and whah-la!, Autozone sells them for a few bucks less- wait for it...... with a lifetime warranty!! So I drove over to Autozone- about 4 miles from my house, and ordered two sets, and they'll be available to pick-up on Monday. So, after this, replacement shocks (that just fail) won't cost anything. I'm gonna continue to ride with the leaking shock just to see if it fails completely. I have air shocks on a mazda mpv that have had slow leaks for years, and are still working fine. I'll swap in a replacement before I go on a serious ride, and might cut the shell off the leaker to see where it's actually leaking, and why. It said in the installation guide not to run the shocks with less than 20psi- oops, I've done that a few times just messing around....
trigger
Old Ironsides
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UPDATE
Yeah, I have air bags on my truck and you are supposed to keep at least 10 lbs in them at all times. Sorry to hear about the Summit thing, that sucks.
Sucks for them. (Summit racing) They just lost at least a $150 order! And it made me do a little (very little) research, and ultimately found a way better deal! WIN! That little air leak is really trivial, but I want to share the bad with the good on this mod, as well as sharing everything I learn along the way.
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