Hi All.
This is a long post, but there's a lot to say!
Solow Air Suspension will soon be available at The Van Cave.
I will soon be installing one of the first available kits to my own demo van, with first customer installs following shortly afterwards. Kits are expected to land within the next week or so and I have workshop space available during November and December for customer installs.
Before I say anything else, I'll say this:
Installation will be FREE for the first 2 customers that purchase a complete air suspension setup from The Cave.
I've helped quite a large number of people improve their van with upgraded suspension over the last couple of years, but until now I haven't offered air. As with everything I offer at the Cave, I have been keen to make sure I know my stuff before deciding which way to go, so I've spent a great deal of time recently researching the subject, speaking to owners of air equipped vans from various manufacturers, speaking to the manufacturer or distributor of certain kits in some cases and having a look first hand at some air installs.
It's fair to say there's a lot of variation in what's on offer. Target markets are different, application requirements are different, prices can vary wildly and the quality of the install can vary wildly too. Anyway, here's what we've decided to offer:
Solow Air Struts and Bags with Airlift Performance Management.
Why Solow?
I love low vans. Anyone who has seen my own van will know that I'm no stranger to running low and I'm a huge fan of the look of a seriously slammed van. I've run Solow static coil overs for a long time now and fitted several kits for customers. It's old news really, but they really are fantastic at what they do. Nothing can match the ride quality of Solow at the drops they offer and the quality of the kit is spot on.
Solow air is based around the same shocks and struts, but developed further to offer the best ride quality and lowest lows possible straight out of the box, but it's not just a case of slapping some generic bags on to some existing struts, they've thought about it a bit more than that.
With ride quality one of the priorities, the rear bags are a larger diameter than any of the competition, which means they can be run at lower pressures for the same ride height compared to competitors. The rear bags are also very similar in size to the front, so you get much more similar pressures front and rear, again adding to an increase in ride quality. I've spoken to the first couple of customers that have had these brand new kits fitted elsewhere and the feedback is that they do indeed ride very well.
These kits are designed to run your van low, air out very low, but provide practicality that is missing from the static Solow kits by being able to run up to 100mm higher than the fully aired out drop. This means that when you need to, you can get access to that camp site down a farm track, you can clear the speed bumps on your local roads, you can get on and off of your sloping drive without scraping your splitter and sub frame (All things that I suffer from not really being able to do in my own van)..... the list goes on and there are many other examples.
To sum up. Big Lows when driving. Bigger Lows aired out. Great Ride Quality. Great kit Quality. Practical when needed. 2 year Warranty.
Why Airlift Management?
Airlift Performance have a great reputation in the air suspension industry for both quality and reliability and they offer both pressure based and height based systems, so you can choose either setup from the same manufacturer. Happy days all round. Quality kit, years of experience and fantastic systems on offer, whether you want pressure or height based. 2 year warranty. All boxes ticked.
Pressure based vs height Based Management:
Pressure based is the cheaper option. Choose your preferred ride heights, set the required bag pressure as pre-sets and you're ready to go. The draw back with pressure based systems is that there is no auto adjustment, so if you choose to load your van up for camping, or any other load you might carry, the van will sit lower than normal. You can manually overcome this by using a higher pre set pressure, or by using your control pad to manually increase the pressure in whichever bags need it.
Height based is more expensive, but uses individual height sensors on each corner of the van, meaning that once you set your pre set ride heights, the system takes care of the rest. Load the van up, no problem, the system automatically increases the pressure to return the van to the pre set ride height. Camping on an uneven pitch, again, no problem, the van can use it's height sensors to adjust all four corners independently and get you level.
Compressors
I recommend dual compressors as standard for air installations. It simply means that you can fill your tank quicker after airing out, so you'll be on the road in half the time compared to a single compressor. We will use Solow Quiet Compressors. Any air compressor will emit noise, but these are specifically designed to be as quiet as possible.
Pricing:
Standard Pricing below includes the following:
Solow Front and Rear Struts and Bags
Solow Twin Compressors
Solow Tank located under van in front of spare wheel
Solow Longer Drop Links
Airlift Performance 3P or 3H Management
4 x height sensors if using 3H
4 x height sensor mounting brackets if using 3H
All wiring looms, air lines, fittings and fixtures required to complete the install.
With 3P pressure based management, full price is £5075
With 3H height based management, full price is £5755
Fitting cost is TBC, but it will be somewhere between £1200 and £1600 I expect for a full install. I'll confirm this once I've fitted my own system and the first few customer systems. Remember, installation for the first 2 customers will be free!
I can also offer 10% off Airlift Performance Products for any orders placed during October and November. This equates to between £185 and £255 saving on the kit cost.
I'll need the van for a full week at my workshop in South Petherton, Somerset, to complete a full standard install.
If you got this far, thanks for taking the time to read. If you would like to discuss further, feel free to discuss in this thread, DM me, email chris@thevancave.co.uk or give me a call.
This is a long post, but there's a lot to say!
Solow Air Suspension will soon be available at The Van Cave.
I will soon be installing one of the first available kits to my own demo van, with first customer installs following shortly afterwards. Kits are expected to land within the next week or so and I have workshop space available during November and December for customer installs.
Before I say anything else, I'll say this:
Installation will be FREE for the first 2 customers that purchase a complete air suspension setup from The Cave.
I've helped quite a large number of people improve their van with upgraded suspension over the last couple of years, but until now I haven't offered air. As with everything I offer at the Cave, I have been keen to make sure I know my stuff before deciding which way to go, so I've spent a great deal of time recently researching the subject, speaking to owners of air equipped vans from various manufacturers, speaking to the manufacturer or distributor of certain kits in some cases and having a look first hand at some air installs.
It's fair to say there's a lot of variation in what's on offer. Target markets are different, application requirements are different, prices can vary wildly and the quality of the install can vary wildly too. Anyway, here's what we've decided to offer:
Solow Air Struts and Bags with Airlift Performance Management.
Why Solow?
I love low vans. Anyone who has seen my own van will know that I'm no stranger to running low and I'm a huge fan of the look of a seriously slammed van. I've run Solow static coil overs for a long time now and fitted several kits for customers. It's old news really, but they really are fantastic at what they do. Nothing can match the ride quality of Solow at the drops they offer and the quality of the kit is spot on.
Solow air is based around the same shocks and struts, but developed further to offer the best ride quality and lowest lows possible straight out of the box, but it's not just a case of slapping some generic bags on to some existing struts, they've thought about it a bit more than that.
With ride quality one of the priorities, the rear bags are a larger diameter than any of the competition, which means they can be run at lower pressures for the same ride height compared to competitors. The rear bags are also very similar in size to the front, so you get much more similar pressures front and rear, again adding to an increase in ride quality. I've spoken to the first couple of customers that have had these brand new kits fitted elsewhere and the feedback is that they do indeed ride very well.
These kits are designed to run your van low, air out very low, but provide practicality that is missing from the static Solow kits by being able to run up to 100mm higher than the fully aired out drop. This means that when you need to, you can get access to that camp site down a farm track, you can clear the speed bumps on your local roads, you can get on and off of your sloping drive without scraping your splitter and sub frame (All things that I suffer from not really being able to do in my own van)..... the list goes on and there are many other examples.
To sum up. Big Lows when driving. Bigger Lows aired out. Great Ride Quality. Great kit Quality. Practical when needed. 2 year Warranty.
Why Airlift Management?
Airlift Performance have a great reputation in the air suspension industry for both quality and reliability and they offer both pressure based and height based systems, so you can choose either setup from the same manufacturer. Happy days all round. Quality kit, years of experience and fantastic systems on offer, whether you want pressure or height based. 2 year warranty. All boxes ticked.
Pressure based vs height Based Management:
Pressure based is the cheaper option. Choose your preferred ride heights, set the required bag pressure as pre-sets and you're ready to go. The draw back with pressure based systems is that there is no auto adjustment, so if you choose to load your van up for camping, or any other load you might carry, the van will sit lower than normal. You can manually overcome this by using a higher pre set pressure, or by using your control pad to manually increase the pressure in whichever bags need it.
Height based is more expensive, but uses individual height sensors on each corner of the van, meaning that once you set your pre set ride heights, the system takes care of the rest. Load the van up, no problem, the system automatically increases the pressure to return the van to the pre set ride height. Camping on an uneven pitch, again, no problem, the van can use it's height sensors to adjust all four corners independently and get you level.
Compressors
I recommend dual compressors as standard for air installations. It simply means that you can fill your tank quicker after airing out, so you'll be on the road in half the time compared to a single compressor. We will use Solow Quiet Compressors. Any air compressor will emit noise, but these are specifically designed to be as quiet as possible.
Pricing:
Standard Pricing below includes the following:
Solow Front and Rear Struts and Bags
Solow Twin Compressors
Solow Tank located under van in front of spare wheel
Solow Longer Drop Links
Airlift Performance 3P or 3H Management
4 x height sensors if using 3H
4 x height sensor mounting brackets if using 3H
All wiring looms, air lines, fittings and fixtures required to complete the install.
With 3P pressure based management, full price is £5075
With 3H height based management, full price is £5755
Fitting cost is TBC, but it will be somewhere between £1200 and £1600 I expect for a full install. I'll confirm this once I've fitted my own system and the first few customer systems. Remember, installation for the first 2 customers will be free!
I can also offer 10% off Airlift Performance Products for any orders placed during October and November. This equates to between £185 and £255 saving on the kit cost.
I'll need the van for a full week at my workshop in South Petherton, Somerset, to complete a full standard install.
If you got this far, thanks for taking the time to read. If you would like to discuss further, feel free to discuss in this thread, DM me, email chris@thevancave.co.uk or give me a call.
