Adjustable rear air suspension system

might we suggest that you give some serious consideration to the impact on handling here... we know it's not the greatest as it is... but air suspension is mainly used on heavy vehicles for a reason.

the suspension on your prius is made to damp road bumps and stabilize after hitting a bump. air won't prevent the car from bouncing multiple times after hitting bumps. on heavier vehicles, the weight of the vehicle helps to damp that post-bump bouncing.

the coil-over shocks in the rear also serve to limit the amount of extension that the rear suspension member can achieve. you would have to impose your own limit with straps or something. if the straps break... ouch.

if you're looking for something to adjust for cargo and etc, check out adjustable air coilovers or an air helper spring. a full air ride suspension is drastically more expensive and could even be dangerous on a prius.

just so you know what you're getting into here

 

I've seen Thunderbirds that use a bag that goes inside the spring coil to provide extra support for additional weight, it is a very low cost and effective solution. As I recall, I think you just run the air line somewhere along the side of the car or in the wheel well area and you can stop at a gas station if you don't have a compressor and fill the bags to a specified pressure.
http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78921
I used to have a Honda Insight, the weight capacity was 365 lbs, after that it starts to hit the rubber stopper in the rear suspension and bottom out. I've seen someone that needed it to hold more weight so he fabricated a spacer to raise the suspension. That solution just happened to work because the rubber stopper inside the spring coil that also holds the spring in place is very long, so there was room to space it and the spring would still not fall out. I haven't taken a close look at the Prius suspension yet but it may not work as easily with this solution...
http://yves.fungiart.com/pages/suspension.htm
I think there should be some simple air bags that can go inside the spring coils though, that would be an easy install that anyone can do without removing any suspension components and it is inexpensive yet should be effective.

 

How well does the air suspension on some Citroen models work? The ability to raise and lower ride height to suit varying conditions sounds very appealing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Oct 24 2006, 01:05 PM) [snapback]337556[/snapback]</div>

I believe the Citroen suspensions were (are?) hydraulic.

 

Does anyone know the name of the manufacturer for the above photo of adj. air susp. system in above post? Does not appear to be "Air Lift" brand.

 

Yes, helps...but are they available for Prius? If not, I wonder if they will custom fabricate one pair for Prius? Will give them a call tomorrow...looks like a good company for this type of thing. I am trying to attach a small motorcycle rack to a receiver hitch and haul my Vespa around that way. Coastal hitch does not have sufficient "tongue weight" rating for this (it's spec'd at 200lb). The receiver deflects badly, and both rack and vehicle bottom out with 450lb load test. I figure if I have a custom receiver hitch built with 1000lb tongue weight and combine that with the air lift suspension above, it should all work nicely. Although I admit, I really don't know what I'd be getting myself into as far as safety and potential damage to vehicle. I figure if three people can ride in back seat, why can't I hang a Vespa on the tail? Although I wouldn't try that simultaneously. I may be joining LIPOG soon, so I look forward to meeting you someday mrbigh.

 

I am interested in the possibility of increasing my 2001 Prius's ground clearance a little bit for traveling on dirt roads once in a while. We used to go camping in our old VW van, but would like to be able to negotiate the occasional rough road in our Prius once in a while. I guess it's also partly a matter of load, since we would be loaded up with camping stuff.

So, MRBIGH, let us all know what you find out.

Thanks

 

Would like to bring this one back from the dead.

To everybody who has my best interests at heart: I totally understand that overloading any vehicle is a scary, dangerous, bad idea. In many ways, just driving a car is a bad idea. We all take our risks. The fact of the matter is that I'm already overloading my car, and preventing the rear from sagging will only make it better. So now that I'm towing more, I'd sure like to find a way to keep the rear end a few inches higher.

I use Air Lift bags on my RavEV (which I similarly load and tow with). It has been a DREAM, and offers all the benefits I'd hoped for. Rav Air Lift

But looking at the rear suspension of the Prius shows that there's no place to put bags like this. Would SO like to find a solution! Anybody?

 

Air runner makes a kit that bolts right up.

Toyota Air Suspension - Air Runner Systems

 

Yikes. Thanks for the reply, but I'm looking for something WAY more simple. In the sub $200 range, not the $4,000 range! I don't need to slam the thing, I just want to add some more support for the rear end on some trips.

 

Did I mention that I'll be your best friend if you (or you, or you) come up with a great solution here?

 

Contact airlift and ask them if they have any plans for Prius systems or if they know of any company that makes air boosters for a Prius.