WHAT IS THE BEST AIRLIFT SUSPENSION?

To restate the question asked by the headline, what is the best air suspension kit? Boy, that is a loaded question.

See, there are a lot of different types of air suspension kits out there, and they serve a whole ton of purposes. Some are just ride leveling kits, built to keep the rear of your truck level when it’s loaded up with cinder blocks, couches or whatever it is you haul in your bed. Other kits are built to fully manage your air suspension automatically, so it’s just a turn of a key (or push of a button) away. So really, the question isn’t that simple. What you need to ask is not what the best air suspension kit is, but what is the best air suspension kit for you.

But there's one other bit, too. Air suspension is really two parts of a whole. One half is air management, which is universal — air tanks, valves, etc. These are the things you put onto any vehicle that you're looking to add air suspension to. But suspension components, the other half of the whole, are different. They're specific to the vehicle. What you buy for a 2010 F-150 is different than what you'd need for a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado. Take that all in mind when you start shopping.

So let’s begin by breaking down what your needs are. Ask yourself a few questions: Is this your daily driver? Do you plan on using the vehicle to tow anything? Are you going to start small and upgrade, or go big from the start? Is the idea to lower your ride or lift it up tall? And, arguably the most important one of all, what is your budget?

That last one is pretty critical, because if you don’t have a baseline number in place for how much you want to spend, you’re going to get in trouble fast. See if you’re just looking to add a load-leveling kit to your F-150, then the best air suspension kit is one that bolts on and is usually fairly affordable — around $300 or so, give or take. But if you want to go all out, then you’re going to spend more than a few grand getting it done.

Oh, and there’s another question: What do you drive? Because we sell a lot of air suspension kits, but everything changes with whatever you’re driving. If it’s a C-10 Chevy, then you’ve got choices just based on what year you own. Or if you’ve got a Cadillac, pick your year and have at it. But if you want to do a deep dive, hit that link and check it out. There’s a lot of good stuff in there.

What you need to do then is break it all down. Figure out how much money you have to spend on the project. Then look at the vehicle you want to build and see what kind of options there are out on the market. If the vehicle is something you’re driving every day, then consider keeping it simple and more reliable over complex and finicky. Are there other suspension mods that you’ll need to make to get this project rolling? Then price those out, too. And finally, decide if you’re going to do the job in stages or all at once.

With all that said, we should expand the concept of “kit” out to air management systems. These setups include pretty much everything you need to control your air suspension, from compressors to valves and everything in between. It’s the most universal way to approach air suspension kits, because once you decide to get into any level of complexity, this is what you’ll need.

So finally, multiple paragraphs in, let’s answer the question: We think the best air suspension kit on the market right now is the AirLift 3H Air Management Kit. The basis of the setup is the Air Lift 3H height based digital leveling system, which allows you to pre-program ride heights for your vehicle. It’s an awesome way to ensure that your car or truck always lifts to the height you want, and it’s super reliable, too.

But, as they say on the TV, that’s not all. You also get a Viair dual compressor system and a seamless aluminum 6X28-inch tank to handle all your air supply needs. And for the compressors themselves? That’s a dual pack of Viair 444C compressors in your choice of finish. Now if you don’t know much about Viair compressors, they’re the gold standard in the industry. They’re super reliable and affordable, and have become the choice of builders across the world. Oh, and there’s also a ton of fittings and line, so you’ve got pretty much everything you need to get things done.

Choosing the best air suspension system for your needs is tricky, that’s for sure. But if you find yourself in a bind and can’t figure out the next best step to take, give us a call. Our suspension experts have worked on all sorts of vehicles, and they can help you sort out the good from the bad and get you rolling down the road on a cloud of air. Heck, they can even figure out the best air suspension kit for you and your ride. Now that’s nice to know.