I am gonna install my notch and 4 link this summer. Gonna run coil springs or coil overs. I made a nice tall 2x2" box tube notch a while back. It's big enough to lay frame. Will run a bumpstop inside the notch while static to prevent bottom out. The front is coils and a center shock. I will modify the crossmember to tuck up level with the rails. And I'm going to get all the crossmembers even with frame level too.

At that point I had planned to lower the rear a bit more and be static. But I have been thinking about adjustable suspension on my ride since I was a kid. I think it's finally time. I like rolling low and know with accumulators I can get a firm ride without being harsh. Cool by me. Bags are soft when you're low. Hydros also seem more old school to me. I don't know a ton about them. I want front and rear control seperate for up and down minimum. 4 corner control would be nice. I also know the amount of batteries you run changes how fast the pump spins and therefore the force it pushes. I think a 36 or 48 setup would be a controllable speed for adjusting smoothly. I figured i will throw a 2nd alternator in to keel the batteries charged when using it. I dont wanna hop. I would like to 3 wheel it my 4 link will have enough pivot.

But I need some hydro schooling. What are the good brands? What are problems it has with being in a daily driver? What kind of switch setup works best? Is there anything to monitor with a gauge like bags? That I would like cuz I'm a gauge nut. Help me catch up on this stuff. I know a few guys are hydro'd out here.

 

dice suspension components

Dice Suspension Components

this company is owned by jeremy of tre5 customs and a friend/club member. a 36 volt system should do what you want. being able 3 wheel will depend on your setup.

as far as i know there isn't anything like gauges for hydrolics, but aaron hunt from art of noize c.c. makes a relay box that allows the accuair system to work with juice. my friend runs it in his acura and it's pretty sweet.

 

Hate to respond and be no no help but ive heard it beats the living snot out of your suspension and are mind blowingly expensive. I prefer bags with a nice stiff shock. But I guess theres probably better hydro systems that has a short throw and doesnt eat ur suspension

 

Grab a Lowrider Magazine if you want to learn some about hydros. The hispanic/lowrider culture still uses them a lot. Even with living in the land of the Vato's, (and being half spanish myself) I really don't know a whole lot about them. I know in they're heyday of the late 80's and 90's that the hydraulic fluid commonly used was flammable to some degree and there was instances of hoses breaking and lowriders burning to the ground from the high pressure spray of flaming fluid. Theres prolly something more safe on the market now. Most people I knew back in the day had a row of batteries that was separate from the cars battery and used a battery charger at home to top off the batteries at night. I can't remember if the batts were wired in series or parallel, but since they used a regular charger, I would say it was probably 12v and the extra batts were used to get a lot of amps on hand to run the pumps faster. Not sure though. If you do run higher voltage, you'd be looking at specialty chargers and such to top off the batts, where as with 12v, (assuming separate battery banks) you could have long jumper cables and "jump" the hydraulic battery bank from the trucks battery if you happen to run out of power while out and about. Just something to think about. If I'm wrong on the voltage thing, somebody chime in and correct me as I'm just theorizing.

 

Yup I went to a low rider mag tour car show back in the mid 90s watched a couple dancing cars one caught fire in the trunk .. ..from a fluid spill ... Always loved the sounds of cars on switches tho

 

hydros with properly adjusted accumulators ride amazing. fires can still happen, but for what you want you don't need 72 volts and a bunch of solonoids that can blow up from having 6 times the amount of power they should ran through them.

here is a dice setup in a newer camry tre 5 just finished.





the manifold setups are very compact. if i was doing a car with struts i would go juice in a heart beat. another friend has a pro hopper setup with accumulators in his civic. it's been installed for 10 years and he just had his first solonoid go out.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Saw a few brand names to look into. It's been about I've years since I researched hydros. I know about possible fire issues but I will put all the gear in or under the bed so at least I don't fry...right away lol.