Big rigs have them, as do mini-truckers. For most hardcore performance nuts, however, stuffing airbags between the sprung and unsprung underbelly of a classic car is sacrilege. Adjustable coilover shocks, tuned leaf and coil springs, and performance struts have long been considered the way to go for introducing better handling to Chevelles, Tri-Fives, Novas, and Camaros. Heck, the only air suspension I ever remember adding to my hot rods while growing up was a set of Gabriel Hi-Jackers.
My, how our attitude about oxygen has changed, and in a relatively short period of time, no less. Today, the level of operation and sophistication of air-assisted suspension systems is at record highs. At the forefront of this movement is Air Ride Technologies. The engineers-and I mean engineers-at Air Ride have figured it out. While you'll still find ultra-sophisticated suspension systems on the world's most expensive race-only machines, you'll be hard-pressed to get better performance from a street-driven ride than you'll experience with an Air Ride Technologies system mounted beneath the floorboards.
To give you a firsthand account of that statement, I recently took a trip to Indiana to take part in Air Ride's annual Street Challenge track day.
By all initial indicators the event should have been a wash, since Hurricane Katrina delivered a residual storm through most of the area. When I landed, I had my raingear close by. But after a strong soaking overnight, the day of the event was clear and dry, making for a fun outing at Putnam Park.
I was there to personally experience the difference an Air Ride suspension system would make, both in ride quality and handling. To make my job easier, Air Ride supplied a '67 Nova with factory stock suspension that I traversed around the racecourse at my own skill level.
The Nova was a pretty clean, yet sedate, example of just how poorly old classics handle. I was able, however, to keep the go-pedal firmly planted in the turns without too much worry about overpowering the track and spinning out in the rain-soaked infield grass. The little Chevy featured an automatic trans behind a bone-stock small-block. Not exactly my idea of the perfect streetcar, mind you, but a viable donor to accurately gauge any improvements that the air suspension might provide. On the upside, the car did have power disc brakes to help me scrub off what little speed I could attain.
My initial outing with the car on the track was fun. I even had a videographer along for the ride, and he got plenty of footage of me as I wrestled with the Nova's steering wheel. As far as the car's road-hugging ability, there was not much of any, until Air Ride's on-site mechanics changed over to an entire air suspension.
While the large contingent of enthusiasts who turned out for Air Ride's Street Challenge were sitting enjoying the catered lunch, a crew of technicians meticulously installed an Air Bar bolt-in, four-link rear suspension and replaced the stock front over-the-A-arm coil springs with air bags and adjustable shocks. While the Air Ride crew was experienced at doing this install, the effort that was required to get all the components in place was well within the range of the average do-it-yourselfer with basic tools. In short: you could do it in your driveway in an afternoon.
The results of the installation proved convincing to this veteran hot rodder that air ride suspensions are here to stay and that they offer the ultimate in tuneability from inside the cabin. The feeling I got while driving the little white Deuce around the track after the Air Bar install was of a different car altogether. Well, the horsepower stayed the same, but the effort to maintain a faster speed around the corners was much less than with leaf springs out back and coils up front.
Even in the slalom, the Nova's nimbleness was impressive. If there had been an additional 100 ponies, the car would have been a blast going around the cones.
As it was, the Air Ride crew didn't stop with the Nova, as a First-Gen Camaro also got its underpinnings upgraded. The result with that car, which featured a manual trans behind a potent Mouse motor, was staggering. According to world-renowned road racer Boris Said, who was one of the celebrity pro drivers on hand, "[the Air Bar-equipped Camaro] could probably run 7 seconds quicker around the track than it did with the stock suspension."
Lending credence to that was a trip I took with Boris in the slalom, which netted us the Camaro's best time of the event-almost 4 mph faster around the cones than with the stock components.
To sum it up, all I can say is that it sure was a lot of fun riding on air!
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 Here were two of the stars...  Here were two of the stars of the 2005 Air Ride Technologies Street Challenge. Though there were many cool rides on hand, the little Nova and First-Gen Camaro went through a metamorphosis, as we got to drive them with stock suspension and then after they had their underpinnings swapped with Air Ride's Air Bar system. |
 The Street Challenge is a...  The Street Challenge is a highly organized event put on by Bret Voelkel and his excellent crew at Air Ride Technologies. With good weather blessing us in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the driver turnout was great. After a few calories and an introduction by Bret, we were off and running. |
 One of the most influential...  One of the most influential men in our industry, Chassisworks icon, Chris Alston, was on hand for the event. I drove out with Chris from the hotel and got some insight on what he's got coming down the pipe. Air Ride's Air Bar system uses Chassisworks' state-of-the-art double-adjustable aluminum shocks. |
 Here's the first thing I saw...  Here's the first thing I saw of the racecourse at Putnam Park in Northern Indiana, as a passenger in the slightly modified '67 Camaro. The car featured a warmed-over small-block and a four-speed. In stock suspension trim it did reasonably well. |
 Yours truly getting ready...  Yours truly getting ready to take the little '67 Deuce out for a spin. This car was a little more docile than the Camaro and featured a bone-stock small-block and automatic trans. It did have power disc brakes, however, to help me drag it down from speed. |
 Here's proof that I literally...  Here's proof that I literally "tore up" the road course with the little Chevy II! Well, not really. The truth is that the stock suspension was so sloppy that the tire wanted to rub on the inside of the fender in every turn. With the Air Ride system installed, the car didn't lean nearly as much and the tires were less prone to rubbing. |
 Air Ride's '67 Camaro was...  Air Ride's '67 Camaro was the star, however. It ran reasonably well in stock trim, but really traversed the cones after the air suspension was in place. Legendary racer Boris Said was impressed with the F-body and showed us all of its capabilities. I rode with Boris on one of his last trips around the cones and can proudly say that I was the passenger when he hit the best lap of the day. He also said he felt that the addition of the Air Bar was probably good for a 7-second improvement in lap times. Awesome! |
 There were plenty of cool...  There were plenty of cool rides taking charge around the track. Impressive were the big rides such as the Suburban and Air Ride's own two-door Tahoe. |
 This SSR looked great just...  This SSR looked great just sitting still. |
 This great-looking Second-Generation...  This great-looking Second-Generation Nova was a blast to watch. |
 Safety is always a prime concern...  Safety is always a prime concern at any track day, and Air Ride's event was no different. Helmets were provided, as was expert advice from veteran racers and officials alike. |