82-88 Lincoln Continental Air Lift 1000 Rear Air Spring Kit!

Posted by Justin Lofton in June 17th, 2010
Published in Cars

Rigid steel factory suspensions allow load hauling capacity, but you have to sacrifice a smooth ride. Smooth ride suspensions can’t carry heavy loads; heavy springs ride rough, especially when your Continental is unloaded.

So why not have both great hauling ability and a smooth ride? Air Lift 1000 adjustable air springs solve both problems by allowing you to tune your Lincoln Continental suspension under all load and road conditions. Just add air when towing or hauling and then remove air for a softer ride when unloaded.

Worn tires can affect your car’s fuel efficiency and steering response. They can even introduce safety issues. That’s the reason it is critical that you ensure they’re in good condition. Otherwise, you might place yourself, your passengers, and other drivers and pedestrians at risk.

There are several factors that can contribute to prematurely worn treads. Each one causes a slightly different type of wearing that should be distinguishable by sight. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at identifying the problem. I’ll also describe some of the most common reasons tires wear down ahead of schedule.

Most tires that are sold today have bars integrated in the grooves. These bars are used to identify how far the treads have worn. If the bars are exposed, that means your tire has experienced wearing to the point that it should be replaced.

Many drivers are unaware these wear bars exist. In their defense, some wheels are not equipped with them. Fortunately, you can use a penny to easily determine whether the treads are worn too far. Stick a penny into the grooves with Abraham Lincoln’s head turned upside down. If the top of his head becomes hidden, that’s a sign your treads still have life in them. If you can see Lincoln’s entire head, you need to buy replacements.

The tie rod ends that are a part of your steering linkage system can become worn over time. When they wear down, the toe can eventually become misaligned. This is also the case in the event the tie rod ends become bent.

In a rack and pinion system, the inner tie rod ends are hard to inspect because they’re enclosed in plastic or rubber bellows. That said, you can test the steering by putting your vehicle in “park” and turning the steering wheel back and forth while a friend inspects the play. If there is looseness, that strongly suggests a problem with the toe alignment.

Your car’s suspension system relies heavily on coil and leaf springs to keep the frame of the vehicle properly elevated. Like other components, the springs gradually wear down. When that happens, your car’s frame lowers during operation. This creates a problem with your wheel alignment – specifically, camber and caster. Left unresolved, it will gradually cause your treads to wear down prematurely.

The struts and shocks of your suspension system can also cause a problem. When they become worn, your vehicle will bounce up and down excessively during operation. That can cause cupping, a form of wear that looks like dipping on one side of the wheel.

Over inflation and under inflation can both contribute to premature wearing in your tires. The former creates excess wear in the center of the treads as the result of too much air pressure extending that portion of the wheel. A lot of people over inflate their tires as a temporary solution to a slow leak.

Under inflation places the wearing on the shoulders of the tire. This occurs because a lack of air pressure causes the tread to be more pliable. As such, a greater area makes contact with the road.

The Air Lift 1000 kits are engineered as an add-on helper spring for coil spring suspensions, front or rear. The polyurethane cylinders fit easily inside existing coil springs without any special tools. Air pressure can be adjusted to adapt for additional loads and to obtain desired suspension firmness.

Learn more about Lincoln Continental Air Suspension Parts. Stop by Justin Lofton’s site where you can find out all about Lincoln Continental Rear Air Suspension Kits and what it can do for you.

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Basic Things About Car Suspension!

Posted by Justin Lofton in April 19th, 2010
Published in Trucks

A car’s suspension system is among the most significant aspects in determining the quality of the ride. Perhaps the smoothest roads are full of variations in height and surface texture. Along with the car’s natural shake as the engine runs and also the constant buffeting of air at high speeds, suspension makes driving a comfortable and safe undertaking.

Although car suspensions come in a variety of configurations, the basic elements are springs and shock absorbers. Springs provide a simple mechanical disconnect between the shocking forces sustained by the vehicle’s wheels and axles and the body of the car with the passengers inside. The majority of modern cars employ classic coil springs that are affixed vertically (or at a vertical angle) between the axle and the car’s frame. In some cases torsion bars or metal leaf springs are used. They serve the same purpose as a coil spring.

Shock absorbers provide damping of the motion experienced by the vehicle’s wheels as the move up and down over an uneven road surface. They normally use a hydraulic system to provide potential to deal with the kinetic energy manufactured by the wheels. Shock absorbers also are variable across different speeds, and therefore the more energy they are asked to absorb, the more resistance they produce. This prevents the car’s wheels firmly on the road while providing a smoother ride for the car at all points above the suspension.

The modern pairing of springs and shock absorbers evolved from earlier systems alongside the development of the automobile in general. Early car suspensions were derived from the springs used on horse-drawn carriages. As cars were designed to move at faster speeds, new suspension systems were necessary. Besides providing comfort to the passengers, excessive shaking could damage a vehicle, literally shaking it apart if the proper suspension system was not used. The first suspensions to use shock absorbers designed specifically for cars were used in the early 1900s. By 1920, British automaker Leyland was using torsion bar suspensions on some of its models. Independent suspension systems became popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Since the 1930s, different suspension configurations have come and gone. However, the fundamental layout of a variety of a spring and a shock hydraulic absorber has remained the standard for all types of cars. An independent suspension system allows each one of the two wheels on a shared axle (front or rear) to move vertically independent of one another. This prevents motion on one side of the vehicle from affecting motion on the other hand and offers a smoother ride and more consistent handling. Independent suspension is especially useful during acceleration, braking, turning, and when a car’s load is unevenly distributed from side to side. Most modern cars feature independent front suspensions, where steering is performed. Other cars, especially rear-wheel drive models, may also include independent rear suspension. Cars with all four wheels suspended independently are known as “fully independent suspension”.

Independent suspension systems may feature any number of mechanical layouts and are often quite complex. For this reason, full independent suspension is found on more expensive or performance-oriented cars and trucks. Many widely used terms exist that refer to specific kinds of suspension. The “MacPherson Strut” is a simple design in which a spring and shock absorber pivot on a ball joint as the vehicle receives kinetic energy from impacts with the road.

A “double wishbone suspension” is commonly cited in automobile marketing. This term refers to a pair of wishbone-shaped arms that support the wheel spindle with a spring and/or shock absorber sandwiched in between. Double wishbone suspensions take up a great deal of space under the vehicle but allow for a large range of motion of the wheel. “I-Beam suspension” is another common term. I-Beam suspensions, also known as “twin I-Beam suspension,” is actually a seldom-used design in which a solid axle is split and rejoined in an offset pattern that produces independent front suspension. This configuration is useful in trucks carrying heavy loads, but provides little shock absorption when the vehicle is unladen.

Looking to find the best deal on Air Suspension Parts, then visit www.strutmasters.com to find the best advice on Air Suspension Conversion Kits for you.

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