You can buy the best air suspension kit, quality airline, a top spec compressor and a sophisticated controller but none of that will matter if you don't also buy quality fittings. Low quality fittings cause leaks and leaks make the whole system unreliable and potentially dangerous. If you buy your parts from us, you can be assured that we only supply products that we would (and do!) install on our own vehicles. Whether it's compressors or tank fittings: if we haven't tested it ourselves, we don't sell it!
Airbags should hold pressure for months, just like tyres. If they don't then you have a problem. Finding where exactly the leak is can be frustrating and time consuming, especially if you didn't install the air suspension yourself or bought the vehicle with airride already on.
Here's what you need to know when looking for fittings:
- Price. Our fittings start from £7.50 a piece. If someone is selling fittings much cheaper, you got to ask a few questions... Are they selling in bulk? Is there a handling charge and expensive shipping? Are the fittings sent from China and will take weeks to arrive? Or is it simply because they're low quality fittings?
- Measurements. Fittings should ideally be measured with a digital calliper. British Standard Pipe (NPT), a commonly used set of technical standards, can be a minefield when trying to source air suspension fittings. We've had customers ordering wrong size fittings because they measured the outside of the thread when they should have measured the inside thread. Yes, NPT can be awkward...
- Size. We get a lot of enquiries about fittings where customers don't provide sizes. There is no universal pack of fittings that will suit all installations. Therefore we really need to know whether the fitting you require is straight or 90 degree, male or female NPT and what size airline it's for.
- Sealants. Only liquid thread sealant should be used. Do not use tape - you can read more about this in a previous post. PTC (Push to Connect) fittings should seal as soon as airline is connected and not require anything else to secure it. We once had a supplier who suggested using superglue. Ehm... No. Just buy fittings elsewhere and buy quality.
Of course, if you buy the air suspension kit and one of our air management packs we will sort out the fittings for you!
If you're putting together your own kit or need replacement parts then a selection of fittings is AVAILABLE HERE.
If you cannot see what you need, call us on 0800 772 0315 or send an email to ENQUIRIES@AIRRIDE.UK
