Accuair Drawbacks ?

jwolfejt

jwolfejt

Active Member
I have been researching what lift I wanted for a while and I initially came down to an evo 4.5" enforcer lift or a metalcloak 4.5" long arm lift (it looks like it works great - but the JT can't really deal with load or towing - so you throw that out the window with that setup). I came across the videos on this setup (again) and it looks like it gives you a good deal of everything. I was surprised to see that it can actually flex on the trail - and it can haul and tow (probably even better than stock).

My Goal is to run a 37" or 38" max with 5.13 gears (seems like Accuair recommends a 37s - any reason why a 38x12.50 ridegrappler would not fit?

Can you run adjustable control arms from another company ontop of this kit if you wanted to (would it be of any benefit here) ?

Does the driveshaft (rear) interfere at all with the air tank at steeper angles (If i go this route I will want to upgrade to 1350 driveshafts) ?

The way the air filter is positioned I was wondering if it would interfere with a hydro steering setup (if I decided to run one in the future) ?

I am really having a hard time finding any real negatives about this kit - I know its not a top shelf coilover setup, but is there any reason why this kit can't articulate as well as a coil lift (of the same/similar height) ?

Looks like its been put through the ringer and i have yet to see people complaining about quality or failures. I know that Tractor Trailers use air springs/pistons so I know they can hold up and last (these obviously are not off a tractor trailer).

What really are the negatives here ? I am getting older and it would be nice to have an easy ingress and egress, be able to load and unload, and tow with ease - it is a Jeep but I still do need to do some lighter truck stuff every now and then.
 
You are supposed to use the vendor provided shocks. The range of lift and range of travel are designed into the system. Not really similar to a 4.5" lift.

Regarding any interference, watch Eddie's video series about a JT with this lift. It did well while wheeling, but not like an exotic 4.5" lift.
 
jwolfejt said:
My Goal is to run a 37" or 38" max with 5.13 gears (seems like Accuair recommends a 37s - any reason why a 38x12.50 ridegrappler would not fit?
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A 38" spare tire will NOT fit in the factory location up between the frame rails or at least, not without wearing it down quite a big first.
jwolfejt said:
Can you run adjustable control arms from another company ontop of this kit if you wanted to (would it be of any benefit here) ?
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NO. You NEED to run the control arms that ACCUAIR provides as there are sensors on them that help the computer know what height you're at.
jwolfejt said:
Does the driveshaft (rear) interfere at all with the air tank at steeper angles (If i go this route I will want to upgrade to 1350 driveshafts) ?
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NO. That said and if anything, I would highly recommend that you replace your FRONT shaft as it will fail at the CV boot on your transfer case if you wheel your Jeep and flex it out a lot. The rear will hold up for quite a while.
jwolfejt said:
The way the air filter is positioned I was wondering if it would interfere with a hydro steering setup (if I decided to run one in the future) ?
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Not that I could see.
jwolfejt said:
I am really having a hard time finding any real negatives about this kit
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The biggest negative is its premium cost.
jwolfejt said:
I know its not a top shelf coilover setup, but is there any reason why this kit can't articulate as well as a coil lift (of the same/similar height) ?
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Articulation is determined by shock travel length. While the ACCUAIR system will articulate as well as any standard coil and shock lift, neither can hold a candle to coilovers being that most kits require new mounting brackets that allow for a lot more travel.
 
wayoflife said:
A 38" spare tire will NOT fit in the factory location up between the frame rails or at least, not without wearing it down quite a big first.

NO. You NEED to run the control arms that ACCUAIR provides as there are sensors on them that help the computer know what height you're at.

NO. That said and if anything, I would highly recommend that you replace your FRONT shaft as it will fail at the CV boot on your transfer case if you wheel your Jeep and flex it out a lot. The rear will hold up for quite a while.

Not that I could see.

The biggest negative is its premium cost.

Articulation is determined by shock travel length. While the ACCUAIR system will articulate as well as any standard coil and shock lift, neither can hold a candle to coilovers being that most kits require new mounting brackets that allow for a lot more travel.
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I am still weighing this out in my head. I am thinking that 4.5" For what i'll be doing is overkill and something like the Clayton Overland 3.5" setup will be fine - or obviously the accuair setup. If i go accuair - i can save the $3k or so I'd want to spend on rock slide engineering powered sliders so I am not so much worried about the added expense.
 
jwolfejt said:
I am still weighing this out in my head. I am thinking that 4.5" For what i'll be doing is overkill and something like the Clayton Overland 3.5" setup will be fine - or obviously the accuair setup. If i go accuair - i can save the $3k or so I'd want to spend on rock slide engineering powered sliders so I am not so much worried about the added expense.
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How do you plan to use your JT?
 
jeeeep said:
How do you plan to use your JT?
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Hauling:
I plan on loading it up with lawncare stuff every now and again, wood and stuff for small projects i'll have to do. (1000 lbs would be pushing it for me).

Towing:
I do have one use case where I will be towing ~5k lbs over 5k miles but will probably not tow anywhere near that. I also have a motorcycle purchase planned in the near future so i'll more than likely need to tow that when i purchase it - and moving general lawn care stuff from property to property. I don't need to tow really heavy - but it would be nice to retain the stock numbers without the rear end of the Jeep sagging.

Fun stuff:
On weekends i will be hitting up general trails nothing extreme but more or less moderate trails, fishing and hunting.

Driving Conditions:
Snow ! - it is not uncommon to see 10"+ of snow even after plowing in AK. Rocky trails, muddy trails, lots and lots of elevation changes. Cold - it's not that bad in the matsu valley - single digits for sure. I don't mind maintenance - but would prefer if it wasn't something that needed attention every month (i.e. regreasing zurc's every month would suck in the cold).

*EDIT* Sorry for the long post - but I figured I'd be as detailed as possible to make sure I get into the right setup.
 
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jwolfejt said:
Hauling:
I plan on loading it up with lawncare stuff every now and again, wood and stuff for small projects i'll have to do. (1000 lbs would be pushing it for me).

Towing:
I do have one use case where I will be towing ~5k lbs over 5k miles but will probably not tow anywhere near that. I also have a motorcycle purchase planned in the near future so i'll more than likely need to tow that when i purchase it - and moving general lawn care stuff from property to property. I don't need to tow really heavy - but it would be nice to retain the stock numbers without the rear end of the Jeep sagging.

Fun stuff:
On weekends i will be hitting up general trails nothing extreme but more or less moderate trails, fishing and hunting.
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That's the similar plan I have for my JT and IMO from what I've seen of the Accuair, that would be the way to go.

Being able to level adjust ride for loads, towing and camping is my big yes checkmark for Accuair.

I have a sport gladiator and have found Rubicon style flairs to get more tire/flare clearance which I think would allow the Accuair setup to drop to its lowest position for getting in and out possibly eliminating the need for something like RSE sliders - I have them on my JLU and really like them but, it sits high with the coil overs and serve their purpose well for how I use the JLU.

Have you checked out Eddie's Accuair testing series?

https://www.youtube.com/@wayalife/search?query=accuair
 
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jeeeep said:
That's the similar plan I have for my JT and IMO from what I've seen of the Accuair, that would be the way to go.

Being able to level adjust ride for loads, towing and camping is my big yes checkmark for Accuair.

I have a sport gladiator and have found Rubicon style flairs to get more tire/flare clearance which I think would allow the Accuair setup to drop to its lowest position for getting in and out possibly eliminating the need for something like RSE sliders - I have them on my JLU and really like them but, it sits high with the coil overs and serve their purpose well for how I use the JLU.

Have you checked out Eddie's Accuair testing series?

https://www.youtube.com/@wayalife/search?query=accuair
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Yes I have and I called Accuair earlier today - I am almost fully sold on this. Was just wanting to install this myself - but it looks like the install is going to be a bit more involved. The other thing i like about this is you have onboard Air so no need for an arb air compressor. I also had a Willys JT a few years ago - i highly recommend you install the Rubicon Flares (I installed them on my Willys) - it frees up ALOT of space and they are easy to install - the hardest part is getting old clips that may have broken off out. Go with 1 3/4" wheel spacers if you want the wheels to sit right otherwise they are going to look very buried in the wheel wells (unless you have a max tow).
 
The
Cost of the Accuair is 7k from what I can see. You can get a game changer for about 3.5 lift for about 2500-3000. Both without labor of course.
 
G-REX said:
Is it worth 2x the cost???
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G-REX said:
The
Cost of the Accuair is 7k from what I can see. You can get a game changer for about 3.5 lift for about 2500-3000. Both without labor of course.
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Me personally, I would say it depends on what you need your Jeep to do for you. Would it be helpful to have a suspension system that can hold a lot of weight without compromising ride quality or sagging like crazy? Would it be helpful to have a suspension system that can be raised or lowered by a push of a button to help make it easier to get into or get better fuel economy or to help clear and obstacle or pull into a garage? Would it be helpful to have a suspension system that will allow you to make independent adjustments to each corner of your Jeep so that you can level it out on uneven terrain for camping/sleeping in? If the answer is yes to any of this, a $3000 kit will not be able to do any of this.
 
And no effing way I’d pay $3K for a game changer. A coilover lift is about $7K. Different animal for sure and it has a different purpose, but at least it has some adjustability so I could somewhat understand a comparison between the two.

Edit: and $3K is pretty much without shocks. If you get those stupid-ass six pack shocks, it’s like $5K or more.
 
The Accuair setup all things considered is somewhat of a bargain for its capabilities and what it could do. You don't have the ability to expand further - although diesel power source did do custom control arms on one but they had to relocate the sensors onto the new control arms and needed accurair to come out and do a one off custom job. If your looking for maximum flex you would need a coilover setup anyway and no one comes close to Evo in that regards - its expensive but you get what you pay for. If you want to go the traditional coil lift route and your going to be carrying heavy loads - your going to need the springs to match and if you aren't always loaded it will ride harsh without the added weight - hence the gap the accuair fills.
 
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