Originally Posted by
MetroMPG
What made you decide to try it?
Three things: sag when loaded, alignment, and timing.
I listened to the rear suspension drama posed here before I purchased, but I found it wasn't a big deal to me. All the talk about the soft rear suspension has kept the topic going in the back of my mind - just not a priority. Usually when I use my Mirage, it's just me. The softer 2015 rear suspension doesn't bother me until I drive with some passengers or cargo in back. Those are the times I wished for more support at the rear axle.
Regarding alignment, I recall one forum member (or even an entire thread) discuss that lowering wrecks rear wheel alignment, even worse than if it was simply misaligned from the factory. So lowering was cast out as an option for me. I want to avoid the cognitive dissonance of complaining about misalignment from the factory, then making things worse by lowering.
Take the alignment rack as an example. When the alignment is checked on a rack, the vehicle is unloaded. On the road, the vehicle has some extra weight that measurably lowers the rear suspension and in turn, changes the alignment geometry. If I can resist that somewhat with this air bag system, great. Maybe it'll help pay for itself in reduced tire wear - we'll see.
When I first checked the price of the AirLift kit, it was around $100. I saw it offered for around $75 so I went ahead with the purchase. I think it's mental, really - people tend to talk themselves into something they don't really need, and that's when things get expensive. So I practice some patience - if it's something I Want, I'll wait for it to go on sale. If it's something I Need, then I gotta pay the going price. The rear suspension works fine for me the way it is, so it doesn't really qualify as a Need.
Last summer I tried three different sets of coil springs from a local junkyard. None of them satisfied me, so I took advantage of their return policy and got a portion of my money back. I should have just went with the air bags from the start and saved some time and money. Ah, the price of experimentation.
I look forward to comparing the air bag suspension helpers against a sway bar. I predict that once this is installed, I won't need a sway bar. If so, I would likely put it up for sale.
Thanks for asking.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)