7/6/2011 7:36 PM

A few months ago we brought you Air-Suspension-101-Take-1

Recently we came across an interesting air suspension system to hit the USA while we was at Wekfest Long Beach. You see many VIP Styled Cars, Trucks and Domestic and Euros cars on air, you don’t see many Hondas on air suspension and many might wonder why with such a popular brand of car that many choose to modify that there is void of air suspensions in the Honda scene. Maybe  these guys are all about performance? or maybe there isn't a kit out there that is within there budgets? For what ever reason why these Hondas aren't on air we think we found an air suspension kit that can revolutionize the Honda and air suspension scene.


We are very excited to tell you about a new air suspension is called AirREX and many of you probably never heard of it or seen it and if you did hear about it there isn't much info about it and some may call it generic, knock off and so on. We will not beat around the bush and yes it made in Taiwan just like everything else that you may buy from brand name automotive aftermarket parts, cameras, clothing, shoes and anything to everything you name it, its all mosts likely made in Taiwan. So what does this all boil down to? There is quality that come out of Taiwan and AirREX is one of these products. 

AirREX parent company Pin Hsiu Rubber Co., Ltd is no stranger to manufacturing of rubber injection components for the automobile and motorcycle industries. They manufacture various products, such as C.V. Joint Boots, Steering Rack Boots, Air Springs, Bushings, O-Rings, Oil Seals, Packings and so on. So who knows maybe the parts on your new car came from this manufacturing plant.

We met up with Wing of MemoryFab at Wekfest Long beach. MemoryFab is known for importing JDM wheels and parts to the USA but since than started testing and selling AirREX in the USA. We got to see the actual product and a sick daily driven Honda S2000 that was on an AirREX air suspension system that was driven from North Cal to South Cal safely with out any problems. We got to see an actual AirREX strut, the bellows and sleeve type. When we picked it up what we noticed right off the bat was this wasn’t your normal air strut we are all accustomed to, as many other brands will just modify an OEM or aftermarket strut to accept air bags. With AirREX you can see it was performance that was in there minds when they designed there air struts. With the use of a coil over you get the best of both worlds, a total performance coil over that the coil was replaced by an air bag. So what does this all mean? You get total performance with a coil over with a 12 point adjustable damper system with the adjustably for ride hight and spring rate at the push of a button. No more jacking up your ride and having to turn down you coils to achieve that slammed look. It even get better when you want full slam! AirREX being a coil over type strut your lower mount is threaded so that you can adjust this strut to go lower than any other air strut in the market with just an quick adjustment and as long as your wheels allow for it.





What also amazed us is the quality of this product. from its upper mount that is made of cnc machined 6061 aluminum, the lower mounts had all the tabs for sway bars, brake lines, abs sensors and what not. Another thing we have to point out is the weight of the strut. It was lighter than other air struts that we ever saw, this is because of use of a coil over strut.

If you compare this air strut with 3 of the other major players in the market, Air Runner, Universal Air and Air Lift. AirREX is in its own world. If you ask us where does AirREx fall in this top 3 brands we would say it falls between Air Runner and Universal Air Suspension. AirREX is also an intergraded kit that is very simple to install that bolts right in with out having to build your struts like Universal Air Suspension kits call for. Priced lower than Air Runner and almost the same as Universal Air. We at Helluva Rides feels that you get more for your money with AirRex.




We asked Dina “yes the owner is a female” “why did she go with AirREX as her choice of air suspension for her 2000 AP1 Honda S2000?”





(Dina) AirREX was chosen because we wanted a suspension to function everywhere; on the streets, at shows, and on the track. Her S2000 started out with JIC coilovers to increase handling performance but when adjusted to acquire a nice stance for shows it became almost unstreetable. Dina wanted to daily drive her car but she is limited to where she could go because of steep driveways and high speed bumps would surely damage the $3000 Carbon Fiber body kit. The answer to this problem was non other than air suspension. Many would view air bags on a sports car as sacrilegious but Dina build's her car her way, not caring about what some kids might say. AirREX not only makes the car more practical to drive but also retains the handling characteristics of the S2000. She paired AirREX with the Accuair e-Level system this S2000 keeps it's corner balance, alignment and height accurately to 1/16" no matter how much weight is in the car. When I asked her what difference did she feel between her old coilover setup and brand new AirREX setup she say the ride is not any different and the handling is the same. This shows AirREX is built with performance in mind.



We asked MemoryFab “why air rex and what was there first car they installed it on”



(MemoryFab) The very first car Memoryfab installed AirREX on was a 2001 BMW 745i. Like the S2000 it was very difficult to find a bolt-on air suspension setup and even more difficult to fabricate a setup using Universal parts due to space constraints around the strut. This problem was solved thanks to AirREX immense application list which is filled with makes and models of cars that nobody else offer air suspension for. At the time we weren't sure about the quality of the kit either but we decided to take the plunge and buy the AirREX air struts complete with the Stage 3 digital wireless management direct from AirREX Taiwan. Since this build was to become a SEMA feature vehicle for 2010 AirREX rush delivered the items and it arrived in less than two weeks (which is the actually the normal wait time). Upon receipt we were very impressed with the product quality. Installation was easy and straight forward with no surprises and only took one full 8 hour day. The car was then driven 1200 miles from San Francisco to Las Vegas and back. After the car returned from Vegas it took on daily driver duty with a 80 miles work commute 5 days a week plus shows all around the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles during the weekends.

Here is a video of AirREX installed in a Mini on the track!





Like with any air suspension set ups we highly recommend that AirREX be installed by an shop that knows what there doing or one of there approved dealer/installers. The install can make or break an long reliable experience with your air ride system. Like always you can take the best product in the market but if it isn't installed right it can turn out to be the worst kit on the market.

So if your ever in the market for an air suspension kit. We suggest you look into AirREX air suspension. You can purchase AirRex through AirREX USA or through Helluva Rides site sponsor Forjworks which is an authorized dealer/install center.