AiROCK™

WHAT IS AiROCK

AiROCK™ is a computerized suspension system that provides the ultimate in control, both on and off road.

When driving on-road AiROCK™ provides a smoother ride and allows limited adjustments at a lower ride height. It constantly monitors ride height and automatically compensates for any body lean that occurs. By maintaining a lower center of gravity it provides improved handling and reduces the possibility of a roll over. These improvements allow a vehicle with very large tires to be used as a daily driver.

When driving off-road AiROCK™ provides complete manual control of the suspension. It allows the vehicle’s center of gravity to be altered by shifting it in any direction. The controls easily allow modification of approach and departure angles along with ride height.

In either mode the height and ground clearance is maintained independent of vehicle load. The system also has an optional “egress” setting to lower the vehicle when the ignition is switched off, making getting in and out easier and more safe.

WHY DO I NEED IT

Air springs articulate more naturally than coils making driving off of rocks less jarring and off camber situations more stable.

When changing to different sized tires, simply adjust the ride height from inside the cab instead of swapping out coils.

For off camber maneuvers you can lean the vehicle into the hill, and lower it to keep the center of gravity down.

Tired of hitting your bumper on tall rocks you’re trying to climb? Just tilt back or raise the vehicle to provide clearance for your bumper.

If you get high centered, simply raise the vehicle up and continue down the trail.

There are countless other situations that AiROCK™ systems make more safe and enjoyable.

See what one reviewer had to say.

It’s like driving on …. well air. You lose all of that mechanical resistance with air springs there is no inherent kinetic energy to overcome like you have with coil springs. In fact, the shocks are valved differently to normal shocks and they are designed to limit travel with integrated bump stops.. (4 Wheels and a Motor.com)

COMPONENTS

AiROCK™ is a computer controlled system that replaces the coils with air springs. The bump stops are moved to the custom shock absorbers that come with the kit. The system includes:

• The user Control Interface.
• The AiROCK™ Control Unit (ACU).
• Four air springs.
• Four custom shocks.
• Four height sensors with stainless steel brackets.
• The wiring harness.
• Air line and fittings.

All of the parts in this kit are warrantied for one full year from the date of purchase.

The Control Interface consists of a display and six control buttons, encased in black anodized aluminum to ensure longevity and a clean OEM appearance.  Its backlit display varies its brightness automatically with changes in daylight.

The ACU ties into the Vehicle Speed Sensor to constantly monitor the vehicle speed.  It controls and monitors the pressure in the air springs and air supply along with monitoring the height sensors. This information not only allows AiROCK™ to operate in two different driving modes, off-road and on-road, but also to detect and diagnose any problems that might occur in the system.

OPERATION

AiROCK™ allows user control of the vehicle’s center of gravity by making height and/or tilt adjustments at the touch of a button. A simple, intuitive dash-mounted user Control Interface provides a powerful way of adjusting the vehicle’s suspension in real time.

The user Control Interface has four directional arrow buttons, a “check mark” button, and an “X” button.

• Push the left or right arrow button to tilt the vehicle left or right.
• Push the up or down arrow to tilt the vehicle forward or back.
• Push the left or right with an up or down button to tilt the vehicle diagonally toward the specified direction.
• Push the “check mark” button to automatically return to your preset off-road or on-road ride height.
• Push the “check mark” button with an up or down button to raise or lower the vehicle.

The functionality of the arrow buttons can be configured to be momentary or latching (automatic). When configured as momentary the adjustment occurs only as long as the button is held.  When configured as latching the adjustment automatically continues to the full extent. Latched automatic adjustments can be immediately stopped by pressing the “X” button. The six buttons are also used to access and navigate the menus to initialize and configure AiROCK™.

INSTALLATION

The installation process is very straight forward. You essentially replace your old coils and shocks, mount the height sensors, Control Interface and ACU, and run the wiring and air lines.  The average install time is about 6-8 hours. Any additional suspension and on-board air supply components require additional time.

The bolt on kit requires no special tools, welding or modification of the frame to install.*** The detailed instruction manual and user guide, along with great customer support, ensure a smooth install.

We also have a growing number of authorized installation and service centers in the U.S. and Canada that can install the kit for you.

Click here to download the installation manual.

*** Note: For TJs the rear shocks can be bolted directly onto the chassis using the stock shock brackets. However to gain additional ground clearance and to better protect the shocks, we recommend relocating the shocks to the outside of the frame rail by using ORO rear shock mount brackets (sold separately). Doing so requires the frame rail to be cut and the brackets welded in place.

JT REQUIREMENTS

We are currently finalizing the first version of the JT kit, a kit designed to allow the absolute lowest step in height and utilizes the stock range of motion allowed with the stock suspension system. This allows a wide range of motion, an on road height that is able to be adjusted to the same as stock or slightly higher, or lower. And as noted, this kit will lower the Gladiator to the absolute minimum height, enabling the easiest of entry in situations where the a lower entry point is necessary.  More to come as we start releasing these kits in the next few weeks.

The following video clip displays the Gladiator with Rubicon 33″ tires at the range of heights the AiROCK uses as presets.

JL REQUIREMENTS

We currently offer a JL kit designed to run 33-37″ tires, maybe even 40’s! This kit has the full range of the 10″ Radflo 2.5″ piggy back reservoir shock travel, and delivers a step in height with 35’s similar to that stock. We are also planning on revising and offering a kit similar to our initial offering for the JT, one allowing full range of the stock suspension travel, but delivering an ultra low step in height. More info on this shortly.

The following video clip displays the JLUR with Toyo 37″ tires at the range of heights the AiROCK uses as presets.

JK REQUIREMENTS

The only prerequisite for installing the AiROCK™ kit for JK is a clean supply of pressurized air from an on-board air (OBA) system. We offer a separate OBA kit specifically designed for JKs. However, if you need on-board air, save by purchasing the AiROCK™ full kit for Jeep® Wrangler™ JK 2007-11 w Complete air kit or the AiROCK™ full kit for Jeep® Wrangler™ JK 2012+ w Complete air kit instead of purchasing the AiROCK™ and OBA kits separately.

JK’s with the “SmartBar” electronic disconnect anti-sway bar require a longer linkage to connect to the axle. We recommend either purchasing our Smartbar linkage kit or replacing the “SmartBar” with our SwayLOC™. JK’s with other anti-sway bars will require additional parts to allow them to be disconnected from the axle in order to use AiROCK™ off road.

TJ REQUIREMENTS

AiROCK™ is a coil replacement system but not a complete suspension lift kit. We offer both 4″ and 6″ AiROCK™ bolt-on kits for Jeep® Wrangler™ TJs.

If you do not already have a lift installed, we highly recommend using the Rubicon Express Extreme Duty Long Arm lift kit with the AiROCK™ 6″ system. As with any significant lift, the changes the drive line geometry to accommodate AiROCK™ must be addressed. A Slip Yoke Eliminator and rear CV Drive Shaft need to be installed in order to handle the extreme axle travel that the AiROCK™ system provides.

The AiROCK™ system also requires a clean supply of pressurized air from an on-board air (OBA) system. Some TJ owners already have an OBA system, which is why one is not included in the AiROCK™ kit.  We do offer a separate OBA kit designed specifically for TJs.  See our Complete Air Kit page for details. We also stock most of the fittings and accessories needed when piecing together your own OBA setup.  Click here to see OBA kits and components in our store.

Here is a summary of the prerequisite components for installing AiROCK™ on a TJ:

F.A.Q.

Can I just buy the air springs alone?

We offer a basic air spring kit for both JK and TJ models without any controls or the need for on-board air. This is an inexpensive way to upgrade your vehicle’s suspension with air springs that can be later converted to a full AiROCK™ system.

How much travel do the air springs provide?

The 4″ springs provide about 9″ of travel. The 6″ springs provide about 10″ of travel. As with coil setups, travel is limited by the shocks.

How do I align my vehicle if the height changes constantly?

During the installation process, you choose an on-road ride height for AiROCK to maintain. The on-road ride height is used to align the vehicle and to adjust the control arms, track bars, and pinion angles.

As vehicle height changes, the suspension, drive line, and steering angles all change. However significant changes only occur in off-road mode, and their effects are negligible since the vehicle is traveling at lower speeds. At higher speeds AiROCK™ automatically enters on-road mode ensuring that your ride height, and thus drive line geometry, is properly maintained.

Is there drive line vibration caused by the varying heights of the vehicle?

For TJs, if your vehicle is equipped with a Slip Yoke Eliminator and CV Drive Shaft, you should not experience drive line vibrations. At higher speeds AiROCK™ automatically resets the suspension to the on-road ride height which is preset to provide the proper drive line geometry.

For 2007-11 JKs, AiROCK™ works with the original stock drive line components. If modified from stock then some drive line tuning might be required.  Since AiROCK™ returns to a preset on-road height at higher speeds, simply adjust the drive line angles when the vehicle is at this height.

For 2012-13 JKs, AiROCK™ works with the stock rear drive shaft. If the stock front drive shaft is used, the shaft boot will slightly contact the exhaust crossover at full droop. We recommend installing a direct replacement drive shaft that provides the necessary clearance. An alternative method is to modify the exhaust using relocation spacers which are available from many suppliers.

What size tires can I use with the AiROCK™ systems?

The 4″ system is well suited for 32″ to 35″ tires. The 6″ system is recommended for 35″ and larger tires, and it can clear 37″ tires without rubbing when the springs are at their lowest points.  Obviously adding a body lift will allow for even larger tires. Because of variations in tire models a small amount of interference might occur with some 37″ tires on JKs.

How well does a vehicle flex with AiROCK™?

A vehicle with AiROCK™ flexes very well. Obviously total wheel travel is determined by the shock lengths. The air springs actually handle crawling up and over surfaces more naturally than coils do. At normal ride height, without any manual intervention, AiROCk™ will easily ramp 1000 on an RTI ramp.

What type of air supply do I need?

Since AiROCK™ requires air for its operation, a high quality clean air source is very important. Bottled air supplies, and small electric compressors are not designed for this application and should not be used.  We highly recommend a mechanical compressor along with a quality air management system. We do offer complete OBA kits designed specifically for some vehicles.  See our Complete Air Kit page for details. We also stock most of the fittings and accessories needed for piecing together your own OBA setup.