Air Ride Suspension?
 

Does anyone have the do's and don't's in regards to this question?

I have a 2008 Flhx and have issues with tire rubbing due to the 18 I put on the rear along with the 1in lower bracket! When I'm on the bike it happens at time but when my lady is with me it's another story...

Thinking of putting Arnotts 13" kit on my bike...

Please let me know what you think!
Don't want to waste money if there's a better solution.

In my opinion if your going to air ride it is worth it to spend a little more go with Legends. Not only can you slam it down and give it that nice low look but you will not find an air shock that is going to give you a better ride than the Legends system.

shotgun shock is the only air ride I wouls suggest.i have had arnott and they are like legand air up and air down.i have shotgun on my softail and bagger it costs more yes but you can ride at any height and then make it softer or harder for weight if rider.plus no rubber bags all sealed inside with all billet parts,lifetime warranty and awesome customer service.after I installed my first set I fi
gured all the other guys would go out of business.lolif you only want to buy one time go to shotgunshock.com boy I should become a sales guy

I'd suggest you look into a lower profile tire.

that will lower the bike even more, retain your shocks and be less expensive. the real concern is the tire rubbing;

wires can get chewed up

tire can get damaged beyond safety- esp if a seat bolt digs a groove down the center

and heat from rubbing can burn the paint off the fender.

2.) when you add weight such as a passenger or luggage, pump up your shocks to compensate.

mike

Sales Guy? you should go over to the softail forum because that's all their website says that they will fit. At least that is all that I saw.

I fitted the Shotgun shock to my softy have ridden with them for nearly two years, they have been brilliant. I am now buying a Road King, so if I decide to go air ride, Shotgun will be my choice. And I live in the UK, so had to have them shipped. JD the owner, seemed a top bloke.

do you already have an air ride system? It sounds like you've got 1" lowering brackets on your shocks, so you'd need either a taller shock, or to remove the lowering bracket.

If you're getting (or changing) an air ride system, you need to figure out what your clearance is with the shocks completely collapsed. You don't want to be riding home, have an air leak, and be riding on your tire. The Arnott 13" shocks both collapse to about 10 inches. The 12 inch shocks collapse to about 9.5 inches.

I've got an 18 inch rear wheel, and Arnott Aldan shocks ( billet shocks, no exposed air bags). Fully collapsed, it's not rubbing on the fender, but I'm not sure how much lower I could go before I am. I might try a set of Pingle lowering brackets to drop it another inch, but I'm not at all confident that I won't be sitting down on the fender at that point.

Subscribed! I've got an 18" rear..... I have a burly lowering kit giving me puppy dog eyes...... Waiting it's turn to be installed. I've measured my clearance, and it looks like it will be ok, but I'm still waiting for more informed answers from guys that are lowered with an 18" rear

I'd take the lowering brackets off.

I called Shotgun and viewed their products online, you can see different set ups on the gallery section in videos. It looks like a great product as do the Legends and Arnott. I'm thinking if taking the Lowering kit off to allow more clearance for tire height when riding and adding the air system to have a better then stock ride with adjustability but my concern is that I have 1 inch lowered Progressive monotubes on the front and don't want to screw with more geometry while keeping the look of the bike sleek and low. That's why the adjustability of air suspension was my first thought.

Weight is a concern bc I weigh 250lbs and adding a rider would be another 120-145lbs and the stock shock don't allow enough travel while keeping the rear stable especially on rough roads and irregular terrain in the hills.

Like all of us I want it all in know. I have performance mods and still want to be able to drag someone's ass while having comfort for joy rides!

Thank you all for commenting and lending me your knowledge in regards to this.