Suspension & Brakes Buyers Guide - It's A Buyer's Market

Every truck has them, we all need them, and this is ground zero. What we're talking about is suspension and brake parts. Whether your poison is drum or disc, coilover or airbags, leafs or coil springs, trailing arms or a 4-link ... the list could go on ... yet in the end we all have to decide what road to take.

When glancing through the magazine it can be hard to memorize the ever growing number of companies that make all sorts of suspension and brake products, therefore we shrank the magazine to bring them all together! Well not really, all we did was round up a group of companies that manufacture and sell any suspension or brake part that you would ever need to get your truck up and running. However, these samples are just a teaser to what these companies offer; it would take every page of the magazine for 10 years to show you all the products these companies make! Therefore, we advise you to take what you see here, grab the yellow legal pad and dive into your own research of each company. Now get to it.

KUGEL Komponents
Since 1969 Jerry Kugel, a pioneer in fully independent suspensions, started adapting Jaguar suspensions for street rods. Later in the early '80s, Kugel Komponents (562/691-7006) began manufacturing their own IFS, and in the early '90s started manufacturing their own IRS systems. Their IFS systems are their own designs and manufacturing, which means they are not a takeoff of a Mustang or Camaro frontend. They make all their own cast stainless spindle assemblies and their own cast, or fabricated, A-arms. All of their suspensions come complete with crossmembers, rack-and-pinion steering, and sway bars. They are designed for any model car from 1928 to the late '40s, and into the '60s for pickup trucks, however all sorts of custom applications are available in either standard or heavy-duty suspensions. Their IRS design is based from Jaguar, but feature all new components. The IRS starts with a Ford 9-inch third member, and Kugel's own cast-aluminum housing, which vary between two styles. Also included are: Corvette bearing assemblies, their own cast aluminum hub uprights, either cast-stainless control arms or fabrication tube control arms (stainless steel or mild steel), two or four coilover shock design and in-board brakes. The IRS units are also made with any gear ratio and hub width, available for almost any vehicle and standard, heavy-duty, or high-horsepower suspensions are available to fit your application.

Air Ride Technologies
For years Air Ride Technologies (812/481-4787) has been the definitive name in air suspension systems. One of Air Ride's newest products comes in the form of the AirBar.The AirBar is a bolt-on 4-link air ride system that replaces the leaf springs entirely. One AirBar line that has been developed is for the '73-87 Chevy C10s. The C10 AirBar suspension system will lower your truck up to 8.125 inches from stock, while leveling your ride from front to back. However, the AirBar does more than just drop your truck, the Firestone airsprings offer exceptional ride quality, handling performance, and lasting reliability. The kit is constructed from 1/4-inch plate steel and .219-inch DOM tubing for years of strength and reliability. It also features adjustable upper bars that allow you to change pinion angle with ease, and a bolt-on billet aluminum Panhard bar mount that optimizes the Panhard bar geometry for the new lower ride height. The kit is 100 percent bolt-on. Part of the installation process is the bolt-on tubular upper and lower shock crossmembers, which allow use of standard shocks or billet single/double adjustable shocks. Also included are bolt-on C-notches that strengthen the frame and allow maximum suspension drop and travel without cutting bed floor.Total Cost Involved