There are many questions one may ask themselves when considering a complete air ride suspension kit.. One of these constant questions is should I go with an air engine which will house 8 different valves in one solid unit (capable of controlling my entire system) or do I purchase 8 independent valves (also capable of controlling the lift and drop of each corner of my chassis)? Surprisingly there are pros and cons to both which we will explain in detail. Air engines to begin are an extremely easy way of installing a complete front, back, and side to side system due to there integrated configuration. One central area to wire your switch controller as well as only 5 fittings for the connection to your tank and bags. These simple facts make air engines less prone to leaking due to less fitting use which means less connection points for which they can leak and if they do, then finding the leak is usually a piece of cake. The one and only problem with some of these valves is that if one valve is damaged or becomes defective then the entire valve engine needs to be swapped out which can cause down time which is not a good thing for a daily driver. Some air engines will allow certain parts to be rebuilt or tested and can be dismantled making down time much less, where others are completely sealed units like AccuAir which can be a bear and needs to be completely removed and swapped out with a different unit all together. (Pictures of these two configurations can be seen below:)
Other then this air engines are a great way to get thing with your aftermarket custom air ride system up and running quickly.
Brass independent air valves can also have there ups and downs, as they are a great way to save on your overall cost of your kit and will allow your installation to be customized to your liking. Some installers / customers may choose to conceal these separate valves in there wheel well or other convenient places which make them a preferred item for there installation. A downfall to these independent air valves is that there are many more air connections to each of the individual parts like air bags alternate valves for bumping and filling the air bags and the air supply which can be prone to leaking. Like the valve engines, these valves can also be rebuilt to accommodate a quick and easy repair without swapping the entire part out. It all comes down to personal preference, and what you believe will be the best option for your project.