When one thinks of hopping, they generally think of classic Impala's or Monte Carlo's with extensive hydraulic set-ups. Back in the day, hydraulics were the only way to hop due to the lack of technological advances within the air suspension industry. However, this is no longer the case.

Today the air suspension industry has grown with leaps and bounds, allowing almost anyone to be able to hop on air. With compressors now being to be push out 200 PSI or more, it's especially easy for lighter vehicles, such as minitrucks, to hop a couple of inches with a basic ½ inch setup. Granted, the ability to hop all depends on your air management setup, but it is now easier than ever to do so.

But for some of us, a couple of inches just won't cut it. Take for example our very own Matt Pedro's s10, Project Air Dancer. Having a freshly pulled motor and running a very high psi, Matt's s10 is hopping just as high as many hydraulic cars. With the development of lines and valves having one inch and over diameters, and with the help of a large bottle of Nitrogen or two, air suspensions now have the ability to hop just as high as many of the hydraulic cars and trucks out there today.

As awesome as it is to see trucks and cars hopping on air, remember that there can be dire consequences to your vehicles for doing so. Bent or cracked frames can often occur due to the increased stress put on them due to hopping. Bending your nice new twenty inch rims is also a possibly due to the low profile tires and the force hopping puts upon them. Matt Pedro knows the consequences quite well as everyone could see at Minitruckin' Havoc this year after he snapped his axle for the second time that weekend.

As the air suspension industry continues to expand and grow, so will the number of air hoppers as well. I've seen several so far this season, all of which have been rather impressive to watch, including an s10 that hops on dubs. You can bet that although I'll never be hopping my daily driven s10 four or five feet in the air, I'll be hopping nonetheless with my simple 5/8 inch setup.

Until next month, keep your head high and truck low.

Gauge Columnist
Justin Wynn