Static or Bagged - The Ultimate Decision

Arguably one of the biggest debates in the current car scene, static or bagged. Each has their enthusiast, but is one better than the other? What are the downsides of each? And which should you buy?

The word, “static”, means that a car is on coilover suspension and at fixed ride height. So, your car height isn’t going to move with just a click of a button. Although, coilovers are still very mainstream, and many enthusiasts are die-hard supporters of coilovers instead of air suspension. Coilovers have been around for way longer than air suspension and have become fairly advanced, and some coilover systems can even cost more than air suspension. One of the big reasons why people prefer coilovers over air suspension is because of the level of fine-tuning and customization that can be done for the track. While most of us that buy coilovers only have one goal in mind which is to lower the car, so it looks better, there is quite a lot more to it. Coilovers can also allow for changes in the rebound, dampening, spring rates, and even some camber adjustments. The thing about going static is that it allows you dial-in a perfect spec for yourself without breaking the bank because there are options for everyone, starting at around $500, mid-range coilovers at around $1,000, and high-end coilovers upwards of $2,000.

The word, “bagged”, means that a car is on air suspension and you have the ability to fully adjust your ride height on the fly. Most people in the car scene run air suspension to get perfect wheel fitment, get fender to lip fitment, or to lay the car out to the ground. Many “static” guys will call this the easy way out. Besides just the use for getting fitment dialed in, people also run air suspension for convenience because ride height can be adjusted while driving, so if you’re at ride height and see a bump or need to get up a steep entrance you can simply “air up” from your controller or phone. Air suspension has definitely risen in popularity over the last few years and continues to get better in terms of handling and performance, and now there are more affordable with options starting at around $700 from Airlift.

So, what are the downsides of each? Well, there are much fewer downsides for coilovers due to the fact that there are fewer moving parts. A few of the downsides of coilovers are; fixed ride height because you can’t adjust on the fly, it is more difficult to dial in fitment, and wear and tear on the car if it is too low. The downsides of air suspension are; more maintenance, the possibility of blowing lines and struts, and wiring issues.

So, which should you choose? To start, both are great options, but it comes down to what your end goal for the car is. If you just want to get rid of a nasty wheel gap, take your car to the track, or don’t want to worry about maintenance and reliability, I would suggest coilovers. If you want to dial in your fitment, want the convenience of adjusting ride height, or just to “air out” because it’s cool and gets attention, I would suggest air suspension. For me personally, I plan on getting a set of coilovers this year, but primarily because of the fact that it will get done what I ultimate need, which is to lower the car. This doesn’t mean I’m opposed to bags; I just don’t think for my goal for my build, it’s just not the right fit. At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with either as long as you’re getting rid of fender gap!