[santhoshx]

Guys,
I came across this recently, there were few old cars which they were driving in 3 Wheels !!!! .. I dont know how they managed, but i felt like they have raised it with some long pistons/shock absorbers. When they stop at signal they lift the car up and down .. Funny though ..thought i will post it , i could take only one ..

A scene fron Broadway Newyork

[binz]

Google hydraulics ..

[speedmiester]

They are group of people called low riders. They use hydraulics to lower and raise their cars.

[fash_1]

Yeah. Hydraulics it is. Very gang$ta though. And am not aware of any other reason in having those than to show off...

[Mayavi]

You might have seen it in some hip-hop videos where the car suddenly starts jumping... thats the hydraulics doing it.
They even have sporting event for these vehicles just like HP maniacs have drag races. Basically what they do in the competition is have two people use joystick controllers to change the pressure in each of the four shock absorbers independently when the car is static car. This makes the car change height rapidly and unevenly and the car ends up 'dancing'. The changes come so fast and synchronized that from dancing it transforms into jumping! It feels like the someone has put a car on a trampoline... its fun to watch. The cars jump as high as 4 feet off the ground.

[theMAG]

That left rear tyre looks flat

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by theMAG

That left rear tyre looks flat

Thatcher, that is the low profile of those tyres, much like our LBM's.

[santhoshx]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Thatcher, much like our LBM's.

What does that mean ?

[khanak]

Originally Posted by santhoshx

What does that mean ?

LBM = Low Bass Makker, a tbhp member who has low profile tyres on his car.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

You might have seen it in some hip-hop videos where the car suddenly starts jumping... thats the hydraulics doing it.
They even have sporting event for these vehicles just like HP maniacs have drag races.

Basically what they do in the competition is have two people use joystick controllers to change the pressure in each of the four shock absorbers independently when the car is static. This makes the car change height rapidly and unevenly and the car ends up 'dancing'. The changes come so fast and synchronized that from dancing it transforms into jumping! It feels like the someone has put a car on a trampoline... its fun to watch. The cars jump as high as 4 feet off the ground.

Making the car jump off the ground is called "Bouncing" it.

And @Mayavi, it isn't the shock absorber (as in with dampening valving), but a special hydraulic actuator, which the hobbyists call a "candle"!

And the joysticks (as one might imagine) are not hand operated hydraulic valves. They are electric switches with SPDT (dump, off and actuate) positions.

Would you believe this. At car shows and tuning events, they even make the car "dance" to music!

Moving an individual corner of the vehicle using hydraulics is called "Corners". Yo baby!

Pumps & Valves
PumpsBasically it uses an electric pump from an aircraft hydraulic brake system.
Hydraulic pumps are rated by the pressure they produce [pounds per square inch (PSI)], [gallons per minute (GPM)] and the horsepower of their motors.
Pumps used by lowriders and hoppers produce 1200-1500 psi (85-105 kg/sq.cm.).

Pumps made by PESCO (Pump Engineering Co) are sometimes called "Roosters" or "Mini-Roosters" because of the clucking sound they make when they operate.

Valves
The fluid pressure is gated by hydraulic dump valves. Brands like Pesco, Adel, Eemco/Stratopower. The valves are rated to handle 3000 PSI (210 kg/sq.cm.).

In the early years, the hydraulic dump valve that lowriders and hoppers swore by was made by a aircraft valve company called Adel Precision Products Corp.

The first guy to do this was Ron Aguirre back in 1959.
He used Pesco pumps and Adel valves from a Boeing B-52 bomber on the front suspension of his highly modded Corvette.
With his set-up he could change the height of the car with a switch on the dashboard.

In the early days, the hydraulic pistons, valves and pumps from aircraft flaps were also used.

Today, the most recognized aircraft hydraulic part used in Lowriders and hoppers is the Adel 3-port square dump valve (rated at 3,000 PSI).

Also there is a trend of using truck lift-gate hydraulics instead of aircraft hydraulics. These make a characteristic "whining" sound when they operate. They call'em "screamers"!

There is today, a whole industry that produces custom hydraulics specifically for the lowrider hobby.

Some even use heavy duty air suspension systems with a compressor or pre-filled compressed air tank to raise and lower the suspension.

Adel went out of business and original Adel valves now command a king's ransom.
There are even fake "Made in China" Adel valves which are unreliable.

If an "O" ring suddenly fails, the car can lose hydraulic pressure and bottom-out its suspension with an explosive bang!

One Saturday night, back in 1968, due to faulty hydraulics two lowriders were involved in a head-on collision. Both car drivers and their girlfriends were killed.

Both cars were members of the Imperials Car Club, East Los Angeles. Cruising at 80 km/h, northbound on the Pacific Coast Highway, in the far left center lane, the Buick Riviera's left hydraulic lift failed. The Riviera collided head on with a 1964 Chevy Malibu driven by another Imperials Car Club member and his girlfriend.

More than 200 cars, from several lowrider clubs, showed up at the funeral.

[dustDevil]

Here's a vide that you'd like to watch.... amazing hydraulics on a beetle!!
Has all those "corners", "bounces"... dances an what not!

Radical Lowrider, Tuningworld Bodensee 2007 Video

Hope you like it!