ContiTech News

The Denver Hop is a lowrider contest in which drivers make their cars hop. Such events are a magnet for spectators, not only in the USA. The atmosphere in the stadium is electrifying: spectators go wild at front axle hops of almost two meters. "These cars can make spectacular hops because controllable pneumatic or hydraulic wheel suspensions help their chassis to perform extreme upward and downward movements," said Volker Plett, development engineer at ContiTech Air Spring Systems and air spring designer, to explain the technology. And of course the fans rely on special air springs from ContiTech.

Lowrider pimping originated in the Latino neighborhoods of Los Angeles, where young Mexican Americans spent a lot of time and effort restoring old cars during the early 1990s. The coolest of them modified the chassis to suspend their cars just a few millimeters above the asphalt. To keep them fit for the streets, the lowriders were equipped with suspension control systems similar to those in buses and commercial vehicles. But very soon, the suspension control systems were used to generate effects: soon the car bodies were moving to the beat of the hip hop music coming out of their stereo systems.

The lowrider scene is very popular in the USA today. Most larger cities organize a series of events for pimped cars. In Germany, lowriders are also enjoying a growth in popularity. The Essen Motor Show, Lowrider Masters and Street Mag Show are the three established events for car enthusiasts in Germany.

Good bye cult, hello contest: lowriders depend on technology. Hydraulic wheel suspensions dominated the scene for a long time. But pneumatically controlled springs have become ever more common in the past few years. And it is at hop contests where they can show their qualities. "Air springs are powerful and sturdy at the same time. Their low height after the air has been vented and their high installation tolerance make chassis conversion easier. They react to pressure changes without delay, and can be filled with compressed air and emptied again very quickly. That is an advantage during these extreme events," explained Plett. The vehicles are equipped with air reservoirs and compressors, and large valves under extreme pressure fill the bellows instantly. This sudden pressure surge acts like a catapult. Increased wear on the air springs is part and parcel of the events.

ContiTech's came into the lowrider scene as a result of standard air springs. "They proved to be so good that an American specialty dealer wanted us to develop premium air springs especially for the lowrider market in 2004," said Plett. The engineer modified the standard springs at two decisive points: He improved the tensile strength of the bellows reinforcement, which significantly increased the bursting pressure. He also enlarged the diameter of the air inlets by 400 percent. That made it easier for the compressed air to flow in and out, which increased the competitiveness of the lowriders using them. The air springs became a hopping success.