Air bags for sag

Hey all,

Looking to add some airbags to the rear to help out when towing my trailer. I have the Bilstein 5100's with a .85 inch lift in front. I still have rake but with 300 pounds on the rear it does sag. Who is using these and any advise on brand/setup? I do not want to lift the rear at all. Can this be done when adding bags? Thanks!

 

Yep, running Airlift bags in mine for towing my Harley in my 6x10 enclosed trailer. Works perfect.

 

Air bags are quick but set i had rode like garbage. I've got eibach adjustable rear coil springs. Takes 5-10 minutes tops to adjust and stay level, even get rake if you want it

 

Hummm. Bags seem cheaper as long as they don’t raise the rear. How much were the adjustable springs

 

I have the Firestone Coil-Rite airbags and they work great. It was a 2-hour install and they level out my truck perfectly when pulling my camper. They cost $85 shipped.

 

Are you guys cutting three sections off the conical rubber bumpers for the Airlift install on the newer 5th gens?

 

under normal driving, did it raise the rear? I want to keep the rear stock height when not inflated.

 

I can’t speak for the others but I did cut the rubber snubbers on mine.
And I also drag a 6x10 enclosed trailer. Been doing this for the past couple of years between MT. and CA.
I have the AirLift brand and my former 3rd gen had the same.
Trailer gets hooked up, headlights go skyward, add a few pounds of air and the headlights come back to earth.
The minimum 5 psi is normal ride height.

 

Ok, you cut all 4 sections on the bumper stop off?

 

On my ‘16, it had 3 sections and then the base mounted to the frame. I took it down to the base part so there would be something there.

 

Ok, perfect. Thanks!

 

Yes, as in instructions

 

At 5psI mine doesnt effect ride height.

 

Do you have problems with them not holding air? I’ve read reviews where people report having to fill them up every few days or weeks.

 

It’s only happened once when I got new tires installed. It’s my fault for not telling them first though.
The air line got pinched in the hole that the line runs through under the bag when they set the truck back down. When I got home, I heard the hissss at the left rear bag when I retorqued the lug nuts.
So I jacked it up at the diff. and set a couple of jack stands under the frame, slowly dropped the diff.
And then cut the offending piece off (only an inch off the end) and slipped it back on.
I’m the original installer so it was no biggie.
No harm, no foul.

But to answer your question.
No leaks after increased air pressure for the 1,820 mi. drive back home.
And I’ve done this for at least ten times.

 

And to those that have leaks, just chase them down with some soapy water spray.
If it’s not the bags or air lines, at minimum it’s only 7 possible spots.
The connections at the bags, two.
The tee-connector, three.
And the Schrader valve, two.

 

I'll be ordering mine ASAP

 

Any issues on trails or light off-roading once you go with bags?
I know this is an old thread

 

Not for me.

 

I’ve always been reticent about them for the harsh northern roads here in the wilds of Canada. They’d be exposed to sharp heavy gravel stone formed from the blast rock during road construction and my fear is that they’d be very easily sliced. We always carry an extra spare, use load range e tires and carry a repair kit for this reason. Maybe they’d be fine, but they seem pretty light duty. Great for smooth roads, soft forest trails though. Like I said maybe I’m wrong. But unsure.

 

Do you leave them aired down or do you keep a specific psi in them offroad ??

 

How much tongue weight do you guys have that is causing this sag?

 

Aired down.
3-5 psi. regardless of surface.
I like 25-35 psi. for (loaded) highway travel.

 

The Air Lifts that I had installed on my Jeep are quite thick, I think gravel won't negatively affect them. Sand getting underneath and over, where it contacts the surface, that could be an issue due to rubbing, but I had not have any issues with mine in over 5 years, and they also rub the inside of the spring, so they should last a while. Considering how cheap they are, and how easy to install, I think those are worth for folks that put a lot of load on the rear axle. 5 PSI is the minimum recommended pressure, I do not remember if max is 30 PSI or more. The only issue is that if airing them to lift the rear is that they will cause a very bouncy ride, kind of cool for the first 5 minutes but quite annoying after...

 

More than likely, you'll wear out a couple sets of tires before the bags fail.

And the wilds of Canada, that's funny.
When was the last time that you traveled on I 80 through IL.

 

Lol, that’s funny too. Paved roads are a challenge up here as well, especially after a long cold winter. But somehow we manage to slather on enough fresh asphalt in the summer months to keep the urban ones, on balance, mostly smooth.