Air Bags and Suspension Lift. Compatible or Not?

MWeir91 · Sep 19, 2012

Hey guys,

I just bought a 2010 1500 SLT, and I'm planning on putting a sled deck on it. I know i'll need air bags to take the weight of carrying two snowmobiles over the bed, but I also have plans to add a 6" suspension lift early next year. So I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if you can run air bags with a suspension lift on the coil set up the rams have? It may be a stupid question, but anything will help.

Thanks in advance!!!

fastNugly · Sep 19, 2012

MWeir91 said:
Hey guys,

I just bought a 2010 1500 SLT, and I'm planning on putting a sled deck on it. I know i'll need air bags to take the weight of carrying two snowmobiles over the bed, but I also have plans to add a 6" suspension lift early next year. So I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if you can run air bags with a suspension lift on the coil set up the rams have? It may be a stupid question, but anything will help.

Thanks in advance!!!

This has been done by a few members (not sure if here or another forum) and they too had a 6" lift and were able to run the Airlift 1000 kit.

Musclemckeester · Sep 19, 2012

You'll just need to fab up a bracket for the bags to sit on, unless you get the Pro Comp kit like I have which reuses the factory springs (has a spacer underneath them). The bags would just sit on top of the spacer and would require no further modification.

fastNugly · Sep 19, 2012

Musclemckeester said:
You'll just need to fab up a bracket for the bags to sit on, unless you get the Pro Comp kit like I have which reuses the factory springs (has a spacer underneath them). The bags would just sit on top of the spacer and would require no further modification.

This is the misconception with the Airlift kit.

Well this is what I was told by 2 of their tech's. most people think that the bags need to rest on something and once they are inflated it will being squeezing both top and bottom.
Again, this was told to me by their techs (2 of them). In actual fact, they do not work this way. Rather the PSI pumped in squeezes the bags outwards to keep the spring from compressing. So it is not a height issue, rather if it can fill the width of the coil

I asked because I got the rcx kit that has new coils that are longer.
Of course before I by it, i will double check once again. But both techs I spoke to, their info was consistent with one another.

Take this with a grain of salt.

Musclemckeester · Sep 19, 2012

^That's good to know. I was going off info somebody on another forum posted about them fabbing up a bracket to make them work.

fastNugly · Sep 19, 2012

Musclemckeester said:
^That's good to know. I was going off info somebody on another forum posted about them fabbing up a bracket to make them work.

Im still going to verify before buying it when Im ready for it.

MWeir91 · Sep 19, 2012

Wow guys, thanks for the fast response. If you you do try the set up with your rcx kit in the near future please let me know how it works out! Thanks again guys, you've been a great help!

fastNugly · Sep 19, 2012

MWeir91 said:
Wow guys, thanks for the fast response. If you you do try the set up with your rcx kit in the near future please let me know how it works out! Thanks again guys, you've been a great help!

I will...But I would call Airlift and they will explain it to you as well :********:

quietpeen · Sep 20, 2012

our vendor Total Load Control can help you out too

jlb · Sep 20, 2012

No offense to the above post, but the bag squeezing outward makes absolutely no sense.

Take what I am about to say with a grain of salt, I have no experience with these air bag kits so I am making some assumptions, but they seem logical.

If the bag were to inflate outwards it would indeed contact the spring, and if squeezed "into (outwards)" the coil hard enough it would force its way into the spaces between the links. When the coil tried to compress the links would be restricted in their movement by the fact that there is now a balloon stuck there.

However, if you ever put much load on your truck, and the coil was forced to compress the balloon would eventually pop because of being pinched.

Also, if you say wanted to lift the back of your truck 2in you could just add bags to a stock truck, and run 10psi all the time. After a few miles (I don't know how many) the bag would be wearing due to friction on the coil, and vice versa. This would eventually cause a weak spot on the bag causing it again to deflate.

Now I am sure these bags aren't perfect, and that they expand outward as well as downwards, but the primary force supporting load I would be willing to bet is vertical.

Also, say they did force outwards, the bottom of the bag would have no support so as the spring pushed downwards, and squeezed the bag, the extra pressure created would just cause the ends to move outwards and it would either pop, or move out from between the links in the coils.

I think you need the brackets so the bottom rests on the "axle", and the top on the "chassis."

Like I said, I have never used these bags, but what I said above just seems like common sense from an engineering perspective. I like the idea of asking a vendor who sells them how they work.

fastNugly · Sep 20, 2012

jlb said:
No offense to the above post, but the bag squeezing outward makes absolutely no sense.

Take what I am about to say with a grain of salt, I have no experience with these air bag kits so I am making some assumptions, but they seem logical.

If the bag were to inflate outwards it would indeed contact the spring, and if squeezed "into (outwards)" the coil hard enough it would force its way into the spaces between the links. When the coil tried to compress the links would be restricted in their movement by the fact that there is now a balloon stuck there.

However, if you ever put much load on your truck, and the coil was forced to compress the balloon would eventually pop because of being pinched.

Also, if you say wanted to lift the back of your truck 2in you could just add bags to a stock truck, and run 10psi all the time. After a few miles (I don't know how many) the bag would be wearing due to friction on the coil, and vice versa. This would eventually cause a weak spot on the bag causing it again to deflate.

Now I am sure these bags aren't perfect, and that they expand outward as well as downwards, but the primary force supporting load I would be willing to bet is vertical.

Also, say they did force outwards, the bottom of the bag would have no support so as the spring pushed downwards, and squeezed the bag, the extra pressure created would just cause the ends to move outwards and it would either pop, or move out from between the links in the coils.

I think you need the brackets so the bottom rests on the "axle", and the top on the "chassis."

Like I said, I have never used these bags, but what I said above just seems like common sense from an engineering perspective. I like the idea of asking a vendor who sells them how they work.

hey man! Great point and like I said in my post 'to take it with a grain of salt too'! LOL

I too had the same thinking as you and everyone else, but that is what 2 of their techs told me.
And when raising the truck, it doesn't raise it much even with the highest PSI. probably 1/2" (if that).
So when I think about what they told 'squeezing outwards into the coil' that makes sense of the 1/2" (again, if that) lift.
All it is doing is separating/making the space between each coil larger (not by much).
Now if you take into account a deflated or almost deflated bag (I believe it still requires 5 psi at all times) and inflate it, should it not raise the truck higher than 1/2"?

Again, I am no rocket scientist on this and I did say to 'take it with a grain of salt' and 'that when and if I purchase them, I will double/triple confirm what they are saying is accurate'

All I know, is there are a few that have used the Airlift kit on a lifted truck.

Thor09 · Sep 21, 2012

I ordered Airlift 1000 bags and should arrive today. I'm planning on installing them with my RCX 6" in the next couple weeks hopefully. My plan is to place the bag height approximately where they would sit in a stock coil by placing a spacer at the bottom under the bag. I'll let you guys know what I figure out.

fastNugly · Sep 21, 2012

Thor09 said:
I ordered Airlift 1000 bags and should arrive today. I'm planning on installing them with my RCX 6" in the next couple weeks hopefully. My plan is to place the bag height approximately where they would sit in a stock coil by placing a spacer at the bottom under the bag. I'll let you guys know what I figure out.

Thor09,
Getting your lift? SWEET!
Yes, pls advise how you get this to work for you.

MWeir91 · Sep 21, 2012

I was skeptical of the idea of the airbags effectiveness being dependent on forcing outward onto the inside walls of the spring as well so i did a little more research. I came up with this video, and although they're the Firestone Coil Rite kit and not the Airlift 1000, they are extremely similar and they do seem to use the concept that the Techs from airlift described to you. Now, that being said, i'm still not sure if they will work with the longer spring from the rcx lift kit, but it looks to be very possible!

MWeir91 · Sep 21, 2012

and the link didn't work.. Lets try that again..

Toyota Prado Coil Rite Airbags - YouTube

ramhunter9 · Sep 21, 2012

I have 18 of these in stock ... the Airlift 1000 #AIR60818

Some one willing to be a test pig let me know .. cut ya a deal .

PM me

ArcticRam · Apr 16, 2013

Did anyone ever get resolution to this? I have a 2012 with a 4" RCX. I do occasionally need to carry a heavy load or haul a trailer. I just had the lift installed last month and I've only had to carry a heavy load once since the installation, but when I did it had a nasty squat in the rear. I was hoping to get the air bags to solve this problem, but wanted to check here first before I pull the trigger.

jlb · Apr 16, 2013

I have the bags now, I did not at the time of my posting earlier in this thread. When I examine my bags I can see where the coils slip up, and down the bag in the form of discoloration. Also when you go over bumps you can hear the squeaking of metal on rubber (same sliding).

The bags raise the back of my truck about 3/4in from 5psi to 35 psi which is created by vertical expansion/applied force, not outward.

Now in response to the earlier discussion I believe that w/o a top, and bottom mount the bags will not work as effectively as they do when the top, and bottom are in contact.

Also, my truck used to squat about 5in with 1000 lbs, and now it squats about 2.5 with the same weight. This means the spring constant was about 200 lbs per inch before the bags. Now it is about 400 per inch, and the bags provide about 35 psi * 12.56 (top/bottom) area of the bag=440lbs of vertical load support. This is about inline with half the loading now being present on the springs since the bags are there. To me this means that the squishing into the coils provides less (not necessarily non-existent) force compared to the vertical support from the bags.

This could be solved with a puck spacer inside the spring to support the bag (just a thicker version of what they send you).

Air Bags and Suspension Lift. Compatible or Not?

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