Firestone Ride-Rite Vs. Air Lift?

[eccentrificalforce]

Hello, all.

My older FWC is a bit too heavy for my "new" 99 Tacoma TRD, so I need a bit of lift. I have been reading about the Ride-Rite and Air Lift bags, and am hoping someone has had experience with both. Firestone recommends not raising the truck by the frame and letting the rear end droop with their bags, Air Lift recommends airing down to 5psi. Hard to monitor if one's truck is being towed while one is elsewhere, and not always useful when the going gets a little rough on the way to that perfect camping spot. Firestone lists a higher load capacity which might mean a tougher product, the Air Lift single bag may stretch better in aforementioned situations. Does anyone have any useful intelligence as to advantages or disadvantages of either design, or outright recommendations based on extensive experience? Thank you for your wisdom.

Peter.

 

[Sam]

I see no one has replied, so I'll chime in.

I think most folks on here have the Firestone. I just put a set on my truck. I am very happy with the product though I was not happy with the way the mounting plates fit my truck. They make one plate to fit as many vehicles as they can and in doing so the quality of the fit suffers for some applications.

I just had new tires put on my truck and forgot about hanging the axles until the job was just about done. Seems to have caused no harm, but I could see how the bags could be pulled loose if the suspension dropped enough.

I'm not sure I understand your question with regards to airing down to 5 psi? Firestone says no less than 10psi when unloaded, I find the 10 psi to still be a bit stiff over stock. I have been meaning to call Firestone and ask about the 10psi minimum, as I don't understand what this does?

Sorry I did not really answer your question, but maybe this will get the ball rolling for someone else to jump in?

 

[eccentrificalforce]

Thank you,Sam, for your reply, I was just looking at the pdf Firestone supplies for their install, and it specifies a minimum of 5psi. It also says to deflate completely in the event you absolutely have to jack by the frame. As I said, that only works if I am there at the time.

I have spent a good part of today looking at the installation instructions for both and crawling under my truck irritating the fire ants and troubleshooting the possibilities. I can't quite tell from the drawings Firestone supplies if the upper bracket is under the upper jounce stop on my Tacoma. If so, that is a large advantage because of the frame bracing on the inside there. If anyone has a Tacoma and Firestone bags and can check that out for me, I would appreciate it.

Does anyone know if there is much weight difference between newer FWCs and "80s models? Thank you for your care and wisdom. -Peter.

 

[Pete D]

Here's the problem with the Firestones, according to their instructions (and I would very strongly suspect it exists with just about any similar air bag).

They don't want you to run with less than 5psi, likely because some/all? mounts may allow an empty bag to be pinched and destroyed.

OTOH, they don't want the frame to be lifted with ANY pressure in the bags, likely because the bag may be stretched and weakened.

So if you take the truck in for service, you have to warn them to let all the air out (or do it yourownself if they won't be taking it for a check ride first) and then you have to repressure the bags before you drive home.

When I first got mine on a previous truck, I warned the tire guy and he said he knew all about the needs. A fender sticker might help, but only when the person reading it knows what it means...

 

[Sam]

I just checked the literature that came with my airbags and it says MIN: 10psi I wonder which is right?

Pete: Thanks for the explination. It seems as though it would be tough to pinch the bags from underinflation as they are very thick and stiff, but I'm sure the propeller heads at Firestone know what's best.

 

[lqhikers]

firestone-airbags imput

i drive a 2002 tacoma with firestones,i've stated in some of my earlier posts some of problems but fixable. you should check your frame to make sure that if it is not boxed at the point the brackets mount that you modify bracket or box frame, on my model frame on drivers side is is semi-boxed to mount brake parts and has held up with no problems,but passenger side had to be boxed after a rough trip that cracked frame at mounting point.also i have on occasion jacked rear of truck up by receiver hitch when i have been stuck and did not let any air out of air bags (i run approx 55lbswhen loaded and off-roading) and have had no problems.i-m in the process of(99%sure!) of getting a 2007 tacoma which i will not only box frame but reinforce frame between spring brackets.i also use helig half springs both on rear of, axle and on the front of axle.adjusted light ,kind of insurance policy if air bags every fail while offroad.just my thoughts, each model of truck is different and above might not apply,hope this helps.drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[Randy]

When to Add Airbags

My question is a tad off track but you guys are already beyond the answer I am seeking so...

I have a new F-150 4x4 with a '07 Hawk on it. The weight of the camper took out the lift on the back but looking at the rig it all seems on the same plane. However, when out and about of some bad roads the rear end can drag when coming out of a big dip. In fact, I busted off the tow wire connector (my wife is still trying to forgive me for breaking the new truck).

So, reading posts on this forum and trying to sort this out..I am leaning towards airbags to hopefully decrease the downward motion when coming out of dips to limit rear end drag.

Am I on track with my logic? In other words, will the expense of airbags provide a little more safety zone for my rear end?

Thanks..

 

[Sam]

The airbags will give you a more firm ride, and the option to raise the back up a bit if you like. So I would say yes it would help in dips, but you could also go slower through the dips and get the same effect.

I don't think too many people here upgrade the suspension on a 1/2 ton truck with a Hawk? I used to have a Hawk on my 1/2 ton and felt the stock suspension was fine, it was when I went from the Hawk to the Grandby that I felt the difference and decided to get the airbags, and I'm glad I did.

 

[Pete D]

It seems as though it would be tough to pinch the bags from underinflation as they are very thick and stiff, but I'm sure the propeller heads at Firestone know what's best.

I was in a store once where they had display bags cut in half and they are really tough-looking. I've noticed they also use them on some very large OTR rigs.

 

[Mushhuskies]

Airbags etc.

After our first shakedown trip on the coast with the rig wallowing around and bottoming out, I came home and had Firestone airbags installed. What a tremendous difference it made. The ride firmed up and no more boinging down the road. I take the camper on and off quite abit and use the rig for hauling alot of firewood (our primary heat) and building materials (garage for the camper!) and like the utility of the bags for those loads too.

Since I am not mechanically inclined, especially when it comes to drilling holes in the frame!, I had them installed at a Les Schwab's. The first two sets failed! One within a few miles of the store, the other over a period of a week. So, I was pretty darn happy to have had a store install as it was averaging 15 degrees or so then and I dont have a garage/shop to work in (yet). I guess that store just got a bad batch or something. They work fine now tho.

Another note: my air valves are located in the fender wells near the top. Most installs I see are on the back bumper by the license plate step. I thought I would be kicking them there getting in and out of the camper. Since I rarely put chains on I didnt think I would have much of a problem with them in the well. So far, so good.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

In other words, will the expense of airbags provide a little more safety zone for my rear end?

Thanks..

It depends on what kind of boots your wife is wearing

 

[Pete D]

my air valves are located in the fender wells near the top. Most installs I see are on the back bumper by the license plate step. I thought I would be kicking them there getting in and out of the camper. Since I rarely put chains on I didnt think I would have much of a problem with them in the well. So far, so good.

I saw a clever installation where the owner had put the two air valves in as the two lower bolts holding on his rear license plate!

 

[DLN]

Ride-Rite Air Bags Installed

I finally got around to installing my air bags on September 14 and what a difference in the ride and lift on the truck. I test drove it the next day with 45 pounds in the drivers side and 40 in the other and the ride is now tight.
For everyday use those pressures do provide too much lift so I've aired down about 20 pounds each and that looks like the way to go.

I had called a couple of shops in Reno to price the installation and they wanted about $500 for parts and labor. I ended up buying the kit on line for $260 with free delivery and doing the work myself. It only took about 3 hours to install bags and valve stems and another hour to get the air lines routed, tied in, and protected from the exhaust pipe. The heat shield Firestone provides for the passenger side is very cheesy and takes some remodeling to get in the proper position.

Now for true luxury Firestone makes a couple of dual controllers with on board compressors that look very nice. I may add one next year if I can figure out an easy location to mount it. Does anyone have one of these or something similar and if so were is the compressor mounted?

Here are a couple in pictures. The air bag shot was taken with 70 pounds of pressure during the air leak test. I liked the idea of the value stems through the license plate bolt holes but couldn't use it as I have to move the plate around depending on the position of the tail gate.

 

[erod]

DLN, nice work, i have the same bags and love them! i had mine installed here and i think it was under $335 for the whole package...i thought it was a good deal. i haven't had any issues and after add a leafs and new leaf packs not getting me where i wanted to be with lift the ride rites did the trick! my only complaint is the don't sit center on the axle as your picture shows. apparently not an issue however and i have yet to have any problems. there is a cool thread on the ExPo that a member here (Oly) did on a nice little unit that keeps both bags open with a connector tube allowing for air to travel back and forth and thus allowing for greater articulation. pretty cool...maybe he'll chime in. anyway, great work, looking forward to your report!

 

[DLN]

erod,

Sounds like you got a great deal on your air bags. I might have jumped at that price.

The interconnecting tube sounds like a good idea. For our needs I want to maintain separate control of each bag to level the rear side to side. We do some 4 wheel roads but likely not as much as a lot of the members so the need for articulation isn't that great.

We did discover that we could do some leveling with the air bags for camp set up. Nice added bonus. We have a cheap (and I stress cheap) little 12V compressor we bought many years ago to air the bike tires that plugs into the 12V outlet and pumped the bags up fairly fast. I set the level on the floor and pumped the low side up to fine tune the leveling. Wouldn't work for more than an 1" I wouldn't think but was pretty handy.