http://www.airliftcompany.com/trucks...ruck%2BSegment

I was wondering how many of you have installed these on your trucks? I know the Firestone Air Bags have been mentioned...but how many of you have used this one? In their video they claim smooth ride loaded or unloaded etc. They also have the remote and a Lifetime Guarantee.

I saw the ad on the site and was wondering.

 

Looks like a nice set up. I'm also looking at getting air bags installed. I usually haul heavy loads in the spring, fire wood mostly.

Any thoughts on these or other air bags appreciated.

 

There were several discussions on these. I'm sure the AirLift bags work great but they are very difficult to install and a couple of members actually returned them for the Firestones. I'm sure those guys will pop in with comments.

 

PrinceValium, I'm not sure what vehicle you specifically have, but if you would like to tell us I can point you to the correct kit for your application. This way you can look over the install directions and learn more specifically what your kit would require installation wise. More than likely, based on the forum you posted in you would need kit 57396.

Do you have any specific questions regarding the kits or air bags in general? I believe you might be looking for a less biased opinion about adding air bags. In general though most people that have them, love them and enjoy the multiple benefits they offer such as being adjustable and improving a loaded ride.

As for choosing Air Lift, our main focus is making sure to provide the highest level of customer support and the best product possible. As you mentioned we do offer a lifetime warranty and a 2 year limited warranty on our controllers. Along with the warranty, we also offer a 60 day no questions asked money back guarantee. Our plant is located in Lansing, Michigan and pride ourselves on being locally owned and operated.



Epic, I believe the kit you are referring to is 57396, or something very similar to this correct? This has been redesigned to be a two piece upper bracket to make installation very easy. The new design I believe is fairly similar to the Firestone style of brackets.

The previous design had a one piece upper bracket that once installed required the bag to be put in a very specific way to catch the lower and upper bracket just right. We had received feedback just like yours and took that opportunity to improve this style kit. Here is a link to more information regarding the recent redesign.

Please let me know if I can be of any other help.

 

Hey Mike. In all cases where others reported difficulty in the installation, they were before the 12/14/2011 redesign. It's good you pop in and provide more information as I certainly do not want to pass on bad info. I'll wait to hear from someone who has installed the new design before I comment again.

 

Hey Mike,

I'm looking for my 2011 F250 SD 4x4, what kit with remote control would you suggest ? My anticipated load will be heavy, figure a full cord of birch firewood.

PrinceV, sorry to hijack your thread ..

Thanks

 

And they have to be able to handle temperatures below -60 degrees Fahrenheit...

 

Actually, the kit you would need is the previously mentioned 57396 kit is the correct one for your application. As for the controller, that can really vary based on what you are looking for. We have everything from wireless kits, automatic leveling, or just simple manual controls.

I'm not sure how much convenience you are after, but if you are operating in such extreme temperatures as Epic mentioned you may want to just go with the more traditional manual controller, I would suggest kit 25856. 25856 is the heavy duty dual control, the actual control of the air is done manually through the gage. The gage would be inside your cab which would most likely be warmer than a valve setup mounted to your frame. In extreme climates we suggest that users with manifold systems use brake line antifreeze to keep the valves from sticking. The manifold systems are used on all of our wireless options.

 

I really like my Firestone 2535 bags.

 

Thanks AirLift,

The 57396 and 25856 heavy duty dual controller are just what I had in mind.

The gage in the cab is a plus, I don't plan to haul major loads at colder than -10 below, but its nice to have the option, just in case.

Now to get the bookkeeper (wife's) OK and I'll be set :<)

 

No worries...that is what this thread is about.

Mike...I currently do not have a truck but was wondering if people had them and how they are working for them. I do a lot of research ahead of time usually.

 

Sounds good. If you end up getting a truck and need help finding the right kit or controller just let me know.

 

Why thank you.

 

I just installed a set of the Air Lift air bags with the Wireless Air remote and compressor setup this past weekend.

I had the same setup on my previous truck (Toyota Tundra Crew Max 4x4) for 3 years and liked them so much I decided to put the same setup on my new truck.

I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to ensure their truck sits level, no matter what the load. I know Fords are notorious for having a drooping rear end with just about any load (so to speak) These were a must for me.

Biggest problem I had with the install was just the numerous different size bolts and nuts (metric/SAE) and vague directions. The "simple" installation took me about 6 hours. Most of my time was spent hunting for the correct hardware. I could probably do it again in half the time if I had to do it again.

Upon the initial install I got so frustrated, I ended up stopping my install and taking all the hardware inside and created a shadow board on a piece of paper. I outlined each bolt and nut measured them and matched them with the description in the instructions. This one thing made everything else so much easier!

Another problem I had was I installed a 4 1/2 ICON lift which came with a 6" rear lift block (1" taller than F350 stock). The Icon Rear Block does have a bump stop very similar to the stock one so that worked great. The problem came when trying to fasten the lower portion of the Airbag mount to the Axle. The 3/8 x 10" carriage bolts were too short. I couldn't find a 12 inch carriage bolt so I ended up getting a couple 3/8 x 24" threaded rod from Lowes and cut them in half, put a nut on top and made my own carriage bolt. Worked like a champ.

The compressor and manifold install was a breeze.

Took the truck on the first tow this weekend hauling a 8k trailer. The highway was very bouncy. I was so glad I had the Wireless remote to increase the pressure in the bags and smooth the ride as we were driving down the highway.

I don't think the bags will help smooth the ride on a non-loaded truck other than making it stiffer. The stock springs are more than capable of handling a non-loaded truck. With a loaded truck it definitely helps stop the porpoising associated with softer springs and heavier trailer and bumpy roads.

Sorry I don't have any data on the Firestone Air Bags but I do have good experiences with the Air Lift air bags.

 

Thanks for your input Jim, I will let the right people know about the difficulties you had.