is there any way to make a airbag setup on m2 handle tight . i supose some qa1's will help but can u mount sway bar with m2 and airbags? thanks

 

seems like you have to get the correct best working pressure at the idle hight which means you may have to adjust spacing of airbag so the truck runs at the idle pressure. and use good shock is important as well a a sway bar. Ed

 

I have air ride on my MII front end with a sway bar I ordered it from Fatmans.

 

Ok, I know nothing about airbags, which gives me good reason to ask stupid questions.

1. What is a ga1 ?

2. If this has non-air rear suspension, wouldn’t the two ends of the vehicle (to some extent) be fighting each other?

3. What kind of valves stop the equalization and exit of compressed air on the weight pressure side (inertia) air bag?

4. If the bag replaces the coil spring why wouldn’t a sway bar work? (much need with MII).

5. After watching highway buses (motor coach) look like they are going to tip over when turning it seems not so good for handling?

Thanks.

 

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and to elaborate a little on question three. Most of us use a eight valve system to control the air. think of it like this. two valves per wheel end position. One valve being a intake valve to air the bag up and the other valve to exhaust that air bag or deflate it.

Some people used to used only four valves, one intake and exhaust for the front and one intake and exhaust for the rear. Air transfer while taking turns causes the vehicle to lean (like the busses and class eight trucks of old).

The most common type of valve is electric though you could run the ball style manual valve (please dont run this type of valve! LOL)

Electric valves, alot of people use a SMC electric valve. I use eight SMC 3/8" valves on my Isuzu. Ground Control makes valves as well but SMC is hard to beat in the cost and reliability dept.

As for running sway bars, by all means run them if you want to, they certainly help control the roll of the vehilce from side to side. Why a lot of people remove them on air ride vehicles is so they can "play" with the air settings in the bags and cause the truck tolean from side to side.

I took my sways off my Isuzu for this exact reason. If I am taking a corner faster than I really should be, I air up the side of the truck and cause it to lean in to the corner. She just about turns the corners by herself... level the truck out when you need to go straight. Depends on how you want to drive the truck i guess, I am perfectly happy without the sway bars but you can see if I need to compensate for a lack of bar, I can.

something to think about

 

well thats a little crazy! but i guess it works to lean your bags around corners..lol...i dont want to do all that in fact i might switch back to springs. i would hate to have one blow on me escpecially when i dont have bumpstops mounted. im still deciding but i know either way i will be getting a sway bar

 

when you bag a vehicle you should always build a bump stop into the system so if it does air out on you while driving you can at least drive it to where you need to go.
But that being said, airbags only deflate if they rub on something (your fault for not checking that while installing) or if they are mounted in a way where the bag bends into two different angles while inflated. Most everyone knows not to do this as well.

 

So, How does the vehicle stay level in turn? What are you folks using to monitor chassis roll?..or is that a seat of the pants "drive-it-and-see"/adjust thing??
I would think some type sensor on the sway bar/or control-arm at each corner ,thru a control-unit of some type..to add air/deflate the bags automatically??...from what I've seen of the air-bagged S-10's around,excessive pitch/porpoising seems to be the norm while going down the Hi-way..could be an inappropriate shock I guess.
I have to admit though, I saw an S-10 today though on the interstate,..rode level (and real LOW )that appeared to have very little bounce and rode straight and level..
Even after all those questions..I'm a big fan of sway-bars..Front and rear...

 

its hard to say why some trucks porpoise when going over bumps without seeing thier suspension setup. I know a few people havent gotten around to installing shocks on their air suspensions and of course those trucks will bounce a little. Some decide to run a airbag on top of the rear axle which can create a very stiff ride, you'll see the front of the truck dance around a little in this case.
But if you mount the air bags where they are mounted in a levered position on the four link and run shocks, you are in for the best ride.
monitoring chassis roll is mainly done by the seat of the pants though some install electronic leveling sensors on each wheel end position. really can can tailor these suspensions to do anything you want.
All I want to do is go down the road lower than anyone else and with a ride quality on par with my Citroen DS (I have high standards!)
Taking corners at balistic speeds, autocrossing, road racing, thats not what I build my trucks for.

 

As Sun Down says the definition of good handling depends on the type of driving you do and your standards of comparison. I myself have different standards for different situations and vehicles. On our Solstice that we autocross race, I expect precision and instantanious response to a small input, especially in transitions. I expect it to be as neutral as possible in sweepers with both ends of the car having equal grip so it doesn't push or get loose. I want to be able to put the power down early and hard coming out of a corner. I want the steering to be such that the car turns in a 1:1 ratio with steering input so I feel like I am "wearing" the car rather than sitting in it, I want to feel like I just need to look where I want to go and the car is already headed there.
The truck we currently use to tow the race trailer long distances on the other hand I want the handling to be as effortless as possible. I DON'T want instantanious response, I want it to be stable and smooth so that if the trailer gets hit by a gust of wind or is passed by an 18 wheeler at high speed the truck absorbs and damps any sway with minimal driver input.
For our daily drivers I want something in between. I want to have confidence in the handling such that if I make an emergency manuever I can remain in control. I want it to be nimble when maneuvering through traffic, I don't want it to feel like I'm driving a bus.
Why did you put airbags on in the first place? What specifically don't they do?
IMHO all IFS (and IRS for that matter) needs and will benefit from a swaybar. Bags except for Shockwaves also should have shocks valved for use with bags. Unless you are just driving in parades and to and from shows, a quality set of shocks valved for the strength and type springs used will make much more than just a significant difference in any vehicle's handling. You get what you pay for, cheap shocks aren't worth the box they come in IMHO.

 

RIGHT ON SUNDOWN........good info...airbags are Not racing..lol.. love it..