Static or Bags, pros and cons

[C10LIFE]

I am antisipating purchasing a 4.5 front 6-7 rear static drop from Brothers this next week but I am not sure it will get me down where I want to be. I could cut the new coils to give me another inch or so, or bag it. I have heard there can be a reliability issue with bags on a daily driver. Bag, valve, pump, electonic failure. I don't. Want to be constantly working on the new suspention set up. After installing it, I simply just want to mess with it again. Any thoughts or experience on this topic would be appreciated. Thanks
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[cdowns]

chance of a spring failing is less than one in a million i'd think

i've been in some terrible traffic jams due to baggers losing air in the middle of a hiway

[MrBlue]

A properly installed air bag system will not have issues. Look at all the semi-trucks that are running up and down the road, all day long and putting 125,000-miles annually on them. Most of them are running air suspensions on the rear axles. Everything that is made today for our trucks are manufactured by the same companies that make them for the big guys.
I think if you buy a quality kit, take your time to install it correct, you will be fine.
Good Luck
MrBlue

[big_al_71]

Originally Posted by MrBlue

A properly installed air bag system will not have issues. Look at all the semi-trucks that are running up and down the road, all day long and putting 125,000-miles annually on them. Most of them are running air suspensions on the rear axles. Everything that is made today for our trucks are manufactured by the same companies that make them for the big guys.
I think if you buy a quality kit, take your time to install it correct, you will be fine.
Good Luck
MrBlue

Amen!!!!!

[chevytruckluver]

I am still putting my truck together and I purchaced a drop kit from CPP. After seeing so many guys using air bags I almost wish I would have set mine up with bags. The static drop is fine but to have the adjustability I think would be great.
A 6-7 in drop in the rear will require a c-notch
for what its worth...I agree with Mr Blue also

[lil hoodlum]

If it were me, I would just use the money for the bags etc. on other things for a daily driver.

Now if it were a cruiser or boulevarde bruiser the bag set up would be cool.

But seriously, its usually best to keep things simple for a daily driver ( less to mess with and less to go wrong.)

My .02

Keith

[tubbedII]

Originally Posted by chevytruckluver

I am still putting my truck together and I purchaced a drop kit from CPP. After seeing so many guys using air bags I almost wish I would have set mine up with bags. The static drop is fine but to have the adjustability I think would be great.
A 6-7 in drop in the rear will require a c-notch
for what its worth...I agree with Mr Blue also

Nice part is about going with a low static drop 1st is that you'll have all the parts for the rear that are needed for bags in a trailing arm set up such as shock relocators, longer trac bar, shocks and c-notches. In the front, you'd already have the drop spindles and shocks too. So the only real loss in $ is the springs which should sell pretty fast anyways. This is all if you're just swapping springs for bags though.

[richards72chevy]

Originally Posted by cdowns

chance of a spring failing is less than one in a million i'd think

i've been in some terrible traffic jams due to baggers losing air in the middle of a hiway

Unless the springs have been torched.Ive also heard that they will fail if its an old set of springs with more than 1.5 coils cut off.

[Pete357]

Originally Posted by MrBlue

Look at all the semi-trucks that are running up and down the road, all day long and putting 125,000-miles annually on them. Most of them are running air suspensions on the rear axles. Everything that is made today for our trucks are manufactured by the same companies that make them for the big guys.

MrBlue

The air bag is not the only part of the suspension on a big rig however. Air bags do fail in them all the time, the bag is just an auxiliary on top of a main spring though rather it be a leaf or a torsion set up. So when the bag fails they only loose some ride height and comfort, still have the main spring to fall back on unlike the set ups for our trucks.
That being said i think these bag set ups people are doing are really cool but i went with static in my truck.

[slomotion]

I bagged the rear of the dually so that I could maintain a consistant height whether a trailer was on the back or not. I also left the over-load springs so if I should lose a bag(s) the rear will just drop onto the overloads and I can still get off the highway. I run 45 psig and the ride is a lot better than with the coil. The down side is the truck leans a little more going around a corner then it did with the coils, but that's nothing a sway bar wouldn't fix. I've had them on for four years, with no problem. One word of caution, the bags will tolerate a lot of abuse, except fire/heat. If you weld or burn around them the slag/sparks will kill them in a heartbeat.

[special-K]

The con for bags is failure,as mentioned. Semi trucks use bags as auxiliary AND they aren't slammed. In other works commercial application bags can fail and it doesn't leave the truck immobile OR with no suspension. I think the factory installs air bags correctly. They fail and it sucks when it happens. I have used bags on a work truck as "part" of the suspension for similar reasons as Slomotion. I may end up with bags under the rear of my shortbed (with reservations) to avoid notching the frame. It has a 4/6 drop and I'd like to be able to still use it as a truck. But,I may just bring the rear up to stay with springs. I am torn with these trucks between keeping it the simple greatly reliable truck that it is and introducing modern technology that has inherent flaws somewhere down the line. There are pros and cons to all the modern changes guys are doing to these trucks. Right now they are seen only as cons,but time is always the true test.

[SBTork]

I was static on my suburban but decided to go with bags because I wanted to be able to drive it. I was really low static, and constantly bottomed out. I figure with a well designed bag setup I should be fine even if a bag blows out or I lose air. That and I can drive low, slam it when parked and air it up to drive anywhere. Kind of a "best of all" type suspension setup.

I think it's key to take your time and always have a backup plan incase of mechanical faliure.

[Mr Pops]

I love my bagged Blazer. I love being able to ride ridiculously low down the highway, and still get over a speed bump at wal mart, but there's also something nice about the simplicity of a static ride. No chasing air leaks, waiting for it to air up if it's been sitting too long, no constant glances at the air gauges while driving to make sure you're going to make the corner without your tire ripping your fender off.. Just jump in, turn the key and drive.

[andrewmp6]

Our city buses have bags in the front so it can lower to help people get on the bus easier.Pretty much most air ride problems are from the installer like running a rubber line too close to heat or moving parts.The valves can freeze in the winter time if you don't add airline anti freeze.I won't lie air ride does have some maintenance but its not hard to drain the tank and clean out water traps and clean the valves when needed.The upside its easy to change ride height it does ride a lot smoother just like a caddy or lincoln rides.

[C10LIFE]

Thanks for all the great feedback.
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[andrewmp6]

If you don't want it to lay frame you can always mount up bump stops so in a worse case you can still drive it home.