Air ride vs. Coils

[drewskiren]

Does any one have thoughts on how the ride is changed when going to air bag suspension? Is it rougher or smoother? can it be made firmer for better handling or softer for a cush ride by adjusting the pressure on the fly? I realize this would probably raise or lower the vehicle by doing so. Are slight increases in air pressure noticeable on the ride, in other words, would it force the vehicle way up on the ride height before you really noticed any ride firmness, or it would firm up a lot before the ride height changed much?

[5150shutterbug]

I had the same question, myself, about a month ago. I looked at all kinds of different suspensions. If you want to give the truck a lowered look, with large wheels - your best, in my opinion, is the air ride. Go with a quality air ride system and you should be very happy.

[cdowns]

coils dont lose air and leave you layin frame in the middle of rush hour on the interstate

[slomotion]

I've got bags on the back of the truck, but retained the coils up front. My reason was to keep the bed at the same height regardless of the load/trailer I was hauling. The ride is better, but the compromise is there's a little more roll in corners. You would not feel any appreciable difference in stiffness with slight pressure changes, basically, all you'll do is raise-lower your ride hieght.

I left the coils up front, and have over-load springs on the back for the very reason cdowns mentioned above....if you have a system failure your in a bad way, unless you build in stops or snubbers to prevent your ride from being immobilized.

My rationale for using the bags was most of the over the road trucks are using them with success. Their purpose of course is a weight-saving measure, (bags are lighter than springs) and they're adjustable.

[drewskiren]

I'm so glad i'm getting some informed answers. I have zero experience with bags, and now I have 2 new thoughts to consider -weight savings, and failure posibilities.

How bout some more folks chime in. I would love to have multiple opinions and be able to weigh many pros and cons. I figured if I called a place that sells bags and ask questions all they are going to do is paint a rosy picture so I buy something from them.

Still would love to have opinions on whether the ride might be firmer or softer.

Thanks in advance, Drewski

[drewskiren]

Originally Posted by slomotion

I've got bags on the back of the truck, but retained the coils up front. My reason was to keep the bed at the same height regardless of the load/trailer I was hauling. The ride is better, but the compromise is there's a little more roll in corners. You would not feel any appreciable difference in stiffness with slight pressure changes, basically, all you'll do is raise-lower your ride hieght.

I left the coils up front, and have over-load springs on the back for the very reason cdowns mentioned above....if you have a system failure your in a bad way, unless you build in stops or snubbers to prevent your ride from being immobilized.

My rationale for using the bags was most of the over the road trucks are using them with success. Their purpose of course is a weight-saving measure, (bags are lighter than springs) and they're adjustable.

Do I understand you saying you removed you rear leaves or coils, or did you just add bags on top of your leaves for load support?

[DZL1]

I have air ride and never had any issues or get stuck on the interstate. But sure its as much of a possibility as getting a flat.

DZL1.

[k5hart]

I don't have anything bagged yet but have done lots of research and reading. My opinion is if you take your time and do every thing correctly they are very reliable. Yes there is always the chance of something wrong. Probably a little more than a static suspension. You can run dual compressors and add a schrader valve to the tank for alternatives if those fail.

[slomotion]

Drewski, I had coils in the rear that came out completely. The trailing arms and panhard bar keep the third member lined up so there's no side loads on the bags, only compression.

[70short]

I asked the salesman at Stylin Trucks this very same question. He said the benifit of bag's over coils is adjustabilty and softer ride. I like a firm ride and I do not like roll into corners. I also do not care about adjustability. So I am keeping the spring suspension. I now have DJM tube upper A arms and I will purchase DJM lower a arms and 2" drop springs. This will give a total of 5" drop in front. I will drop the rear 7" when complete.

[drewskiren]

Originally Posted by 70short

I asked the salesman at Stylin Trucks this very same question. He said the benifit of bag's over coils is adjustabilty and softer ride. I like a firm ride and I do not like roll into corners. I also do not care about adjustability. So I am keeping the spring suspension. I now have DJM tube upper A arms and I will purchase DJM lower a arms and 2" drop springs. This will give a total of 5" drop in front. I will drop the rear 7" when complete.

OK here is one vote that it will end up softer riding

[drewskiren]

Originally Posted by slomotion

I've got bags on the back of the truck, but retained the coils up front. My reason was to keep the bed at the same height regardless of the load/trailer I was hauling. The ride is better, but the compromise is there's a little more roll in corners. You would not feel any appreciable difference in stiffness with slight pressure changes, basically, all you'll do is raise-lower your ride hieght.

I left the coils up front, and have over-load springs on the back for the very reason cdowns mentioned above....if you have a system failure your in a bad way, unless you build in stops or snubbers to prevent your ride from being immobilized.

My rationale for using the bags was most of the over the road trucks are using them with success. Their purpose of course is a weight-saving measure, (bags are lighter than springs) and they're adjustable.

2 votes for softer ride

[Ru5tyNut5]

you won't end up stranded laying frame on the freeway if you do it right, every semi on the freeway is running on bags and you don't hear of them blowing out too much. when you bag your truck you can build it to your desired ride height, increasing air pressure will make it stiffer and decresing will make it softer, of course either way is going to effect your ride height. use a sway bar and shocks with your bags and find the right pressure for the perfect ride quality and there's no way coils will compete with bags....just my .02.

[Ru5tyNut5]

oh, and if I put 100 PSI or more in my front bags it's almost like I replaced my coils with steel bars instead of bags, bags can ride way stiffer than coils or leafs if you add enough air pressure.

[Ru5tyNut5]

Originally Posted by cdowns

coils dont lose air and leave you layin frame in the middle of rush hour on the interstate

do you guys really think it's that easy to lay frame? It takes a lot more than just bags to lay frame.

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by Ru5tyNut5

do you guys really think it's that easy to lay frame? It takes a lot more than just bags to lay frame.

It's not the frame I'd be concerned with. It would be the inner fenders laying on the tires and not being able to steer that would bother me.

[Ru5tyNut5]

Originally Posted by slomotion

It's not the frame I'd be concerned with. It would be the inner fenders laying on the tires and not being able to steer that would bother me.

that is possible, but if you're bagged you probably don't have inner fenders anyhow. I had to take my inner fenders out for my static drop before I bagged my truck.

[drewskiren]

Originally Posted by Ru5tyNut5

you won't end up stranded laying frame on the freeway if you do it right, every semi on the freeway is running on bags and you don't hear of them blowing out too much. when you bag your truck you can build it to your desired ride height, increasing air pressure will make it stiffer and decresing will make it softer, of course either way is going to effect your ride height. use a sway bar and shocks with your bags and find the right pressure for the perfect ride quality and there's no way coils will compete with bags....just my .02.

I think we are going to chalk another one up for smoother ride if the pressure is dialed down, right?

[Ru5tyNut5]

definately, I can make my ride 100x better than stock or 100x worse than stock with the flip of a switch. but to be honest, once you're bagged you'll probably go more for the coolest stance over the best ride. I usually have my rear end too soft cuz I damn near drag my bumper everywhere, I do drag it when I hit bumps. I tend to keep the front in the sweet spot though.

[drewskiren]

Originally Posted by Ru5tyNut5

definately, I can make my ride 100x better than stock or 100x worse than stock with the flip of a switch. but to be honest, once you're bagged you'll probably go more for the coolest stance over the best ride. I usually have my rear end too soft cuz I damn near drag my bumper everywhere, I do drag it when I hit bumps. I tend to keep the front in the sweet spot though.

That sounds like with a lot of trial and error, you could build the system to be at the perfect height and have low pressure for a good ride. It might take a few tries, but I am VERY interested in making my ride smooth, lowering my trucK is just a bonus. I might tow or haul something once a month, so I definitely like the ability to increase the pressure and haul a heavy load. This is very helpful discussion, thanks. Lets keep it going, anyone else have experience they could share????

[Ru5tyNut5]

from what I've read, if you plan to tow or haul with it you'll want your rear bags as far apart as possible and preferably behind the axle. I don't know that from experience as I'm bagged for the whole lowrider thing, but I've read that in more than one place.

[Kid]

Originally Posted by Ru5tyNut5

you won't end up stranded laying frame on the freeway if you do it right, every semi on the freeway is running on bags and you don't hear of them blowing out too much. when you bag your truck you can build it to your desired ride height, increasing air pressure will make it stiffer and decresing will make it softer, of course either way is going to effect your ride height. use a sway bar and shocks with your bags and find the right pressure for the perfect ride quality and there's no way coils will compete with bags....just my .02.

gotta agree with Ru5tyNuts, 1. when installed correctly, air bags are very dependable, (as long as nothing rubs the bag during any point of suspension travel) most "over the road" trucks / trailers have been equiped with "firestone" bags for 20+ years.
2. Install the bag to designed proper "installed height" , then align the front end with bags sitting at proper "installed height"..you can fine tune your ride comfort with minor pressure adjustment.
3. For safety sake...if it's a driver, ALWAYS design your installation to insure your ride will roll, even with no air in the bags
4.Once you learn what pressure YOUR set up requires to inflate to proper installed height, you will find that 5 or 10 pounds either way makes a big difference in ride. When adding weight in the bed or towing a trailer, just add enough air as needed to maintain your bag's installed ride height

5. My experience with using any air lines larger than 1/4" & you'll loose your fine tuning capability. With 3/8" air lines & quality 3/8" Asco valves, any "bump" of the air valve switch will add or remove more than 7 pounds at a time, making it harder to find the "sweet spot"
6. And the best part is having the ability to raise your ride to get thru or over bumps & dips eg: parking entrances.
It's a "no-brainer" (I'm sure this'll stir some debate)

[Ru5tyNut5]

also, your body roll will be a lot different depending on whether have have a front/back kit or a FBSS, basically whether you run 4 valves or 8. with both rear bags sharing an up and a down valve, it allows air to transfer back and forth between the two bags. that means when you turn corners the air will be forced from the outside bag to the inside bag allowing the body to roll a lot more than if each bag had it's own pair of valves.

[Hart_Rod]

My thoughts:

Pro's: Ride comfort. Adjustability.

Con's: More complicated. More expensive.

The design of the system is where you need to focus. If it's not setup up right, you won't be happy. Individual bag control is a must. A ride leveling system will also aid in the operation of your system once you have the bags installed where you want them. You must make sure you have clearance for the tires if air pressure is lost for any reason.

I have both setups AND like both setups. My 68 SWB S/C truck has a static drop (6/5) and I enjoy it for what it is. My 69 Burb has bags with a ride leveling system and I exepect it to look cool (it doesn't lay frame but goes really low) and ride great, while still being able to pull a camper. Just my opinion, continue to do a lot of research, and I'm sure you'll figure it out, .

[drewskiren]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

My thoughts:

Pro's: Ride comfort. Adjustability.

Con's: More complicated. More expensive.

The design of the system is where you need to focus. If it's not setup up right, you won't be happy. Individual bag control is a must. A ride leveling system will also aid in the operation of your system once you have the bags installed where you want them. You must make sure you have clearance for the tires if air pressure is lost for any reason.

I have both setups AND like both setups. My 68 SWB S/C truck has a static drop (6/5) and I enjoy it for what it is. My 69 Burb has bags with a ride leveling system and I exepect it to look cool (it doesn't lay frame but goes really low) and ride great, while still being able to pull a camper. Just my opinion, continue to do a lot of research, and I'm sure you'll figure it out, .

Thanks for chiming in. Any thoughts on what brand or company to go with for the air ride.