Should I install air bags?

I have a 2013 Tacoma TRD Sport 4x4. The 2013 has the 3 leafs + the load thicker one. I installed 5100's last week and set front at 1.75". It looks level. I 98% of the time drive the truck around town as my daily driver. The other 2% of the time I am camping or hauling something in the bed from Home Depot or the lumber yard etc.

I looked at pictures on here of people with 300-500lbs of weight and the truck is already squatting. It got me to thinking that when I go to the desert, I pack a lot of crap. Tons of ammo, tons of guns, dutch ovens, wood, etc. My truck would sag. I own a Ducati and am going to be driving up from San Diego to Monterey this summer for MotoGP. I was thinking I'd bring my bike and my buddys CBR1000RR. at bout 400lbs each thats a good amount (I did this in my 99 tacoma no problem, and yes it sagged).

I do not do the rock crawling off-road stuff I see people post on here. I do take it out to BLM down dirt roads, over some small rocks and creeks. I do take it to Mammoth or Big Bear in the snow, etc.

I was thinking that these Firestone Ride Rite seems cheap and easy to install. If I wanted to put 600 or 800lbs of crap in my truck, the truck could ride at stock height how it is now and that would be awesome. If I wanted to tow my brothers tent trailer, I could inflate it a bit too.

So I am wondering, any reason I shouldnt spring for a set of these or some other comparable brand and know I am covered for when I wanna put weight in the truck? Otherwise, I figure they will have like next to no PSI in it the rest of the time as there is no weight in the bed.

 

Sounds like you made up your mind, there is a few members here running them without issues.

 

I just dont know of any cons. I also dont think $300 is a lot of money, so if there was a far superior solution for $600, I'm okay with spending that. I just dont know enough yet...

 

I also wanted to put them, but I didn't like having to cut stuff... aka bump stops.

 

Dakar leaf pack, but you might want a front lift too so it would end up being over $600 when it's all said and done.

 

I will read up more. I figured you could always add more leafs but if you dont have weight in the bed, i figured the ride with an empty bed would suffer, since its setup to handle much heavier loads.

 

Anyone know if I can install this without cutting the bump stop? Can't I just loosen the bolts and remove it?

 

Yes, although Toyota classifies the u-bolts as an unreusable part so when you loosen the nuts and take off the bumps you would technically need new u-bolts. Now I'm not saying you need new ubolts because people re-use their old ones all the time, just make sure to torque the nuts to about 100 ft-lbs after you've done so, also again after a gas tank has run through the truck.

 

J11Tac another thought is to just buy new bump stops later if you remove the air bags. I'd need to see what the bump stops cost compared to the U-bolts. You could do as Toyota states and buy new U-Bolts now, and remove the bump stomps (save them). Or dont waste ur time and if it is all cheap enough buy the U-Bolts and new Bump stops down the road if you like, and if/when you remove the bags, just put new stops and u-bolts in. sounds easy enough

But perhaps the effort to cut the bump stomps maybe just replacing the U-bolts NOW and removing the bump stomp is the way to go?

 

I don't know. Just something about cutting it makes me feel weird. I'd rather just buy 4 Ubolts and be done with it. I have bottomed out a few times with 4 sheets of 11/23 plywood. Pretty crappy.

I bought a truck to put shit in the back. Toyota thinks different.

 

Looking at it again. You cannot remove the bump stops and they must be cut with this Ride Rite setup. See how the bump stomp plate helps hold the U bolts in position. Just buy some extra bump stops, throw them in your box of stuff to hold on to, so if you ever want, you can swap them back out with new ones.

:EDIT: just keep an eye in the classified. I hear $10-$15 for a pair from when someone swapped their leaf packs. do that

 

Its just a piece of rubber, I sawzall'd mine off in like 2 seconds on my Tundra when I installed the air bags.

 

ya I just bought them $306 shipped.
I will buy some extra bump stomps for $10 or 15 used from someone in the Classifieds, just to have them in my box of parts for the heck of it.

I have a sawzall and thats how mine are going to be cut.
thanks

 

Once you put the RideRites on you won't take them off. Wether you cut or remove the bump stops is up to you. Your u bolts are new enough I wouldnt hesitate to reuse them.
The u bolts will stay put without the bump stops, just make sure they are perpendicular to the springs when tightened. I cut mine off because the u bolts and nuts were pretty corroded after 6 Iowa winters of salted roads and I was concerned that in this case they would strip or twist.

 

Here's a big thread on them, all kinds of info:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/104472-firestone-ride-rite-install-question.html

 

Yeah mine are so new, the truck is only 1.5 months old. I figure I'll just leave them on the way they are and sawzall off the ones that in place. Not even remove the U bolts. Then buy a second set of bump stomps when I think of it and see them and hold on to them for POSSIBLE future use

 

Forget it, once you put those bags on, you'll love em, the ability to tailor the load capacity to what you're hauling is awesome, I left the U bolts on and cut the stops off. I love my airbags.
I do not recommend you EVER try this but this is what airbags, 5100 shocks and a 2 inch AAL can do, this is around 3500lbs of rock, cap and rack.

 

Might also want to try the compatibility with a u-bolt flip kit, it's only $50 and comes with new u-bolts which are a PITA to install

 

I dig the Air Bags and even my first Tundra (2007) with a leveling kit sagged badly when I put weight in the bed. Here is a pic before airbags with a 4 wheeler and an entire cow moose in the bed and then a pic with airbags , a 4wheeler in the bed, 25 gallons of gas in cans and my travel trailer hooked to it. The air bags worked like magic to cater to the different loads I hauled. I will be putting a set on the Taco

 

I just did this on my '12 DC (2 leaf + overload), as it was starting to sag from a Leer topper and a hi-lift in the rear, and was bad when all my camping gear was loaded up (firewood, ammo, water, etc.)

Sawzall made short (but stinky) work of the bumpstops. Easy install, despite the tight fit of some of the fasteners. I too was hesitant at first to cut the bumpstops, but in the end I said "F-it" and hacked away. With 20psi empty, I have ~2 inches of lift in the rear. Going to load the truck down tomorrow morning, but even with 20psi the ride around town has been fine.


The only problem I had with the install was I kinked an air line at one of the fill valves. I had enough slack to remove it, cut and re-install. A simple bike pump takes care of inflation, though I may go for a compressor later on (or at least T in a gauge for quick visual reference).