Ride-Rites on stock suspension?

After doing some research, I decided that the best suspension set up for me would be Bilstein 5100's, OME 884's, and Firestone Ride-Rite air bags. I placed my order last Monday. Well, I was hoping it would be here this week so I could put it all on this weekend, but much to my disappointment, it won't make it in time. My bags are supposed to be here tomorrow (Friday) but the shocks and coils won't arrive until next Tuesday.

My question is, should I go ahead and put the bags on this weekend, or wait until I can do it all at once? I don't mind working on it twice, and if I do them separately it'll allow me to see just how much each component affects the ride quality. I just don't want my truck to look weird or ride awkward for a week or two until I can get the shocks/coils put on.

Opinions?

Edit: I should probably add I currently have the stock, non-TSB setup.

 

Just set them to the minimum 5psi and don't worry about them. I have them installed on my non tsb rear and I can't tell they are there until I air them up.

 

At 5 psi they won't bottom out will they?

 

Nope. That's what they are designed for. They replace your bump stop. You just have to keep some air in them at all times to keep them from bottoming out and rubbing holes in themselves.

 

x2

I had them with the stock rear end and it was fine. I got my bumper stuck on a rock once, aired them up with the onboard compressor and switch and drove right off... lol

 

Ha! That's awesome! And they say not to offroad with them...

 

I have another question about the bags too. It's slightly off topic but I didn't think it'd be worth starting a new thread over.

It seems most people are mounting the schrader valves on either side of their license plate. Has anybody had any problems with their bumpers rusting after drilling through the chrome to mount the valves?

I think I'm going to run mine through a T and mount the valve on one side, and a quick connect to an onboard air set up on the other side. I still haven't completely decided this is where I want to mount these though. Open to suggestions on this.

 

I ran mine into the storage cubby on the driver's side. Still easy to get to and it keeps the valves protected from the weather. I didn't tie mine together because I tow a camp trailer and I was worried about the two trying to equalize pressure oddly with a trailer sway, possibly exacerbating the sway.

I didn't bother with a compressor. I just pump 'em up with a bike bump before I tow or haul. It only takes a few pumps to put pressure in them.

Btw, why did you buy the bags? Did you buy them for tow/haul or to lift? I wouldn't recommend using the bags to achieve a lift, because by the time they lift the rear end, they're pretty hard and the ride will be terrible with no weight on them. Best to achieve the lift in the rear with an AAL or new leaf pack.

That said, the bags did seem to lift my truck ever so slightly (maybe 1/4" inch or so. Not enough to matter.)

 

I've heard of people putting them inside the gas cap door. I like this idea but I'm not sure how difficult it'll be to put them up there. I'm not completely convinced I want to tee them to a single valve but I'm leaning that way. Most if not all of the loads I'll be towing will be more or less centered and I don't plan on pulling anything more than 2 or 3 lateral G's anyway so I'm not too worried about body roll, unless it's just awful. In which case I'll cut the T out and put the other valve in. Not hard to undo that.

I probably wouldn't bother with a compressor either but I'm buying a really good set up from my dad for a really cheap. It'll be nice to be able to air up tires and stuff with it too. He's also got a set of train horns he's throwing in with the deal that I may look into putting on the truck.

I got them both for lifting and hauling. As mentioned earlier in the thread I got the OME 884's paired up with the Billy's. And after I get my Avid light bar mounted up and the coils settle some I'm only expected 1.5-2" inches of lift with the billy's set at .85 (assuming I've done all my research correctly). I'm thinking I should be able to get close to this with the bags without the ride being to awful, at least no more so than an AAL would be. If I can't get it close enough then I'll lower the billy's. I would like a little rake so we'll just have to see.

As for hauling, I'll be loading up my four wheeler every so often and towing a 17' fiberglass bass boat. And friends/family constantly ask me to help them move, so even if the lift doesn't work out the way I want it to I think I'll still get my use out of the bags.

 

I put in 2 T-connectors and a 0-100 psi gauge. Found a nice spot right here.


Gauge is weather-tight, but I'm doubly protected by my Lear cap. Soon, I'm planning to put a small on-board pump inside the storage compartment where @Trent showed his two Schrader valves. By the way, neither the gauge, valve nor air lines conflict with the lights or wiring harnesses, and it's very easy access should I need to make any changes. Just remove two 10 mm bolts, pull the taillight assembly out, and you have plenty of access.

In the Firestone installation instructions, they recommend keeping each side on it's own valve, however I contacted Firestone CS and they now say that it really makes no difference whether they are separate or T'd. It's a personal preference. You have to T the lines if you use their pump. Keeping them separate would be helpful if you have an unbalanced load in the bed, but if you put in their pump, you can't do that anyway.