timbren vs air lift

any experience with either of these? i have an 08 TRD sport with TSB, when it is loaded it still sags and sometimes bottoms out. im looking to beef it up a little. thanks

 

On street driven vehicle the AirLift works really well. For a vehicle that goes off-road the Timbrens are the way to go since you don't have to worry about tearing a bag.

 

i rarely go off road. once a year in Outter Banks NC on the beaches and occasionally around here, but very light action.

any advice on a brand of air bags? i have only really seen firestone i think

 

I had Timbrens on my '99. I bought them cause I had a landscaping company and was always towing a 6'x10' enclosed trailer. Loved them. Unfortunately my leaf springs were already sagging when I bought them so the truck always road on them and was a little rough. When they're installed on decent leaf springs I believe they are designed to run with about 1" of clearance (meaning your truck will sag 1" before landing on them). They were great. I used to pull into a landscape supply yard and get a truckload of mulch and leave with no sag whatsoever. I got a lot of funny looks when F150's were sagging and I wasn't. For the price you can't beat it. Also, I installed mine and it only took about 2 hours.

 

I don't have the Timbrens but I wouldn't want bags. You would have to air them up. How about Helper springs like Hellwig?

 

I installed the Firestones on my 2010 for towing and am pleased with the results. I run 5lbs for getting groceries and around 20lbs for pulling the boat. I use a bicycle pump.

 

Ya I guess it could be that easy.

 

There's an idea I hadn't thought of. I already keep a bike pump in the truck for tweaking the truck's tire pressure a few psi here and there when needed (in addition to you know, using it for actual bike tires). I was leaning towards the Timbrens for not requiring an onboard air setup, but if it's easy to adapt the Firestones to use with a bike pump that might be a better solution since I eventually plan to put in onboard air in the future.

Do the Firestones require checking or adjusting air pressure often? aside from when the load changes or are they as good at holding air as tires?

 

The firestones come with schrader valves. A bicycle pump is the best way to inflate (other than onboard air) because the overall volume of air is low. Less volume than most bicycle tires.

I have not experienced any air leaks. When you install them, make sure that the tubing is cut square and is clean before inserting into the fittings.

 

Did you get anything yet?

 

not yet, ill probably wait til spring time, its so f'n cold and snowy here i dont wanna do anhthing. im leaning towards air bags