Do air bags affect day to day driving?

I am considering these:

http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4606&currency=USD

Will they make no load trips ride different. Do I leave them inflated all the time?

 

Had Ride Rites on my 2005 DC... to stop the bottoming out (harsh ride TSB)... Worked awesome.

Keep at 15 psi for empty to light loads... rides just like stock, but no bottoming from the too soft leaf springs.

Inflate to 25-45 psi depending on degree of load and height of rear end desired (yes, it raises the back)... Never had to add more. There is a danger to putting more than you need in (they can take up to 100 psi) that the axle can crack, per Toyota Tech.

 

i have them and run about 10lbs in them all the time and inflate as needed (i keep a bicycle tire pump in the truck) its a little stiff over 10psi but no bottoming out...

also that is the best deal you will find on new firestone bags by about $30+

 

Thanks I am going to pull the trigger on these or the timbrens today. These are $250 with the coupon and the timbrens are $190. Right now I am leaning toward bags.

 

depends on what you need them for.

timbrens are solid too and may make more sense for some people.

 

I never liked the Timbrens as they hit hard, really hard when the truck was empty and even harder when I have 2 kids in the rear seat. The springs are too soft that with the small gap between the chassis and the timbrens any bump in the road will cause them to hit. There isn't a soft lead in With the Timbrens and I feel are not suited to the Tacoma unless it's loaded all the time. If you have any roads you travel with any humps or uneven surfaces I'd go with the Air Bags...In fact that's why I 'm searching now to find a Air Bag solution....

My 2 cents!

 

Yeah I live in So Cal and the roads are falling apart. I thumped all the way along the 210 freeway for 50 miles today. Maybe the air bags are the right choice.

 

Oh hell, I'm just gonna get the timbrens and swap them out from time to time if the road ride is too rough. My loading needs won't be too often and I am worried about the bags falling apart one day.

 

I have had my firestones on my truck for a few months now, I usually run them at around 10-15 psi unloaded and have gone up to 50 for loads of rock and ran 50 for about 4500-5000lbs of trenching machine and trailer last week. Absolutely love them. Too much psi unloaded will make the ass end of the truck bounce quite a bit so definitely air down with no load. I ran dunes a few weeks ago and was concerned about extending the shocks and tearing the bags, i didn't have a problem but i am going to add straps to the axles to keep from ripping them apart. I mounted the air lines through the pin connector plate under the rear bumper and zip tied the lines to the frame up and out of the way of the exhaust pipes and the spare tire, took me about and hour and a half from start to finish.

 

i dont think that they are easy to "swap out" from time to time

 

so these do work on lifted trucks?is there any special plate to raise or lower them for a lift?

 

I am also interested in this, gonna take a cross contry trip with the back of my truck loaded down. The back of my truck is gonna sagging bad. Already have a compessor, do these replace the shocks?

 

they are in addition to the shocks.they mount were the bump stops are now.

 

i think that they sell a kit for adapting to lifted trucks

 

They are really called 'Air Springs' as they do the job the springs are failing to do. Shocks control the bounce by 'slowing' it down... I did change to 5100s as well as the air bags on my '05. They were great.

 

They will keep the truck from sagging and bottoming out, they help the leaf springs, they don't replace the shocks they mount where the bumpstops are.

Oh FYI, you can take a sawzall to the metal mount plates of the bumpstops and get them out without undoing the U bolts

 

gotcha,thanks