AIR BAGS = AWESOME!!!

One problem with this is that if one of the bags fail and the other will remain intact and truck but become very unstable they should be connected into 1 stem so they will A) be the same presure at all times and B) they will both for limp in the event of a failure

 

With the added lift of your spring pack you will need the cradles. Off roading or not they will be stretched with just your lift alone. It wouldn't take much flex at all to tear them. Also, if have gone with a u-bolt flip the bags will not work without some modification/fabrication. There is no down side to the cradles, mine served me well. Never worry about limiting travel or tearing bags.

 

This has been discussed over and over. Installing the bags on one air line is a bad idea. If your load shifts or is heavier on one side or the other this will force air pressure to the side with less weight. Simple really...
BTW every company that makes these advises you to install them on separate lines.

 

I've been reading this to get information with little intent on posting, but the above statement is so wrong that I had to put in my 2 cents worth. Be it water (which is what I do for a living) or air, a load shifting will not force air pressure to the side with less weight if you have a single line set up. It is simple physics! Yes, air will transfer from the loaded side to the side with less load, but the internal pressure will remain constant everywhere within the system. The actual air pressure in both the compressed bag and the extended bag will be exactly the same. The result is that you have a constant rate spring with each side having the same load carrying capacity. Yes, dual lines will do some to decrease body roll when loaded (like when you go into a corner too fast) as each bag is separate so the loaded side will become stiffer when compressed and resist the roll while the unloaded side will get softer...as you exit the corner you can actually get some induced roll as the loaded spring rebounds against the softer unloaded side....again, simple physics. Also, these are "helper" springs which is much different than when one removes their springs and goes to an air ride suspension like some big rigs run. I have been running the Firestone Bags on my Tundra since 2003 with a single line set up. It is a work truck that sees quite a bit of mild off road and the only issue I have ever had is that with the TRD Springs I kept having issues with the lower brackets (they do not like to be flexed a lot). I put in the Daystar Cups and have not had issue one since then.

A couple of things that have been mentioned that conflict with the Owners manual / Installation Guide. It definitely states that you must empty the air bags when lifting the truck where the axles are not supported to prevent damage to the airbags (the will stretch easier empty than when aired up). Not sure of their stand on using the Daystar Cups, but if you have them you do not need to air down when lifting the truck. Also, if you are installing the air bags to return the truck to empty ride height after adding weight that will remain on the truck (Camper Shell etc) you should install a bracket to raise the lever on the rear brake proportioning valve (same as you should put in when installing a lift) as the bags not only raise your ride height with a load, they also cut back on the amount of rear brakes that you have...ie normal ride height with a load gives you the same brakes you would have with an empty bed. My Tundra always has a load (tool boxes, lubber rack etc) so I have the valve wired wide open so I have full rear brakes all of the time (I run close to max GVW at all times but keep the truck level with the bags). Never had a problem with the bags themselves be it normal driving or hauling my FJ40 on a trailer to Moab

 

WOW! With your vast knowledge on the subject i cant believe you waited this long to chime in! You should work with the people at Firestone and all the other companies making these air bags and explain to them how they are doing it wrong.

Yes when you take one central pressure reading the entire system is going to have one reading. But like you said your self the loaded side is going to force air to the unloaded side.

 

Before i got the compressor setup i had both bags on separate lines and filled them separately but now that i have the compressor kit installed it feeds both bags evenly but they share the same line and with them using the same line i notice more body roll around the corners when i am driving and this is caused by the outside bag compressing and the inside bag expanding while maintaining the same pressure on both bags. I will be saving up to order the dual pressure switch later but for now it works and isn't too much of an issue to force me to change it out now.

 

There are advantages and disadvantages to both ways of hooking up the air bags. Separate valves will act like progressive springs and the loaded side will get stiffer as more effective weight is applied to it (hence less body roll in corners and such). One central valve will effectively raise the spring rate but stay constant with the air pressure in both bags. And yes, with a single valve system air will transfer between the bags, but the load carrying capacity of each bag will remain constant. As to one way of hooking them up being more dangerous than an other, depends on what you are looking for. With a single valve system if an air line or bag fails you are left with your stock suspension. If you are not overloading your vehicle and you have loaded it correctly so the weight isn't all to one side a failure would result in the truck acting like it has the stock suspension. If you have dual valves and had an air line or bag failure you would end up with way stiffer suspension on one side of the truck...depending on your load and how it was placed it could get ugly real fast.


Rather than continue the pissing match I'll simply link to the owners manual in case Mag taco wants to inform Firestone that they have things all wrong and can explain to them the error of their ways.
www.carid.com/images/brand/firestone/pdf/operating_guide.pdf

 

It's simple, one line lets the air shift from one bag to the other. Take a corner fast and the air on the outside gets pushed to the inside allowing the truck to lean. This is not ideal and why you run two lines. Stop trying to act smart and tell people to setup their trucks incorrectly.

Here, let me dumb it down for you. Imagine you have two balloons with an airline between them and 25psi of air pressure. Push down on one and the other will inflate even though the system still has 25psi. Would you want your trucks airbags to behave like this? No!

 

I completely agree. When I order mine, they will be set up with two lines. I have a quarter inch driver side lean, thanks to Toyota, hence the two lines to level the side to side difference.

 

Okay then... Well I just put air bags in and they have separate lines... This thread has kind of turned into a shit show

 

No, one guy came in here giving out incorrect info. You like 99% of people installed with two lines like your suppose to.

 

I need to order mine soon, before the God-awful winter cold settles in here.

 

Firestone airbags rock. 2 lines installed. I also tow the trailer in the background as well as the 800lb home built camper. BFGoodrich All Terrain TKO's complete the package.

 

^ that's bad ass. Any pictures of the inside camper?

 

Second that on the pics of the inside. Thats cool looking.

 

Just back from a backpacking trip. Camped at a state park then out for a night into the woods.

 

^^^^
that is just cooler than snit
I salute you sir, well done!

 

Firestone has 2 different inflator kits -
1 that fills both bags at the same time and the more expensive kit that fills each bag independently.
Direct from Firestone:
Single control uses one switch to fill two air springs with the same air pressure, while a dual control, allows independent control of the pressure in each spring.

Recommendations:
Single - Towing applications, centered loads, general usage.
Dual - Slide-in campers, off-centered loads, motorhomes, utility vans.


So according to Firestone either hook up is correct depending on what you intend to use the vehicle for.

 

Why would you run a single line when it's clearly an inferior design? Your backpedaling from your initial post. Just let it go and let people read this thread for all the useful info.

 

Doesn't the single inflator havea check valve in it that prevents air from transferring from one bag to the other?