Installed: Firestone Ride Rite Air Bags

Hi, at 40psi, unloaded, I can only imagine the bunny hopping you're experiencing. Yes, you can expect a little lift, perhaps 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch, when you add the cradles, as I added mine a few months after the initial install. I would suggest an add-a-leaf (AAL), as empty you should be in the 5-8 psi range. If you have the funds, the better solution is to upgrade your leaf pack to Dakars, Deavers, or All-Pro, based upon your needs, as eventually your stock packs will go flat.

 

I love my Firestone Ride Rite air bags. Before installing them my truck sagged in the rear empty and it would hit the bumpstops with even the lightest of loads (300lbs of bagged mulch!) in the bed, so bad that I was ready to trade it off for a 1/2 ton. Night and day difference after installing the air bags!

Heres my Tacoma hauling my Honda Rancher 350 4x4 and Honda CRF450R on a 8hr round trip (40psi in bags):


Here's my Tacoma hauling 1,200lbs of cattle feed parked inside while I waited out a rain shower (75psi in bags):


Heres a shot yesterday hauling a rental mini-excavator from Home Depot (40psi in bags):


If anyone is on the fence about spending the money for air bags I highly recommend them!

Scott

 

There is an issue with putting the air spring kits on different stacks of leaf springs and blocks - using a different height than Firestone designed the base brackets for, causes the inboard vertical supports to be out of contact with the axle tube. Due to the inboard offset of the air bag, it's axis isn't aligned with the leaf - so the force it can deliver down to the axle is trying to roll the bracket over - if the bent down vertical plate isn't contacting something solid. This photo tells the story.

The base bracket is only .180 thick and I'm sure its a mild steel stamping - and one center bolt. Several have mentioned this issue on various threads about the bags - but I haven't seen clear photos of the solutions. Daystars are plastic - and wouldn't help carry this load. The bags are say 5.5 diameter on the inside - so nearly 24 in² of lifting area. At 40 psi = 960 pounds per bag - and they are rated for 100 psi. I'm thinking that when I know how much clearance is under the Firestone brackets inner leg - I'll get a "saddle" extension welded to it that sets down on the tube.

 

On the advice of other wiser TACO owners - I went looking for, and found these parts.............
They are Firestone parts that were made extend the vertical leg on Tundra and F150's - to use on the Tacoma you have to locate and drill the four holes into that vertical leg. And do a bit of measuring and cutting. They are P/N F2506 and are just a bit spendy for a couple of pieces of 4 inch wide flat bar. I have also been told that the holes are pretty loose on the provided screws - which I wouldn't like (myself).

 

For what it is worth, even stock set ups don't allow the side leg to hit the axle tube if you have the newer spring packs. Called Firestone and they could give a rats ass (not sure why they haven't changed this bracket as the new springs have been around for a while). Put a piece of an old bed mat under the leg of mine and it seemed to take up the slack ok.

 

How did you end up fixing the leak you had?

 

Anybody add a cradle and bags with an all pro flip kit already installed? Thinking the top lf ubolts and nuts would be in the way so probably install another plate above it. I have icon 3 leaf so i would need spacers anyway for the ride rites

 

I put ride-rites on with the Daystar cradles a couple years back and haven't regretted anything about it at all. I live up in a northern climate too...where they use a ridiculous amount of salt on the roads. i just make sure i keep it cleaned underneath when i can. no issues.

 

I have the All-Pro Expos and U-bolt flip, with Ride Rites and Daystar cradles. I trimmed the tops of the ubolts, but needed 1/4 inch spacers for clearance of the bottom plate, and I need to add a spacer between the axle and the notch on the overhang of the bottom plate.

 

I just installed these the other day and it's amazing how much better the ride has become. The rear is much firmer and there is much less body roll around corners. I have a heavy duty cap with a ladder rack and 75lbs in ladders, plus all my crap in the back. I'm probably hauling around 500-550lbs and I guess I just got used to the slight sag and mushy rear end. The leaf pack is back to flat instead of neg in the back of the axle section. I put them in because of a recent trailer purchase but I see now that I needed them all along.

 

You guys think there is a benefit to running daystar cradles with these bags on a stock height truck ? i do some decent flexing ( tire off the ground etc) when i go to the desert

 

Yes you won't ever have to worry about popping a bag!

 

I run them, although i do have a little (2") in the front just to level the truck out. I did run them without the front lift for a while and it worked just fine.

and...they won't get ripped off your truck that way, just in case (think lift or flex).

 

So you have stock rear with cradles and bags ? i saw on another thread that the cradles made it too high at stock height even with 5lbs air

 

I can believe that. I think that cradles would be tight fit under 2in of lift. I had to take mine out when I went to expos, which could be 2in thicker than stock, and I'm at about 3.5 in the back with zero load.

 

i have no problems at all with them in there. it does lift the truck a bit, but the 2" in the front levels, it works fine

 

Need some input here. I've read in a couple threads that the "stock height" space between frame and spring is a bit narrower than the bag & brackets. Just adding these bags could increase the rear height up to 1/2 inch? Something to take into consideration when choosing what clip height to use on my 6112's. Anybody, anybody....Bueller??

 

I think that most here would need more information.
Are you using stock springs? Front and rear? Add a leaf? The three leaf stock pack is the most thin, and provide the most space. If you replace the front springs, have you used the stock rate or used a larger one? I don't have experience with stock springs and 6112's, so it may take a while for someone to chime in. If you are doing this yourself, how difficult to change the clip height? New springs take a few weeks to settle to the static load. Most shocks do provide some lift, and I would imagine that the Billies provide more lift than stock.

 

Correct, three leaf pack in rear. The 6112's are being assembled using the 2nd notch, which according to Bilsteins "Approximate Lift" chart, should give me an added 1.43" in the front. I prefer the leveled stance over rake, so that should be right in the sweet spot. However, after reading some other threads, i'm now concerned that just installing the bags (un-inflated) will throw off the math. Guess i'll just install the bags first and then re-adjust the 6112's to match if needed. Ugh!

 

How do you bolt the air bag to the spacer? It seems like they want you to sneak a bolt and washer in from the center of the spacer up out of the spacer and then tighten the spring onto that bolt that protrudes out of the spacer. Two issues: can’t seem to get a wrench on the bolt to tighten it on the inside of the spacer. Also can’t figure out how to torque the air spring on since the bolt will be totally inaccessible once the air spring starts to go on and the spacer/air spring don’t really have wrench flats.