AIR BAGS OR AAL ?

IM GOING EITHER WITH AIRBAGS OR AAL. WHATS YOUR INPUT

2007 SR5 PRERUNNER DC

 

little bit more info on what you planning on doing with the truck? will you use it for off roading? towing? etc

 

x2.... Air bags would suck off-road but great for towing/hauling. Depends on what you're looking to do with your truck.

 

AAL IMO. I don't think you can jack the truck up by the frame with bags installed. Something to do with them tearing or something. Just what I read on the Firestone bags but no first hand experience. I was pondering bags until I read that. Also moisture buildup etc . Seems like too much hassle.

 

forgot to mention mainly for towing and bottoming out. i can have my in laws in the back seat and just my tool box in the back and it bottoms out. took it to toyota declined the claim because i had a caulk gun in the truck bed and they told me it was being used as a commercial vehicle. the warranty campany heard a ear full that day.

 

If you want to haul an elephant in the back of your bed, airbags.

Jack the rear up a bit and give you some more clearance, AAL.

 

airbags...adjustable.
AAL=comitted

 

Get a 3 leaf aal set, and a set of 5100s up front to level it out. Better ride, and should get rid of your bottoming out issue (unless you put an elephant in the bed).

 

Sorry to mess things up possibly by adding another option, but I was looking for something to help my occasional towing and full load in the truck bedb and ordered some Timbren bumpstops today. After all the research on this site looked like the best option for my use. I have an Icon AAL which helped to match my front lift but still need something for extra load without altering road handling when empty.

Bags=more$ and need to adjust/fill and empty
AAL=stiffer ride all the time

Timbrens engage when loaded but dont affect anything when not under weight. Makes towing/hauling more stable ride. Do a search on them and see the reviews/opinions on TW or Google for more opinions.

 

I have airbags on my Tacoma. I didn't want the rough ride of AAL. I can adjust the bags depending on weight. As long as you deflate the bags prior putting it up on a lift, then they will be fine. I have also off-roaded my bags and flexed the suspension with no problems at 10-15psi. No regrets on the bags at all.

I have 5100's up front @ 2.5 and the bags @ 15psi level the truck perfectly. I am so glad I didn't go AAL.

 

Wrong...

Tires are made of rubber, too... and they work off road!

Ride Rite Air Springs (bags) are made by Firestone, they don't get damaged... In fact, I can say they are BAJA PROVEN!

Only 15 psi in them for normal loads... and I went to 45 psi for a very heavy load on Baja's toughest roads... no problem. They are rated to 100 psi! (but never go more than you need and not max... you could crack an axle!)



Here they are along with 5100 Bilsteins on my '05 DC. I was 100% satisfied with them. Recommended to me by Off Road Warehouse.

 

AAL for less maintenance and stuff that could go wrong. pump, bags dry rotting. but you have people who will vouch for both so go with what you will be happy with.

 

I agree on the simplicity of Add A Leaf, but your ride is stiff all the time. I was going that route until I talked to the experts at Off Road Warehouse (who sell both) and given the information and what I used my truck for, Air Springs made more sense.

No Pump... you add air or remove air the same as you do for your tires. The fill valves (one for each bag) were installed on each side of my license plate. It takes just a couple seconds to change the pressure.

Dry rotting? They never see sunlight where they are... never heard that as being a concern, before...

Again, change your ride firmness and height with a bit of air or be firm all the time... what ever works for you!

 

3 years and counting with the Firestone airbags. Has been on lifts, jacked by the frame several times, off-roading moderately, and loaded over 2500lbs. No issues yet other than when I tried to get the leaf spring TSB... service manager said I took care of the problem by adding the airbags. I told him I would be back in a hour without the airbags as they are that easy to remove and install. He called me before I got home to schedule my truck for the new springs. I like the adjustability of the airbags.

 

Airbags give you a little lift there adjustable.Great for hauling and towing.You don't need s compressor they are very easy to fill.
I have had two sets. they are great. BUT I don't wheel hard like some as that can be an issue maybe rip or tearing one.

I just hate a real stiff ride and as I understand an AAL might couse a bit of harsh ness un loaded. Im just guesing on that part people. Please respond

 

how about an good old "helper spring" an ideas or comments on these?

 

It was one of the options I considered before going with the Ride Rites.

The Helpers are good and only come into play when you have a heavy load... otherwise, the softer/ primary springs do the work the rest of the time.

I like being able to have countless adjustment choices... well at least 35 choices at 10 to 45 psi in my case.

 

I voted AAL....I had Air Bags installed on an old 1984 GMC we used to haul stuff around in. They worked ok when you needed to put stuff in the bed, but they were kind of a PIA to be inflating/deflating all the time. AAL is a better permanent solution

 

You could have just kept them inflated... Why did you deflate them all the time? Keeping air springs at the higher pressure is no different than an AAL which you cannot soften if you want to... right?

 

Well, on this particular truck, it was actually lowered in the front and back. Lowered with special spindles in the front, and leaf springs were flipped upside down in the back. Keeping the air bags inflated to any serious PSI level when there was nothing in the bed caused, for one, the truck to ride extremely badly, and secondly it caused such an extreme rake in the truck that the front tires would starting having issues. Probably the reason we got rid of the damn thing for a couple thousand bucks once we had other vehicles to use to haul stuff around.