i have airbags in the back on my d40

[navdog_d40]

howdy guys

i have airbags in the back of my d40 above my leaf springs i no its so it take the load off the back but would this also make me higher ?? i dint put them in who ever had the nav before me did im guessing for towing .

so im kinda asking i may only have to do the front 2''lift ?? that is if its high than normal . any info about the bags with off road ability would be good or when i get a lift i could get them removed or keep them. cheers

 

[4.0lt]

Just don`t overload it and pump up bag to level or she might sanp in half.

 

[4 naving]

Air bags generaly limit offroad abillity by limiting wheel travel. You can put an equalising hose between the bags with a valve. When off rosd open the valve letting the air between equalise. When one wheel is forced up the air forces the other wheel down maintaining as much traction as possible. But the travell is still limited buy the bag... pumping them up to increase ride hight will also make the ride firm and to hard something else you dont want off road.

 

[nathand22]

I totally agree with both comments above, they are there simply to assist the springs thats it. there has been a few people that have bent there chassis running to much air in them.

If you do get a lift you can still keep them, but i would only do that if you intend to carry allot of weight from time to time and need that bit of assistance the bags will give.

 

[jayk]

ive got a lift and bags. i only run them at 30psi when i am towing. with the lift its a bit over 2", and i have comfort springs in the back to make it better for offroading. have had it nearly 2i/2 yrs and guess what... no offroading lol! i thought i was doing the right thing in getting both, but what others have said on here about bendy and cracked chassis scares the shit out of me. i am always checking the chassis now! i would never use them to raise the normal ride height in exchange for a suspension lift though.
.

 

[navdog_d40]

I totally agree with both comments above, they are there simply to assist the springs thats it. there has been a few people that have bent there chassis running to much air in them.

If you do get a lift you can still keep them, but i would only do that if you intend to carry allot of weight from time to time and need that bit of assistance the bags will give.

i do carry weight for work ? so if i get the lift when i go off road let them down is that what your saying ??

also thanks everyone for the info the last thing i need is to crack or bend my chassis

 

[Old.Tony]

Air bags should NEVER be used to provide a lift in these vehicles if they're carrying any weight. If they're being used to provide a lift, then the leaf springs aren't being engaged and the entire weight of the rear of the car is resting on that one point. That is dangerous and worse if you're towing.

The suspension really needs to be changed to introduce the lift. You can either have the airbags modified, or remove them completely in order to give you the lift you need, AND the flexibility you'll want when you're off-road.

That said, air bags that are used to support a properly set up suspension (and used properly) are not going to cause any harm unless you overload the rear of the vehicle. In every instance of failure that I've read about or spoken to people about, they were all overloaded.

Don't forget the lever effect at the towball. Weight in the tub is (on average) directly over the rear axle. Weight on the towball is like putting it on a lever about a metre long. Add that to a single-impact point (airbag) and there's no real surprise that the chassis fails.

I was looking at the Firestone air bags and they do have a larger plate to engage the chassis above them, but it's still not a lot. On a rough road with 200kg of load on the towball hammering away, I am concerned enough about the stress at that point that I'm going for Sax Suspension's TDS leaf springs.