Airbag delete or cradles? (Even possible on stock air?)

TL;DR can stock airbags use cradles? If not, would you keep air or go to coils.

Hey yall. New owner here after parting ways with my 4th gen 4Runner (bittersweet).

Got a screaming deal on a used limited with factory airbags. Picked up TRD OR full suspension from fbmarketplace almost purely for the red CVs. Figure I’ll run the rest of the kit while I save some money for a full Fox lift.

While I’m down there, I’m a bit torn on what to do with the airbags. I don’t tow, may haul heavy loads occasionally, probably will throw a shell on it eventually. Enjoy hitting the occassional trail but this will probably just become my dad truck with my first on the way.

Ideal option would be to run an airbag cradles to allow the rear to droop when it needs to, but have not seen anyone doing this online. It looks like the factory airbags may have a critical mount to the axle?

If not possible, looking for some weigh-ins on keeping air or using the westcott delete kit and throwing coils on it. Ride quality and off road reliability would be my priorities.

Thanks in advance!

 

I wouldn’t mess with it, but if you’re planning to lift it, deleting the rear OEM airbags is the way to go. I have a 2023 TRD Off-Road Limited without OEM airbags. I lifted the front by 2 inches and the rear by 1.5 inches, then installed aftermarket airbags in the rear. However, if my truck had OEM airbags, I would’ve left it stock—just my opinion."

 

Just curious, what’s the screaming deal you got on the Limited? I paid around $46K for my 2023 about six months ago. If it’s a secret, no worries—you don’t have to answer!

 

I got mine for 42 but mine does not have OR package so sounds like you also scored. Idk if my deal was really all that amazing, but I’ve yet to see anything remotely close to that in the PNW since Toyotas are pretty sought after.

 

42K is an awesome deal! Honestly, the Off-Road (OR) package is overrated anyway—I’ve never used a single feature of it, and I live in Alaska with some pretty rough roads and weather. The Off-Road package is nice, but for me, it’s more of a luxury than a necessity. Also, it’s kind of ironic to have an OR package without tow hooks. I felt a bit embarrassed pulling someone out of a ditch without them. But yeah, 4x4 is definitely a must!