Suggestions for airbag suspension systems

I installed the airlift bags and the wireless one compressor helped a lot with heavy loads. Only problem the truck rode much stiffer in the rear installed the daystar cradles which helped a bunch.

 

Okay, I'm going to install some Firestone Ride-Rite air bags on my Tundra. Towing a 22' travel trailer. Loaded @ 5,500 lbs.



My Tundra is my occasional commuter and my towing rig for that trailer. No lift kit on my Tundra.

Not 4-wheeling with this rig. Only tame fire roads in the PNW.

Will the DayStar cradles offer me any real benefit?

 

I would install them for the cheap price and the improved ride quality I believe it's worth doing

 

Found this article about Firestone Ride Rite using the Daystar cradle... I'm slightly curious about it:
https://www.truckspring.com/blog/po...r-air-bag-cradles-with-ride-rite-air-bag-kits

Seems like the general consensus is... Very few people have issues.

 

So glad to have found this group. Got a 2016 Tundra Crew Cab in April and Lance 650 camper and have horrible time with back and forward rocking (some call porpoising). I'm looking for a scale to find out the weight to see if I blew it and overloaded this rig but Lance and Toyota reps assured me this would be a good fit. Maybe just salesmen sweet talking me.... So I'm reading good things about the Firestone Ride Rite with Daystar cradle but I didn't see anyone claiming the same problem as me as the reason and solution for that purchase. Any and all credible input appreciated.
BTW lots of people on a generic truck camper forum thought I was talking about sectioned highway with regularly spaced expansion joints but I haven't even come across that situation. My problem is almost continuous with typical road unevenness. A larger bump actually sent the cabover down onto the cab roof! THAT's some rockin' and rollin'.

 

I run the daystar / Firestone setup and its smooth as butter at 40psi in bags. I tow a 2185 lance trailer. Ya won’t be disappointed. I run the bags between 10-20 without a load And I also have the TRD sway bar

 

I went with the airlift set up with the internal bump stops. Stock truck and run 0psi when not towing. I don't have any ride quality issues but consensus here is to go the other route. I run 50psi when towing a 7k trailer. Whichever way you go it's a must on stock springs.

 

Looking for advice on where to start in terms of PSI in my bags. Picking up my first trailer tonight and curious to what some of yall would recommend. I'm thinking 40 but maybe 50 since the trailer is on the heavier side and I have a 4.5 lift, so not stock. Also, I should start with the air before doing my WDH set up right? TIA

 

Hook the trailer up and add air till it's running level. Then set the bars.

 

As many other have said, get the Firestone’s over the airlift’s.
I’ve tried both, Firestone is superior in ride quality.

I use them religiously for both trailering and for hauling my snowmobiles. I run the airlift wireless one compressor, it’s fairly cheap and gets the job done for me.

 

I love your stance. What tire size are you running? Obviously spacers, what size? And what additional lift?

Tia

 

Thanks man. Running 285/75/18 Duratracs with 2" spacers. Lift wise just running two CB shims on either side up front, and CB +2" shackles in the rear.

 

I installed them on my lifted T100 for towing and hauling heavy loads, and I installed them on my lowered '07 Tundra to keep the bottom of the bed from striking the drive-shaft when carrying a heavy load. The remote air control is a great add-on, if for no other reason because the bags will contract overnight when temperatures drop.

 

Air lift

 

I had 2007 dbl cab with 6’ bed. I filled the bed with misc stuff an ARE commercial AL. cap and towed a heavily loaded trailer cross country. After about 2 days driving straight with that load the truck had a permanent squat to it. I traded it in for a 2013 4x4 dbl cab long bed. The first thing I did was install the Firestone air bags. I have not regretted it at all and they are going on 4 plus years. And multiple trips cross country 2400 miles one way. With no sagging at all. I had limited tools and still was able to install them with the help of my Son.

 

What is your lift & wheel/tire setup? looks great!

 

Thanks! 295/70/18 ridge grapplers. +20 fuel vectors. 2.5" fox coilovers in front. 2" fox reservoir in rear. firestone bags. 2" shackles.

 

No major rubbing issues with 295s on a 2.5" lift? or do you have shims on top?

 

Not a 2.5" lift. 2.5" diameter shocks in front, 2.0" diameter shocks in rear. Lift is roughly 3.5 in front and idk what rear is. I had rubbing in front. Removed mud flaps in front and cut the black trim on inside of front bumper end cover

 

This is not the correct method for setting up a WD hitch system.

set trailer level, unhooked.
Measure top of coupler height.
Set bags (if you have them) to level truck without trailer attached.
adjust hitch (not the airbags) so top of ball is same height as the top of coupler.
Measure front fender height from ground.
Hook up trailer, without WD bars. measure front fender again.
attach WD bars and measure front again. front should come back down to at least half way to unloaded height.
mid it doesn’t come most of the way back down, put more tension on the bars by either raising the trailer end of them via bracket adjustment or by adding more spacers to alter the hitch head (and bars) angle.
reattach bars and check front fender measurement again.
Repeat till you get it set. Do not adjust your airbags after this, as moving the rear of the truck up will reduce the amount of torque on the bars and decrease the amount of weight being redistributed to the front axle and trailer axles.

To make that a lot shorter, if set up correctly, a WD system doesn’t benefit from bags. It’s just important to do all of the setup with the trailer and truck loaded as it will be when you head out to camp.

that said, you can certainly run both together, but need to recognize how one system affects the other!



now, in response to the OP, I love my Firestones with Daystar cradles, and use an Airlift Wireless One compressor system to air up/down. Fantastic system.

 

It seems like you've been down this road already but I'm trying to fully understand this before moving ahead. I'm currently running a 2.5-inch spacer lift in the front and a 1-inch Eibach block in the rear. We just purchased a 23-foot travel trailer roughly 5000lbs loaded and as such I am now in the market for firestone air bags to provide a level and better ride along with better control. I already have a weight distribution hitch which helps but it needs more attention for sure. It appears that I'll need to leave the 1-inch blocks and add the air bags and possibly the daystar cradles for the best combo? Or do I need to remove the blocks and level with the air bags/cradles? I'm not really sure they're designed for that or which option to choose.

Anyway, forgive me if I'm missing something or just not reading deep enough.

Thanks for any advice and sharing your experience with a newbie to airbags.

 

Ok, it’s talked about but need to clarify. My 21’ is sagging due to truck shell and decked system. I put the 6112’s up front set at 1.9” and now leaning towards the Firestone ride rites with the day star cradle. I will be getting a potential travel trailer as well. Just to clarify, I do not want a rough ride in rear end such as add a leaf ..etc. Will the rear of my truck be rough riding with just the ride rites set to keep truck level not towing? I will also be adding the bilstein 5100 or 5160 to the rear

 

Resurrecting this old thread. I'm curious if you still had full articulation with the pro shocks and airbags. Thx

 

I have a 7 inch lift on my truck! What’s the best way to run air bags with this setup? I’m guessing I’ll need a spacer of some sort? Thanks

 

What kind of lift do you have in the back? Lift blocks are going to cause a ton of spring wrap when towing. Consider ladder bars or roadmaster active suspension

 

I actually don’t have any lift blocks! I’m using an icon RTX leaf pack, while cb +3 shackles.

 

nice setup. Call icon and make sure those longer shackles are safe with their springs, under flex you could invert them

 

I didn’t even think about that okay thanks! I think I have noticed under a heavy load 6k trailer it definitely puts a lot of strain on them.

 

Yes, that was the entire point behind this choice. I did not want to change the way my truck drove when not towing.

 

Im also looking into Firestones for my tundra but I cant help but look at the knock off air bag systems. Firestones are $699cnd and the off brands are $250cnd. All the hard wear and brackets appear to be identical and the airbags look to be the exact same minus a sticker.
Has anyone tried the off brand air bags?