Plug & play Airbag suspension?

How much ball weight do you have and what is in the back of the car? A car loaded correctly within the manufacturer's specifications will not go down at the rear any more than it has been designed to do.

If the ball weight is approaching the upper limit then you should not have very much in the back. Things like a loaded set of draws and a fridge could be too much.

What does the owner's handbook say about the use of a weight distribution hitch? If it says one must be used then you must use one. That is the way the car has been designed to get additional support for the rear end. Changing the suspension design is not the answer.

If it says you must use one then you are still not out of trouble. A WDH can damage the car or tow bar if the angle between the car and the trailer exceeds a certain limit. That rarely happens on sealed roads or smooth dirt but it is very likely when towing a camper trailer in the bush.

Air bags are exponential springs and this can cause a few problems in some installations. The more you compress them, the more they resist further compression.

Your coil springs are linear and compress in proportion to the load. If you double the load you double the compression. They will keep compressing like that until the axle touches the bump rubbers. They are also exponential and will bring the descending car to a sudden but slightly cushioned stop. That rarely happens in a correctly loaded car being driven sensibly.

Someone may have a bolt in air bag kit for your car but with the load you have and the high pressure you may need in them, their exponential feature may result in them hardening rapidly to the point where you will place excessive stress into their mounting points and crack them. I have seen that happen in your type of car.

In cab/chassis utes they stop the downward movement of the chassis at the top of the bag if the back of the car falls suddenly but the rest of the chassis behind them keeps going down. If the forces are excessive the chassis bends at the top of the bags.

I would be leaving the suspension alone and start looking at the way you have loaded it. Keep in mind each seat has been designed to carry the weight of a decent size person. It is very easy to load any four/five or more seat car with not enough of the total weight in the seats and far too much down the back.

You could give Airbag Man a call

Also check the balance of you camper it shouldn't have to much weight forward of the axles 50 - 80kg on the tow ball would be enough. Your vehicle is just there to tow the weight around and not support large amounts of it. You also have to take into account any gear or persons in the rear of the vehicle.

The other problem is quite often the manufacturer claiming how much the vehicle can carry and how much tow ball weight the vehicle can support which often falls short of what most standard suspension on any vehicle can actually handle safely without the need for towing aids to compensate for their shortfall.

ss--ss - What happens if you fit the airbags to the Prado, and you happen to have a prang (just say some imbecile runs into you) - and the vehicle needs to be towed away promptly - meaning you won't get a chance to remove the airbags - and someone from your company finds them?
What are the potential ramifications of that scenario?

Probably more importantly, does company policy allow for towing with the vehicle?
Who fitted the towbar? You, or the company?

If the company fitted the towbar, surely you can argue with management that, as part of the towing package, airbags or heavier rear aftermarket springs are necessary, to ensure towing stability?

If you fitted the towbar, isn't that a "modification", against company policy?

Cheers, Ron.

Thanks for the replies & the usefull information. The towbar was fitted by the dealer so it's allowed , the brake controller is also fine but it says no modifications to the suspension. This is imposed by Leaseplan which my company uses. As suggested I think I'll leave it stock & rearrange the weight. I do carry my Engel fridge in the back of the car full loaded. Unfortunately the camper I have is designed with pretty much all the weight Infront or on the axle.

Cheers Ss--ss

You could argue that the suspension hasn't been 'modified' by fitting up-rated springs that maintain the same ride height, just that the springs had been replaced with a non-genuine item, similar to changing to A/T tyres. It will all come down to the wording of the lease agreement I suppose.

A pair of coil springs is around the $200 mark and probably easier to swap out than an air bag kit with the associated brackets and plumbing. Spray them black and who would know they had been changed (... provided you don't send Leaseplan the receipts)? If the vehicle is written off, I doubt the assessor will be noting that the springs don't look factory and reporting back to Leaseplan.

I had a lease vehicle and replaced the rear springs as they were too soft and smacked the bump stops way too often for my liking and that was just with all the baby equipment for a weekend away, let alone camping gear and a trailer.
I claimed the 'replacement springs', but fitted them myself. Claim was paid and no questions were asked.

https://www.etrailer.com/susp-2017_Nissan_Pathfinder.htm

You have a tank tank so bits are readily available. Just need to cross match the parts with the Aussie firestone guys. It states the the kit is ‘no drill’.

ss-ss - Here's an interesting thing to check out. Is your Pathfinder a Series II or a Series I?

The Series II was released in early 2017 as the 2017 model.
With the release of the Series II Pathfinder, Nissan bragged about a "suspension upgrade", that saw "stiffer suspension at every wheel".

It would be interesting to find when your Pathfinder was built - because I notice, in the Pathfinder "for sale" ads, for recent model Pathfinders, there can be up to 9 or 10 months between build date and compliance date.

This could mean, that even though you have listed your Pathfinder as a 2017 model, it could be that it's a 2016-build Series I with the softer suspension.

In that case, simply acquiring a set of the current Series II springs, could be the way to go.

Car Review - new 2017 Pathfinder

Cheers, Ron.