Suspension Air Bags

Hi Gone Bush, i had Firestones installed in a GU patrol. After 3 trips passenger side developed a small tear on the seam part of the bag. No warranties. Installed by ARB. It was being used offroad when occured towing a 1500kg camper van. I dont believe it was a rock or stick as it is a clean tear, about 30mm long. I tend to think i just got a faulty bag. Apart from that they do there job. Only had 15 pound in the bags.b

I have airbags on my rear suspension for some time now with no issues whatsoever....however had heard of others having some problems...but not me....and I will get them again.

http://www.airbagman.com.au/

G'Day Gone Bush,

I bought a 24volt Jap import hj61Sahara that had been converted to a tray back crew cab back in 2004 and after a trip to Exmouth fully loaded with camping/fishing gear it became painfully obvious that the rear leaf springs needed "assistance".

So on return to Perth a set of Firestone airbags were fitted on the back . They made a huge difference. I can now cope with 4X the pre-airbag load, the ride is just as comfortable as before and each airbag can be individually adjusted to level the vehicle.

After nearly 5 years the has been zero problems with them, a mate of mine who had a 80series with Polyair in his rear suspension never went more than 18 months before one of the airbags failed and needed to be replaced.

Please Note: The airbags WILL level the vehicle but WILL NOT balance the weight . You can have a level looking car with "ultra light steering" if you aren't careful!

PS---I have no affiliation with Firestone , just a very satisfied customer

Welldone

Hi Stephen,

I had Firestone's in my last GU and after 5-1/2 years one developed a leak on the air-line fitting into the bag - wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

I was going to fit Firestone airbags to my cruiser, but I have put in the ARB suspension (medium load rear springs, 0.75" lift, OME 722's) and haven't found the need to date. My camper trailer has a drawbar weight of ~120kg and I have found the suspension change a huge improvement over stock. No longer have the drop in rear height when a load is on the back, but that limousine ride is now a bit firmer (ride quality depends on taste, I prefer the firmer ride).

If your not ready to do a suspension change yet, then definitely recommend airbags as the way to go.

Cheers

Captain

I have polyairs this is my second set and I have only wrecked one from a faulty inflation gauge that blew the bag out :-(

I have carried some heavy loads in the back of my old ute !!!

Try:- trucksprings .com You could save a heap of doe and get technical advice as well

I have the Firestone Coil-rites in my 100 and after 5 years no problems, initially i had them both replaced under warrenty as the fitting in the top of the bag popped out due to faulty manufacture. new ones have no such problem.would get them again,also my mate has(had) polyairs but endless bkt,hose and busting bags( at the hose fitting end of the bag) he gave up on them,we removed them and fitted heavier springs and he was much happier. on the other hand i have heard many good stories about them.IMHO i thought the polys were a bit like a shopping bag compared to the firestones that feel much stronger but thats just me!

We were advised by our local RV centre to use Firestones on our 80 Series he claimed they were stronger than Polyair. We are more than happy with their performance. We are now considering putting them on our caravan.
Cheers

I've had polyairs in 2 vehicles without any problems.

I believe you need to be careful as to how much pressure you have in airbags if you go too high you'll find you will have a very hard ride with the tyres taking most of the shock which can cause a tyre blowout.

I only run between 10/15 psi which is a fair bit of pressure in what is really only in a small area.

Personally I believe they are a better option than upgrading suspension which will give a terrible ride when unladen, once you deflate the airbags to 5psi, recommended, you'll find you'll have the same ride as before.