Parts/System recommendations

[Kwoolley]

For better or worse, I have 2" spacers on my front springs and now have a level truck until I put a load on. I am looking for recommendations/opinions on adding air bags between the axle and the frame. Are they all created equal, or is one manufacturer superior in price, quality, and ease of installation?



Will air bags have any effect on axle wrap? I have been thinking about a traction bar setup, but don't know how much it will limit suspension articulation. Real-world experience in axle wrap would be a great help.

 

[wlowe]

When I purchased my air bags I did quite a bit of research. The Air lift bags are about the same price as the firestones and seem to be of similar quality. The Firestones seem to be the most popular. Before deciding I downloaded the installation guides for both brands. After measuring bolt patterns I found that the Firestones would fit in a straight up and down position. The Air Lifts would have been tilted to one side, which didn't appeal to me. One thing that is critical on the 2nd gen trucks is the amount of space between the top and bottom air bag mount. Some have taken the overload spring out to allow more room for the bag to compress/extend. Do a search and you will see what I am talking about. I bought mine at the link below:



http://truckspring.com/



Good Luck,

Bill

 

[Fishin Guide]

I like the Firestones better, but they both work!



The bags will NOT effect axle wrap. You will have to limit the axles rotation with a different spring/ block combo, ladder bars or some type of traction bar. There are also 3 link, 4 link and even 5 link systems out there. And many of them use bags to suspend the vehicle.



I actually prefer a wishbone rear link set to control axle wrap as it is tuneable. The downside is that no link setup is going to work well in every instance. This is because the axle can follow different arcs on both sides. And, this is all hooked to a leaf spring that may not allow the axle to move in a linear path. So, the longer the link, the better it works, generally speaking.



Bottom line is, traction bars and leaf springs will exhibit some level of bind in order to control that axle hop. You have to decide what is acceptable. I drive off road a bit and it's bad enough the articulation is held back by the sway bay. I would not want to add any more forces to the rear unless I was sled pulling or racing.



Dave

 

[Bob V]

Ride Rite make a no drill kit for 2nd gens that have overloads, that is what I put on my '97. Part # 2220

http://www.ride-rite.com/installation_instructions/2220.pdf

 

[wlowe]

Bob V



I wish I could have used that kit on my truck but it's only listed for '94 - '98. Don't know what the difference between those years and the '01 is.

 

[DBrickel]

check out the Summit Racing site pricing isn't too bad and lots of options