tow vehicle project: Air Lift Helper Springs

[B-Faithful]

I added them to my truck and am very impressed with how they helped dampen the rear of the truck from bouncing around. I tow with a 1/2 ton so I am fairly close to the max load of the truck and was getting a bit of a bounce after having my trailer professionally adjusted. (tongue wait was reduced to around 525lbs from 700+lbs - it gave more range in my suspension) Adding the helper springs allows me to add air pressure prior to towing but lower the pressure for my daily commuting. I am impressed with them so far and wanted to pass along. I got them at http://www.autoanything.com for a little over $200. Cheap way to make your truck feel a lot better towing.

Here is the website to the company: http://www.airliftcompany.com/

 

[gw204]

You know you could have just bought a nice 3/4-ton Dodge to tow that boat around...

Keep me posted on how they work out. Once I get my Mako up and running, I may look at a set for my Cherokee as they have notoriously weak rear springs.

 

[B-Faithful]

Being that I drive nearly 30k a year, would that dodge get me an 18mpg average or above when not towing? :lol:

So far so good. I really dig them for only $209

 

[Megabyte]

I have a set of those AirLift bags on my 1999 Jeep Cherokee and they have been great.

Prior to buying my Parker, I towed a 17 Dusky Open Fisherman that was pushing 3000#'s of boat, motor, and trailer.
Once I added all of my vacation gear, the Jeep had a definate 'nose-up' attitude which was unacceptable and unsafe.

After adding the AirLift bags, I was able to level the Jeep to suit the load, making towing much safer and more enjoyable (once I upgraded the brakes). :wink:

One tip for adjusting the air pressure...

Use a bicycle pump to add air to the airbags. Do not use a service station air supply. It does not take much air to make these bags work, and a service station supply fills the bags much too quickly.
A bicycle pump is easilly portable and can fill the bags in much finer increments.

 

[B-Faithful]

Good to know Kev! Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Porkchunker]

Being that I drive nearly 30k a year, would that dodge get me an 18mpg average or above when not towing? :lol:

So far so good. I really dig them for only $209

My 2003 3/4T Ford F-250 Crew Cab 6.0 PSD gets 17-20 mixed highway-city. And...I have 12,700 lbs of towing capacity. Was thinking of trading it in on a Ford 3/4T 2-door F-350 PSD, but the new 6.4 PSD is only getting in the low teens. Maybe older is better.

That 1/2T pickup has ED. You are feeling inadequate...you are feeling inadequate...you need a 3/4T diesel truck and a big Yami for the boat.

Dave

aka

 

[Megabyte]

you need a 3/4T diesel truck and a big Yami for the boat.

:lol:

 

[B-Faithful]

Bahhh! I would need a 3/4 ton truck just to tow the only Yammies that can out perform the mighty and powerful OptiMax since they weigh nearly half a ton themselves :shock: :lol:

 

[gw204]

Bahhh! I would need a 3/4 ton truck just to tow the only Yammies that can out perform the mighty and powerful OptiMax since they weigh nearly half a ton themselves :shock: :lol:

OMG!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Dude...that gets my nomination for quote of the year!! Too funny!!!

 

[boondoggle]

(once I upgraded the brakes).

Whadidja do? rear disks?

 

[Megabyte]

(once I upgraded the brakes).

Whadidja do? rear disks?

I wish... That would have been nice, but the cost was a little more than I could handle at the time.

First, I upgraded the front rotors to performance items that were drilled and slotted to dissipate heat. After 3 sets of warped rotors in the first 100k miles, I finally have a set (of rotors) that have been trouble free for the second 100k miles. 210k on her so far, and the upgraded brakes are still working well. :wink:

After the rotors, I then put on a set of non-dusting (ceramic) performance pads on the front, and a set of matching shoes on the rear.
One of the best upgrades I've done on this chassis has been the brakes and the Edelbrock shock absorbers, along with the AirLift air bags.

Suspension modifications took this borderline OEM chassis to a completely other level.