Airbagging a VR ute

[Man]

I see the airbag kits on ebay for about $450. anyone know if theyre worth doing or any good for that matter? i live out of town on a dirt road with a bit of corrugation and the odd pothole, not to mention the uneven patch jobs on country roads which plays havoc with the rear end if hit at cruising speeds. i read that the vr utes rear suspension is prone to failing after a short time and am looking to upgrade.

here's the link
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Air-Bag-Commo...d=p3286.c0.m14

[Man]

anybody??

[JT090]

im in a similar situation as you, lowered but live on a dirt road, my shockies are dead in only a matter of months

[Man]

yeah, its killin' my car. already tried the petition to council 2 years ago for bitumen. this one is a priority for me. sick of learning every bump in the road, so to speak.

[JT090]

lol just did the same thing to my council got nothing

sick of the ute getting wrecked so im respraying it and selling till i move into town
probs buy a 4wd hilux till then

[VSIIISU]

Never done airbag suspension on me ute but it would be interesting. I mean if council isn't listening to you and if you are willing to opt to airbag suspension. Literally no-one is able to stop you apart from coppers pulling you over which can easily be resolved with engineer certificate.

[Man]

ok, just got a reply to the questions i asked. He has 2 types on offer, Firestone brand and Boss. Anyway, here's the reply, i think i might give them a go.

Hi,

Thanks for your enquiry,
I belive the Boss bags would be better for your application,
The Firestone bags dont suit lowered commodores for a start.

The Boss bags can be adjusted in height if required and have a lifetime warranty on the bags and brackets.
Both items come with fitting instructions, I pressume it is a live axel rear?

Installing is quite straight forward and should only take a few hours.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions

[rcnugget]

hrm 500 for front or rear set only is this even cheap ?

[Man]

it's cheap when compared to replacing the shocks every couple of years and undue stress put on parts, sensors etc. plus the added benefit of adjusting the ride height when loaded and not to mention the "custom" aspect.

[89 vn]

450$ seems REAL cheap I thought they sell for about 2k or is that installation as well, I thought generally when driving it low you would just raise the car past the bad bits of road then lower it again but if your havin to do that over and over i dont think airbag would be good for where you live

[Man]

2k would be for installation as well. these come with installation instructions but the quality of the instructions is unknown. I'm not looking for airbags to adjust the height back and forth. i want something to cushion the blows instead of bottoming out so would be set at relatively low pressure but enough to provide resistance when compressed too far. pretty sure the boss airbags accompany the springs and shocks whereas the firestone product replaces the shocks.

[JT090]

hmmmm only thing is engineers cert if its a full airbag system

[Man]

just a quote from the ad on ebay.

"These bags do not increase your permitted vehicle load capacity unless you get the vehicle assessed by an engineer. They dont change the engineering of the vehicle and do not impact insurances or legalities any more than a regular."

wouldnt be a prob for me to find an engineer. not sure how it is for others but the 2k for installation as stated above is a bit xxx for whats involved. i'm just after the rear bags and thinkin i run the valve lines to the back of the ute, down near the hole u insert the rod to lower the spare tyre from underneath.

[moogley]

450 is just for the rear bags no compressor or tank or anything there is a full rear kit for about 1200 on there but a full kit with a switch box and everything starts at 2500 iv been lookin around im gonna bag my calais