Airbags for the truck: Air Lift vs Firestone

[BigGuy82]

Oh wow, what a generous offer!

I talked to a company that installs them at the RV show. Told him our weights and showed him a pic of the trailer on the truck. He said we probably didn't need them, truck looked pretty level to him. Thought that was pretty honest of him. He was suggesting Firestone, but they installed both Air Lift and Firestone. He said Air Lift hoses are proprietary, so if you have a hose problem you have to get one from them.

We just had to spend a pretty penny on truck repair (a wiring issue) so we are not in the market for airbags at this time.

I like the discussion here, though! Good info.


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Just a heads up. My F350 dually "looked pretty level" also - I thought so and so did the dealer. The problem is if it's just a little low in the rear, the headlights are aimed high, meaning that the oncoming traffic is blinded and you can't see as well at night. I thought it was OK because I usually pulled in the daytime but I discovered the problem on dark Ohio backroads at night. Wasn't a safe condition at all. I do have a long bed, which exacerabates the problem. Installed the airbags - problem solved. Also, once I installed the airbags, the very slight lightness I felt in the steering was gone.

Easy way to check - get a piece of plastic pipe and mark it with a permanent marker at the top of the bumper when the fiver isn't hitched - a simple ground-to-fixed height measurement. Then, hook up the rig and do the same measurement again. If the bumper is lower than the mark (it likely will be), you are not level - (the front is pushed up a tad, skewing the headlight aim - you can confirm this by taking the same measurement at the front of the truck). I use this same method to set the airbag height when I'm pulling - I just pump up the bags until the rear bumper matches my "true stick" lines. The pipe just saves me the hassle of using a tape measure. I do a measurement at each rear corner - easy.

BTW, another reason I like the Air Lifts (the Ultimates) is that they have an internal jounce stop. I don't know if the Firestones have them.

If it's in the budget, I highly recommend air bags.