Will leaving them deflated, except when driving, hurt them? Or will keeping them aired up all the time hurt them?
Sleeve-type bags are designed to roll down over themselves. Does keeping them deflated cause undue stress on the rubber walls? What about double-convoluted bags?
Before an airbag is installed, it has a natural shape to it. Sleeve-type bags are almost straight up and down. Double-convoluted bags have their own natural shape. When an airbag is taken out of that natural shape, that is when they're installed and deflated, does that take a toll on the rubber?
Think of it like this: A tire has a natural shape when not installed. Yet put it on a truck without any air in it and the sidewalls collapse. On the other hand, keeping them aired up 24/7 every day of the year doesn't hurt them. Hitting bumps in the road cause the sidewalls to flex, but that doesn't cause any harm. How long would a set of tires last if you kept them deflated and only aired them up to drive? The sidewalls would weaken and eventually you'd have to replace the tires. The same goes for driving around on under-inflated tires--they wear out faster than if you keep the proper amount of air in them.
Get the drift of my question now?
How long would an airbag last if it remains deflated all the time? How long would an airbag last if it remains inflated all the time?
Does anyone on here have connections with airbag manufacturers who can get straight answers to these questions?
Some luxury SUVs come with airbag suspensions because of the better ride they offer. Do those bags deflate when the ignition is off or do they remain inflated?
I'm more interested to know if leaving airbags inflated all the time is bad for them. I mean, if your truck is parked in the garage out of public view what would be the point in deflating the bags? Laying frame is just for show, right?
Another consideration: If you parked your truck for the night and left it inflated--and you came out in the morning and the left-front bag was deflated--you'd know you have a leak in the system somewhere in lines for the left-front airbag.
Keeping them inflated say at a high psi for long periods of time will cause them to crack and eventually blow or develop a leak. That's why when you have your truck in storage you deflate them (say for the winter season) and then check them for leaks next time you take the truck out, or just uninstall them. Bags weather (because they are rubber) over time so they need to be maintaned just as much as anything else. Honesly I think you're dwelling too deep into how to maintain bags. Now they're relatively cheap so if you have problems you can buy a new one rather than trying to worry about the old set you have.
I park it and walk away, if its up its up. If its down its down. spray them with some rubber silicone spray once in a while to keep the rubber fresh and the bags looking shiny. I wouldn't put 150 psi in a bag and leave it but chances are it wount hold that pressure for over a week on a perfectly leak free system. They all leak down eventually.
P.S. The bags i have, have been in the taco since 98' !!
If you've got kids or pets i wouldn't leave it raised up when i parked it at home cause you never know when something might blow and your dog might be under there when it did or worse your kid might be trying to reach a toy that they dropped and went under there.Just safer to lay it out!
If you have something blow, your setup is just plain wrong! No ifs and or buts about it. I have been installing airide for years and I have never had anything blow. NEVER!
If you have something blow, your setup is just plain wrong! No ifs and or buts about it. I have been installing airide for years and I have never had anything blow. NEVER!
Not being a dick or anything,but if its man made then something can go wrong.Your system can be installed perfect and something still go wrong or blow, thats just fact.Your bags might have a factory defect allowing them to blowout as well as your tank might have a weak weld somewhere(like mine had) or maybe a airline has a thin spot in the wall which at some point will give out! All im saying is [censored] happens and just too take that into account!
Other than leaving the factory bumpstops in, is there any mechanism available that'll keep you safe should something go wrong? Catastrophic deflation of a single airbag while crusing along at 65 MPH could be fatal. Even if not fatal, loss of front wheel on a turn could cause a rollover. Serious damage will occur no matter what.
Perhaps an electric solenoid/brace that automatically activates upon a decrease in airbag pressure. (With an override switch, of course--so folks can drag to their hearts content.) The solenoid would brace the suspension so it won't collapse and sound a warning to the driver so the truck can be brought to a safe stop. The solenoid would need to be able to support the whole corner of the truck--but only for a brief period of time. Anyone who's looked at aircraft suspension should know what I'm talking about--a brace keeps the landing gear extended.
I'm surprised I haven't seen such things built into commercially available systems. Yeah, price is probably the reason we don't see it. But if I go bagged, I care about safety!
Well if you're bagged, you're not gonna have your stock bumpstops in. The only thing you can really do is inflate all your bags to their max psi to lift the dumped side off the ground as much as possible. What'll happen is that you'll just drag that side some until you stop.
Its your responsibility to check your bags though every so often to make sure they're safe to drive on.
air suspensin is not for you... there is no such thing as "safety" when it comes to it... only thing you can do is make sure the person that installs it is excellent at it... also just an fyi.. when driving, if your airtank or airlines that carry the air to the fill valves ever springs a leak, you are screwed and your whole truck will fall to the ground... you can install check valves in line after your airtank, but that doesnt stop the airline from getting a leak...
also you and this "solenoid" idea isnt gonna happen.. yeah on a airplane it may work, but isnt the landing gear on an airplane like at least 12-15 feet or something? i dont think you're gonna make that work on a tacoma...
so again.. bags arent for you.. stick to a static drop
Re: Electic Locks--for airbag suspension? air suspensin is not for you... there is no such thing as "safety" when it comes to it... only thing you can do is make sure the person that installs it is excellent at it... also just an fyi.. when driving, if your airtank or airlines that carry the air to the fill valves ever springs a leak, you are screwed and your whole truck will fall to the ground... you can install check valves in line after your airtank, but that doesnt stop the airline from getting a leak... also you and this "solenoid" idea isnt gonna happen.. yeah on a airplane it may work, but isnt the landing gear on an airplane like at least 12-15 feet or something? i dont think you're gonna make that work on a tacoma... so again.. bags arent for you.. stick to a static drop
the best way to store your bagged truck is too jack it up(just to get the weight off the tires) and leave about 20-30 psi in the bags then spray them down with silicone spray. i left mine for 2 six month deployments and never had any problems.
I'm not interested in laying frame. People say that airbags offer a much smoother ride, so I'm looking at options. I'm looking at the "no-cut bolt-on" systems. No slicing and dicing for me.
air suspensin is not for you... there is no such thing as "safety" when it comes to it... only thing you can do is make sure the person that installs it is excellent at it...
You're saying there's absolutely no way to build safety into an airbag setup? You pretty much have to kiss your rump goodbye whenever you turn the key and roll the dice? If that's true, then any company that comes up with a safer airbag setup stands to make a great deal of money. On the other hand, if airbag systems can't be made safe, then there's a lot of luxury SUV makers out there setting themselves up for multi-million dollar lawsuits.
BTW, my job <font color="red">IS</font> safety. I'm a safety inspector. At work I eat, breathe and $#@t safety. It's in my blood. That's why I'm only looking at well-engineered airbag setups rather than going down to the local garage and having them "fab me up something." I want something tried-and-true, not out-of-the-blue.
so again.. bags arent for you.. stick to a static drop
I'm just looking for a smoother ride. People on here swear by their airbags. Do airbags offer better ride quality? All I know is that my stock leaf springs prefer having weight in the bed before they let the ride smoothe out.
==
==
My apologies if that sounds a little abrasive. No animosity intended. Just trying to get some of CT's creative geniuses the spark they need to create the better setup.
If you want safety for a bag system like an SUV has, then buy an suv.
Making a bag system on a truck has its problems if not done right. As long as you maintain your ride and get it done right then you'll be ok. As much as you say you don't want to cut and hack for your bag setup, it's gonna happen one way or another.
Having an air suspension on a vehicle that wasn't designed for it, requires a lot of work and possible problems that you might not want to deal with. If you want a softer ride, raise it back up, get some softer shocks, etc. Though your safety concern is actually something rare as long as your suspension and welds are good - this just seems like something you don't want to put alot of work or maintenance into.
airbags offer a softer ride at certain pressures.. each truck is different due to weight... perfect example is my s-runner vs toydlyf's xcab 4 cylinder... his truck is much lighter in the front end, and probly might need 10psi less in his bags to get a soft ride at a decent height.. i on the other hand have more weight which puts more resistance on the airbag, so i might need more pressure to keep the truck a bit softer... not enough psi and i'll rub or smack the frame on the ground if i hit a dip in the road... so again every truck is different...
whether or not you want to lay frame doesnt matter.. the whole point of airbags to begin with was to make a softer ride for a trailer due to added weight, a loaded trailer is a HELL of alot heavier than your tacoma...
when it comes to modifications, no matter what, safety stops at some point, and airbag suspension is quite an extreme modification. if its mechcanical, it will break... not to say air suspension is perfect, but most people have had pretty decent luck if they had it done by someone who knows what they're doing. on the other hand, if you did some research, you would probably hear some pretty bad stories about things that have happened to bagged trucks... i preach this now all the time, bags are cool, but not for the everyday driver...
The keys to safely installing air bags is to make sure the bag has at least 1/2" clearance so that nothing rubs on it. Next, make sure all air lines are routed away from heat and sharp edges so they don't blow out. If you do that, you have nothing to worry about. Just do periodic checks on the bags and air lines and you'll be ok.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Toyota Tacoma Forum
1.9M posts
61.6K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to Toyota Tacoma owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, overlanding, lift kits, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!