Add a leaf, Air bag or Shackles ?

[djkrisp1]

Hey guys just after a bit of advise, current set up is a 2" old man emu kit front and rear with bushwacker flats it seems to work well and look great but i've just recently done a few fully loaded camping trips where im carring a fair bit of weight on the roof and in the back
My rear leafs dont seem to hold up to the amount of weight im trying to fit on so to get a bit more clearance on the track firstly would airbags be the best option ? thats what im thinking or, could i get away with a 1.5" shackle or could i fit an add a leaf to the 2" lifted leafs ? not sure if they have to be standard leafs for them to fit or not ?

[djkrisp1]

The pics show Loaded stance and unloaded stance.

[layback40]

Pics are useless as its not sitting on flat level ground.
An adjustable airbag may be good as for unloaded situations you could run minimum pressure & then pump up for loads.
Please post heights from center of wheel to wheel arch for all wheels loaded & unloaded.
Lifts are only there to lift. Other changes are best for improved load carrying.

[junglejuice]

All three options have different pros and cons.

Shackles, pros - cheap
cons - no change in load carrying ability
extra load added to the unibody mountings
potential legality issues

Add-A-Leaf, pros - cheap
extra load carrying ability due to spring rate change
no legality issues

cons - potential for a change in ride quality
potential for reduced flex

Airbags, pros - variable load carrying ability
variable ride height
no effect on ride when empty
no reduction in flexibilty, can be improved with a coupling valve)
no legality issues

cons - relatively expensive
potentially less wheel travel (depending on bags fitted)
potential for damage to the bags albeit fairly low
requires regular pressure check adjustment

I personally have the OME 2" kit with an Add-A-leaf and the airbags on top of it and wouldn't have it any other way, fully loaded it still rides at the same height as does when empty without a harsh ride that you can get with heavier springs but when empty the ride is still good although I did decide that a chassis reinforcement was required to prevent chassis deformation, so far it has been 100% successful....

Cheers, JJ

[djkrisp1]

All three options have different pros and cons.

Shackles, pros - cheap
cons - no change in load carrying ability
extra load added to the unibody mountings
potential legality issues

Add-A-Leaf, pros - cheap
extra load carrying ability due to spring rate change
no legality issues

cons - potential for a change in ride quality
potential for reduced flex

Airbags, pros - variable load carrying ability
variable ride height
no effect on ride when empty
no reduction in flexibilty, can be improved with a coupling valve)
no legality issues

cons - relatively expensive
potentially less wheel travel (depending on bags fitted)
potential for damage to the bags albeit fairly low
requires regular pressure check adjustment

I personally have the OME 2" kit with an Add-A-leaf and the airbags on top of it and wouldn't have it any other way, fully loaded it still rides at the same height as does when empty without a harsh ride that you can get with heavier springs but when empty the ride is still good although I did decide that a chassis reinforcement was required to prevent chassis deformation, so far it has been 100% successful....

Cheers, JJ

Great info JJ as usual
i actually have an air bag kit in the shed but it was taken off when the 2" kit was fitted because it had a stuffed bag on one side. maybe i can find out what kit it is a replace the bag and put an add a leaf on as well,
Once again JJ thank you very much for your helpful info.

[junglejuice]

If your airbags look like this,

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x451/junglejuice72/Suspension/21042012152_resize.jpg

Then you can also get longer airbags from the US, IIRC the stock kits use a bag of around 8" travel where you can get 10" bags as well...

JJ

[djkrisp1]

If your airbags look like this,

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x451/junglejuice72/Suspension/21042012152_resize.jpg

Then you can also get longer airbags from the US, IIRC the stock kits use a bag of around 8" travel where you can get 10" bags as well...

JJ

Standbye, ill go take a photo LOL

[djkrisp1]

Standbye, ill go take a photo LOL

is this the same ?

[junglejuice]

Yep, sure is....

[djkrisp1]

Yep, sure is....

Cool, so where do i get spares from for these ? and are these any good as far as performance goes ? ive seen the ones pedders do and they seem to be so much more robust than these.

[junglejuice]

Do a google search for airlift suppliers, I have a table somewhere on the different sizes or this type of bag.
As far as the other bags, they can be hard to fit with a small lift, I am planning on making a bolt in crossmember for the rear that will incorporate the shock mounts and move the airbags inboard away from the tyres, it will also include a truss for the might d35 as well.
I have kept a rear section off an old wreck and I have some springs and a stuffed d35 so I can turn it upside down and work on the fabrication of this in the workshop, no idea how it will turn out.....

JJ