Truck Sags When Towing... Air Bags?

[Bogle45]

I don't tow very often, but when I do or even when I have a considerable load in the back of my half ton Silverado my rear end sags. I was thinking about putting heavier leaf springs on but I am assuming that my ride quality would suffer. So therefore I began thinking about air bags for my truck. Does anyone else have air bags on their truck for this reason? Good idea or bad idea. What do the cost?

[asilverblazer]

It's actually suposed to do this. If you have not cranked your torsion bars up, when the truck is loaded the rear end sags to make the truck level. If the load you are hauling sags past level so that the rear is lower than the front. A helper spring of some sort would not be a bad idea. If this type of load is a common occurence I would suggest a helper leaf spring, which would make the ride rougher unloaded but it would be fine loaded. If you tow very rarely then I would go airbags. Likely the lighter duty version. Also helper springs would be considerably more cost effective.

[mljenkins]

I put helper springs on my '06 1/2 ton. I bought them from JC Whitney and they were delivered by UPS. Bought the 1-ton model although they don't recommend them for 1/2 tons. The 1-ton springs come with the u-bolts to go back to a 3/4-ton, but the 3/4-ton can't be increased. I put all the helper springs on anyway and just didn't tighten them up very much. My truck already had the heavy duty suspension on it, so I don't notice a difference in the ride.

 

The helper springs do squeek sometimes when you go over rough roads or have a load in the back and the springs take the shock. I had to have them as I tow a gooseneck horse trailer and the weight pushed me almost to the bottom of my factory springs. I didn't mind it, but other people on the road kept highbeaming me since my lights were pointed up. That got old real quick.

 

I tried the cheap helper springs that Autozone sells first. They cost about $15-$30 for a pair. They did help, but were nowhere near enough support for what I needed. I took them off and installed the Hellwig springs. They were worth the extra money and were pretty easy to install.

 

Matt

[Truckin2003]

ive been considering the Timbrens for my truck but havent bought them yet...they may be an option for you to look at. there website is timbren.com and the cheapest that i found them is at truckspring.com ...hope this helps

[Bogle45]

I don't tow very often, but when I do or even when I have a considerable load in the back of my half ton Silverado my rear end sags. I was thinking about putting heavier leaf springs on but I am assuming that my ride quality would suffer. So therefore I began thinking about air bags for my truck. Does anyone else have air bags on their truck for this reason? Good idea or bad idea. What do the cost?

 

 

I just ran across some Air Adjustable Shock Absorbers while looking for air ride systems. Anyone familiar with these shock absorbers? How do the work?

[omegafiler]

I had the roadmaster active suspension system on my old '00 tahoe and it worked extremely well. Just google 'em and check out their website. They have some videos/pictures that explain how they work. Basically, since they use a separate spring, they only effect the ride when you have a load on the truck or perhaps are driving aggressively. It keeps the truck level and provides a better ride (ie. reduced body roll, for example). So during normal driving, there are no negative side effects such as a harsh ride or noises.

[notslow]

I installed the firestone airbag helper springs on my 99 Tahoe 4x4. They are great for towing. You can keep a softer ride, then just add pressure when you tow. My truck stays level no matter how much weight is on the hitch.