Firestone Air Bag's!!!

[RACING29]

I am trying to piece a kit together so tell if this sounds good if not tell me what I should change!

4-2600 Firestone Bags 1/2 single port
3-5 gallon tanks
2- 400 compressors
8-1/2 valves why do i need 8 valves only thought I needed4 Why?
1/2 air line- how many feet do I need?
don't know about gauges-any suggestions?
Thanks for any input... DeWayne

[orange72]

on the valves you need 8 if your going with 2 way valves. 2 per corner 1 being for exhaust and 1 for intake. you only need 4 if you go with 3 way valves which lets you get both intake and exhaust in one valve.

[Dropt72Shortbed]

Originally posted by RACING29

3-5 gallon tanks
2- 400 compressors
8-1/2 valves why do i need 8 valves only thought I needed4 Why?

i assume you mean the viair 400 compressors. im not sure if its best to run only two of those with 15 gallons of air. that is not a 100% duty cycle compressor, i hear its quite a bit faster than the 450s though. most guys are running two viair 450s to 10-12 gallons of air, 15 gallons might be a bit too much strain on two 400s.

why not just get one 12 gallon tank? airlift sells a nice 8 1/2" port 12 gallon tank for like $80. beats buying three 5 gallons for $50 or so. unless you plan on running the tanks under the bed, might be hard to fit a 12 gallon.

as for the valves, you need one valve at each corner for lift and for dump. there are certain valves that control the lift AND the dump but they also cost twice as much so its not any cheaper. you can also just run a front/back system, a lift and dump valve up front then have the bags T'ed together, same for the back. however this leaves you with air transfer between bags when you take turns, other words your handling will suffer.

[XXL]

Originally posted by Dropt72Shortbed
why not just get one 12 gallon tank? airlift sells a nice 8 1/2" port 12 gallon tank for like $80. beats buying three 5 gallons for $50 or so. unless you plan on running the tanks under the bed, might be hard to fit a 12 gallon.

That's the problem, I think. I didn't want to clutter up my bed with anything so I had to find places under the truck to put my components. And... there's LOTS of space between the swingarms and driveshaft to put tanks... that is, unless your mufflers are there. Follow my site link below for a couple of pictures of where my tanks, etc., are stashed. They are 3 gallons each, but there's plenty of room to have put 5 gallon tanks... I just don't need that much air and didn't want to spend a fortune on compressors.

Kenneth

[Reumster]

Ok I'm running only rear bags, and close to 10 gals, I have one compressor. 10 gals is anough for 4 bags but fill time is to long need at least two more compressors or a engine driven.

Next you don't need 8 1/2" valves but 4 1/2" fill valves and 4 3/8" dump valves. You'll find that with 3/8" dump valves dumping air is plenty quick, but you'll need 1/2 fill valves for the front for sure. My problem I see in my future is getting the front and the rear to lift at the same speed. Don't limit your self on bag port size. I bought 3/8 port rear bags and I will be selling them soon and going with 1/2" 3/8" rear bags are plenty for the guy who just wants to tow, and play a little.

My main ***** is fill times. Far to long a wait. with one compressor with 10 gals

Also you'll run into frame drilling problems. You need wood blocks, and floor jacks it would be easier I think to remove the trailing arms and the rear axle. Drilling becomes a problem with the trailing arms and rear axle in the way. If I was to do it over again I'd remove the trailing arms and the axle.

Another thing to consider you need Early Classics long pan hard bar conversion. This will decrease the arc and side to side movement in the axle. Also I'd go with bags that lift higher. For sure if you C-notch

[XXL]

Originally posted by Reumster
My main ***** is fill times. Far to long a wait. with one compressor with 10 gals

That compressor will be a doorstop in a few months.

Originally posted by Reumster
Also you'll run into frame drilling problems. You need wood blocks, and floor jacks it would be easier I think to remove the trailing arms and the rear axle. Drilling becomes a problem with the trailing arms and rear axle in the way. If I was to do it over again I'd remove the trailing arms and the axle.

Why? I had my rear bags on in 15 minutes, and that included time to put my tools away. Why is everyone talking about saws and drills for the rears??

Kenneth

[Slammed67]

XXL: Don't you have the Air Ride kit? They use brackets for the rear bags, right? If so, I bet the air line comes out in the space between the top of the bag and the bottom of the frame, right? Well, if you mount the bag without brackets (in the coil spring location) then you have to drill mounting holes and and a 3/4" hole (for the air fitting) through the frame. Make sense? Therefore, it's kind of a ***** to drill a 3/4" hole though all that metal (plus a 1/4" c-notch in my case).

[XXL]

Originally posted by Slammed67
XXL: Don't you have the Air Ride kit? They use brackets for the rear bags, right? If so, I bet the air line comes out in the space between the top of the bag and the bottom of the frame, right? Well, if you mount the bag without brackets (in the coil spring location) then you have to drill mounting holes and and a 3/4" hole (for the air fitting) through the frame. Make sense? Therefore, it's kind of a ***** to drill a 3/4" hole though all that metal (plus a 1/4" c-notch in my case).

Got it! Ouch... I didn't really realize that you guys weren't using brackets in the rear. I guess that also explains your front-to-rear ride height issue.

Thanks for the clarification,

Kenneth

[Reumster]

With them brackets how much is the total spacing? In the bracket alone?

XXL you have Air Ride front brackets? Hows the bag alinement?

Also if you C-notch mounting the rear bags in stock spring location is optimal you'll acheive full travel from your bags.

Without C-notch I spaced on the under side of the rear bags 1" to acheive full use of the bag travel.

[XXL]

Originally posted by Reumster
With them brackets how much is the total spacing? In the bracket alone?

XXL you have Air Ride front brackets? Hows the bag alinement?

The Air Ride bracket is about 1 1/2" or so (I'm guessing )... just tall enough to allow a right angle press-in fitting to clear out a side hole that's cut into the bracket just under the mount point.

The front brackets are also Air Ride and I've never really spent any time looking at the bag alignment. I know there's a lot of talk about this topic but I see it a different way... that is, when you're driving down the road, the front suspension is in an arc travel pretty much all the time as you hit bumps and even tiny dips in the road... so the bag is never "aligned."

Kenneth

[Reumster]

Good point.

[RACING29]

any other suggestion's on a good bag kit?Thanks

[Reumster]

You don't need brackets for the rear. And the front I'd say go with NSANE68 s brackets they look well built.

[Dropt72Shortbed]

Originally posted by XXL

The front brackets are also Air Ride and I've never really spent any time looking at the bag alignment. I know there's a lot of talk about this topic but I see it a different way... that is, when you're driving down the road, the front suspension is in an arc travel pretty much all the time as you hit bumps and even tiny dips in the road... so the bag is never "aligned."

Kenneth

true but also think of it this way,

if the bag is "aligned" at your average compression point, which would be the average bump in the road or as you say it the average lowest point on the arc of travel.

then as the bag extends upwards on the rebound from the bump in the road its going to reach the top of the arc, and be way more misaligned than if it was aligned at the middle of the arc, which is ride height