FRONT AIRBAG INSERTS on FZJ80 (1 Viewer)

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Yes, it can be done here in the states for under 100USD. It requires that you remove the upper bump stop, cut it down to be slightly lower than the spacer, drill a hole thru the top of the upper arm (only on 1 side, go figure), and route the lines. Took me longer to do the stock application rears

Scott Justusson
94 FZJ80 with airbag inserts x 4
FRONTBAGS 1.jpg
 
I have zero experience with airbags, never seen one before. That thing looks like it won't survive more than 6 months, either getting pinched or just worn through from the friction of the spring. Is that normal, and do they last?

-Spike
 
-Spike- said:
I have zero experience with airbags, never seen one before. That thing looks like it won't survive more than 6 months, either getting pinched or just worn through from the friction of the spring. Is that normal, and do they last?

-Spike
They have some cool term for that, I forgot what it was. They will eventually fail, but they last a long time. I've had mine in for more than 6 months without issue. The key is to get the proper application to avoid binding, and to not let the psi get below min (6 on the airlift brand).

For me, my goal (see OCD thread) is stock rake angle, regardless of truck height. When I added the TJM, I had a pretty nasty rake angle problem. Now solved.

The side benefit is spring tuning to the conditions at hand. I experimented with this a bit at steamboat Ice Track and found that increasing the air bag pressure, reduced lap times (less wheel travel), so I put back to min. I would guess on twisty paved roads, I'd want to add some air.

Air pressure is also quite tuneable, you can run stiffer than Bilsteins, or softer like stock. pssst....

SJ
 
LX_TREME said:
Off topic, at least keep those clean :rolleyes:

ha, steamboat trip carnage. I just figured on adding more grease. I clean the outside and inside of my truck regularly. I service it regularly. Cleaning the underside?! Be careful, I'lll take hi res pics of my radiator carnage!

don't make me do it...

SJ
 
do you have independent fill lines for each bag or does the front pair / rear pair share common lines (and thus allow air to crossover leftto right)?

how is articulation?
 
Rusty Phillips said:
do you have independent fill lines for each bag or does the front pair / rear pair share common lines (and thus allow air to crossover leftto right)?

how is articulation?

I paired them, so there is crossover front to front and rear to rear. Unless one is modifying the oriface size on the bags, I doubt any or much gain would be had by running them independently. I've read the threads on rear airbags, but certainly if one wants to make the claim, it would be pretty easy to figure the airflow thru a 1/4 inch line and fitting.

Articulation is better with lower air pressure, and gets much more limited as air pressure increases. I normally run the fronts around 10-12psi to take the extra weight of the TJM, and the rears I run at 6psi (min) unless trailering and/or loading it down.

I'm sure many have spent more on the front suspension than I did putting the bags in, but there's no question this mod has great bang4buck value.

Scott Justusson
 
Scott, not saying it's wrong... just asking because im curious. Are air bags designed to be ran upfront? Isn't your handling going to feel all strange? Do you feel any spongeyness? I understand the reasoning for the rear for load conditions, but this is the first time i've seen them upfront on a vehicle.
 
I would think that the ride quality would be the same as running a stiffer set of springs up front. All he is doing is increasing the effective spring rate with the air bags IMHO. I remember when he did this long time ago before he went ice course racing in CO. His reasoning at that time was less nose diving around the corners.
 
Scott, not saying it's wrong... just asking because im curious. Are air bags designed to be ran upfront? Isn't your handling going to feel all strange? Do you feel any spongeyness? I understand the reasoning for the rear for load conditions, but this is the first time i've seen them upfront on a vehicle.

There are many applications for front bags, the LC in the states just apparently not one of them. I suspect it's from the design of the toy bumpstop, but it's easily modded. As Alia176 points out, the main reason I put them on was to allow load compensation for extra front end weight. In the 4 years I've had them front and rear, I have only found them to add more versatility to an already versatile truck. I've towed, offroaded, ran Steamboat Ice track with them, and pretty much put them thru every type of abuse possible for almost 100k miles over the last 4 years.

They don't do anything funny to the handling, I've had no issues running them paired front and paired rear, and fully deflated, the truck rides stock, and can offroad as a stock truck would....

I have never serviced, replaced or even repaired them or the lines/fittings/spacers, and the fronts I rarely futz with, unless fine tuning front end ride quality (i.e. at steamboat). The rears I probably averaged at least 1 time a week, playing with pressures to get the ride/height exactly so for comfy loaded-truck cruising.

I had great plans on adding the independent air compressor and in-cabin control, but found over the years, less than 2 minutes with a bike pump is hardly a pita.

HTH and my .02

Scott J
94 FZJ80 Supercharged
Airlift x 4
 
What brand did you use? Are they Air Lift and if so, what part number? I can only find helpers for the rear, and would like to do the front, as well, for full control of the ride, as you have done.

Cheers!
J
 
Last edited:
how are they holding up?
 

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