Disco air springs and spacers...

[fkphoto]

was wondering if anyone has experience running spacers on the disco II's with sls air springs in the rear for off road use. i've heard mixed reviews so far. if the air springs are new, they should hold up, right...?

 

[MattScott]

Save yourself the time, and just go to coil springs, air suspension is cool, but it's just a pain in the MMM. You can do spacers, but if your keeping the truck, eventually you'll ditch the bags. Save the time.

 

[fkphoto]

Save yourself the time, and just go to coil springs, air suspension is cool, but it's just a pain in the MMM. You can do spacers, but if your keeping the truck, eventually you'll ditch the bags. Save the time.

why will i eventually ditch the air bags? if they're in new condition, do they not hold up?

 

[MattScott]

Put your vehicle in your profile. They hold up great for mall expeditions, actually they still break.

 

[fkphoto]

Put your vehicle in your profile. They hold up great for mall expeditions, actually they still break.

i would put my vehicle on my profile but i don't know how...

 

[fkphoto]

profile picture

ok done

 

[yubert]

ok done

Frank, it's NOT done. Look at the upper left "tool bar" for "User CP", click on that and thn in th left column, click on "Edit Profile Picture". From there you can upload a profile picture.

 

[RoverDude]

Per our e-mail conversation.....

"I had a DII with rear SLS. I had the 2" spacer, and THOUGHT that was the way to go. Blew an air bag 500 miles into Baja and ruined my trip. When you get the chance, change to coil springs! Don't even think about it."

 

[superpowerdave]

I disagree.

Depending on what you're doing with the truck, spacers in the back are an adequate way to raise the performance some, but if money isn't an object and towing isn't a concern, get the springs.

Anybody still running air bags in the rear should also be carrying a spare, which are cheap because so many guys are doing the conversion. I wouldn't dream of running my truck off-road anywhere without a spare air bag, let alone a 500-mile Baja trip ... that was just poor planning.

If you're making big plans for big rocks then yes, ditch the bags, but if you're looking at lifting the truck without losing some of the features then keep them and buy a spare.

 

[RoverDude]

... that was just poor planning.

I'll say. As I should have swapped to coils before the trip. How many people do you know that need to pack a spare coil spring? Think about that.

 

[superpowerdave]

I'll say. As I should have swapped to coils before the trip. How many people do you know that need to pack a spare coil spring? Think about that.

I concur ... before taking my rig on a 500-plus mile trip off-road I'd have done the swap too. I'm just not a guy to jump on the 'swap to coils because air bags are junk' wagon ... I ran bags in the P38 for four years before finally switching them out, and I still run 'em in my DII. I've always carried spare bags in the trail box though.

On a side note though ... I've seen four snapped coils on the trail ... and one failed air bag (And this means nothing, just my personal experience. I am in no way stating that coils are more susceptible to failure than air bags ... at all.)

 

[fkphoto]

isn't it easy to replace an air bag on a DII?

 

[proper4wd]

Yes, very easy. Takes about 5 minutes.

Disconnect air line, remove two top retaining clips, unseat bag at top, twist 90*, and remove. The hardest part is not losing the retaining clips.

I have 4 of these bags in good shape from removing them for conversions. I am toying with the idea of using them in a trailer suspension. The jury is still out though.

One thing you can (and should) do if you have the airbags is to frequently and liberally spray them down with WD40. It will keep the rubber soft and help prevent cracking and abrasive wear.

 

[Brian McVickers]

My 2001 DII has the rear air bags and 2" spacers.
I like the system and it performs well on the trail however I don't trust it in the long haul. I have a new set of extra heavy duty OME springs from Expedition Exchange sitting here ready to replace the bags either this week or next week. If you have any questions on the swap just call Ho at EE and he'll help you pick the right springs for your use.

I've had one airbag blow on me, while running El Camino del Diablo, and limped home 250 miles with a couple of wood blocks as a spring and ratchet straps as a shock! - I actually got up to around 60mph on the highway.

I had another bag just leak while in the driveway.

Since then I have carried one spare bag all the time and two spares on trips.
I like the way the bags adjust to keep the vehicle level regardless of the load and you can press a button to get an extra 2" of lift on demand.

For me, swapping to coils will give me one less thing to worry about.

Brian

 

[fkphoto]

My 2001 DII has the rear air bags and 2" spacers.
I like the system and it performs well on the trail however I don't trust it in the long haul. I have a new set of extra heavy duty OME springs from Expedition Exchange sitting here ready to replace the bags either this week or next week. If you have any questions on the swap just call Ho at EE and he'll help you pick the right springs for your use.

I've had one airbag blow on me, while running El Camino del Diablo, and limped home 250 miles with a couple of wood blocks as a spring and ratchet straps as a shock! - I actually got up to around 60mph on the highway.

I had another bag just leak while in the driveway.

Since then I have carried one spare bag all the time and two spares on trips.
I like the way the bags adjust to keep the vehicle level regardless of the load and you can press a button to get an extra 2" of lift on demand.

For me, swapping to coils will give me one less thing to worry about.

Brian

when you had the one airbag blow out on the trail, was it an old air bag? or did it just take a big jolt on the trail? (or both)