Thread: Helper airbags - spacers for suspension lift

Hi Steve

My rear arbags came with a thick rubber spacer about 50 mm thick with a hole on the top for the air line to come out of. I cant remember there being a spacer underneath (which makes me wonder if the bottom plate bolts might wear through ...Hmmm) anyway mine require a minimum of 11 psi and fill the spring space. I have the heavy duty tough dog springs all round I think they are a 35mm lift (although I bought them as a two inch lift kit). Where does your airline come out of the spring.

Originally Posted by fid-def

Hi Steve

My rear arbags came with a thick rubber spacer about 50 mm thick with a hole on the top for the air line to come out of. I cant remember there being a spacer underneath (which makes me wonder if the bottom plate bolts might wear through ...Hmmm) anyway mine require a minimum of 11 psi and fill the spring space. I have the heavy duty tough dog springs all round I think they are a 35mm lift (although I bought them as a two inch lift kit). Where does your airline come out of the spring.

Thanks. Are yours the firestone ones, or polyair?
I've seen a few posts where people have run them for years just straight on the lower bolts without a problem.
My airline will come out the top of the spring, through a steel plate that fits in the spring mount. I know I'm going to have to make up a bit of a spacer, just trying to work out how much it needs to space...

Steve

I have an inch teflon block under my bags, cut a grove in the underside with a router and this locates the spacer over the bolt heads and gives the airbags a nice smooth seat. had the same air bags in a rr classic, D1 and now te D2 so that would make them over 10 years old.
cheers
blaze

actually reading thisI remembered mine (polyair) does have a spacer underneath as well as the one on top. The bottom one has a chanel cut to allow it to sit over the lower spring plate and the two bolts

I fitted poly-airs recently as well - definitely has a grooved spacer at the bottom - I'll be wary of having the bags straight on the coil retainer bolts, expensive to replace if it goes wrong!
Thickness of the spacer is to allow for a lift or not, I might be wrong but it seems the bags are all the same length?

I checked my Polyairs after 10 years and the roughest roads in OZ, and the bolts had made no impression on the bottom of the bags.

IMHO, seeing the bags are "helpers" they should not be carrying any load at normal unladen height. With spacers in mine the ride unladen was atrocious, so I took the spacers out.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I checked my Polyairs after 10 years and the roughest roads in OZ, and the bolts had made no impression on the bottom of the bags.

IMHO, seeing the bags are "helpers" they should not be carrying any load at normal unladen height. With spacers in mine the ride unladen was atrocious, so I took the spacers out.
Regards Philip A

So the ride was too harsh unladen?
How much gap is under your bags with the spacers removed?

Steve

Last year I had many conversations with the CoilRite bag people.

When I bought them I was asked if my vehicle was fitetd with standard or lifted springs... Lifted springes I replied, about 2 inches.

They sent me the bags and 3 spacers for each side. The spacers seemed too tall to me, but i put them in anyway. A few days later of corrugated roads they had both split.

Turns out they sent me spacers for an effective 2 inch lift and not the actual lift of the car. Using HD King springs in the rear, my motor is about 0.5 - 1 inch taller than standard.

To their credit they sent me new bags and we agreed that I only needed the plastic seat that they come with and no additional spacers.

The plastic seat has a notch at each side to allow the spring retainer plate to clear the bags.

There's a metal plate at the top to hold the bag in place and it has a hole in the centre to allow the pipe out.

The car has now done about 20k with no complaints. When unlaiden I run about 5 - 10psi. If Im towing or fully laiden, about 20psi.

The bags are not designed to take vertical load, they provide stiffness by creating a vertical wall of friction between the bag and spring thus controlling the spring movement.

J