Airbags or add a leaf for sled deck and 2xp's on a Tundra

[Gunder]

I am leaning towards the airbag route to help beef up the rear of my 06 Double cab when I got the sled deck and the sleds loaded up. Just wanted to see what the general concesous is with the bags vs. add a leaf and what bags are best.

Thinking I'd prefer to not add a leaf as I dont want to stiffin the back end up when its not loaded all summer.

[nvr2deep]

Airbags are the way to go. They're pretty cheap if you don't add a on board compressor and just fill them at the house when your headed out. Also it wont change the unloaded ride of the truck like extra leafs will. I've had firestone ride rite's on my truck for about 6 years and It's one of the best things I've done.

[born2snowboard99]

^I agree.

Adding another leaf will give you worse ride quality ALL the time. It will be more firm and bouncy.

As to which airbag to go with, I do not have a clue.

How has your truck held up with the sleds on it with stock suspension? A buddy had an 05 Tundra and it sagged pretty bad when a few guys sat on the tailgate, I cannot imagine how bad it is with sleds and a sled deck.

[Cruiser]

Those Firestone Sportrite (sp?) airbags seem to get pretty positive reviews. They're easy to install and not to difficult to adjust if you need a little more/less help on a particular day. They're probably not the ideal solution if you do much off road driving and really flex the rear suspension. AAL's are a good option as well since they'll beef up the rear packs and give you some better weight distribution back there. You'll sacrifice some ride comfort unloaded though. Another option is to have a set of custom replacement rear leaf packs made. A company like www.alcanspring.com could put a set of leaves together that would give you the extra capacity that you need without making the ride particularly harsh when you're running around in the summer unloaded.

If you're staying mostly on the road and trying to keep it cheap and easy then airbags are the answer. If you want a higher quality permanent solution then get a hold of Alcan.

[xtrmjoe]

Air bags are the way to go if you don't haul all the time.

[DAFTC]

Strongly recommend Timbrens over airbags. They're basically big extended stops that bolt in place of the factory rubber.

http://www.timbren.com/

I put them on a tacoma that already had two extra leafs and a small lift and got a huge improvement in reducing body roll. Easy to install/remove, no issues w/temp or elevation, no adjusting, no issues w/unloaded ride quality.

[Gunder]

Awesome thank guys. Now any idea where the best place is to order online?

[robnow]

Anyone else use those Timbrens? Seems like an ideal solution. Most of the winter I'll have a quad or sled on the back for work/play but nothing but bicycles in the summer.

[kona12]

Anyone else use those Timbrens? Seems like an ideal solution. Most of the winter I'll have a quad or sled on the back for work/play but nothing but bicycles in the summer.

2nd on the timbrens. I have a pair in my 03 tundra for when we have our truck camper loaded. Because we WAY overload the truck, we had to special order anti twist (heavy duty) timbrens. The have made driving much easier. Plus you don't have to worry about airing the bags up and down each time you use them.

[kidwoo]

What's different about the timbrens over just a big hunk of rubber in there?

Are they removeable? Or are you just stuck with a setup that bottoms on the timbren bumper all the time?

[DAFTC]

What's different about the timbrens over just a big hunk of rubber in there?

Are they removeable? Or are you just stuck with a setup that bottoms on the timbren bumper all the time?

Nothing. They are basically a big hunk of "specially formed" rubber in there.

They go on/off via a plate between the U-bolts and leaf pack. Don't know if that's what you consider "removable". You could certainly go back to stock for purposes of a sale, but I don't see why you'd want to pull them regularly if you're regularly needing to move a load and you have clearance over them when unloaded. I liked them b/c they're a really low-tech solution with minimal fail points. Basically, they make moving too much weight around a question of your axle/tire ratings. Which can be exciting.

[kidwoo]

I don't see why you'd want to pull them regularly if you're regularly needing to move a load and you have clearance over them when unloaded.

Just because it seems like you'd lose some smoov™ when you're not loaded. Seems like a good cheap way to go, just less versitile than air bags.

[TWINS]

I am running airlift airbags in my Chevy fullsize truck.Love them.
Have a onboard compressor and dump valve/pressure gauge located under the console.Works like a charm as I need to raise and lower the rear end depending on my jobsites.
If you go Airlift with a compressor go with the dual valve setup to stop any body roll while cornering.

[ACH]

Hey Gunder, I put a set on my Dodge to manage the camper. After shopping around a bit I found the best price on eBay.

[kona12]

Just because it seems like you'd lose some smoov™ when you're not loaded. Seems like a good cheap way to go, just less versitile than air bags.

When you add the timbrens, you leave an inch or so between the leaf and the rubber....so you still have some smooth befor the rubber engages. With that said bigger bumps to give you a good bounce!

[kidwoo]

With that said bigger bumps to give you a good bounce!

Exactly what I'm talking about. Seems cheap and easy but also kind of ghetto.

[dawsoner]

Get a two place trailer, or a 3/4 ton truck.

Tundra's have a payload capacity of 1,500lbs, that doesn't include gas in the truck, gas in the sleds, passengers, riding gear, oil, or your sled deck.

Keep in mind most weight ratings you see are going to be for dry vehicles. When things are ready to ride they are much heavier (gasoline alone is 6lb/gallon) and sleds end up packed with snow. It all adds up way faster than you think. A deck, 2 sleds ready to ride, 2 people, and all your crap (you're a photographer right?) is easily going to be 2000lbs. That's just dangerous.

Get a trailer.

[AdironRider]

Despite whats mentioned above your truck with airbags should handle the load.

However, and its a pretty big however, if you do wreck the thing, or even just lightly rear end someone, your insurance is going to deny the claim as to them you will be way overloaded, regardless of your increased payload capacity from mods.

Just my 2 cents, Id want a 3/4 ton myself, but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.