Air Helper Suspension

[jan.dup]

I've had air helpers on my previous "old" Triton. I really enjoyed them but want to get some help/advice before I go ahead with fittng them to my New Triton. There's a couple of reasonings behind this with pro's and cons.
Pro's - In Off Road coditions with a heavy load you can lift the vehicle to get a better height (departure and breakover angles) - You can "level out" the vehicle in heavy load conditions (not sagging behind) - If driving without load, deflate air suspension for an easy, more comfortable ride (do not need to go for heavy suspension that makes "empty" driving very bumpy) - do'nt need to load bin in balance, because you just inflate more on the heavier side.
Cons - Articulation not so good as without air helpers??? - What else??

[4wd26]

Cons:
cost
If you are rellying on the air helpers for load carrying (really loaded up 4x4 touring, and the airbag gets holed) you have not upgraded the springs to suport the weight.

Pros,
I really like the idea of comfort around town.

I'll be looking for "add a coil" adds a coils spring to the rear leafs instead of air, better for my intended use (desert crossings)

[jan.dup]

Thanks 4wd26 - the airbag being punctured does make sense but I'm told it rarely happens - then again, what if and you're in the middle of nowhere!? The purpose of installing them is for "really loaded up 4x4 touring" as you stated above. Will maybe do some research on the "add a coil" option before I make a final decision. I do have the medium OME suspension kit in the rear and the constant load upfront.
Anybody out there done this, or that have knowledge about this ??

[4wd26]

I thought you were from SA.

Not sure who over there would do this "add a coil" as the people who do it here are not big companies and don't "onsell" the product.

Its a custom instalation from what I was told when I enquired.

[url]http://www.freds4wd.com.au/index.html[/url]

This is the place I'm going to get mine done (he actually comes to the vehicle to install)

Food for thought

[jan.dup]

Yea 4wd26, I am from SA. Thanks for that link - Now I understand the concept better and have something to work from as I look around here for possible manufacturers/suppliers.
Are you going to fit the "add a coil" ? If and when so please give feedback on the outcome.

[jan.dup]

The air suspension guys in Cape Town offered me a free 3 month trial period after which I can decide to keep them or take them out. After I fitted them I played around with different pressures (and therefore heights) It became apparent that the higher the vehicle is lifted at the back, the more serious the vibration gets with take off. I normally run my ute with height at 610mm at the back (middle of wheel to top of mud guard arch) - at this height there is only a slight vibration. The front sits at 590mm.
I went for some 3-4 grading offroad to test the kit and must say it performed quite well.