gump

as a few of you know i had some real big troubles with my mustang so i just decided to sell it and buy something else. i think i'm going to go back to a truck and lower it that way it'd be easier to get in it. my question is is it better to put a air bag system on ,that way it can go up and down, or just drop it to desired ride height?

i called air ride technologies and they priced me everything i need including the keychain remote for $3500 (OUCH!! plus i have to pay someone to install it!). it does have its advandages by lowering so i could get in and take my chair apart then raising back up at the push of a button.

then there's just lowering it to one height. which in a way kind of scares me because i dont want to hit a speedbump and rip something off underneath. this way would be cheaper but i heard when you lower something the ride isn't as good after you do it.

has anybody ever installed either of these or know ballpark labor cost would be? id appreciate any info. thanks

Temporary_User

To me it is stupid to lower a truck.
Im pretty sure that your info on lowering not giving a good ride is bogus. I think that is only if you just cut your springs instead of buying a new kit.
personnally if you could afford it I would go w/ the air.

GetRdone

Temporary User.....if u actually read what he said, he mentions taking apart his chair.....thus a Wheelchair.....so he has a REASON to lower the truck, not just for the look. And no matter what, lowering a vechicle will decrease the ride quality, but it can go anywhere from barely noticeable, to feeling every bump, it all depends how u do it. Gump, heres what u need to consider; With a static drop (just lowered, no airbags) you will have marginally better handling at the cost of a slightly (depending how much u drop it) decreased ride quality. I kinda need to know how low you wanna go. You may be able to do it with a slightly shorter set of springs or some spring shackles, or you could go all the way to drop spindles, shorter shocks and springs, and a reversed leaf spring assembly (if your vehicle is equipped with leaf springs). For air ride; your either all in, or your not. Its a costlye process, requiring a full redo of the suspension, plumbing the air lines, and storing a tank and compresser (sometimes noisy) in your trunk/truck bed or somewhere. Also, air bags can blow out in freezing weather, or if you were to for some reason hit a real big dropoff or bump, goin pretty fast.
You could lower the truck with a static drop for prolly 400$ parts and labor for the decent way (100 for the real ghetto setup), or near 1200$ (or more for special parts in certain cases) for a real low, real nice drop. Air ride will cost u a minimum of like 1200$ for parts (and u ALWAYS need at least one thing they dont give u in the kit), and then around 13-15 hours worth of labor for the install depending on mechanics....thats another 11-15 hundred dollars. Air ride is cool if you can afford it, but not always practical. Lemme know how far u wanna drop the truck and i can prolly narrow the advice down a bit.

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Scorps

If you want a easy to get in truck buy a S10 or another small truck!

gump

i'm going to go with a dodge dakota. i had one before and my parents have one now i use. even though its low it just needs to be lower.

getrdone - thanks for the input. id like to have it as low as possible without having to cut the bed. i looked at theirs this evening and from what i could tell the lowest it can go without rubbing should be good.

Scorps

get it lower with airride and 20 inchers

GetRdone

you can probably lower the truck about 5 in front and 6 in rear without the axle rubbing. Tell me tho, is it a 4x4, because if so it makes it a bit harder to lower. Anythin more than like 5/6 inches and you may have to c-notch the frame and or cut the bed.

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gump

its two wheel drive. i'm almost 100% sure i'm going to get another dakota r/t. i had one a few years ago and really liked it but dodge refunded my money so i let it go back. is 5 in the front and 6 in the back about as low as an airbag kit would go? thanks

Scorps

R/T damn nice..I remember driving one of them one time, they got balls!

gump

mine was pretty strong for a little truck. it was a yellow extended cab and with flows on um they sound pretty mean.

twilightfoix

it's a money issue, and unless you cut the springs or just press them them then yeah the ride quality is going to suffer, but on the other hand the air bag suppension would definately be the way to go as long as you have the extra $3500 lying around for parts plus labor, but putting some lowering springs on it would be just as effective just without the control and it would be much cheaper.

GetRdone

air ride kits can go as low as u want in most cases, the only things that stop it are; the size of the bag/cylinder, how high or low it mounts (ie if it mounts low, the car cant drop as much, mounted higher up in the vechicle allows more drop), and whether or not the fram gets in the way. Since you dont wanna cut the from or the bed, its safe to say that with either bags or static drop, the most ur gonna get is 5/6. Besides, 5/6 is the largest i see most static drop kits available.

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gump

thanks for all the comments fellas. if i did go with a static drop which brand should i go with? i talked to a local guy and he wants me to come talk to him and he said he'd give me a good deal on everything i need. so i've got my fingers crossed on that. so now i'm off to find a truck. thanks again

shakran

Hey Gump - you probably already know this but just in case you don't, some car makers offer a disability rebate if the car will be converted to an accessible vehicle - you might want to check in to that. I know with ford, the rebate would nearly pay for the airbag system.

gump

hey shakran - i have already checked on that and it's for new vehicles only. i've actually used this program twice; once with my truck and another time on my parents (2 free sets of handcontrols at $500 a set). thanks for the reply though

Redlemon

Did you read through The Car Talk Special Needs Zone? You probably know everything applicable to your situation that is in there, but just in case...

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gump

thanks for link red.... most everything on it i already knew but some other stuff i didnt.

questone

Get it lower with airride

IanSturgill

On the topic, or in general, i really hate the whole mini truck lowering thing. It seems like people take a truck and turn it into a twoseater car. But do what you hafta man.

majik_6

I've had a static drop (3"/4"), hydraulics, and now airride on my truck, and I'd say that the airride is the best thing that I could have done. I got away with paying 2400.00 installed, because one of the locals is a well-known customizer in the region and he builds a lot of the components from less-expensive (but stronger) industrial parts. I've got an engine driven compressor, so I've almost always got air to play with.

It was expensive and I decided to cut the shit outta my bed, but I can lay my truck on the frame or raise it to right around stock height at the flick of a switch. If you've got the money to get and maintain the system then airride is great. However, I really think that spending the money for airride is best if you step-notch the frame and cut the bed (you get the most drop that way).

Either way, do your homework on the materials and the shop installing it, and be sure to update on what you decide!

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