timbrens vs. airbags

[moose074]

I haven’t had airbags on any of my rides but when I had 1/2 ton I had Sumos on my Tundra and Timbren on the 150 now I have aircell on the 350 no complaints on any I couldn’t tell difference ride was good for me loaded and unloaded. I prefer over airbags due to price Aircell less than 175 took 20 minutes to install should have been less but had to clear away powder coating haven’t looked back no letting air in or out or checking for level no airlines no air compressors no holes I do see the draw and maybe one day I will get airbags but for now what I have now works great

[Skyliner]

Timbrens versus Airbags?

Neither- Road Master Active Suspension is what I installed on two of my tow vehicles. Not only reduces sag but improves handling when towing and not towing. The difference in handling is incredible and all of my neighbors who own the same truck as I do now have RAS.

Airbags help with load squat but don't improving the truck's handling. In addition, nothing worse then a blown airbag. I did the airbag thing and I had a bag blow on its first trip. Never again!

Check out the website for roadmaster active suspension before you make a final decision.

[dbledan]

I have used both. Timbrens are on my current F150 and I got them to resolve squat and porpoiseing and they have done that well with little effort.

The airbags were on an F250 towing the same trailer. It helps to level and remove the bounce as well as I didnt need the WDH with what I was pulling with. I was not really able to tell what the difference was from stock on this because they were always on the 250.

Both resolved any concerns I had for level and bounce.

Timbrens are fairly cheap and very easy to install with a ratchet and a jack. $230ish. They are not active on my daily driver unless I have a load and most important they did not void my warranty. There is one adjustment you can make with a spacer. If installed correctly they will engage when they need to in order to level or prevent bounce. If your trailer is not hooked up and they are engaged you did it wrong. If your trailer is hooked up and they are not engaged by resting on them either you don't need them or you put them on wrong. My one handling issue is speed bumps. This is somewhat on me. I don't slow down and they hit providing a bit of a buck when they connect to the axle. The ride is a bit rougher when setup right on both.

Airbags were more complex because of auto inflation. It required wiring to the cab and a compressor. Depending on if you want auto inflate or not can cost from $200ish to 1000. On some older installs I have heard of them loosing pressure needing to be replaced once they bottom out so you may want something with a bump stop inside it. The ride is much more adjustable but you have to make the decision on if you want to pay for convenience of easy airing up.

To each his own and best of luck. Either Timbrens or airbags would solve your specific problem if adjusting the WDH cannot.

For your WDH if you are within 1/8 an inch of stock in front I don't see this causing your problem. It may not help but should not cause it. If still stuck you could weigh with and without the bars you should be able to tell how much you are transferring back to the front. My guess is your rear suspension is softer (they try to make these trucks ride like cars) and your weight distro is ok but you have room to drop too much in the rear causing the bounce....maybe I am wrong on this but checking the weights would help you with safety and setup and only costs $10 first time and a dollar for each reweigh it would also tell you if you need to spend more or not.

[rp53]

Originally Posted by Skyliner

Timbrens versus Airbags?

Neither- Road Master Active Suspension is what I installed on two of my tow vehicles. Not only reduces sag but improves handling when towing and not towing. The difference in handling is incredible and all of my neighbors who own the same truck as I do now have RAS.

Airbags help with load squat but don't improving the truck's handling. In addition, nothing worse then a blown airbag. I did the airbag thing and I had a bag blow on its first trip. Never again!

Check out the website for roadmaster active suspension before you make a final decision.

Thanks for the info, looked at some video on these, my question is did it raise the rear when unloaded ? or did it just keep the rear from sagging when under load i use a Anderson WDH and i am pretty good on adjustments the ride just seems to be soft and i get some proposing when on uneven roads like going over a bridge or something. the truck is new and we all know they are trying to get them to ride like a car

[rp53]

well i looked at about 11,000,000 videos and decided to go with the Roadmaster Active Suspension installed this morning haven"t towed with it yet but the unloaded ride is much better that before. it did raise the rear height about an inch