A Guide to Buying Suspension Air Bags

Have you ever had the feeling when you’re driving with a heavy load or pulling a trailer, that your vehicle’s suspension wanted to completely bottom out? If so, it could be that your factory suspension simply isn’t built for the job.

Suspension components like shocks and springs all weaken over time, and they can certainly leave you with much more than just poor ride quality. Sometimes, however, those components just aren’t designed for the task at hand, and adding more weight to them only makes your ride quality progressively worse. Quite often, by the time your vehicle’s suspension has reached the point of becoming unbearable, its safety has already been dangerously compromised.

If you regularly carry or pull heavy loads, installing air bags on your vehicle is the best way to give your overworked suspension a much-needed rest. There’s nothing exotic about them, and they’re not just for buses and semitrailers. They’re ideal for any car, ute, or 4WD whose suspension needs the added support. And in Australia, no one does air bags better than BOSS.

The Sturdiest Air Bags on the Market

When it comes to suspension components that improve ride quality, there’s no substitute for air bags. BOSS has been the automotive industry’s leading manufacturer of aftermarket air bags for suspension and load assist applications for almost 20 years, and their commitment to heavy-duty air bag technology has resulted in a family of bellows-type air bags that boast twice the strength of any other air bag brand on the market.

BOSS air bags are manufactured using a proprietary blend of cured natural rubber and ballistic woven material that’s reinforced by hi-tensile steel at the neck and bead ring sections. In single-, double-, and triple–bellows configurations, these seamlessly moulded bags can contain up to 26 individual steel cords, rendering them virtually indestructible under ordinary use. And in their sturdiest iteration, the Extreme Series 2, BOSS suspension air bags boast paired ratings between 4,800lbs and 5,200lbs, with pressure ratings that include:

• · A recommended working pressure of 5-160psi;
• · An independent test pressure of 480psi; and,
• · A burst pressure of over 1,000psi.

These specifications have helped to position BOSS air bag assemblies as the aftermarket’s sturdiest air bag suspension components; and with their 6mm, zinc-plated end caps, they’re also guaranteed not to rust out at the frame mounts. They’re the sure way to keep your vehicle from ever bottoming out again, and you can be confident that when it comes to the toughest air bag suspension components in Australia, BOSS has you covered.

Precise Air Bag Configurations

You can find BOSS suspension air bags for sale in either standalone or bag-over configurations.

• · Standalone configurations. Standalone air bags mount directly to the chassis and are used to supplement a vehicle’s OE coilover and leaf spring arrangements.

• · Bag-over configurations. Bag-over air bags can also be mounted directly to the chassis, but are used to replace the OE coilover springs that are used on a vehicle’s shock or strut towers.

Regardless of the type of air bag arrangement you used, installation is straightforward and can usually be completed in 2 hours using only hand tools, a jack, and axle stands. No drilling or cutting is required; and depending on the type and configuration of the air bags, they can be installed on almost any car, ute, caravan, or trailer to serve as:

• · Load assist components for standard or highway use;
• · Independent air suspension components for off-road or competition use; or,
• · Onboarding components to assist with loading and unloading trailers.

Although air bags can’t increase the amount of weight a vehicle’s technically authorized to carry, they do give you the opportunity to set up your suspension precisely the way you want it. And when all their benefits are factored together, it’s easy to see why they’re not just for holding up heavy loads.

Air Bags for all Purposes

Even though BOSS air bag suspensions are known for their strength when it comes to supporting sagging shocks and springs, they also offer a wealth of qualities that can be appreciated far beyond just their lifting muscle, including:

• · Increased road clearance. A BOSS air bag suspension allows you to adjust your ride height to better navigate the types of rough terrain that would be impossible to traverse if your vehicle’s stance couldn’t be modified.

• · Improved towing capability. Air bag suspensions can level out the problematic height difference between your vehicle’s tow bar and your trailer hitch before you hook up, as well as when you’re towing.

• · Better load levelling. When it’s impossible to naturally centre a load, air suspension air bags allow you the flexibility to raise or lower a corner of the vehicle to balance out the ride.

• · Smoother ride. Air bags can provide a cushion-like ride that eliminates the harsh riding characteristics that you’ll encounter when driving on poor-quality roads, through construction zones, or over-speed bumps.

• · Higher performance. If you have a vehicle that’s set up for drag racing or other motorsports, air bags are regularly used for the preloading suspension to eliminate wheel spin, and for torque-to-traction equalization.

From greater stability to better handling, a high-quality suspension air bag setup will make all the difference in how well your vehicle is capable of performing when you have a lot of weight to move. And BOSS also makes a full range of air compressors, air dryers, and height control systems to ensure that you have the opportunity to install their world-class air bags together with other world-class components that exceed expectations.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, there’s no way to understate how important it is not to neglect your vehicle’s suspension system; and if you have worn out or broken OE components, you need to replace them. However, if your factory suspension is performing the way it was designed to and you’re vehicle’s still bottoming out, then you need air bags.

A pair of aftermarket air bags for suspension from BOSS can get your vehicle levelled, tracking correctly, and doing precisely what you need it to do it in no time. BOSS air bags are just as much about safety as they are about strength; and if you’re pulling heavy loads regularly, you’ll be just as impressed by how much safer they make you feel, as you’ll be with their performance.