Best "affordable" bag for '81?

[ca180]

So, I want to bag my truck (long bed) for a moderate slam... I plan on doing AOL in the rear and using SD bag brackets up front.

But what bag can I get for a low price? Firestone on ebay or some other site? What size? 3000 lb? 500 psi capable? I have no clue. I'm new to the whole bag industry.

Anyhow, someone clue me in. I have searched as much as I can, but I keep coming up with endless pointless threads that don't pertain to anything I need to know.

Thanks guys

[bagged69c10]

You will find that everyone has their own oppinions on bags. I always use Slam Specialties RE7s.

[ca180]

Thanks for the help! I checked out their site,,, seems strange. Their bags are cheaper from FBIMINI.com than on their own site. And that was a public cost from FBI wonder what member cost is...

Looks like that bag was designed to replace the firestone 224, is there something wrong with firestone? It seems that firestone bags are cheaper some places than even the SS bags.

I'm sure there comes a level where the cheapness shows, but with two reputable companies they must be decent products. Is there a time where cheaper isn't better?

[leftcoast66]

I run firestones, have 2500 in the front and 2600 in the rear. Had great luck w/ those. bagged69c10 is right, everyone has their own preference. I've never used anything but firestone, but never had issues so that's why I chose firestones.


Anything from AIM, avoid that. I can't remember all their other names, but basically its the company which has the 10 page ads in a lot of the truck magazines. Their also called chassistech and a few other names. Avoid them, there are horror stories on every minitruck forum involving their products.

[Shane]

firestones here as well ... 2,600 lbs. in the front and 2,400 lbs. in the rear

[thxbug]

slam re7s are the way to go i have had them on two of my trucks never had a single problem

[bagged69c10]

The basic differences I know of:
Firestones offer a "CUSHIER" ride because of the thinner bag.
Slams do not expand as they compress so it is easier to make sure the do not rub. Slams get more lift. Slams are thicker=can take more abuse. That is why I prefer Slams. I had Firestones on the front of my 69 and never had a problem either and had universal air bags on the back at one time and never had a problem with them either.

[ca180]

Hmm, great info guys. I appreciate everyones input.

I may go with the RE7's since you guys said they were thicker. Crappy oklahoma roads make me nervous with bags. I've never had em, but I could see popping one being bad.

Anyone know where the best site to pick the slam bags up would be? Best price? FBImini seems to have them for cheaper than the SS store themselves. Anyone know a vendor that gives good deals?

Also, how hard would it really be to make the upper bag mounts for my 81? Looks like they're just cutout pieces of metal the bolt to the lower lip of the spring hat(?). And are the lower cups just for protecting the bag?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by ca180

I may go with the RE7's since you guys said they were thicker. Crappy oklahoma roads make me nervous with bags. I've never had em, but I could see popping one being bad.

They don't just pop unless they're stressed in some manner. Driving down a crappy Oklahoma road won't do it unless you're trying to re-enact a scene from the Dukes of Hazzard movie.

Also, how hard would it really be to make the upper bag mounts for my 81? Looks like they're just cutout pieces of metal the bolt to the lower lip of the spring hat(?).

Correct. Use @ least .250" steel & GRADE-8 3/8" hardware.

And are the lower cups just for protecting the bag?

Correct again. They keep the bag from rubbing against the metal on the spring pocket of the a-arm. Anything rubbing on the bag = stressing the bag.

Another suggestion..... If you run the same size bag for front & rear, you can carry a 'spare' bag for any roadside emergency. Just compress the bag fully, place a good sticky piece of tape over the air inlet to seal it off & the bag will remain compressed easily fitting under the seat.

[hAetWagon]

These are questions I planned on asking in the future. Thanks for beating me to it..lol

[leftcoast66]

Check out thebagshack.net I can't remember his price on slams, but good place and a friend owns it so figured I'd mention it.

[bagged69c10]

I usually buy mine from suicidedoors. But I would imagine that everywhere is gonna be about the same.

[ca180]

So can I make bag cups out of some pipe and plate? Seems easy enough. Lot cheaper too. How tall are they usually?

Thanks again for everybody's help!

[devinjwts]

RE7's for sure!! They re really nice bags. The thing I like most about them is the built in bump stops, it really saves a ton of wear and tear on the bags so they'll last forever. I just picked up 4 of them for my 55 1st series from Mike at FBI and he straight hooked it up!! I got all 4 bags for $260 even!! but thats with wyotech student discount, and Im only 15 miles from their headquarters in rancho cordova so I saved a bunch on shipping. Airlift dominator's are also decent bags and they're a little bit cheaper than the slams.

[LowSmoothCool]

Originally Posted by devinjwts

RE7's for sure!! They re really nice bags. The thing I like most about them is the built in bump stops, it really saves a ton of wear and tear on the bags so they'll last forever. I just picked up 4 of them for my 55 1st series from Mike at FBI and he straight hooked it up!! I got all 4 bags for $260 even!! but thats with wyotech student discount, and Im only 15 miles from their headquarters in rancho cordova so I saved a bunch on shipping. Airlift dominator's are also decent bags and they're a little bit cheaper than the slams.

Slams do not have a built in bump stop they have an inner plastic casting plate but if driven or dropped hard it can crack the cast aluminum tops... just a heads up Not trying to take any thing from Slam it's a great bag but I have seen people take the "inner bumpstop" for granted drive on them and crack the upper and lower plates and say the bags where defective when they weren't.

[devinjwts]

Originally Posted by LowSmoothCool

Slams do not have a built in bump stop they have an inner plastic casting plate but if driven or dropped hard it can crack the cast aluminum tops... just a heads up Not trying to take any thing from Slam it's a great bag but I have seen people take the "inner bumpstop" for granted drive on them and crack the upper and lower plates and say the bags where defective when they weren't.

W/e...Regardless, its a nice feature.

[LowSmoothCool]

On our front kit we use a upper bolt on plate and a lower cup with little to no cutting required.. We use firestone air bags with our kits due to the reliability, ride quality, and durability. We have tested Slam Specialties, Contitech they are nice air bags but for our applications and design they weren't for us. Regardless of who's kit you go with make sure that you run shocks front and rear....

[ca180]

So I picked up a set of bags, bought them without ever seeing them. Now that I have them they look a little small.... Here's the specs on them, but I don't know really know what I'm looking at

http://www.firestoneindustrial.com/p...DF/255-1.5.pdf

someone let me know... worse come to worse I'm sure I can use them in the rear of the truck...

[ca180]

more info

max diam at 100psi 6.5 inches

min height 3.0 inches

max usable height 7.0 inches

It is a Firestone Airstroke model 255-1.5

[LowSmoothCool]

we use a 224c up front and the 255c or 267c on the rear of the 63-72 C10, on the rear of the 73-87 we use a F9000 for ride quality and lift... If it was me I would sell those Springs and pick up the right bags, it's a hassle doing things 2-3 times. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email jon@ridetech.com