Do I need shock relocation brackets

[flykelley]

Hi Guys
Installing air bags on my truck this week. Was going to do a static and use 3 inch drop springs in the front and 4 inch drop in the rear but I have changed directions and bought a airbag kit. Do I need shock relocation brackets front and rear and different shocks?

Thanks Mike

[Overdriven]

The short answer is, it depends. I bought my truck with a generic air ride kit installed and the ride height is really close to stock height so nothing needs to change. I plan on installing drop spindles and making some changes to the bag mounting plates which will also lower the truck. Drop spindles lower the truck but nothing changes with regards to the control arms so shocks aren’t affected. The changes to the air bag I plan on doing will have the same effect as a drop spring and that can require shock relocators and/or different shocks. Same goes for the rear. With the rear you also want to consider the panhard bar and replacing with an aftermarket adjustable if the ride height is lowered.

Side note on shocks. Air bags behave a little different than coil springs, I believe it’s the rebound that differs most and shocks meant for air bags can offer an advantage.