Can I lower with bags and still get to stock ride height?

[Skunksmash]

As much as I never thought I'd do it, sigh... all the lowered trucks have finally grown on me. But there is something about the stock right height of my 87 that I love. How low can you go and still be able to flick a switch and have the truck get right back up to stock ride height?

I've decided that I am going to do air because I want the truck to ride a lot better. Its not bad now, not much worse than the stock ride quality I guess. Since it is practically all stock save for replaced worn parts. And age. So what should I do? I want improved ride quality, as well as being able to go pretty low (not lay frame but still get pretty low) and also be able to get back up to stock ride height. Is this possible? I know little of air ride so maybe someone can school me on the limits of what I can do with your typical off the shelf system.

[N2TRUX]

Its possible, but not practical. To get your truck low, you need drop spindles combined with bags. To raise it back to "stock height" you will need to over fill the bags and it will ride like a brick.

If want improved ride, and handling use drop spindles. They won't change ride, but will lower your center of gravity for better handling.

[Skunksmash]

Hmm...

What about bags that a little bit oversized? That way, when you raised it back up to stock height, they still wouldn't be all the way full and it wouldn't ride like a brick.

[bnoon]

I'd start with bags without the spindles and see if that's low enough for you. That way it's easier to get back to stock height. Then, if you want to go lower, at least then you'd know what your giving up to get there.
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[Skunksmash]

I'd like to be able to go as low as...

Well about as low as it takes to get the tire to be even with the bottom of the fender. Like where it would just barely miss rubbing. By about an inch. And then be able to get back up to stock ride height or real close to it. Probably a tall order lol.

[77ChevySharkBite]

Something you could maybe do since you know you want to put air bags, try to find some local shops around you that do that kind of work such as lowering, and air bags and things of that nature and talk with them about it.

[Skunksmash]

Only time I've ever been in a bagged vehicle was about 10 years ago. Can't really remember what it rode like. Do bags really make it ride a lot better than stock? If so, by how much? Does it ride like one of them old boat lincolns?

[bnoon]

Originally Posted by Skunksmash

Only time I've ever been in a bagged vehicle was about 10 years ago. Can't really remember what it rode like. Do bags really make it ride a lot better than stock? If so, by how much? Does it ride like one of them old boat lincolns?

Depends on how you're going to bag your truck. If you want a really REALLY nice ride, then you should be looking into a trailing arm or "truck" arm rear suspension conversion along with air bags.

If you're looking for a slight improvement in ride, then you'll be removing springs from the stock leaf pack and adding bags. You'll end up with an improvement at moderate lowered heights here, but when you air it up, you'll lose some of it as you stiffen it up with the air. Problem with removing leafs is if you have any power at all you can get tons of wheel hop due to increase ease of axle twist.

If you want the tire even with the top of the opening without removing many leafs, then a "flip kit" along with the bags would be needed with the stock leafs to get back to stock ride height. Problem here is not much improvement in ride if you leave the stock leaf pack, but you could remove the "helper" spring still, but with this setup bags aren't really doing anything but pushing you back up to stock ride height and you could just do that with air shocks.

[N2TRUX]

It seems to me your playing the "What if" game rather than actually planning on doing this.

If you need educated advice on how to properly lower or bag your truck, we can assist you. If your dreaming up impossible scenarios and wondering "what if" then I'm out.

[77ChevySharkBite]

I've seen with personal experience of people that have there trucks on bags they don't really care if it achieves stock height because there wanting to sit as low as possible or lay the frame ride, that's part of why I'm doing bags instead of just lowering it, because I want it as low as possible yet adjust it at the same time but I'm not worried about trying to get back to stock height either, in my opinion I would say don't just ask on here do research see if anyone has done what you want done, and so on and so forth, but before you do anything like that make sure your set on doing it, because depending where you live air bags might not be exactly the cheapest item.

[Skunksmash]

Originally Posted by bnoon

Depends on how you're going to bag your truck. If you want a really REALLY nice ride, then you should be looking into a trailing arm or "truck" arm rear suspension conversion along with air bags.

If you're looking for a slight improvement in ride, then you'll be removing springs from the stock leaf pack and adding bags. You'll end up with an improvement at moderate lowered heights here, but when you air it up, you'll lose some of it as you stiffen it up with the air. Problem with removing leafs is if you have any power at all you can get tons of wheel hop due to increase ease of axle twist.

If you want the tire even with the top of the opening without removing many leafs, then a "flip kit" along with the bags would be needed with the stock leafs to get back to stock ride height. Problem here is not much improvement in ride if you leave the stock leaf pack, but you could remove the "helper" spring still, but with this setup bags aren't really doing anything but pushing you back up to stock ride height and you could just do that with air shocks.

Interesting info there. So if I'm reading correctly, what I want is doable, but its not necessarily going to yield a better ride.

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

It seems to me your playing the "What if" game rather than actually planning on doing this.

If you need educated advice on how to properly lower or bag your truck, we can assist you. If your dreaming up impossible scenarios and wondering "what if" then I'm out.

Hmm. I guess I have to say that I don't even know what an impossible scenario is with this particular situation, because I know little of bags and truck lowering. All my experience when it comes to lowering lies with cars which its starting to seem, is a good bit simpler. I'd also like to ad that I do fully intend to do this one day, but I must first figure out if what I want to do is even possible.

Originally Posted by 77ChevySharkBite

I've seen with personal experience of people that have there trucks on bags they don't really care if it achieves stock height because there wanting to sit as low as possible or lay the frame ride, that's part of why I'm doing bags instead of just lowering it, because I want it as low as possible yet adjust it at the same time but I'm not worried about trying to get back to stock height either, in my opinion I would say don't just ask on here do research see if anyone has done what you want done, and so on and so forth, but before you do anything like that make sure your set on doing it, because depending where you live air bags might not be exactly the cheapest item.

Well I live in TX now, and so I assume the bags would be as cheap as anywhere. I hope.

The main reason I want to be able to get back to stock height, is so that I can still use the truck like a truck, if the need for that particular aspect ever arises. I want to be able to go over some grass and lumpy ground if I have to, as I do live way out in BFE and at times, I may need to drive over some less desirable terrain. But I do want a lowered truck, just not slammed all the way down to the point where it can lay frame and all that jazz. Me personally, I like the way they look when the tire is about dead even with the bottom of the fender. Or maybe the tire going up into the fender about 1 inch. So that seems a little far off from how low some people like to go.

[77ChevySharkBite]

Where you live in Texas? I'm in houston and it's pretty simple to find place thats do drops and things that like.

I'll say it like this, like a few of the other guys have said you can get your truck back to stock height but you will be spending more money than you might like. I know nobody wants to hear it but sometimes you have to accept you just won't be able to get back to that stock height, might get close but not dead on. We are here to help and give advice but as always the final decision is yours.

[Skunksmash]

The fact that you said "i know nobody wants to hear it" says to me that my question here, may not be as uncommon as I first thought. So my next question would be, how close to stock ride height can I get it? You said I might get close but not dead on. Close just might be close enough for me.

[77ChevySharkBite]

What I was meaning by it might not be what you want to hear is that, is that there is a possible you chance you won't reach your stock height is that sometimes you just won't, you've had people tell you on here that it's not exactly what someone typically tries to do, my truck isn't bagged just yet so I can't tell you for sure how close measurements on how close you can get.
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[Skunksmash]

Hmm. There must be a sort of known limit to all this. Maybe I should be asking people how low you can go, and still be able to return to stock ride height. Perhaps that low, will be low enough for me and I can just go with that setup. Surely somebody on here has some extensive experience with this kind of thing.

[Skunksmash]

So basically nobody really know

[KQQL IT]

The other issue would be the alingment changes in ride height. The camber and toe change would radical.
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[Skunksmash]

So is that a normal problem for guys with bags? We see bagged trucks that do some pretty radical differences in ride height.

[andrewmp6]

With bags you have a adjustable ride height but most have there ride height about 60% of the bags max psi.With bags you build the truck for the ride height you want,But when you change the ride height all the time like you see with the mini trucks it will eat up the front tires faster.The main reason people bag anything is to lower it and not have a hard rough ride because of a smaller spring.

[Skunksmash]

Ok see now I'm learning something lol. I was thinking bags were more diverse and had more useful
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[andrewmp6]

A air bag is a spring but the more air the stiffer the spring rate and the less air the weaker the spring rate is.Most who bag their truck pick a ride height they like and leave it there but might dump the air when parked to show off.Take a look at this truck at the bottom http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=412776&page=2 I believe that's his ride height on it and it is bagged.