FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - All FAQs
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Airbags come in all shapes and sizes which are made of heavy duty rubber or polyurethane depending on the application it is used for, airbags can be used on pretty much anything. Airbags suit a wide range of vehicles with all sorts of suspension whether it be in between the leaf/axle and chassis, inside a coil spring and even a full coil or strut replacement. In the light and heavy vehicle markets airbags are used in conjunction with the existing suspension to eliminate spring sag and provide stability to your vehicle when towing or carrying uneven loads. Airbags are also used to replace the existing suspension and give you fully adjustable heights whether it be lowered heights for show purposes, standard heights for every day driving and raised heights for clearance and maintaining your vehicles full weight carrying capacity and stability at all times. Airbags also provide the highest degree of vibration isolation of any isolator on the market and have long been used in the industrial market as pneumatic actuators incorporated into new and innovative machinery designs as well as replacement actuators for traditional pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders. They have advantages over traditional cylinders in that they are durable, operate well in corrosive and abrasive environments, easily accept misalignment and have a high ratio of stroke to collapsed height. We recommend loading the vehicle first and then inflating the airbags to level the uneven load. Measurements from the centre of the wheel to the bottom of the wheel arch or tray can be noted down to ensure you maintain a safe and level ride height at all times. No, you will need to contact the vehicles manufacturer for replacement SRS airbags. If your vehicle tows or carries uneven loads causing the rear or front end to sag then you need to drive safe and level up with Airbag Man. By installing Airbag Man to your vehicle you can take advantage of many features and benefits which include adjustable levelling control, eliminating spring sag, safer load carrying, better braking, improved steering & handling, stabilise body roll, prevents bottoming out, excellent ride quality, reduced tyre wear & lower maintenance costs. If you cannot find your vehicle or application in our listings or have a custom application please email info@airbagman.com.au or free call us on 1800 247 224 (Australia free call number only) with all your full vehicle details. We individually design and manufacture air suspension kits to suit a vehicles suspension, so it is very hard to reuse your old airbag kit for a completely different vehicle. However, it may be possible to re-use your old airbags and just purchase new brackets to suit your new vehicle suspension and away you go. To find out if your old airbags will suit your new vehicle simply get in touch. It has been done in the past but issues may be encountered when fitting the high pressure sleeves over the airbag due to the airbag forming the shape of the coil for a long period of time making it much harder to slide over (Airbag Man can’t guarantee the sleeves will fit over your existing airbag kit) we recommend purchasing the high pressure kit before installing your airbags to your coil spring suspension. It is not recommended fitting our high pressure sleeves over the Polyair red airbags as the airbag sizes may vary and if installed to the incorrect size airbag or non-Firestone airbag you will void warranty and we cannot guarantee that the sleeves will function correctly. No, your kit will come with 2 inflation valves, one for each airbag. The inflation valves are the same as are used on a tyre. How you inflate and deflate your tyres is the same way you inflate your airbags either with a portable compressor or utilising the free air facilities at your local service station. We do have an excellent range of optional on board air control kits which can give you a flick of the switch inflation and deflation technology or our fully automatic height control systems. If your existing springs/shocks are tired/sagged from constant or varied load carrying then yes we do recommend you see a spring’s specialist to either reset or replace your tired suspension before you install your airbags, the Coil and Leaf Spring Helper airbags are designed to share the load across the existing suspension evenly. If your existing suspension/springs/shocks are tired then you will find that the airbags are over working trying to support the weight of the vehicle and the load being towed or carried which can lead to possible failure and incorrect operation of your airbags. Our Airbag kits can also be used in conjunction with a lifted/raised suspension. If you were to have no airbags fitted to your vehicle and you were towing or carrying load or even just 4wd’ing with passengers and your vehicle was sitting low, sagged and uneven, then you are losing suspension travel due to the weight on the vehicle shortening the gap between your chassis and axle, therefor leaving you to potentially bottom out. If you add our airbags & inflate them to return your vehicle back to its level ride height position you are eliminating that factor and gaining back the travel/flex that you lost when under load. So answer to your question is, no our airbags do not affect your articulation providing you use them correctly as stated in your Airbag Man owner’s manual. The only way you will lose suspension travel is if you add too much pressure into the airbags forcing the suspension to extend out past standard height when not required. This will limit your downward travel/flex of your suspension. Airbag Man Design and Manufacture vehicle specific airbag kits to work with the full suspension travel or your vehicle, make sure you operate the airbags correctly as stated in your Airbag Man owner’s manual to ensure suspension articulation is maintained. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yes it is very easy to do, full step by step instructions are included in your kit however it is recommended by Airbag Man that only a properly qualified person installs the product and carries out maintenance. If you are not qualified and attempt to carry out such work, ensure that all safety equipment is used and safety standards are met. No we do not install, Airbag Man HQ is where all the magic happens, research and development as well as designing and manufacturing air suspension kits to suit a wide range of vehicles. If you require fitment of our airbag kits please email us at info@airbagman.com.au or free call us on 1800 247 224 (Australia free call number only) and we will put you in the right direction of an Airbag Man Specialist in your local area. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The pressure will vary depending on the load you put on your vehicle, which vehicle you have, height of the airbag and type of kit you have as all the kits we design and manufacture are vehicle specific. If you have an existing kit from Airbag Man Simply refer to your Product Owner’s Manual that was supplied with your kit or simply email us at info@airbagman.com.au or free call us on 1800 247 224 (Australia free call number only) if you are not sure. The height depends on the airbag used in your specific application. The height is shown on the last page of your installation instructions. The instructions are located in your owner’s manual provided with your kit. Unsure? Feel free to get in touch. The airbags are an ‘assist’ for your existing suspension which shares the load across the airbags and leaf/coil springs. If your airbags are not lifting your vehicle up to its standard ride height position, it could be due to a number of reasons.
If there are bubbles coming from the fitting and tubing connection you will need to disconnect the tubing and check for any scratches on the tubing before reconnecting, if all clear recut with a sharp Stanley knife or Airbag Man tube cutter and connect. If there is a leak on the airbag and the bubbles are visible by the soapy water treatment or submerging the airbag in a bucket of water, the airbag will need to be replaced. Because each kit that we design & manufacture is different and specific to your vehicle, it is recommended to check with your Airbag Man specialist before adding a lift to ensure your existing airbag kit will work or if you require more parts to suit the suspension lift you are getting. Some vehicles that are standard can have the same airbag for a lifted application and some do not, depending on the vehicle type there may need to be taller airbags, brackets or spacers added to accommodate the lift being put on the vehicle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Airbag Man have a massive specialist network Australia and worldwide, simply email info@airbagman.com.au or free call us on 1800 247 224 (Australia free call number only) and we will put you in the right direction of one of our experienced Airbag Man Specialists in your local area. For any international enquiries, please email us at info@airbagman.com.au Yes, we can supply individual components for our products via our national dealer network or direct depending on location. The brackets that we design and manufacture here in Australia are to suit the vehicles suspension and designed around our Firestone airbags, our brackets will not work with Polyair, Thor, Boss or Airlift airbags as the mounting configuration and sizes are different. It all depends on the vehicle and the installer, our coil helper kits range from 1-4 hours fitting time and our leaf helper and full coil replacement kits 2-4 hours fitting time. The price will be determined on fitting time and hourly rate of the installer which can vary depending on where you go. Fitting times above are based on airbag kits with manual inflation valves only, extra time and cost will be added for optional on board air control systems. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NO! A cracked or bent chassis can only occur with Excessive Load (Over Loading) and positioning of load as well as vehicle operation. See below PDF Download from 3rd party engineers who have completed a chassis analysis report on how bent chassis can occur. This was tested with and without air suspension installed, with over 20 years of Airbag Man and working with air suspension and thousands of satisfied customers we have never come across our air suspension being the cause of a bent chassis. Our airbags are positioned where the vehicle manufacturer expects the bump stop impact load to be taken. THE INCORRECT RUMOUR INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING ANALYSIS RESULT We have carried out inspection and testing on vehicles and components to confirm their operation and compatibility with our products. These systems are a switching circuit to give two states of front to rear brake bias dependent on the position of the lever on the valve. If your vehicle has not been previously adjusted then the Airbag Operating Height is to be checked against the proportioning valve engagement to ensure the rear brakes are engaged in loaded conditions. If the vehicle has been adjusted in this area, due to a suspension lift or prior work, then the proportioning valve may require adjustment to ensure correct engagement. As these valves are not gradual and only switching between two positions the variation between unloaded and loaded bias conditions can be set at a small height variation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Airbag Man are in regular communication with Transport Authorities and approved persons assisting with writing safe rules for air suspension. We design and manufacture our kits following their requirements. In most instances our kits require no modifications to the vehicle for fitment and will meet applicable State Legislation, Regulations, Guidelines and Codes of Practice. The below information is to be used as a guide and in all instances we encourage the end user to seek advice from their local regulatory authorities or call Airbag Man Direct on 1800 247 224 (Australia Wide) NO APPROVAL REQUIRED
APPROVAL REQUIRED
Each end user application is at the discretion of individual interpretation of State or Territory Legislation. Western Australia has a State specific process in place regarding installation and approval requirements. In all instances it is recommended to confirm with local regulatory authorities.
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The longest we have seen our airbags fitted and still operating to this day has been over 20 years.
See what our existing Airbag Man’ers have to say!
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The gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers, sandwiches and cargo but excluding that of any trailers. You must never exceed the manufacturer’s weight ratings for the overall vehicle (GVM) or individual axles. Refer to the Manufacturers Manual for your vehicles specific GVM. No, airbags do not increase your GVM as they act as a suspension helper. If you were to get a full suspension GVM upgrade and install our airbags to the upgrade the airbags will be more than capable in carrying weights up to your GVM. So, the question over which device is required comes down to identifying the problem, issues, concerns being addressed. If we firstly look at the WDH, the primary effect is to put some load back on to the front wheels of the towing vehicle, the need to for this best established by measuring the front suspension/vehicle height with and without the trailer on the tow ball with a basic tow ball and no other adjustments. If the front of the tow vehicle lifts more than about 15mm then a WDH may be required to push it back down again, and no other product can do this. If the front of the tow vehicle raises less than this this it is likely no WDH is required, unless it is a small or particularly sensitive vehicle. In the event that a WDH is required, then it is likely that the rear of the vehicle will have dropped an obvious amount, and when the hitch is connected it will return some or most of this height, however this comes at the cost of decreased rear axle loading (may be desirable), and decreased rear spring stiffness (less desirable for stability). This is where airbags come in as they are able to help correct the height at the rear, but more importantly they maintain or increase the stiffness of the rear springs so that the rear suspension of the tow vehicle retains or improves its stability, which is becoming an increasingly large issue with tow vehicles as they become tuned more toward un-laden ride comfort. Fitting Airbag Man air suspension does not increase the vehicles stated weight ratings for GVM (gross vehicle mass), GCM (gross combined mass), individual axles or tow ball loads. We recommend to weigh your vehicle on an authorised weigh bridge when it is fully loaded to ensure you are within the manufacturer’s weight ratings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
