[BCBowers]

One of my few criticisms of this truck is how softly sprung it is. Even with my Equalizer hitch the rear still sags a good bit towing my racecar.

I had air springs on my old GMC Canyon and really didn't think I'd need to add them to the Titan. Briefly considered an add-a-leaf, but I like the versatility and adjustability of the bags. It was between the Firestone setup or Airlfit (had Airlift on the Canyon). The Firestone won out as they're more robust, can provide up to 5000lbs of support (vs. only 2000 for the Airlift) and are a bolt-in install vs. drill.

The hardest part of all of this was figuring out how to fish the nut-on-a-stick into the frame at the correct angle to get the upper bracket bolted in place. I was able to run the air valves in place of the license plate screws for a very clean install.

-Brian

 

[honda250xtitan]

Nice install. Looks good out the back of your plate. We ran the lines into my brother's f250 glove box with a gauge.

 

[BCBowers]

Nice install. Looks good out the back of your plate. We ran the lines into my brother's f250 glove box with a gauge.

Thanks... yeah you can get very creative if you're doing a setup with an onboard compressor and controls. I prefer to KISS since I only really use them when towing.

Someone on here mentioned them making the truck ride like crap when at minimum inflation, but I took it for a 20 min drive with them at about 8psi and didn't feel anything amiss.

 

[honda250xtitan]

They probably didnt have them deflated enough. Glad you know not to deflate them all the way, would suck to tear one of them. I think you should "ghetto" up the truck and tint all the lights and bedline everything except the bed. Sound good??? ha. just messin with you.

 

[BCBowers]

bedline everything except the bed.

Now that'd be trend setting :eyebrow:

 

[GR8WHITE]

I have also been contemplating putting airbags on the back of my truck however I added the c10 deaver spring pack and 2" tapered block so now I have a hell of alot more space between the rear axle and the top of the frame. If I do it not sure how to make some kind of spacer to make up the difference. I installed the roadmaster active suspension which has been awesome but has not helped the sag as much as I had hoped.

 

[dv3andrs]

I'm glad to hear some input about the RAS setup. I was thinking of going that route vice the bags. I will surely be putting those under now though! I want to do onboard air, but I don't think i'm going to have the time or cash on hand right now to afford that route. I may just plumb them into the side storage box for the time being until the funds are available. I use mine to tow my wifes car while moving, and otherwise this thing is a beast for hauling firewood, and this spring hopefully my uncles 22' boat.

 

[BCBowers]

Here's a picture of my truck loaded down from the haul to Road Atlanta in December. This is with my equalizer hitch helping out a bunch. W/o the hitch bars hooked up it's basically on the bump stops. I went to VIR weekend before last, but no pics snapped. I added a storage box and tire rack to my trailer for the haul to VIR and it just made the sag worse of course due to the added tongue weight. Should tow like a champ now.

 

[HudsonValleyTitan]

Can't back the car onto the trailer or back it up a bit to take some weight off the? A correctly set up WD hitch would have done the trick. That's the one downside to the Equilizer....it's not as easy to get set up correctly.

 

[BCBowers]

The car is nearly perfectly 50/50 F/R balanced so backing it on makes no difference. With the tire rack and storage box on the trailer I end up with the car about a foot farther back to get the proper 10% tongue weight. The distribution hitch can only do so much, it can't make up or an under-sprung truck. With the bed loaded and the trailer loaded the truck just sags. I had the same issues towing with my Canyon and a set of Airlfit bags fixed it all. I've been towing race cars for about 5 years now and am quite particular with my setup.

 

[HudsonValleyTitan]

The car is nearly perfectly 50/50 F/R balanced so backing it on makes no difference. With the tire rack and storage box on the trailer I end up with the car about a foot farther back to get the proper 10% tongue weight. The distribution hitch can only do so much, it can't make up or an under-sprung truck. With the bed loaded and the trailer loaded the truck just sags. I had the same issues towing with my Canyon and a set of Airlfit bags fixed it all. I've been towing race cars for about 5 years now and am quite particular with my setup.

My point certainly wasn't to question your knowledge but to point out what I've found over all my years of towing...if you need airbags, you're either not set up correctly in the WD hitch dept. or you're overloading the rear end of the truck. You can't compare the Titan to a Canyon. If you were asking a Canyon to pull the same set up, you had to be way overweight for it...no? Listen, if the airbags work out for you that's great (nice install BTW), but the Titan is far from under sprung if set up correctly kept within its' limits. And you are correct..the WD hitch can only do so much. BUT.. if it's not working for what the trucks built for, it's not the right hitch or it's not configured right...that's all. With 1000 to 1200 LBS on the tongue, you should be able to make that truck look like it has a forward rake as long as the hitch used is properly set up and rated for the weight being towed. I will admit that I don't know much about the Equilizer set up but after towing many things with many a truck over many years, I've never (once I learned how to set things up right of course) had the rear end sag like that. Take from that whatever you want..lol..I still love that Vette!

 

[BCBowers]

My point certainly wasn't to question your knowledge but to point out what I've found over all my years of towing...if you need airbags, you're either not set up correctly in the WD hitch dept. or you're overloading the rear end of the truck. You can't compare the Titan to a Canyon. If you were asking a Canyon to pull the same set up, you had to be way overweight for it...no? Listen, if the airbags work out for you that's great (nice install BTW), but the Titan is far from under sprung if set up correctly kept within its' limits. And you are correct..the WD hitch can only do so much. BUT.. if it's not working for what the trucks built for, it's not the right hitch or it's not configured right...that's all. With 1000 to 1200 LBS on the tongue, you should be able to make that truck look like it has a forward rake as long as the hitch used is properly set up and rated for the weight being towed. I will admit that I don't know much about the Equilizer set up but after towing many things with many a truck over many years, I've never (once I learned how to set things up right of course) had the rear end sag like that. Take from that whatever you want..lol..I still love that Vette!

The truck isn't overloaded, I guess I just use my father's 2006 F-150 4x4 for comparison. When he pulled his race car using my trailer (before he purchased his 24' enclosed) he would only use a 6" drop weight-carrying hitch. The rear of his truck would squat down maybe 1/2". With his bed fully loaded with crap and his bed extender out and a cooler strapped to the tailgate the truck would drop to being perfectly level.

With my Titan when I hooked up the trailer w/o any car on it my truck was nearly on the bump-stops. When I simply put a set of wheels/tires in the bed I can see the rear lower than the front! Suffice to say Nissan put some pretty soft springs on the truck. I'm sure they did it for ride quality. Now that's not to say it's unsafe to tow with some squat, but riding down the road with your nose up makes the front tires light and getting all that air under the truck makes it twitchy. FWIW mine's a 4x2 so it may have gotten softer springs than the 4x4, but that's pure conjecture.

My Equalizer is a 6000lb unit since my car on the trailer comes in around 5000lbs. I have the distribution bars set at about 80% of max because any more than that and they're bending like crazy. I can't get them on the highest setting because the break-away battery box gets in the way and I haven't taken the time to re-wire it to relocate it. Now you may be right that if I purchased a 10k Equalizer setup I could lift the back end of the truck up enough to level it, but I don't care to buy another $450 hitch and I shouldn't need the 10k setup for a 5k trailer.

Many different ways to skin a cat :eyebrow:

As for the car.... here's a good picture of it coming through Nascar bend (turn 3) at VIR weekend before last. Headed to Road Atlanta again next weekend

Oh and here's a shot of the new trailer setup with the tire rack a buddy and I built along with the old truck bed box out of my Canyon for added storage

 

[Quartz]

Is it normal for the bags to not be vertical? Do they straighten out when you drop it off the jacks stands?

BTW. I love the way you installed the air valves. That's a very clean looking installation.

 

[dv3andrs]

I've been looking at them for a while now, I think i'm going to make the purchase. SD truck springs.com has them for a pretty decent price, i'm going to purchase the onboard compressor as well though, I'm thinking of constructing a box of some sort and installing it up under the bed. On the passenger side between the frame and the bed side, I think as long as i'm infront of the wheel it'll be safe for moisture. We'll see, i'll update if I do finally make the purchase.

 

[BCBowers]

Is it normal for the bags to not be vertical? Do they straighten out when you drop it off the jacks stands?

BTW. I love the way you installed the air valves. That's a very clean looking installation.

They're much closer to vertical with the truck on the ground. However, there is still some lean since the lower bracket isn't parallel to the ground. It installs over the leaf u-bolts so it has to be in the same orientation if that makes sense.

I've been looking at them for a while now, I think i'm going to make the purchase. SD truck springs.com has them for a pretty decent price, i'm going to purchase the onboard compressor as well though, I'm thinking of constructing a box of some sort and installing it up under the bed. On the passenger side between the frame and the bed side, I think as long as i'm infront of the wheel it'll be safe for moisture. We'll see, i'll update if I do finally make the purchase.

Does your truck has the bed side storage compartment? I saw an install on here that utilized that to house the compressor etc. I've never seen the need for an onboard compressor/control setup unless you're going to be constantly changing your load. I have a compressor in my garage and carry a small fix-a-flat kit in the truck which has a small compressor and tire goo... it's the OEM one that comes with a C5 Z06 so I just keep it in my truck.

 

[Quartz]

I've been looking at them for a while now, I think i'm going to make the purchase. SD truck springs.com has them for a pretty decent price, i'm going to purchase the onboard compressor as well though, I'm thinking of constructing a box of some sort and installing it up under the bed. On the passenger side between the frame and the bed side, I think as long as i'm infront of the wheel it'll be safe for moisture. We'll see, i'll update if I do finally make the purchase.

I'm almost certainly going to add a set to my T but I have a compressor in the garage so I'll probably save a couple hundred bucks and not install an onboard compressor.

 

[Mrhavasu]

I have an 08 4x4 and the 10k equalizer. I also needed bags. I spoke to equalizer and went thru a lengthy process to get it right, and they agreed about the bag. The truck is sprung soft. I went with the airlift for the better ride and the combo works well.

 

[bills1974]

Install looks really clean, I like the tubes out the license plate holes.

Does your truck has the bed side storage compartment? I saw an install on here that utilized that to house the compressor etc. I've never seen the need for an onboard compressor/control setup unless you're going to be constantly changing your load. I have a compressor in my garage and carry a small fix-a-flat kit in the truck which has a small compressor and tire goo... it's the OEM one that comes with a C5 Z06 so I just keep it in my truck.

It may have been my train horn, I mounted the compressor in the bedside storage box and the tank under the bed up behind the bumper.

 

[BCBowers]

I have an 08 4x4 and the 10k equalizer. I also needed bags. I spoke to equalizer and went thru a lengthy process to get it right, and they agreed about the bag. The truck is sprung soft. I went with the airlift for the better ride and the combo works well.

Good to know! I think I remember reading they suggest the distribution bars be about parallel to the trailer tongue. Anything more than that and you're really flexing the bars more than they're deisgned for.

Install looks really clean, I like the tubes out the license plate holes. It may have been my train horn, I mounted the compressor in the bedside storage box and the tank under the bed up behind the bumper.

Thanks.... may well have been. I don't ahve the bed side storage box, but it seems like the perfect spot for that kind of thing.

 

[dv3andrs]

I'm thinking about going with the horns in the future, that's the only reason i'm thinking of going with the onboard. I do have the bedside box on mine, but i've already got the cleats for the utilitrac in there as well as all my tie down straps. That was my first thought until I realized what I actually had in there already.