avyraptor23
Member
I have the airlift 5000 ultimate kit installed on my 2023 37 package raptor at the moment and have been driving with them for about 3 weeks. Originally I installed the airlift 2nd gen ez lift compressor with two valves to control each side independently. immediately I was very disappointed and bummed out for a few reasons. TO BE CLEAR this is my experience without any added weight exceeding 100lbs and especially with no weight added at all. First, at 5 psi which is the lowest the compressor allows, despite the bags being capable of safely being run at 0 psi, the rear end was about an inch and a half higher than before install. second, the ride quality was terrible. Every bump no matter the speed or the size of the bump, the rear end would buck aggressively and refused to travel through the full compression stroke, and the jounce bumpers are way overkill it made the front end feel softer because the weight was shifted forward given the nature of weight dispersion over a fulcrum. Lastly, the mere fact that airlifts own compressor could not meet the capabilities of their bags ie being run at 0psi made me feel like a clown for not doing my research and choosing a compressor that could set pressure at 0.
Now I know Im new to the forum and some of you are probably going to say, yes obviously the ride quality would change and I shouldn’t be running the bags at 0 psi regardless of whether the bags can or not. the thing is, these are not the 1000 system, they are a 5000 system that uses the same materials for the bags as bags you might find on an f350 intending to tow a 15000 lb trailer or maxing its payload. these bags have exceptionally durable and inelastic rubber. overall unless you are hauling near max payload or tongue weight, these bags are overkill, and impact the ride quality of the raptor’s front and rear suspension to a considerable and disappointing degree.
My use case is pretty specific being that every weekend I load up my 550+LB snowmobile along with my ~100lb ramp system directly into my bed and drive up through the mountains at highway+ speeds. I hate feeling an overly light and spongy front end especially during winter on high speed mountain roads, I really don’t like the squatted look, and I want to be kind to my suspension on road so that i cant push its limits off-road and feel confident in it. occasionally in the summer I tow a surf boat, occasionally i tow lighter trailers as well, but overall the main purpose is for the snowmobile in the bed.
I chose this kit because I like the mounting location more than the 1000 kit. I like the ability to retain the marketed full droop with the cradles, I really liked that the bags could be safely run at 0 psi with internal jounce bumpers which to me meant no impact on compression performance, and I liked the versatility of what it would allow me to haul comfortably and with a level handling yet very off-road capable truck.
SO WHAT I ENDED UP DOING, and sorry for all the back story, was I swapped compressors to the Air IQ HD2 compressor which can be set to 0psi, it is very fast inflating or deflating the bags, has independent side adjustment capabilities with the two air channels, and I can see the real time actual psi whenever i open the app. at 0psi, The truck ride height front to back now sits as it did prior to the airbags being installed. the ride quality improved dramatically from the prior 5psi minimum deflation limitation, but I will not go anywhere near the assertion that it is just like stock. it is close enough to stock ride quality to tolerate for half the year, but my plan moving forward is I will remove the airbags in the spring, and reinstall them in the fall, replacing the bags themselves with fox bumps, temporarily cap and secure the airline ends, and disconnect the compressor from the battery. in my mind it will be similar to putting on winter and summer tires seasonally.
moral of the story: if you do these bags, use the air IQ HD2 Compressor. also, you should really only choose these bags if you don’t care too much about the reduced ride quality when no added weight is present, you have weight exceeding what i would estimate to be around 250+ lbs in the bed most of the time, or you can accept having to remove them and reinstall from time to time to maintain on road and off road ride quality/performance when payload is limited. I am banking on the SDI E click and shock revalve to handle the payload that i may have during the summer (dirt bike occasional lighter weight towing, rare short range boat hauling, etc.)
Now I know Im new to the forum and some of you are probably going to say, yes obviously the ride quality would change and I shouldn’t be running the bags at 0 psi regardless of whether the bags can or not. the thing is, these are not the 1000 system, they are a 5000 system that uses the same materials for the bags as bags you might find on an f350 intending to tow a 15000 lb trailer or maxing its payload. these bags have exceptionally durable and inelastic rubber. overall unless you are hauling near max payload or tongue weight, these bags are overkill, and impact the ride quality of the raptor’s front and rear suspension to a considerable and disappointing degree.
My use case is pretty specific being that every weekend I load up my 550+LB snowmobile along with my ~100lb ramp system directly into my bed and drive up through the mountains at highway+ speeds. I hate feeling an overly light and spongy front end especially during winter on high speed mountain roads, I really don’t like the squatted look, and I want to be kind to my suspension on road so that i cant push its limits off-road and feel confident in it. occasionally in the summer I tow a surf boat, occasionally i tow lighter trailers as well, but overall the main purpose is for the snowmobile in the bed.
I chose this kit because I like the mounting location more than the 1000 kit. I like the ability to retain the marketed full droop with the cradles, I really liked that the bags could be safely run at 0 psi with internal jounce bumpers which to me meant no impact on compression performance, and I liked the versatility of what it would allow me to haul comfortably and with a level handling yet very off-road capable truck.
SO WHAT I ENDED UP DOING, and sorry for all the back story, was I swapped compressors to the Air IQ HD2 compressor which can be set to 0psi, it is very fast inflating or deflating the bags, has independent side adjustment capabilities with the two air channels, and I can see the real time actual psi whenever i open the app. at 0psi, The truck ride height front to back now sits as it did prior to the airbags being installed. the ride quality improved dramatically from the prior 5psi minimum deflation limitation, but I will not go anywhere near the assertion that it is just like stock. it is close enough to stock ride quality to tolerate for half the year, but my plan moving forward is I will remove the airbags in the spring, and reinstall them in the fall, replacing the bags themselves with fox bumps, temporarily cap and secure the airline ends, and disconnect the compressor from the battery. in my mind it will be similar to putting on winter and summer tires seasonally.
moral of the story: if you do these bags, use the air IQ HD2 Compressor. also, you should really only choose these bags if you don’t care too much about the reduced ride quality when no added weight is present, you have weight exceeding what i would estimate to be around 250+ lbs in the bed most of the time, or you can accept having to remove them and reinstall from time to time to maintain on road and off road ride quality/performance when payload is limited. I am banking on the SDI E click and shock revalve to handle the payload that i may have during the summer (dirt bike occasional lighter weight towing, rare short range boat hauling, etc.)
