Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey guys,

this topic was brought up on another forum and I thought Id bring it up here.

I know alot of people and 4x4 workshops say that bodylifts on vehicles with airbags fitted is a big no-no because supposedly it MAY affect the activation of it.

Can somebody please show me in black and white where this is printed?

The bloke on the other forum says he's consulted with his engineer (thou he is in NSW amd each states may differ) and his engineer cannot find anywhere where it states that you cannot do this.

I have checked the Vicroads website and there too in the modification .pdf file it does not state at all anything about not being able to fit bodylifts to vehicles with airbags. only states that any chassis mod must be approved by an engineer.

Anybody know of any different or got first hand experience?

Coz if it aint on paper, then dont it mean we can body lift all these new airbag equipped trucks?

even if its on paper theres still more thisngs to consider.
is it insurance you are worried about?

look in the USA mags, though they don't exactly say don't do it.

I think it's more a case of work out how your going to fit the air bags in so they don't snag or anything.

You can go low or go high, and they go pretty damn high in the USA with air bags, over 30 inches on F350's anyone? with the 40 to 60 inch 8 lug mags and rubber all around to give that extra bit of height that you need on top of the air bags. So what talking about 50 60+ inch rises max height.

From the pics looks like flexable fixed torson bars plus mounts for a set of duel shocks (all around to set the lowest height, allowing for min req height for the bags) with a set of air bags mounted above each axel/wheel these can be any height you want I suppose, then there'd be another set of bars holding the body onto the lower part.

no idea how safe or what ever it would be.

I've seen some pics of people taking these setups through tracks, they don't seem to say anything about problems.

look at mini trucker etc, more the modded truck side of thingsdiesel power doesn't bother with this and 8-lug is more on the big F350's and the new F450's etc.

I've seen another one can't exactly remember the name, something like super truck, that one has air bag suspension kits in it for this month I think or an install.

j-top paj wrote:even if its on paper theres still more thisngs to consider.
is it insurance you are worried about?

Other than stiffen up the rear, I don't think it would be allowed.

They bitch about air bags in hot rods on the road here in QLD.

i think he is talking bout safety airbags

yeah, sorry guys, I should have clarified myself abit better, I meant the safety airbags not the suspension ones.

I'm Orange at the moment so I dont have it in front of me but basically theres no where in the ADR's that says you cant do a body lift.

But not so soon, It does say you cannot do ANY modification that will change the way the air bag gos off.

So even though its unlikely it will change unless your going to crash test a vechile with a body lift you cannot get written approval that this can be done.

Nissan, Holden and Ford all try and dodge there way out of giving 100% concrete answers to when the airbag will go off so how can you as the owner change something that dosent have a set answer to when it will go off in the first place.

Easiest way to get a body lift is remove the airbags ( depending on the vechile ) but this is a whole other question.

Cheers Nick

Im doing some research on this as we speak with VicRoads with my Vehicle.

It is definitely illegal to body lift a SRS vehicle - I have spoken to two autoeng's on the VASS list.

There is also a VSI apparently pertaining to SRS airbags but it is not published on the VicRoads site.

What vehicle are you talking about and what year??
ADR 69 came into affect 6/95 and if your car is after this date then you probably don't have a leg to stand on.
If your car is pre that date and airbags where a factory option, you 'could' remove them and replace with all items out of a non airbag car.

Of course I am not saying to do this - but it could possibly be done.

If I turn anything else up, I'll let you know.

Cheers
Dave.

anyone know the government website i would find it?