[motosport]

Hi guys! I have just recently purchased a 2007 Toyota Tundra, and was thinking about installing an Air Lift Kit (like this one 07-11 Toyota Tundra Air Lift 57299 LoadLifter 5000 Air Spring Kit | eBay) to lift it up a little and make it easier to load, because I'm going to be doing a lot of camping and will load it pretty heavily from time to time. In addition to that, just to take some strain off the suspension, would it be a good idea to put in a Rear Lift Block kit (07+ Toyota Tundra TRD / Rock Warrior 2" rear lift blocks kit | eBay
I'd appreciate any suggestions, since I know lots of guys here have accomplished what I want - to lift the rear end 2.5-3" and save the rear springs.
Thanks!

 

[Herbicidal]

Last month I installed the Air Lift Load Lifter 5000 air bags and I'm very happy with them! I also bought the WirelessONE controller with air compressor to remotely fill the bags. Here's my recent thread: http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/tundra/225224-air-lift-load-lifter-5000-air/ The air bags require a minimum of 5 psi which the on-board air compressor maintains automatically. This has lifted up the back of my truck by approximately one inch. Right now Air Lift has a $50 rebate for the air bags and another $50 if you get one of their compressor systems. I submitted my receipts last month.

Instead of blocks to lift the rear, I would recommend an add-a-leaf spring instead, should add about an 1 inch or so of lift to the rear as well. Acts like an overload spring. Blocks tend to induce axle wrap which you don't want. Here's a link to Toy Tec Lift's add-a-leaf: Rear ToyTec Add-A-Leafs - Toytec Lifts: Toyota Lift Kits: FJ Cruiser Lift Kits, Tacoma Lift Kits, Tundra Lift Kits, 4 Runner Lift Kits, Sequoia Lift Kits, Toyota Truck Lift Kits. No need to "save" the rear springs.

 

[motosport]

Last month I installed the Air Lift Load Lifter 5000 air bags and I'm very happy with them! I also bought the WirelessONE controller with air compressor to remotely fill the bags. Here's my recent thread: http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/tundra/225224-air-lift-load-lifter-5000-air/ The air bags require a minimum of 5 psi which the on-board air compressor maintains automatically. This has lifted up the back of my truck by approximately one inch. Right now Air Lift has a $50 rebate for the air bags and another $50 if you get one of their compressor systems. I submitted my receipts last month.

Instead of blocks to lift the rear, I would recommend an add-a-leaf spring instead, should add about an 1 inch or so of lift to the rear as well. Acts like an overload spring. Blocks tend to induce axle wrap which you don't want. Here's a link to Toy Tec Lift's add-a-leaf: Rear ToyTec Add-A-Leafs - Toytec Lifts: Toyota Lift Kits: FJ Cruiser Lift Kits, Tacoma Lift Kits, Tundra Lift Kits, 4 Runner Lift Kits, Sequoia Lift Kits, Toyota Truck Lift Kits. No need to "save" the rear springs.

Thanks, man, much appreciated!

 

[Herbicidal]

Welcome! Glad I could help.

 

[YotaDan]

Air Lift Air Spring Systems and Accessories for Toyota Tundra -Wheeler's Off-Road, Inc-

 

[motosport]

the on-board air compressor

Can you tell which model of the compressor your Tundra has, and if you installed it - how much was that?
I think I'm going to go and have it done on mine too

 

[Herbicidal]

Can you tell which model of the compressor your Tundra has, and if you installed it - how much was that?
I think I'm going to go and have it done on mine too

The WirelessONE "kit" came with it's own small compressor. It cannot be used for tire inflation or things like that. I'll get one of those larger, more versatile compressors from Wheelers later on. On my old Tundra I had a VIAIR air compressor and secondary air tank for tire inflation duties and it worked very well.

I did the install myself. I was not too hard since you don't have to run anything into the cab. I think the hardest part was figuring out where to put the air compressor and solenoid so they are protected as much as possible from the elements, mainly water/mud/snow. In my case, I opted for underneath the truck as I didn't really want the compressor in the truck and it's not recommended to put it under the hood as it get's too hot.

Here's a link to what came with the WirelessONE kit: Air Lift 25870 - Air Lift WirelessONE Control Systems - Overview - SummitRacing.com

The black thing in the center top is the air compressor. Nothing to write home about, but it does the job for the size of the air bags. In the bottom center of the pic below is the remote control. It can clip onto the sunvisor or stuck in the glove box until needed. As I mentioned before, I'm very happy with this set up! Suits my needs perfectly. :tu:

 

[Shuffler]

Was wondering if you had to jack the rear up and/or remove the wheels in order to get at the bumpers to cut them? Or is there enough room to do it with the wheels on and the truck sitting on the ground?

 

[Herbicidal]

Was wondering if you had to jack the rear up and/or remove the wheels in order to get at the bumpers to cut them? Or is there enough room to do it with the wheels on and the truck sitting on the ground?

MUCH easier to get to the bump stops with the rear wheels off and the axles safely supported on jack stands. My challenge was finding a tool that I already owned (and was small enough) that would cut through the rubber. My best option was the hack-saw with the blade turned 90 degrees and constantly spraying it down with WD-40.

Perhaps someone else has a better solution?

 

[aleaddict]

Perhaps someone else has a better solution?

Remove the jounce stop and replace it with a 1.25" rubber block.

 

[Shuffler]

I guess I'm hoping that with the wheels off I can cut it with a Sawzall ...

 

[Herbicidal]

For me, I did not want to take the time (call me lazy ) to loosen up the spring pack and pull out the bump stop, cut it and replace it. In fact, with the way everything is mounted, I don't see a reason to even have a bump stop there at all. The way the lower bracket for the air bag is arched up and over the U-bolts for the leaf springs and how that bracket is in turn mounted to the leaf springs with it's own set of U-bolts, nothing is ever going to touch. I think the reason to even cut the bump stop down in the first place was purely for clearance of that lower air bag bracket. Or am I missing something?

 

[Herbicidal]

I guess I'm hoping that with the wheels off I can cut it with a Sawzall ...

That should do it (if there is room)! Watch out for brake lines or what-have-you. I did not have one of those handy, so I went old school. BTW, I also lowered down and remove the spare tire. Gave me tons more room to work.

 

[Shuffler]

yeah exactly; it becomes irrelevant so why have bump stops at all? I'll just cut it down to avoid the extra steps of undoing the spring pack u-bolts (call me lazy)

 

[aleaddict]

The installation guide it states,

“The jounce bumper has been cut to support the lower bracket. It will be necessary to draw the lower bracket into the jounce bumper using the u-bolts. This is an intentional way to mount the lower bracket.”

That's why I didn't just remove the jounce bumper since it supports the center of the lower bracket. It's a lot easier (and quicker) to just remove the jounce and replace it with a rubber block rather than cutting it with a sawzall...at least it was for me. Do a search with my username and you'll find my DIY for this install.