To Bag Or not to bag....?

[Rhino6678]

ive got a 83 swb 2wd chevy with a 496 in the works, now the question is to bag or coil over with a 4link , i was looking at the airride technolgy bolt on system for my truck , but every body says bags hop of the line if u drag race , i would like yalls opionion weather to bag with four link or ladder bar and coil overs?

 

[BlackBourbon]

Are you gonna be taking it to the track all the time? If so, then I would set it up the best it could for launching. If you're only gonna take it to the track once in a blue moon, then I would do bags. There are several different options as far as airride that would be pretty sweet, as far as handling goes.

Your 3rd option would be to sell the truck to me and I'll make the decision for you

 

[Rhino6678]

more of a street drivin truck with 1/4 mile time once a month

 

[BlackBourbon]

If it's more street driven then I would most definitely go with a quality airide setup. That way you could set it up for comfort, handling, or drag racing with the press of a button. There a lot of misconceptions nowadays with airbag setups. Here is an article I was reading the other day.
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/t...805chp_air_ride_suspension_systems/index.html

here is an excerpt from the article......

Drag Racing
For those with eclectic tastes, an unfortunate byproduct of a tight chassis that handles well is compromised grip at the dragstrip. With the extreme adjustability of an air suspension, however, you can have the best of both worlds. "Just like any other form of racing, setting up an air-suspended car for drag racing isn't much different from setting up a traditional suspension," says Bret. "I am not a drag racing expert, but in general, we try to set the car up as loose as possible without getting into wheelhop. Loosen the extension valving on the rear to allow the rear suspension to lift the car and plant its tires. Also, loosen the front extension valving to allow the front end to come up and transfer the weight to the rear while keeping in mind that some cars like a bit more preload in the right rear spring to plant that tire better."

 

[Rhino6678]

thanx man , ima order the rear kit next month

 

[syclonekid43]

i would bag it. my 92 s10 rides like a caddy with bags. i know its not a high hp motor, but i dropped a 93 buick roadmaster 5.7 in it. i never wheel hopped with it. mine hooks diffrent depending on how much air i have in the bags

 

[Stomis]

Hmmm now that seems like a cool idea. You could raise the front of the truck up and drop the back like the old dragsters used to do to shift wait of the rear wheels.

 

[syclonekid43]

my 92 s-10 is set up with 2 valves for each corner. this way i can control each on there own.
to get an idea. here it is layed out.

here it is front aired up. ill have to find a picture with all 4 aired up.

some reason my truck likes to 3 wheel.

then the best part. draggin down the highway

there is so many ways to set up bags on a car/truck.

 

[sled_dog]

The people who say bags hop off the line are the people who don't know suspension theory.

Bags are not the problem. It is that the suspension designs are not intended for drag racing. I do not care for the "Air Ride Technology" kits because they rarely have a lot of design time in their suspension setups, at least from what I have seen. I think it is a result of their attempting to make it all bolt on and simple for people.

Look at a drag race 4 link setup, then look at an air ride setup. Drag racers have tons of adjustment that allows for changing their instant center quickly and easily. That is the key to traction. Air Ride setups usually have a static mounting location that cannot be changed without making new brackets. If you combined a drag race 4 link with bags it would hook up. As well as coilovers? Maybe not, but still better than your friends are telling you.

The key to traction with a 4 link isn't the links themselves. Its not like replacing leaf springs with links is suddenly making everything rigid and wonderful. It is all about the suspension setup and instant center. And don't go reading rockcrawler stuff about 4 links either, the two animals are ENTIRELY different.