Rear end sag

I have a rather large stereo in the trunk of my 94 caprice. The sub box weighs over 100 lbs and with the amps and amp rack probly close to 150 lbs of weight. Whenever i have a car full of people my rear end sags alot. I due have heavy duty springs but the shocks are definetly on the cheap side. I was thinking about getting Air Lift 1000 Coils to reduce the rear end sag. They are only 85 dollars from one website I found http://stengelbros.3dcartstores.com/60755_p_26-927.html# Would these do the trick? would they ruin the ride at all? do i also need an air compressor? If anyone has any knowledge on these Air Lift Coils please let me know.

I've always used MOOG cargo coil springs. Some places call them variable rate coils. They incorporate a tighter coil winding at the top for heavier loads and regular coil windings at the bottom so they act as the stock spring giving you the original feel. Real easy to install and considering that you will need to disconnect your shocks anyways, a new set would'nt hurt.

I have the air lift bags. They are awesome. Bit of a pain to install. But they work as the maker describes.

yeah on all of my trucks i installed airlift bags that fit inside the stock coil spring so when i'm towing all i gutta do is add some air to the needle i mount under the bumper and your good. i was thinkiing of doing the same with my caprice as well because mine also sags a LOT even with 2 people in the back. ive seen dinky little imports that don't show as much struggle carrying the same load! the other week i had my caprice full of people and my (brand new) tailpipe kept scraping on the ground :eek: . And thats with my trunk just about empty other than my amp and one 12 inch kenwood. (weighing no more than 50lbs together).

yeah i scrape my tailpipes on the ground all the time when i have a few people in the car. Thanks for all the information i am definetly going to consider getting these airlift bags in both of my caprices.

yeah i scrape my tailpipes on the ground all the time when i have a few people in the car. Thanks for all the information i am definetly going to consider getting these airlift bags in both of my caprices.

I have used the air shocks on these vehicles as soon as the vehicle is purchased 0 miles...this then provides the proper leveling of the vehicle...I ALWAYS adjusted for a level vehicle ....drive shaft straight...
towing, or loading the trunk with 400lbs adding air quickly levels out the vehicle,,all you need is a small foot pump.....

WHEN INSTALLING USE SILICONE GREASE ON THE O RINGS...
this will ensure about 6-8 years of no leaks...also clean the shock where the rubber bag is located...

your vehicle may need a front end alignment if it was adjusted with the azz end dragging...

Air shocks put undo load on the shock mounts and such and are junk when the shock wears out. They also need VERY high pressures to work.

Airlift bags are THE intelligent choice. They outlast the shocks, the keep the weight at the spring, use very low pressure to do their job so any compressor will do and do the job quickly.

At one point I did the different rear coils, got tired of that.

I have airlifts in both the cars I am driving now and the Roady I am no longer driving had load leveler so I kept airshocks on it but the compressor died, I started to do the manual fill on the shocks and the pressures needed to support any real load are quite high, they just suck. Liking them is about like thinking a carbed 283 is the pinacle of smallblock technology.

hahaha great analogy...how much do u think a shop can put then in for...i know rear springs are a fairly easy job..like an hour or maybe a little more?

i'd sugest air bags also and replace the coil springs. or one other way you could go is 160lbs air shocks with to seperate lines so you can measure side to side and level it out..

The coil springs have less than 5,000 miles on them and are heavy duty...

Rear end sag - I have a rather large stereo in the trunk...

Hmm... That makes me wonder if I should ask Mrs. Bowtie if she also has a large stereo. I haven't noticed one, but something is causing the sag. Do you guys think I should ask?

I'd also vote for the variable rate springs for a daily driver.

Air shocks put undo load on the shock mounts and such and are junk when the shock wears out. They also need VERY high pressures to work.

Airlift bags are THE intelligent choice. They outlast the shocks, the keep the weight at the spring, use very low pressure to do their job so any compressor will do and do the job quickly.

At one point I did the different rear coils, got tired of that.

I have airlifts in both the cars I am driving now and the Roady I am no longer driving had load leveler so I kept airshocks on it but the compressor died, I started to do the manual fill on the shocks and the pressures needed to support any real load are quite high, they just suck. Liking them is about like thinking a carbed 283 is the pinacle of smallblock technology.

I used these air shocks with this vehicle and much older vehicles going back to 1973...

I have never had any issues with shock hardware or frame mount failure of any kind....springs never failed over 100,000mi's of use on poorly paved roads...and heavy trunk loads....

with no/little load the shocks pressures where 30psi,,,,
with 400lbs 2-3 bodies you needed 80psi...a small foot pump is all thats needed....

obviously the shock portion will fail as any shock fails...
the air leaking from the system is usually a poor install or non use of silicone grease on the O rings used at the fittings...this type of shock lasts for me 5-7 years....60-80,ooomi.....

having air shocks does not change the vehicles max... load capacity....this is where YOUR comments MAY apply....

so i am most likely going to get these airlift bags. how long should the install take if i took it somewhere?