# Blow Out While Driving: Irrational Fear or Reality ?



## Blitzfist (Aug 15, 2010)

Hello all, 

I've searched heavily on this topic, and couldn't find any conclusive information so I figured I'd ask the experts myself. 

I have an MKV Jetta sitting pretty on Airlift XLs in the front and Airlift Slams in the rear. I'm quite confident that they were installed properly, as the person who installed them is very experienced and does multiple bag installs a week. As a matter of fact I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up viewing this thread. 

ANYWAY, my concern lies in the fact that this car is my Daily Driver, which I commute ~80 miles a day. I've had the setup installed for about 6 months now, and have only run into a small issue with once where the front bags both had a slow leak due to an issue with the line. 

Recently a friend of mine ran into an issue where his car (also on an airlift setup) had a blow out on the freeway, and as being a paranoid individual, began my concern of having a blow out. 

My question is if I should be concerned about a blowout occurring and how dangerous is it if one occurs at "spirited" highway speeds. Also if there are any preventative measures I can take to avoid a catastrophic failure from occurring. 

Any input is appreciated & thanks in advance!


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## qcbtbx (Apr 6, 2012)

Without knowing the conditions surrounding your buddy's blow out, I say you have nothing to worry about. I daily my bagged B5 Passat Wagon and had a bagged MK2 Jetta I drove quite often. I was/am never concerned about a blow out because the rubber of the bags is fairly thick (>1") and has a good durometer. Of course, accidents happen, but no need to drive in fear, in my opinion.


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## VR6OOM (Nov 8, 2002)

As long as you're not rubbing, those chances are slim. You're more likely to have an issue with a line. For instance one of my airlines touched the exhaust....and pffffffffffff. Since then I kept extra airline in my car. Napa stocks "air brake" line....just get the diameter you need. Another example of why your bag won't bust...I worked in construction for a long time and our semi trucks never blew a bag and they had hundreds of thousands of miles on them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe these are just as good.


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## websaabn (May 23, 2003)

I have had mine bagged over 2 years, drive 65+ miles a day and I have never had a bag blow out on my mk4


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## rgarjr (May 19, 2012)

When bags go out they would most likely develop slow leaks. They rarely just blow out, unless it's rubbing on something.


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## hyphytrain203 (Jun 9, 2003)

qcbtbx said:


> I was/am never concerned about a blow out because the rubber of the bags is fairly thick (>1") and has a good durometer.


wat? :what:


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## Buck Russell (Feb 24, 2003)

hyphytrain203 said:


> wat? :what:







durometer, thermometer, barometer... one of those words fits :laugh:


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## hyphytrain203 (Jun 9, 2003)

:laugh:

But in all seriousness OP - check the clearance around each bag for your own peace of mind. Put the car on stands, air out the bag, jack up the wheel, inspect. I HIGHLY doubt you will ever blow a bag if you have sufficient clearance around each bag at full collapse (worst case scenario). :beer:


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## Blitzfist (Aug 15, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies. This definitely gives me some peace of mind, and I will definitely check them for rubbing soon since I have to switch over to my winter setup soon. My only other question is if I do encounter a blowout or an issue with the line, will I still be able to control the vehicle if it goes down while driving? I'm assuming someone has experienced an issue like this, just wondering if it ended up damaging the car or anything like that.


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## qcbtbx (Apr 6, 2012)

hyphytrain203 said:


> wat? :what:


durometer-a measure of hardness.


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## qcbtbx (Apr 6, 2012)

Blitzfist said:


> Thanks for all the replies. This definitely gives me some peace of mind, and I will definitely check them for rubbing soon since I have to switch over to my winter setup soon. My only other question is if I do encounter a blowout or an issue with the line, will I still be able to control the vehicle if it goes down while driving? I'm assuming someone has experienced an issue like this, just wondering if it ended up damaging the car or anything like that.


Not sure what management you have, but if you have v2, you will be able to control the other three corners in manual mode. Damage done to the car depends on a few factors. If you have aggressive fitment (e.g. wheel poking past fender), driving at relatively low speeds and you have a blowout, you will likely tear up a fender. Going faster, then you may do further damage.


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## DaveO137 (Sep 2, 2009)

I've had a rear airlift bag rub, and go out on me while driving (only like 30mph). It wasn't a violent blow out, more like "Wait did my bag just deflate?" I just look for wear every time I have the wheels off now to make sure everything is fitting properly.


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

qcbtbx said:


> durometer-a measure of hardness.


Ummm he knows what durometer is...as do the rest of us. What he is questioning is the fact that you think the rubber is an inch thick lmao opcorn:


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## hyphytrain203 (Jun 9, 2003)

MechEngg said:


> Ummm he knows what durometer is...as do the rest of us. What he is questioning is the fact that you think the rubber is an inch thick lmao opcorn:


I wasn't even going to bother :laugh:


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## qcbtbx (Apr 6, 2012)

MechEngg said:


> Ummm he knows what durometer is...as do the rest of us. What he is questioning is the fact that you think the rubber is an inch thick lmao opcorn:


OK thanks for clarifying. Intent was not to insult anyone's intelligence. If I'm wrong, then please correct me. How thick is it?


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## senad182 (May 21, 2010)

qcbtbx said:


> OK thanks for clarifying. Intent was not to insult anyone's intelligence. If I'm wrong, then please correct me. How thick is it?


i cut mine open they are closer to three inches thick. :thumbup:


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## qcbtbx (Apr 6, 2012)

senad187 said:


> i cut mine open they are closer to three inches thick.


Awesome, so I wasn't incorrect in saying >1" thick. I might do my current ones when I take them off to upgrade.


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

senad187 said:


> i cut mine open they are closer to three inches thick. :thumbup:


Lol trolling at its best right there.



qcbtbx said:


> Awesome, so I wasn't incorrect in saying >1" thick. I might do my current ones when I take them off to upgrade.


They are not thick at all, if i had to guess i'd say the thickness of the rubbber is between 1/8" and 3/16" thickness.


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## DaveO137 (Sep 2, 2009)

It's really not thick at all, 1/8" if I had to guess. Here my bag that rubbed


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## Dudeisdrummer (May 12, 2012)

Your real concern should come from road hazards.
From my experience, that bags themselves are a lot stronger than one might think.
I hit a 2x4 on the freeway about a month ago, while the bag was fine, the seal between the strut shaft and upper bag blew out. The car started losing pressure at about 2psi per second, I was able to counter the air loss using the V2's manual mode, allowing me time to safely exit the freeway.


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## Residentevol (Sep 19, 2000)

On christmas eve I was on my way home from work and my driver side rear bag blew. I've had the original tapered airlift xl rears on since 2010 and this was the first issue I had with them. When I got under the car it looked as if buildup (grime/dirt/rocks) had been caught up in the lower control arm and that started a rubbing issue because I was obsessive about checking them the first year or so. Either that or I had the slowest rubbing issue known to man because 4 years is a long time to last if they were installed improperly. I had read multiple times that the new double bellow rears would take that rubbing issue away but I saw no reason to change as I had no fitment issues.....Guess I should have done that.

Anyway if you have the newer style (double bellows) and you've checked for rubbing you should have nothing to worry about.

btw I was able to limp the car home on a blown bag (about 3 miles) (thank god I'm not running 10" rears anymore) I just aired up all 3 corners and disconnected the rear portion of my exhaust to keep it from dragging and I was good.


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