# question about rear bags. (pic for click)



## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

so just installed my rear bags today. have the xl slams, and the bag rubs against the control arm when at 0-35ish i'v heard that people grind the inside barrel of the control arm? sounds pretty sketchy to me. any suggestions on what to do? the fronts will be in next weekend, the kit that i got was missing 2 fittings for the front manifolds (along with other things)  

and test fitment pictures of the new wheels to keep interest. :thumbup:


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## [email protected] (Jan 26, 2006)

Are you sure, the bag is centered in the cup? The Mk5 is a tight squeeze. The bag needs to be perfectly centered.

Did you buy everything new?


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Are you sure, the bag is centered in the cup? The Mk5 is a tight squeeze. The bag needs to be perfectly centered.
> 
> Did you buy everything new?


100% i talked to will at BagRiders today, told me that i should grind the top by where the fitting is. i already did the essential grind. in the process of doing more now.

and bought the kit brand new in january


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## [email protected] (Jan 26, 2006)

Maybe post some pictures, by the sounds of it, you have not made enough clearance for the fitting, to push the bag back far enough, and the bellow is rubbing on the front side of the lower control arm. Is this right?


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## PatientlyWaiting (Apr 28, 2005)

Wasn't there a machined centering washer for the lower control arm mount that was supposed to cure this issue?


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Maybe post some pictures, by the sounds of it, you have not made enough clearance for the fitting, to push the bag back far enough, and the bellow is rubbing on the front side of the lower control arm. Is this right?


its rubbing on the wheel side of both bags. i just spent 4 hours grinding out the top where the fitting hits so i could pull the tops in more its sitting better with less creaking but its still their. i ran out of time so i might go back at it tomorrow and adjust the tops so their pushed in a little further. i grinded out enough for them to sink back more. the only pictures i took were of the bag out but showing the rubbing on the bottom of the bellow. i'll post them up later tonight



PatientlyWaiting said:


> Wasn't there a machined centering washer for the lower control arm mount that was supposed to cure this issue?


yea the washer is in and flush with where it needs to be.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

just got off the phone with Will again and he suggested griding the bottom washer slightly so that i can push the bag in more. has anyone done this? theirs still some room for the tops to be pushed in a little more, will have to work on that tomorrow. if that dosent work i may have to grind the washer slightly...


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## bassmanjosh (Nov 6, 2004)

tspooner said:


> just got off the phone with Will again and he suggested griding the bottom washer slightly so that i can push the bag in more. has anyone done this? theirs still some room for the tops to be pushed in a little more, will have to work on that tomorrow. if that dosent work i may have to grind the washer slightly...


I am using the original washer that came with the kit and spot welded it to the control arm right in the center. after cutting the nipple off the LCA and on upper part, I haven't had any squeaking.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

bassmanjosh said:


> I am using the original washer that came with the kit and spot welded it to the control arm right in the center. after cutting the nipple off the LCA and on upper part, I haven't had any squeaking.


 so you grinded the mounting circle on the control arm so it was more of an ovel then welded it in the correct spot? 


also after driving today i was able/comfortable enough to get down to about 47 pounds (i know that this is still high) but i am hearing a creaking sound. i'm thinking that it is the bag rubbing on the control arm still but i took the wheel off and put a jack under the arm to compress the bag. it was close to the arm but it wasnt rubbing unless their was more pressure on it which i believe would only be that low when parked. a friend of mine suggested that it might be bushings creaking because they are not use to the suspension being low. any input on possible noises with a new setup?


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## d.tek (Nov 28, 2004)

is there a reason the airlift XL's have rubbing issues. 

does it drop low enough for the wider top portion of the bag to come into contact with the spring cup?


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

d.tek said:


> is there a reason the airlift XL's have rubbing issues.
> 
> does it drop low enough for the wider top portion of the bag to come into contact with the spring cup?


 if i recall correctly Will said that the bag is larger than that regular airlift bags and have this problem. apparently the regular airlifts are small enough on the lower bellow that it dosent come close to the lca. i'll post a picture of the rub marks on the bag shortly


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

rubs around most of the bag.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

so just got off the phone with Will again, he told me that the creaking could be coming from the bushings, apparently when mkv's go low enough the bushings are under stress. and people have realligned them and stopped the creaking. anyone have some info on how to do this?


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## Mexx_TDI (Aug 8, 2008)

i had a creaking noises on the back of the car after installing coilovers... 
someone told me just to replace rear shocks-left to the rear,and rear to the left...unbelieveable but creaking stopped! 
you can try it,it is 10mins work...


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

where did you get the shocks? ecs?


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## Mexx_TDI (Aug 8, 2008)

i didnt buy NEW shocks...i just switched sides...left on the right and right on the left. 
thah was with my coils,with airlifts i have zero issues


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## nukinfutz15 (Apr 5, 2010)

my buddy ran the xl's and blew a bag withing 3 days, he went back to the standards and no issue. I as well am runing standard rears, the xl rears have way too many issues, and most places wont even install them because they are so sketchy....a word of advice, get the standard rear brackets


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

Mexx_TDI said:


> i didnt buy NEW shocks...i just switched sides...left on the right and right on the left.
> thah was with my coils,with airlifts i have zero issues


 really? hmm i cant see why it would do much of a difference haha. but i think i'll try it this weekend:thumbup: 




nukinfutz15 said:


> my buddy ran the xl's and blew a bag withing 3 days, he went back to the standards and no issue. I as well am runing standard rears, the xl rears have way too many issues, and most places wont even install them because they are so sketchy....a word of advice, get the standard rear brackets


 after hacking my frame i'm kinda committed to getting the xls to work. gunna prob buy an extra bag just in case that happens though. will the standard rear bracket work with the xl's?


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## laramie1pt8t (Dec 5, 2006)

I too installed XL rears this winter. I adjusted the rears 5 times! The creeking got better but never went away so I said F it and took control arms off and modd'd them. Basically I cut around the whole circle right where the steel starts to bevel toward the spring. Then we welded a new ring made from 3/4" 12 gauge steel. I cleaned them all up with a wire wheel and gave em a fresh paint job. Looks OEM and in my opinion is stronger. Had my brother whos a mechanical engineer double check my mod and he seems to think it will be ok. I only have cell pics of the process :banghead:


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## insert clever name (Jul 26, 2009)

easy fix...take them out and replace them with another brand..im doin it now since i just blew thru my 2nd set of bags..im so pissed i cut my car up to put these in and now its harder to put in a real bracket that wont tear thru bags


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

i have creaking in the rear too, but its from the control arm bushings

xl kit with the newer washers with the lip on them

my bags are close on the front side of the arm, but def never rubbed.

its all in the installation of the bracket up top


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

laramie1pt8t said:


> I too installed XL rears this winter. I adjusted the rears 5 times! The creeking got better but never went away so I said F it and took control arms off and modd'd them. Basically I cut around the whole circle right where the steel starts to bevel toward the spring. Then we welded a new ring made from 3/4" 12 gauge steel. I cleaned them all up with a wire wheel and gave em a fresh paint job. Looks OEM and in my opinion is stronger. Had my brother whos a mechanical engineer double check my mod and he seems to think it will be ok. I only have cell pics of the process :banghead:


 do you have a picture or link? i'd like to see this. was thinking of doing the same thing. 



insert clever name said:


> easy fix...take them out and replace them with another brand..im doin it now since i just blew thru my 2nd set of bags..im so pissed i cut my car up to put these in and now its harder to put in a real bracket that wont tear thru bags


 yea i'm gunna try to keep the xls and make them work. i just wish their was a better way to install it without f***ing up the frame 



d15nonvtec said:


> i have creaking in the rear too, but its from the control arm bushings
> 
> xl kit with the newer washers with the lip on them
> 
> ...


 your apparently one of the lucky few who didnt have problems with rubbing.


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## bgsapc (Dec 17, 2008)

insert clever name said:


> easy fix...take them out and replace them with another brand..im doin it now since i just blew thru my 2nd set of bags..im so pissed i cut my car up to put these in and now its harder to put in a real bracket that wont tear thru bags


 Best advice ever. 

My XL's did the same thing, it was terrible, I had 3 blow outs, non stop squeeks, and 4 months of riding like ass. Now that they're gone, I couldn't be happier.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

bgsapc said:


> Best advice ever.
> 
> My XL's did the same thing, it was terrible, I had 3 blow outs, non stop squeeks, and 4 months of riding like ass. Now that they're gone, I couldn't be happier.


 really? so your squeeking was the bags rubbing? not bushings?


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## bgsapc (Dec 17, 2008)

tspooner said:


> really? so your squeeking was the bags rubbing? not bushings?


 Yeah, no doubt. probably a 6" long x 2" wide diagonal marks on all my XL bags. Only 2 of my blow outs were from rubs. 1 was from bottom nutsert failure. I admit the top wasn't aligned though . After the first blow out, I got centering rings and the updated instructions with all the cutting at the top of the spring perch. I just was not willing to keep hacking away on my car to make the XL's work. Even if the alignment was perfect it doesn't address the other issues with the XL bags. Enough was enough. I cut my losses, and couldn't be happier.


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## insert clever name (Jul 26, 2009)

What did you switch to? I'm goin d cups with air house ll's


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

i'll admit the rear setup is odd and the bracket mods are strange, but no one wants a blow out. 

cant just fool around with air, make sure its right before you drive it.

i cycled the suspension lots of times, before it went on the road.

yes i suppose i am lucky, but i just took my time and made sure there were no issues.


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## laramie1pt8t (Dec 5, 2006)

tspooner shoot me your email and I will send my cell pics to ya. I only have 3 but you will get the idea


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

bgsapc said:


> Yeah, no doubt. probably a 6" long x 2" wide diagonal marks on all my XL bags. Only 2 of my blow outs were from rubs. 1 was from bottom nutsert failure. I admit the top wasn't aligned though . After the first blow out, I got centering rings and the updated instructions with all the cutting at the top of the spring perch. I just was not willing to keep hacking away on my car to make the XL's work. Even if the alignment was perfect it doesn't address the other issues with the XL bags. Enough was enough. I cut my losses, and couldn't be happier.


 if i have time today i will take pictures of the frame cutting and the bag aired out with a jack under the lca without a tire. i'll prob take them with different psi set.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

d15nonvtec said:


> i'll admit the rear setup is odd and the bracket mods are strange, but no one wants a blow out.
> 
> cant just fool around with air, make sure its right before you drive it.
> 
> ...


 well if i cant work this out to the point where i will be comfortable i might just have to give Will another call and switch to regulars .


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## bgsapc (Dec 17, 2008)

Sorry I don't know how to multi-quote on the 'tex 


@ D15nonvtec, Yeah they are strange. Since they were building a kit specifically for the platform, why develop a kit that requires so much modification to the car to 'make it work'? I cycled through after install too. When the bag was nice and new and not deformed yet I had no rubs. 2 weeks later, rubbed like crazy. 

@ Insertclevername, I swapped to modified D-cups and RE-5s. Couldn't be happier. 


@Tspooner, I would love to see pics of it. I didn't really bother taking pics of the bag rubbing still installed. I figured the giant rub marks on more than 3 bags was enough proof. I hope you get it figured out though! No matter what I did, I wouldn't have felt comfortable with them on my car, and I didn't feel comfortable removing metal from my car to 'make it work'. It would cost a fortune in fab work just to ever potentially run springs, or put my car back to stock.


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

bgsapc said:


> @ D15nonvtec, Yeah they are strange. Since they were building a kit specifically for the platform, why develop a kit that requires so much modification to the car to 'make it work'? I cycled through after install too. When the bag was nice and new and not deformed yet I had no rubs. 2 weeks later, rubbed like crazy.


 well the way i look at it, nothing "bolts on" with air suspension. you wanna lay frame, then you have to modify. look at trucks with air suspension, they don't bolt on and go and lay frame. they have to modify to do so.

i will be making new rear arms for the car in the summer time though, then if they come out good, ill sell a few sets on here, and there will be no issues with rubbing....


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## bgsapc (Dec 17, 2008)

d15nonvtec said:


> well the way i look at it, nothing "bolts on" with air suspension. you wanna lay frame, then you have to modify. look at trucks with air suspension, they don't bolt on and go and lay frame. they have to modify to do so.
> 
> i will be making new rear arms for the car in the summer time though, then if they come out good, ill sell a few sets on here, and there will be no issues with rubbing....


 It just seems slly to me to hack up relatively new cars to make these work, when thee is another option out there thats cheaper, requires zero modifications to the LCA, or spring nipple, uses 100% metal brackets. This isn't my first rodeo, and I agree with you that air ride shouldn't be a "bolt on kit", but the amount of cutting is just senseless. Its not like notching a frame or strut tower or pinch weld to get that last little bit towards the ground. All the cuts I'm complaining about do is get the alignment of the bag correct. 

However, the way I see it, these issues should/could have been taken care of while doing R&D. If the fitting was at the bottom not the top, you could still use the same bracket and alignment wouldn't be an issue.


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

the problem with the fitting at the bottom of the bag versus the top is the fact that road debris could catch the airline and rip the airline off or the fitting out of the bag.

yes the bracket could be redesigned, but you could also just run the non xl kit and not have to cut anything.

tapered bags are always tough to work in a tight area. 

look at the issues they had with the first non tapered bags.....


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

bgsapc said:


> @Tspooner, I would love to see pics of it. I didn't really bother taking pics of the bag rubbing still installed. I figured the giant rub marks on more than 3 bags was enough proof. I hope you get it figured out though! No matter what I did, I wouldn't have felt comfortable with them on my car, and I didn't feel comfortable removing metal from my car to 'make it work'. It would cost a fortune in fab work just to ever potentially run springs, or put my car back to stock.


 most likely i'll get pictures tomorrow had no time today. was working on my friends jeep and now i have to go to work soon. but at the moment i can drive my car with minimal rub noise. i just need to fix leaks in my bolkheads  



d15nonvtec said:


> well the way i look at it, nothing "bolts on" with air suspension. you wanna lay frame, then you have to modify. look at trucks with air suspension, they don't bolt on and go and lay frame. they have to modify to do so.
> 
> i will be making new rear arms for the car in the summer time though, then if they come out good, ill sell a few sets on here, and there will be no issues with rubbing....


 thats what i was planning on doing. take the lca out grind where it rubs and weld some metal back in to give it strength.


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

The factory spring cup is rounded at the top and should prevent any blowing of bags in my opinion. Im not just grinding out the cup, im making entirely new control arms.


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## bgsapc (Dec 17, 2008)

Really? It makes more sense to you to build new lower control arms from scratch than to spend a $250 to get bags and brackets that will never have this problem? And even/when you do have a custom set of LCAs how would you go about addressing the fact that bottom nutsert is set in set in plastic and could still potentially break, and blow? Sorry, I guess I just fail to see the logic 

As far as the OP goes, sure if you're really committed to these a simple trim of the LCA should do the trick for the time being. IMO I would rather keep hacking up those, which are easily replaced and not the upper spring perch, which is not easily replaced.


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

Why spend 250+ when i could make the arms for 50 bucks. 

If you hate air lift so much, why did you buy the kit!? Theres plenty of discussions all over vw forums about air lift. If you did the research on the problems then you would think you would have known of this issue and just bought the front assembly and pieced a rear set together.


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## bgsapc (Dec 17, 2008)

Whoa whoa, I never said I hated airlift. But, if you must know, I got XL's when they were relatively new, and getting them was the lesser of 2 evils. In my situation it was either airlifts of miss out on h2o. Airlift at the time had not released centering rings, or revised instructions. 

Also if you must know. for my application (b6 4m) the bags I had (ah2 and completely custom brackets) didn't clear the rear transverse link. BY's would have taken too long, MT's were unavailable, and I didn't have the time to make anything else work with less than 10 days before h2o. I knew they would be problematic, but not as bad as they were. I acknowledge I had a special situation, but the problem is the same. I was just trying to chime in with my experience to help the OP. :thumbup:


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## DoctorDoctor (Oct 18, 2006)

tspooner said:


> thats what i was planning on doing. take the lca out grind where it rubs and weld some metal back in to give it strength.


 When I had my Air Lift XL's installed, the guys at TST ran into the same issue with my car... Even Jesse from Air Lift who just so happened to be in the Bay Area at the time (Thanks Jesse!) looked at the install and the only resolution was to grind down the LCA a bit more... 

Now, I have zero rubbing issues :thumbup::thumbup:


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

bgsapc said:


> Whoa whoa, I never said I hated airlift. But, if you must know, I got XL's when they were relatively new, and getting them was the lesser of 2 evils. In my situation it was either airlifts of miss out on h2o. Airlift at the time had not released centering rings, or revised instructions.
> 
> Also if you must know. for my application (b6 4m) the bags I had (ah2 and completely custom brackets) didn't clear the rear transverse link. BY's would have taken too long, MT's were unavailable, and I didn't have the time to make anything else work with less than 10 days before h2o. I knew they would be problematic, but not as bad as they were. I acknowledge I had a special situation, but the problem is the same. I was just trying to chime in with my experience to help the OP. :thumbup:


 i see

well im glad you explained everything, as i thought you were just another follower in the bitching war on airlift


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## JesseAirLiftCompany (Aug 5, 2009)

Hey guys whats up? I see there is another rear bag fitment issue. Aside of the centering washer stuff, and the revised manual, is anyone actually reading the manual? I saw someone posted they had good results after cycling the suspension so many times while installing. 

Well when I do the install it goes like this. And yes this is where I say I have never had an issue with one of my installs. 

Now that the rear shocks are out and the lower control arms are left to flop, I do my normal take down on the nipple on the lower control arm. There is the normal bump to locate the spring and a ridge thats .1875-.25" tall. I grind that to about halfway and check to see if the bag teeters while mounted. If so I grind till the bag sits flush but I never completely remove the ridge. It was the original centering and locater for the bag on the control arm. 

I do all of my trimming for the upper mount on the XL kit. Then I re-assemble everything, without mounting the upper mounts. With some jack stands under the control arms I add 5-10 psi to each rear. this should be enough pressure to fill the bag and cycle the car with a jack on the center bar in the rear. 

While cycling you can see whats going on with the bag and adjust the top to center. If more trimming is needed to achieve center do the trimming. I have had my kit on for 70000+ miles and am still on the prototype kit. Never replaced a bag. 

I know everyones always in a time crunch or some crap like that. Think about the install. read the manual carefully, if your not comfortable or have questions, this forum is here, and you can always ask me. But with a good install this problem will never happen. 

We engineer the kit to last for ever. We also try to make it as easy as possible to install the kits. Thats why there are different versions. NO cut or cut, its up to the user. 

For the noises, if the bag is rubbing yes it could be making noise. If its not it's probably your bushings. The are wound up like crazy when you lay the car out. If you just get the car to ride height and loosen the bolts for the lower inner control arm bushings they will reclock themselves and you can tighten them back up. 

I can't tell you how tired I am of seeing these post, and I am sure you guys are tired of answering, seeing, and whatever. Seriously read the manual, check all your clearances and then finalize the install. You will be way happier, as will I.


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

Amen Jesse....


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

JesseAirLiftCompany said:


> Hey guys whats up? I see there is another rear bag fitment issue. Aside of the centering washer stuff, and the revised manual, is anyone actually reading the manual? I saw someone posted they had good results after cycling the suspension so many times while installing.
> 
> Well when I do the install it goes like this. And yes this is where I say I have never had an issue with one of my installs.
> 
> ...


 thanks for the insite on this, wish i read a post before of how you did this. when i installed the kit i put the bag on the lca and screwed the bolt with the washer into the bottom. i then did what you did by jacking up the lca to the top. i did not however put any psi in the bag when lining the top bracket up. this is most likely why i have rubbing issues. but you said that by loosing the bushings they should "reclock themselves." i guess i will have to do that. now when you do this its probably a good idea to grease them too im assuming. correct me if i'm wrong.


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## JesseAirLiftCompany (Aug 5, 2009)

No need to grease the bushings. They are whatever rubber compound the factory uses and are ungreaseable. Not sure if thats even a word. 

Yeah if you redo the rear upper mounts with some pressure in them, enough to fill them and tap the bracket around to make sure theres clearance you will be all good.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

JesseAirLiftCompany said:


> No need to grease the bushings. They are whatever rubber compound the factory uses and are ungreaseable. Not sure if thats even a word.
> 
> Yeah if you redo the rear upper mounts with some pressure in them, enough to fill them and tap the bracket around to make sure theres clearance you will be all good.


 thanks for the tip.:thumbup:


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

All is well again, haha.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

d15nonvtec said:


> All is well again, haha.


 :thumbup:


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## laramie1pt8t (Dec 5, 2006)

hey did u ever get my control arm pics spoon man?


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

random seeing this thread. but i saw this car last night in new brunswick tucking steelies. LOVED IT. 

liking the zebra on the interior trim. my girl was freaking out about how awesome it was! 
:beer::beer:


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

laramie1pt8t said:


> hey did u ever get my control arm pics spoon man?


 yes i did thanks. i still need to grind mine out think i might end up using your idea. did you weld another piece of metal just on the inside of the bowl?


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

vwbiohazard said:


> random seeing this thread. but i saw this car last night in new brunswick tucking steelies. LOVED IT.
> 
> liking the zebra on the interior trim. my girl was freaking out about how awesome it was!
> :beer::beer:


 haha thanks man, i think i actualy saw you two. i saw a girl get excited when she saw the zebrah. oh and btw i got my fronts in, notch done, and pinch weld folded on the passenger side. laying frame


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

no prob! yea she has a white rabbit too. so she loved it even more. 

pics or it didnt happen! haha 

im in the process of bagging my mk6 golf. it was the UG one space over from yours. it was the one rocking black passat wheels haha. any advice? on running lines? 

I already built my trunk setup just waiting on parts!


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

Running hardlines or soft? I ran my soft lines from tank to switches underneath the rear seat and into the console on my mk5. I also ran copper hardlines under the car to front out of the shifter area


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

it will be soft lines. im not badass enough yet for hardlines. one day.


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

vwbiohazard said:


> it will be soft lines. im not badass enough yet for hardlines. one day.


 Haha, not that hard


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

vwbiohazard said:


> no prob! yea she has a white rabbit too. so she loved it even more.
> 
> pics or it didnt happen! haha
> 
> ...


 oh nice. yea i saw it, i'll take a picture of the managment under the floor tomorrow. what i did was drilled through the spare wheel well with gromits, for the fronts i took off the guards running down the undeside and ziptied the lines down and went under and into the wheel well. rears were easy, just ran right out to the bags through the gromits. all i have is a picture of the trunk setup. once i get decent pictures i'll post them. managment, notch, frame, exterior, and all.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

d15nonvtec said:


> Haha, not that hard


 hardlines are pretty easy. just an extra $100 to add to the bill :thumbup:


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

This is true


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

Alright I see. I like your setup. Mines a going to be a bit hidden more. While still having full use of the spare tire since it's my daily for school and work. I'm going to be running a 4 way manual. So I will have to run actual lines to the paddles.


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

vwbiohazard said:


> Alright I see. I like your setup. Mines a going to be a bit hidden more. While still having full use of the spare tire since it's my daily for school and work. I'm going to be running a 4 way manual. So I will have to run actual lines to the paddles.


 Thats what I did. I have the switches in the center console. I made one switch for front bags, one for rear, and two dumps piped underneath the car.


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## laramie1pt8t (Dec 5, 2006)

> yes i did thanks. i still need to grind mine out think i might end up using your idea. did you weld another piece of metal just on the inside of the bowl?


 Yeah I used 12 gauge steel 3/4" wide. Super strong with lots of room:thumbup:


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## [email protected] (Feb 19, 2010)

tspooner said:


>


 How are the rear bags working for you now? Mind if I steal this pic?


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> How are the rear bags working for you now? Mind if I steal this pic?


 havent really messed with them much. still rubbing on the lca so i threw some grease on them and their silent. dont even hear bushings creak. and not at all, go ahead :thumbup: 

oh on a side note. i still have 10psi in the front bags when i lay frame looks like i need to figure out raising my engine so i can go lower


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## [email protected] (Feb 19, 2010)

tspooner said:


> havent really messed with them much. still rubbing on the lca so i threw some grease on them and their silent.


 Hmm, what a pain! The XL kit has to be in exactly the right position to avoid rubbing, the grease is more of a band-aid than a fix. Give me a call and we can talk about other options for you. 

Thanks for the pic!!


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

tspooner said:


> havent really messed with them much. still rubbing on the lca so i threw some grease on them and their silent. dont even hear bushings creak. and not at all, go ahead :thumbup:
> 
> oh on a side note. i still have 10psi in the front bags when i lay frame looks like i need to figure out raising my engine so i can go lower


 Unless you are planning on raising the entire subframe, not much you can do. Unless you body drop the car


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

d15nonvtec said:


> Unless you are planning on raising the entire subframe, not much you can do. Unless you body drop the car


 ha yea i was kiddng. way too much work. still have enough on my plate to keep me occupied though :thumbup:


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

figured i'd get some spring shots sense it s beautiful out...


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

Looks good, matches the weather today


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

beautiful dude! 

lovin it! cant wait to be tucking my passat wheels like that :laugh:


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## darcness (Aug 8, 2008)

Love the car man. Is that a TBunny rear end there? I might have to snatch one of these up for myself.


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## jkroll (Jul 6, 2008)

was trying to get the xl brackets for my rears i got the xl bags but came with bigger brackets and will from baggriders told me alot of ppl have proplems rubbing so i just keeped the ones i have about the same drop 


looks good man


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

vwbiohazard said:


> beautiful dude!
> 
> lovin it! cant wait to be tucking my passat wheels like that :laugh:


 thanks, and do it. their needs to be more passats on air. 



d15nonvtec said:


> Looks good, matches the weather today


 thats what i figured. was a pain in the a** to get all the snow off in between pictures. 



darcness said:


> Love the car man. Is that a TBunny rear end there? I might have to snatch one of these up for myself.


 yep thunder bunny. i was eh about it untill i got air. looks so much better low. haha 



jkroll said:


> was trying to get the xl brackets for my rears i got the xl bags but came with bigger brackets and will from baggriders told me alot of ppl have proplems rubbing so i just keeped the ones i have about the same drop
> 
> 
> looks good man


 yea the xls were a pain. i still have to play around with them.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

and on a side note. the compressor can go directly to a 12v power sourse? forget if it needs to go to an ignition required sourse. i have my amp, managment and compressor going to a fuse tap. too many things, the plastic on the fuse started to melt


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## Plain (Jun 14, 2004)

Here is a thread with some examples of modified control arms. 

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4949765-Squeaking-Bags-(MKVi-Airlift-Rear-)


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

Lol I'm talking about my mk6. I'm running Passat wheels on it. When I had a Passat. I had it on air.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

Plain said:


> Here is a thread with some examples of modified control arms.
> 
> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4949765-Squeaking-Bags-(MKVi-Airlift-Rear-)


 thanks for the link. i like how they did that. prob gunna go this route! :thumbup:


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

vwbiohazard said:


> Lol I'm talking about my mk6. I'm running Passat wheels on it. When I had a Passat. I had it on air.


 oh gotchaa. when are you planning on bagging your mk6?


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

Just received my management yesterday. Waiting on stuff from airlift like switches and junk. Bags will be within the next month or so.


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## vwbiohazard (Feb 2, 2005)

I'm trying to find a good place for my gauges. I may have to build one but where did you put yours?


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

i have a digital setup so i got the anthrite dash cubby and mounted the controler in their.


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## bassmanjosh (Nov 6, 2004)

tspooner said:


> so you grinded the mounting circle on the control arm so it was more of an ovel then welded it in the correct spot?
> 
> 
> also after driving today i was able/comfortable enough to get down to about 47 pounds (i know that this is still high) but i am hearing a creaking sound. i'm thinking that it is the bag rubbing on the control arm still but i took the wheel off and put a jack under the arm to compress the bag. it was close to the arm but it wasnt rubbing unless their was more pressure on it which i believe would only be that low when parked. a friend of mine suggested that it might be bushings creaking because they are not use to the suspension being low. any input on possible noises with a new setup?


 Yes, i grinded the nipples out on both sides (lca & body) and spot welded to the lca. 

I'm not sure if this has been covered already, but I read somewhere else that an alignment might help this issue, causing the LCA and bushing to not be on constant strain...


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

bassmanjosh said:


> Yes, i grinded the nipples out on both sides (lca & body) and spot welded to the lca.
> 
> I'm not sure if this has been covered already, but I read somewhere else that an alignment might help this issue, causing the LCA and bushing to not be on constant strain...


 i'm gunna refab the LCA like in this link http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...rlift-Rear-) 
i pmed a someone who was parting out a gti with for what ever reason barley 500 miles. but i'll get those fab them up and probably do the same to my origonal ones and sell them to someone else with the same problem.


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## JesseAirLiftCompany (Aug 5, 2009)

Are people interested in buying tubular rear LCA's for these cars???


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## d15nonvtec (Dec 19, 2006)

Thats what i was going to make this spring Jesse


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## Plain (Jun 14, 2004)

JesseAirLiftCompany said:


> Are people interested in buying tubular rear LCA's for these cars???


 Tubular control arms would be badass. 

I modified my control arm by opening up the top so the bag could fit down to the bottom of the control arm. I only needed a very short cup. Theoretically I could have bolted the bag to the flimsy metal of the control arm but I ended up fabbing a 1/2" tall cup since the airbag has aluminum bolt plates that the bag is clamped to, I was afraid if I bolted the bag to the control arm with a tiny single bolt that would easily strip out when I 3 wheeled. Or if I ended up bolting it to the flimsy control arm metal the bolts would have worked there way out. With the cup, I could bolt the bag using the various small bolts holes, and just weld a large bolt to the center of the cup on the under side with a thick dimple washer to center it. 

If you could make a tubular arm with a thicker flat bottom, you should then just be able to bolt the bag directly to the control arm. 

Also what would be nice about a tubular control arm is that since the bag sits lower in the suspension, you don't have to cut off the factor upper spring centering nub, like so many people do. Which would make it difficult to ever put a coil setup back in the car or to put it back to stock to sell it. 

With the modified control arm inplace, the factory upper nub is still fully intact in this picture, (my wheel rubbed the metal guard that protects the underside of the gas tank filler): 










My only pic of the modified control arm: 









Something like these but having the plate on the bottom side instead, and obviously there have to be a different configuration on the ball joint end. 



















I miss air.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

tubular sounds like an interesting idea.

and thanks for the input/pics plain.

on a side note i get to check out my rear suspension today. theirs beena pretty loud knocking every time i go over a bump or anything. hoping can tighten things down to fix it, hopefully its just the plywood under the manament thats hitting the spare well. also get to regrease the lca again. hopefully i can sourse a set of lca's to modify. :thumbup:


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## inertpyro (Oct 4, 2007)

I modified one of the rear control arms today. Mine were only rubbing on the outer side of the cup, so I only cut that half and moved it out an inch. Then to fill in the radius between the two halves of the cup; I found a piece of pipe (about 1" dia) and cut a piece to match the radius. To restrengthen where the cup I welded and bent some angle iron with the torch around the arm. Its probably over kill but I'd rather no have the arm getting all tweaked. Thursday I should have the other done and will bring along something other than my iphone camera.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

looks good man. hope it solves your rubbing problem :thumbup:
and i found lca's for 70 shipped. dose that sound about right?


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## inertpyro (Oct 4, 2007)

tspooner said:


> looks good man. hope it solves your rubbing problem :thumbup:
> and i found lca's for 70 shipped. dose that sound about right?


Oh yeah it does, I can fit my finger all the way around the bag now when it dropped. :thumbup:

70 sounds about right, considering they use the same part on a few cars they should be pretty cheap.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

i need to make a build thread... rear fitment shot for interest. still need to fix the lca


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## Plain (Jun 14, 2004)

Pretty hard to get some tuck with all that poke.


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## tspooner (Feb 28, 2010)

Plain said:


> Pretty hard to get some tuck with all that poke.


well the dementions were orignaly 18x8 et65 with the stock 1.25" lips, the rears now 2.75 lips bringing it to 9.5 fronts are now 8.5. with falken 512 215/40/18s the rear has a 20mm spacer though. at the moment its pretty well stuck on so its gunna need some persuasion to get it off. their seams to be enough room in between the barel and strut so hopefully if all goes well i can run the rear with no spacer and just manage to tuck. heres one of the pictures from show n go. i'll post more sometime soon.


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