# Rear Airlift bags



## brnsgrbr (Aug 17, 2009)

Hey there. I have the stock rear bags that came with my kit. I have 2002 GTI chassis. I was on ECS' site and they listed 3 possible bags.









I want to know if anyone else with a MK4 chassis used the other 2 options and whether or not they had to modify anything to accommodate the beefier ones. Is the mounting hardware the same? Already know that I will have to get a 1/2" fitting versus the 3/8" on the stock bag.

Here are the specs:
What I have:
The F9000 tapered sleeve replacement air bag has a single 3/8" port.
Bag specifications are:
Maximum restrained pressure of 150 psi
A 5.75 inch usable stroke
Load range of 1150 lbs
Minimum compressed height of 4.25 inches
Maximum extended height of 9.5 inches
Maximum diameter of 5.4 inches

The 2 I am considering:

The D2500 Dominator Gen IV series air bag is a double convoluted bag with a single 1/2" port.
Bag specifications are:
Maximum restrained pressure of 600 psi
A 7.7 inch usable stroke
Load range of 294-2096 lbs
Minimum compressed height of 2.8 inches
Maximum extended height of 10.5 inches
Maximum diameter of 7 inches

The D2600 Dominator Gen IV series air bag is a double convoluted bag with a single 1/2" port.
Bag specifications are:
Maximum restrained pressure of 600 psi
A 9.7 inch usable stroke
Load range of 394-3055 lbs
Minimum compressed height of 2.8 inches
Maximum extended height of 12.5 inches
Maximum diameter of 8 inches



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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

Both of the double bellows style bags you posted will not work with the current brackets that you have (that i know of). You would have to purchase brackets separately, and then you only have the option of going with airlift bags from now on. 

I would suggest taking a look at this kit from OpenRoadTuning: http://openroadtuning.com/mk4-golf-idf-ss5-rear-bag-kit/

It includes the upper/lower mounting brackets and all hardware to install it, includes fittings to adapt to the line size you have. It also gives you the added benefit of using a more universal and more readily available bag in the event of a mishap on the road, in another town or on a sunday when some places aren't open but some stores are. It is a nice to have feeling that not only one store will have what you need. It is also *THE* best riding rear bag setup for a mk4 out there :thumbup::thumbup:


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## brnsgrbr (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. What are the load ratings? Will SS-6 fit and allow more weight? I plan to tow, have amps, subs, towbar etc that add extra weight.


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

What are you planning on towing with a GTI? Just curious, because i think you may be too caught up on hard specs rather than finding something that will work optimally for you. You will at no point need 4000lb in tongue weight capacity for your vehicle, trust me. The most that these vehicles can take is a 1-1/4" receiver load rating which i believe is around 2000lb. 

The two double bellows bags that you have posted below i would hesitate to use ECS tunings fitment guide. They have listed it fitting ALL audi, ALL volkswagen and ALL BMW. That alone should throw up some red flags for you in regards to fitment. Use a company that specialized in air suspension, not some big box store that sells everything but doesn't have a clue about anything. 

I would highly highly recommend giving Andrew @ OpenRoadTuning a call. He knows his stuff and can get you what you need for your application.


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## brnsgrbr (Aug 17, 2009)

MechEngg said:


> What are you planning on towing with a GTI? Just curious, because i think you may be too caught up on hard specs rather than finding something that will work optimally for you. You will at no point need 4000lb in tongue weight capacity for your vehicle, trust me. The most that these vehicles can take is a 1-1/4" receiver load rating which i believe is around 2000lb.
> 
> The two double bellows bags that you have posted below i would hesitate to use ECS tunings fitment guide. They have listed it fitting ALL audi, ALL volkswagen and ALL BMW. That alone should throw up some red flags for you in regards to fitment. Use a company that specialized in air suspension, not some big box store that sells everything but doesn't have a clue about anything.
> 
> I would highly highly recommend giving Andrew @ OpenRoadTuning a call. He knows his stuff and can get you what you need for your application.


Your advice is solid. The US is one of the only counties that doesn't use cars to tow with regularly. Its because that is the realm of the truck. However, when I was a kid (showing my age) cars did all the time. In Europe, the VW TDi has been rated the best tow vehicle for almost 2 decades. Here is a link to one of their video publications. 

https://youtu.be/AAH-8_x4SuE. 

I am mostly on tdiclub but if you want good air suspension reading you come here. 

I called slam specialties. They told me that the ss-5 is rated to lift 1825lbs at 120 psi. The ss-6 is rated at 2600lbs. The ss5 has a 5.5" diameter while the ss-6 has a 6" diameter. I'm going to try the ss-6. I'll modify if I have to. If that half inch is too much the I'll ebay them and get the ss-5 set.


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## MechEngg (Jan 13, 2009)

brnsgrbr said:


> Your advice is solid. The US is one of the only counties that doesn't use cars to tow with regularly. Its because that is the realm of the truck. However, when I was a kid (showing my age) cars did all the time. In Europe, the VW TDi has been rated the best tow vehicle for almost 2 decades. Here is a link to one of their video publications.
> 
> https://youtu.be/AAH-8_x4SuE.
> 
> ...


Well it looks like the top plate and bottom plate are identical so the IDF brackets would still work well here. See if Andrew can switch his SS5 bags to SS6 bags in a combined group with the brackets to save some money if this is the route you really want to go. 

When installing, you are going to have to heat up and bend (or cut, your preference) the lower spring cups so that the bag doesn't rub on them. For the SS5 it is only a half inch or so you need to bend it out, so for the SS6 i would expect quite a bit more trimming. 

I actually dug up a link of somebody who modified their rear beam for the SS6 bags, he had to relocate the lower strut bracket down so he could trim the cup appropriately. Take a read and see the work involved, looks like it can be done but is a bit of extra work:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5415521-Modified-mkiv-rear-beam-room-for-slam-ss6-bags


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## brnsgrbr (Aug 17, 2009)

MechEngg said:


> Well it looks like the top plate and bottom plate are identical so the IDF brackets would still work well here. See if Andrew can switch his SS5 bags to SS6 bags in a combined group with the brackets to save some money if this is the route you really want to go.
> 
> When installing, you are going to have to heat up and bend (or cut, your preference) the lower spring cups so that the bag doesn't rub on them. For the SS5 it is only a half inch or so you need to bend it out, so for the SS6 i would expect quite a bit more trimming.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link! 

I already ordered separately. The mounting kit is pricey on its own. I'm not one to ask for deals. Although it's a good idea. Nice to know I am not the only one to have gone down this road.


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## brnsgrbr (Aug 17, 2009)

MechEngg said:


> Well it looks like the top plate and bottom plate are identical so the IDF brackets would still work well here. See if Andrew can switch his SS5 bags to SS6 bags in a combined group with the brackets to save some money if this is the route you really want to go.
> 
> When installing, you are going to have to heat up and bend (or cut, your preference) the lower spring cups so that the bag doesn't rub on them. For the SS5 it is only a half inch or so you need to bend it out, so for the SS6 i would expect quite a bit more trimming.
> 
> ...


Just to follow up. I put one of the SS-6 bags in this weekend. Here are a few photos: 









Also installed my Westfalia tow hitch. I will probably order a rear lip or euro bumper cover for easy access to it.
















Had to relocate my Accuair pieces though.
Here is the before. I still haven't install the sensors so the wiring was still a mess.


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## brnsgrbr (Aug 17, 2009)

2nd SS-6 bag installed yesterday. I also wired up and installed the rear Accuair sensors. They took longer to install than I anticipated. 

I test drove for about an hour. My 1st impression is that double bellows bags laterally stiffer. It affects my cornering big time! It was like having my sport springs back on. Rear body roll seems to be gone now on curvy roads. 2nd impression is that the higher spring rate translates to less sponginess and less vertical travel. There is a big dip, on the westbound SR-18 on-ramp, at Auburn Black Diamond road, coming from Flaming Geyser park. Normally, with the sleeve rear bags, the car feels like it will bottom out. Then would kind of launch back up vertically. Kind of a roller coaster like feeling. That normally caused a slight steering issue. Now the dip seems almost nonexistent by comparison. Bumps are absorbed very well. I hear them more than I feel them. 3rd, these bags inflate and deflate faster. 

SS-6 bags have taught me a lot about the importance of rear suspension and how much it both affects and works with front suspension. I love that I can have a lower rear stance profile for handling than the sleeve bags. 

All that said, there is a negative. Installation was more difficult. I used the IDF kit from Urotuning.com (same kit for SS-5). Not more difficult because of the extra trimming, which just means more time. Its because the upper mount is tedious. Bolt access to thread the mount onto the bags bad. The Airlift design is better. However, IDF's are beefier. No way these will fail. You can only do 1/8th turns versus 1/2 turns. You must drop in the bolts for the bags before you start threading the single countersink bolt. That bolt size is the same as the Airlift kit which was nice. I like the design of the bottom mount. The holes in the mount are slotted. This allows you to push the seat or base of the bag out away, so it doesn't rub. I greased the slots, so the adjustment is easier. I highly recommend that. Because of those slots, these bags will not rub at all! The Airlift bags are not adjustable and did rub a little. One of the bags had a worn spot that was eventually going to cause a failure. So it was good that I upgraded anyway. I wish I had installed double bellow air springs in the rear in the 1st place. But that would have been for not anyway. I still would have upgraded for the extra 800 lb per SS-6 versus the SS-5 bag capacity for towing. Moreover, the 250 psi rating versus 150 psi rating of the sleeves. The sleeve bags are only rated for 1150 lb each versus 2600 lbs + each for the SS-6.



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