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For safety and stability, air springs are the perfect partner for your rear suspension when you are hauling heavy loads. Springs fit inside existing coil springs to help level your Toyota RAV4, improve braking and handling, and reduce tire wear.
Features:
Specs:
Firestone Coil-Rite springs fit inside your existing rear coil springs to maximize the effectiveness of your suspension system. The added cushion provided by the air springs allows your vehicle to better handle a heavy load or trailer. Hauling heavy loads or towing a heavy trailer can make the rear of your vehicle sag and the front end rise. This puts more strain on your rear axle and reduces contact between your front tires and the road, causing problems with braking, steering control and traction. By adding air springs to your rear suspension, you can help to level your vehicle for more effective braking and handling under heavy loading or when you encounter adverse road conditions. The air springs also help to level your headlight beams and reduce wear on your tires.
Adjustable Air Pressure
The air pressure in your Coil-Rite springs can be adjusted manually, side to side, to compensate for off-center loads. A centered load improves the stability of your vehicle by reducing body roll. The air springs will also help to absorb road shock and soften contact between your axle and frame. This prevents bottoming out, thus improving ride comfort. Route the air line tubing for the springs to your vehicle's bumper to provide easy access to the manual inflation valves.
Air Spring Construction
Coil-Rite springs are constructed of durable, elastic polyurethane to ensure years of service. Single replacement springs (sold separately) are available for maintenance to an existing Coil-Rite kit.
Air Spring Installation
The Coil-Rite springs install inside your existing coil springs. The custom-fit springs attach to your vehicle's spring seats.
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (494 Customer Reviews)
For safety and stability, air springs are the perfect partner for your rear suspension when you are hauling heavy loads. Springs fit inside existing coil springs to help level your vehicle, improve braking and handling, and reduce tire wear.
They work great. First I added a levelling kit then the Firestone ride rite for when I tow my boat. Really notice the difference when towing.
With fully loaded tongue weight, rear suspension dropped .75 inches, added 10psi to the bags and brought it back up .5 inches.
Chris K - 11/12/2021Great product.Works as it should. It was a little difficult to get in but manageable. I use it to haul 4 bicycles to the riding trails. Before install the rear of the Rav4 was was pretty low. Now it sits just right. Have not towed a trailer yet but I am sure it would work well.
I hired my favorite auto technicians to do the install. They complained that the air line fittings initially leaked air, until they very precisely cut the air tubing and tried a second time. Otherwise things seem good so far.
Struggled for over an hour trying to get one bladder in without dismantling any part of the suspension, but was unsuccessful. Leaks seem common with this product, so I decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Interesting how the installation video cuts to the bladder inside the coil without showing how they actually installed it.
Jenny N - 12/29/2021Installation was every bit as difficult as other reviews say. I removed the plastic covering the springs, used lubrication, and nearly gave up many times. But in the end, I got them both in place. The only problem I have had have been leaks in the hose caused by my placement. Both times I removed the punctured areas and replaced it with new hose.
As far as function, I have been very happy towing a 1900 lb trailer with my 2012 Toyota RAV4. The air help springs keep the tongue level high enough without sacrificing ride quality.
Overall, I am very happy. I wish they were easier to install!
As a former mechanic, this was a tough install. It was a struggle to get the air bags through the springs and there was not enough room to remove the 3" piece of tubing so I installed the bag with the full length of tubing already in place. I was hoping to gain about a 2" lift, but it only raises the vehicle about 3/4 of an inch. The bags do make a noticeable difference in handling and the hitch is not so close to the ground while hauling a trailer.
Thanks to all of the folks who shared their observations on the installation of Firestone Air Helper Springs on Toyota RAV4s. Some of their suggestions made my life much easier. The Firestone instructions, as others observed, were pretty generic and were probably not written by a person who actually installed them on a RAV4. Here are a few things that I found useful:
I found that the easiest way to cram the air bags into the coil springs was to flatten them like a pancake with the top and bottom surfaces collapsed onto each other and lash them in this state with a zip tie. Compressed this way you can push them thru the gap in the coil spring in the correct orientation so that when you release the zip tie they expand into the coil spring correctly. It helps to push them thru an opening just below the center of the coil spring so that the air bag ends up slightly below center touching the bottom plastic protective disk. It is really difficult to move the air bags up or down once they expand into the coil spring.
I attached the air hose after the bag was in place. You can use a heat gun to warm the air hose enough to bend it so that it exits the lower control arm, turns 90 degrees, and runs along the back of the control arm without hanging down.
As others noted the exhaust system presents special problems on the right side. I ended up routing the air line toward the brake and up to the upper control arm to stay away from the exhaust pipe. It's not clear what the best strategy is for routing the air lines. They seem pretty tough, but will likely be rubbing on something given all of the movement in the suspension. I'd suggest not cutting the air line and starting with the right side, which for me needed more air line length to keep away from the exhaust system. That way you will have enough air line to finish the right side and you can use the remainder on the left side, which will need less. I cut the line in half to begin with and barely had enough for the right side.
All of the bits seem to be of high quality. The quick connect air fittings seem to seal well and grab tenaciously so you will have a very hard time removing them once you install them. Like a Chinese puzzle on steroids.
Our trailer has around 440lb tongue weight and these have brought us back to level with a few psi to spare. We'll see how it goes over the road.
Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas and suggestions.
The product is not exactly as pictured. The bottom protectors are disks (round) rather than rectangular. But that doesn't affect their installation or performance.
Installation was a bit of a challenge. I'm not a gear head, so I was lying under my 2008 Rav4 trying to jam the bags into the springs. I started on the driver side. It went fairly well. The passenger side was a different story. The exhaust system was in the way -- good thing it was coolish. I did manage to get both bags in with all my knuckles still intact.
The instructions indicate that you cut a short piece of hose, insert it into the bag, deflate the bag, and insert the plug in the end of the short tubing. That's fine... but then when you get the bag in, it says to remove the short tubing. Ummmm.... how!?!?! I did manage to get the tube out of both sides. I'm not sure, but I think I may have buggered up the quick connector in doing so.
The second to last step is to run the tubing to the back of the vehicle. I'm not too sure I've done a great job running the tube. Since the tube sticks out the bottom of the spring and arm, it seems there is no way to get the tube so that it's not dangling down from the car. On the passenger side, the exhaust system is very close to everything. It was hard to find a place to run the tube that wouldn't be too close to the exhaust pipe.
Then you need to check for leaks. My unit's max pressure is 35psi. I inflated it to that, and quickly heard hissing from one side. I removed the quick connect inflator and reinstalled. Still with the hissing. So far, I haven't been able to stop the air leak. But... they stay inflated at 25psi. For now, that's okay for my application.
Then you're supposed to drill 2 holes in your car. I don't think so.... I left enough tube that I can decide later where to install the inflators. For now, they're zip-tied to the hitch bar. I plan to get a piece of metal that will attach to the hitch's mounting plate, and drill through that instead.
I haven't been able to tell if they perform as advertised. I just finished installing them earlier this evening. I took it out for a test drive (just to make sure I didn't mess up anything). Inflated at 25psi it seems to drive fine. I can't tell if the back end is firmer.... or if I'm just sensitive because I'm aware of the bags being in. It does appear that the back end rides higher (even when it's empty).
I'm loading up in the morning and heading out. I'll update my review with performance observations when I get back.
Patrick B - 08/10/2013 Bob K - 02/09/2015Once you wrestle the bags in the rear springs if you have a air compressor with a spray nozzle you can charge or inflate the bag enough In the spring to seat it. It’s a challenge to pry them in but careful leverage with a dull ended pry bar works. Once installed and careful routing of the tubes to avoid crimping or creasing air tubes. When zip tying the tubes remember to cradle them and not to tight. I ended up drilling holes in the harness plate to mount the stem valves. This was a complete tow bar, wiring, and harness mounting job well worth the money and it looks factory in every way. Just added value to the vehicle for sure. Not only towing or carrying bikes or utility racks. The air bags level the rav 4 with 4 adults and a full cargo area keeping the ride perfect.
John - 06/21/2020After one year of use I can say that this product performs very well. The installation video for my vehicle was very helpful. I did however find that warming the coil bag up in the oven, tie raping it into a roll and inserting from the bottom was easier than inserting through the springs. Also I would recommend that the Tee for the air lines be included in the kit. It was the only thing missing and I can not imagine an installation with out it.
Overall, etrailer service and the instructional video were excellent, installation was easier than I thought, and performance has been very good.
I installed these on my '07 RAV4. Quick delivery, excellent follow-up by etrailer.
Having read other reviews, I was a bit apprehensive about the installation. It went much quicker and easier than I anticipated. No bruised knuckles, a few grunts, no cuss words. The video is very good and helped a lot.
I jacked the car up until the wheels were off the ground, which gave a reasonable amount of room between the spring coils. The red plug popped out a few times but you could still squeeze the bag with one hand through the spring and then put the plug back in, which gave some laxity in the bag to help manipulate it. The exhaust was in the way on the right a bit but not really a big deal.
I opted to install the tee fitting and routed the valve stem into the left rear, as per the video. I chose to install it in the "dimple" below the 12v plug present in my car. Be careful, though: if you put the stem in the exact center of the dimple, many tire fillers won't fit into the dimple, so install it offset to the bottom. Also, I routed the tubing through the rubber grommet (maybe 1' dia) in that space on the bottom towards the vehicle front.
The bags seem pretty easy to inflate with an inexpensive 12v compressor. As for performance, they seem to do very well, cutting down some of the bounce when towing our pop-up trailer.
Ed L - 05/29/2018I installed these Coil-Rite Air Helper Springs on my 2017 RAV4. They do an excellent job of supporting the extra tongue weight for towing a trailer, and when I am travelling with a fully loaded SUV I can adjust the air springs so that my headlights aren't pointing at the sky and the SUV steering is more stable.
3 small negatives:
First, these air springs SQUEAK constantly which is very annoying in a passenger vehicle. I called support and they suggested spraying the air springs with WD40 which did not work. However, have found a SOLUTION that does work. I thoroughly soaked the air springs about 3 separate times with "Blaster Advanced Dry Lube with TEFLON". Once the Teflon got between the coil springs and the air springs, no more squeaks! (This is why I took away one star - with my solution I'd give 5 stars but the company should make this problem known to purchasers and the solution.)
Second, getting the air springs inside the coil springs is not easy. It required a lot of force and multiple attempts. I don't think that can be helped - just understand that it's not a quick or easy job.
Third, I don't like the way the air tube must protrude out of the hole in the bottom of the control arm (see picture). I believe that if the vehicle were used off road, there would be a risk of damage to the air tube. Again, I don't think that the design can be any different than it is.
Installation: 2007 Toyota Rav4. The installation instructions were perfectly fine. Installation is not a complicated process; it's just a struggle to get the air bag inside the coil and into its proper shape. Everything else is easy. Also, the instructions clearly stated how to remove the air hose from the air valve. Although not provided in the instructions, I removed the rear wheels for the air bag installation. While that took some weight off the coil's extension, the trade-off was easier access to the coil from the side rather than from underneath...and I did get the air bag inside the coils fine. In installing the air bags one bit of advice is consider using more fingers than tools. Once I put the blunt-ended tools down and worked it into place with my hands the install went much better. Once the air bag is inside the coil and the air plug is removed, the coil doesn't just pop into place/shape. It still needs to be worked in a spinning motion and using the soapy water from the sprayer that you'll need to check for leaks will come in very handy doing that.
I tow a 1,000 pound covered trailer and have recently purchased a motorcycle hitch carrier to haul my dual-sport motorcycle. I always wanted this air bag set up for my towing, but it was the carrier that got me to pull the trigger on the Coil-Rite. Using the top of my rear wheel well as a point of measurement, the stock height was 32.75". Putting 525 pounds on the hitch receiver (motorcycle hitch carrier and motorcycle) the height dropped to 30.25" (-2.50" from stock). Pumping up the Air Bags brought the height up to 31.50" (+1.25" above the ladened height but still -1.25" below the unladened height). The specs on this product state that the Firestone Coil-Rite's load leveling capability ranges from "at least 500 pounds (at most 1,000 pound)." I was expecting the Coil-Right to level my vehicle with the 521 pound receiver tongue payload and it falls short 1.25" (or only half of the total ladened reduction in height). I'm giving the product a good rating as it was fairly inexpensive and something I could install myself...and does, in fact, help my leveling for towing. However, the spec says it should have leveled at 500 pounds and it didn't.
So far this has been every thing it was advertised to be. Install took a couple hours give or take I didn't really time it. The install went well, no busted knuckles or any thing! I forgot to order the "T" fitting so I'll have to go back and take care of that. So when you order get the "T" to avoid my error.
Etrailer has been great. Deliver was timely when I made the order the Coil-Rite set I needed was on back order but as estimated by etrailer it arrived within two weeks, so no big deal there.
I installed the Coil-Rite on my 2014 Toyota RAV4 to help level the body out when towing our ATV trailer. I haven't had a trailer hooked up to it yet but looking forward to it. I'm pushing the max towing capacity of the RAV so I really want to keep the breaking as solid as I can. Keeping the body level will help there.
I had a scooter lift installed on my Toyota RAV4. It requires some additional lift to boost the OEM rear springs. I had the Firestone F4174 Coil-Rite Helper Springs installed. Perfect!!!!!!!! They have infinite adjustment with their AIR ride system
My airbags were put in a Toyota RAV4. Installation was not easy. To get the airbags in the spring the spring had to be removed completely. No way to put it in through the spring leaves. To remove the spring it is better to remove the center suspension arm bolt and leave it attached to the wheel attachment portion. Much easier to get the arm back in place this way. When placing the airbag in the spring it is easiest to collapse the airbag lengthwise and hold it collapsed with a tie wrap. Then put in the spring and once in place cut the tie wrap.Once installed the airbags seem to work as advertised. Good luck, these suspension bolts were tight.
Delivery and installation went perfect , parts all received on time and scheduling was made easier with the supplied tracking information. I am impressed with the customer service , job well done~!
Got these and installed them over the weekend. They work great, so far, but they require some determination to get the airbags into the springs.
Warming the air bags in the oven (at no more than 170 degrees) helped soften them up and make them a bit more pliable, but they are still a bear. I installed mine by rolling/folding them up length-wise and ty-wrapping them in the folded position to stuff them up through the hole in the lower suspension arm. Still a struggle, but less traumatic then trying to fold it through the coils as illustrated. I also took off the tires to get more room to work.
Connecting the air lines takes patience and precision to get a good seal. The tubing cutter is highly recommended, although the tubing's curl makes lining it up in the cutter a bit of a challenge, still. Be sure to seat the tubing in the fittings to both "clicks" and then push a bit more to make sure it's seated firmly.
After assembly, check all the tubing connections under pressure (30psi) with a squirt bottle of soapy water to watch for bubbles. Any bubbles and the bags will deflate on you. They don't hold much air so they deflate quickly even with just a tiny leak. Once you have no bubbles from any fittings, you're good to go and you'll get the support you need.
The product and components are well made and installed OK, but only 4 stars just because they're a bear to wrestle into place.
Excellent product. Use it on a 2008 Rav4. The rear end used to sit low when towing our little pop up trailer. Installed this kit with the help of the etrailer installation video. Rav4 rides nice and even while pulling the trailer. No leaks and has survived one canadian winter. Would buy again if ever needed.
Air helper springs were a huge help, leveled the back I'd my Rav 4 making a huge difference when towing my travel trailer. Instillation videos were very helpful, I did not have to contact etrailer for help. Shipping was fast all parts fit as expected.
An excellent product. While I wouldn't say the installation was easy, it is doable. As hard as it was, the results were amazing. I tow a 19' boat with a Rav4. Before the air bags the rear would squat about 2" with the boat hooked up. Now, with the air bags installed, the rear actually sits about 1" higher (3" overall) than without the boat when I inflate them to 30 lbs. I installed a tee in the air fill line so that I have a single fill point.
Excellent little system to add weight carrying capacity and a level ride to our 2010 Toyota Rav4 v6 with a 153k on the clock. I also replaced the spring isolators at the same time and was glad I did as one was pretty much worn through.
I bought this system because we had purchased a 17'-6" fishing boat and I was going to have to tow it with my Rav. Had some issues as it was heavy in the back end and handling wasn't optimal. This system corrected all that. I just add air to level the trailer out which shifts some of the weight back onto the trailer axle. MUCH better towing now...
I put these on the rear of my wife's SUV that sat a little low even without a load on the back. When she pulls our small trailer it helps with the extra weight and keeps the SUV level and stops the swaying motion that made her nervous.
I found it very difficult to install this product in the coil springs of my RAV4. I did this in a cold garage during the winter and I am sure it would be easier if it were warmer. Once installed they have been trouble free after a year. I pull a pop up camper with the RAV and it took all the sag out of the back.
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