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[MarkInBaltimore]

I have the Airlift on my 4Runner and have been fairly happy with it. It certainly gets the job done and allows a heavy load to be carried without rear sag. The onboard compressor works quickly and and the release valve allows fast bleed downs.

You can always keep the air pressure to a minimum to keep the ride as soft as possible. When the bags are near medium to max inflation, they certainly increase the spring rate and degrade the ride to a significant degree. Still, I've never been too happy with the ride quality of my 4Runner, especially since I came from car-like '95 Pathfinder.

I did have two problems with the Airlift. The supplied air bags were supposedly correct but they kept on chafing the inner coils and then leaking. I replaced the bags twice and was charged by the installer for R/R each time. Airlift finally, on the third attempt, sent me two slightly thinner (diameter) bags <edit: not taller when deflated but taller when inflated> designed for another vehicle and this solved the problem.

Airlift warrantees the bags for life but does not cover labor. My bag failures occurred within four to six months of install after each install. I felt that this was an unacceptably high and accelerated failure rate and thought it unreasonable that I had to beta test their product at my expense. Despite documentation, phone calls and letters asking Airlift to cover the costs of labor, they denied reimbursement. I thought this was incredibly poor customer "service" and was amazed that they wouldn't adequately deal with this issue. It's not like I had a leaking bag two years after they were installed.

Since Airlift finally supplied me with the correct bags, I have had no leakage issues.

On another note, my system is supposed to have a sensor that maintains a minimum of 5 lbs of pressure in the bags. This feature no longer works, but it's not a big deal to me.

That said, I have an Airlift system waiting to be installed in the Sequoia. I'm acutally not really sure I'll need it, even with the towing. I'm going to have to hook the car and trailer up, load it with my stuff and see how much it drops.