Home/Airbag Suspension Perth
Load-assist airbags level a vehicle that squats under towball weight or a heavy load — adjustable for the day's job, without the harsh empty ride of permanently heavier springs.
An air bellows is fitted into the rear suspension and inflated to suit the load. Add pressure when the van is hitched up or the tray is full, drop it back when the vehicle is empty. The result is a vehicle that sits level, steers predictably and points its headlights at the road when it is loaded, without riding like a truck during the week.
That adjustability is the whole point. Fixed heavy springs are a compromise chosen for the heaviest day; airbags let the rear rate change with the actual load.
| Load-assist airbags | Upgraded springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Variable loads — sometimes empty, sometimes towing or loaded | Consistent permanent load |
| Empty ride | Stays close to standard when deflated | Firmer, since the rate is always there |
| Adjustability | Adjust per trip | Fixed once fitted |
| Levelling under towball weight | Very effective | Effective if correctly rated |
| Raises legal capacity? | No | No — only a documented GVM upgrade does that |
| Maintenance | Check pressures and lines periodically | Essentially none |
Important: airbags improve how a vehicle carries weight. They do not raise your GVM or your legal carrying capacity. If your loaded vehicle is at or over its plated GVM, what you need is a documented GVM upgrade — airbags alongside it, or instead of it, will not change the legal limit.
Plenty of vehicles are best served by both: springs rated for the permanent load, with airbags handling the variable towball weight on top.
We fit Boss Airbags load-assist systems, and we will tell you honestly if your vehicle would be better served by a spring change instead.
Questions
Airbags are adjustable — you add pressure for a load and drop it when empty, so the vehicle levels under towball weight without riding firm during the week. Upgraded springs are a fixed rate, better suited to a load that is always there. Vehicles with variable loads usually prefer airbags; vehicles permanently loaded usually prefer correctly rated springs.
No. Airbags change how the vehicle carries weight, not how much weight it may legally carry. Your GVM is unchanged unless you have a documented GVM upgrade. Anyone telling you airbags raise your capacity is wrong.
That is exactly what they are best at. Towball weight is what pushes the rear down, and inflating the bags to suit brings the vehicle back to level — which restores steering feel, brake balance and headlight aim.
Very little, but not none. Pressures should be checked periodically, and the bags, lines and fittings should be inspected for chafing or damage — particularly on a vehicle that spends time on gravel or in the scrub. We check them as part of a service.
Yes, and it is a common combination — springs rated for the permanent load as part of the documented upgrade, with airbags managing the variable towball weight on top.
Related
Areas we service: Malaga · Wangara · Balcatta · Morley · Midland · Osborne Park · Perth CBD and the surrounding northern and north-eastern suburbs of Perth.
Tell us the vehicle, what it carries and what it is doing. You will get an itemised quote before any work starts — no upsells, no surprises.