Technical Changing Tires on Ultra-low Bagged Vehicles

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George Holloway
Hello All!
I'm new to the forum and posted this to an older thread. I'm quite sure this is beating a dead horse but I have not seen anyone else doing it this way. I hope that it helps.
This question comes up all the time in my car community and
I came up with a solution..... at least one that worked for me.

Instead of bolting the top side of the rear bags in with bolts , I used all thread and wing nuts to secure the tops. This lets the bag to drop lower thus allowing the tire to come out of the wheel well. The bag stays aligned with the upper holes and will self seat when the car is lowered off the jack. Just re-tighten the wing nuts (or whatever type nut you decide to use) and you're back on the road.
Doing it this way also keeps me from having to be under the car to disconnect stuff. (not where I want to be on an uneven, busy, rainy, no shouldered road.) UNSAFE to be sure. It can be done from inside the trunk.

This is my first attempt to fix this problem, and it does work, but if there is a better way, I need to know about it.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see in the photo what it is your proposing as a solution.

 

The 2 long rods sticking up over each air bag.

 

Sorry about the poor photo.
The 2 rods over each bag is all thread. The length of all thread is added to the length of a fully elongated air bag giving you much more drop in order to remove the tire.
I'm not very good at explaining myself. I'm sorry if I have confused anyone.

 

I'm guessing it would depend on where you plan on jacking it up from... Seems like it would bind up pretty good with the all thread sticking up that far.....


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And wouldn't your shocks just bottom out then?

 

I'm not having any problems with that. I suppose it would depend on the shocks. I hadn't thought of that. I built everything in the rear with this setup in mind. I guess there are too many variables to have the fix all for this problem.

 

So what are other people doing? I'd really like to know. There are some really awesome builders here I'm sure there are some good ideas floating around. Let's see 'em!

 

Fill the bags all the way. Unless you are running such a big tire, usually enough to get to stock height to get flat out and spare in.

 

I like your idea. If needed you could disconnect the bottom of the shock. One suggestion I would have would be to use a lathe to turn most of the threads off. Just leave enough to bolt them in and an inch at the top to keep the nuts from coming off and taper them so the threads don't catch. You could use longer thread coupling nuts or use spacers so the nuts are easier to access.

 

I suppose you fill the bags up, jack it up at the frame to let the axle droop down too the wing nuts?

I don't get stupid low vehicles - sorry

 

I'm thinking with his setup even with the bags at full height he doesn't have enough room to get the tires out of the fender well.
That's a mild case though, I've been around one car that you had to take the rear shackle and the shock loose to get enough room to get the tire off and on and that is a royal pain in the ass on the side of the road. You jacked the car up enough to block the axle and get the tire off the ground and then took the spring and shock loose and jacked the body up off the tire far enough to get it off and on.

 

One major problem I see with this design is that your shock is supposed to be a positive stop in droop so the bag never gets stretched past its maximum design length. If you let the axle hang on the bag and it tears/rips apart, you'll have a long walk home!

 

I won't build a car that I can't change the tires on at ride height. Low is cool, but at what cost.......

 

The alternative is fender skirts. Triple convoluted bags give you more extension.

From Air Lift's site; "Sleeve style air bags are extremely well suited to applications when space is limited and loads are light."

How much pressure do you have in them at ride height?

 

I guess I'm old, but I agree with 31 Vicky and Wolfcreek-Steve, I just don't get it. I wouldn't have a car that looks like your 400lb girlfriend ruined the springs hauling her fat ass around. Flat tires may not happen as much as they used to, but they still happen, and I want to be able to change a tire without calling in a pit crew. And I don't want the bottom of my car hitting every pebble in the road, possibly tearing things loose. The roads around here aren't that smooth, one good dip or bucked place and you'd be hung up, not a good thing. Sorry, I just don't get it either.....

 

all thread rod is made out of the cheapest of cheapest metals. If your going to stay with this route, maybe a hardened bolt welded to steel rod?

 

That's a good point, you can get grade 5 & 8 threaded rod but from a real supply house not Homedepot

 

Once you start ignoring basics or redefining them then you need a whole bunch of nonsense to compensate for it. Scrub line for example. A fail safe bump stop would be another.

I really admire the engineering and work involved, because it's a lot and some of it is quite complicated. But the end result can get quite repulsive to me. You'd think if a guy is smart enough to figure out the complicated stuff then the most basics would have been covered. Those basics aren't covered- they are ignored or purposely and completely forsaken. I think that's why some guys and myself "don't get it"

 

My Buick isn't super low, but with the half skirts it makes changing tires a little tricky. I have to use a jack stand on the frame of the side I want off, with that bag all the way full and then jack up the axle from the other side with that bag deflated. This cocks the rear end enough to kick the tire out. I still have to let all the air out of the tire and squeeze it to get it in the well. Hardest part was figuring it out the first time. Once you get the process down for your specific car, it won't be that bad.

 

So a simple tire rotation is not.
If I had this car up on a rack, explain the procedure to remove the wheels and rotate the tires.
Please include every step so a child could follow.

 

He's not hanging the axle by the bags when he jacks it up. Normally the wingnut is down low right on top off the bag mount. When he needs to dismount a tire, he spins the wingnuts all the way to the top, thus having the length of the bag PLUS the length of the threaded rod so he doesn't tear the bag. The shock is the positive stop.

 

On what fucking planet do you take an old car to a shop to have the tires rotated? On that note why would you take it to a shop you'd even have to explain this shit too, good grief. You guys take your hot rods to jiffy lube for oil changes or does Walmart do just fine?

You do realize this sort of thing is a common problem to just about every Kustom car put on the road right? Not just cars that are bagged until they sit on the road.

So all the ideas are completely applicable to many other cars.

 

Funny !
So just explain the entire process

 

For his Buick?

Air the suspension all the way up

Lift the flat tire side in any manor that's handy and put the jack stand under the frame.

Walk around to the other side of the car and put a jack under the axle. Once you've got it off the ground let the air out of the bags and continue lifting the axle.

Once it's bottomed out the suspension walk back over and wiggle off your flat tire.

~ you've gotta loosen the lug nuts a bit on the flat tire before starting and then remove them completely when the tires off the ground to get it off, when you replace it go ahead and get the lug nuts hand tight in the proper Chris cross pattern and then when the car is back on the ground tighten them with a wrench. You can probably you tube this part for clarification

* i did change that slightly as he recommended airing up just the flat corner and airing down the full corner but i figure it should work the same way but let you get the jack under the car a little easier the way I said it.

If this is confusing to you I'd hate to see you try to start a carburated stick shift car on a hill lol

 

You forgot a few steps.
And don't be too quick to decide what I find confusing or amusing

 

Do airbags conform to forum rules for pre-65 ?


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Maybe this Would this help

 

Bags are for groceries and ugly girls heads, NOT cars.