Front Air Bag Helper Springs

[timothyr1014]

from experience with air springs you are correct, use just enough pressure to support the load and the ride should be just as good if not better....start going higher and you will be riding on a brick. I am not speaking from experience on my truck, but I have custom built more suspension systems than I car to remember....air is a great thin when used properly

 

[dave186]

I have seen this done on an F250 4x4 that was converted to a dually. I didnt think it worked very well especially with the TTB. When I put add a leafs on the front of my truck I thought it made it ride better. Maybe because it got it up off the bump stops .

 

[Diesel Max]

One thing I like about the air bags is that they are adjustable. You can raise or lower to any height and adjust for ride condition. When you put the add-a-leafs on, you get the 1.5 inch lift and you get what ever ride comes with it. There is no adjustment on an add-a-leaf.

 

[apextrans]

Most definitely will be a better ride with bags instead of leafs. I am thinking back now & I think I had installed a lift up front & had to stretch my bags to fit, which required additional air. ie. harsh ride. With leafs, you have no ability to soften the ride like you will with bags.

 

[timothyr1014]

that is the other big thing with bags....size counts...if you are lifted you need a taller bag to accomodate or you will run into exactly that.

 

[Diesel Max]

Most definitely will be a better ride with bags instead of leafs. I am thinking back now & I think I had installed a lift up front & had to stretch my bags to fit, which required additional air. ie. harsh ride. With leafs, you have no ability to soften the ride like you will with bags.

I thought in your pics those air bags looked streched out or maxed out on air. They looked about as streched as you could get them. I have the stock suspension with no lift, so I would think the Ride Rites would work well.


Any other opinions on this subject ??

 

[timothyr1014]

I just went back and looked at the pics...those are overextended, hence the harsh ride.

honestly, the only way you can go wrong with a firestone bag is if its to short...then its just a matter of cycling the pressure up and down eevery couple of months to make sure they stay flexible...if installed and maintained they will give a great ride, and will last 100k+ miles.

 

[Diesel Max]

I just went back and looked at the pics...those are overextended, hence the harsh ride.

honestly, the only way you can go wrong with a firestone bag is if its to short...then its just a matter of cycling the pressure up and down eevery couple of months to make sure they stay flexible...if installed and maintained they will give a great ride, and will last 100k+ miles.

Thanks... What you said is what I'm thinking. I'm thinking I may give these a shot unless more people chime in and say they have had bad experiences with them.

 

[timothyr1014]

the only "bad" experiences seem to come in two flavors...one is what ford did with the lincoln air suspension...everything is supported by air, so when it fails you are riding on the bump stops, the other is similar to what apex is describing; wrong bag for the application.

One of the little known secrets is that cycling the bags every month or so will greatly extend their life...they are made of rubber, just like a tire, but when properly sized there will be areas that see no movement and become brittle (this is especially true in any place where the load is static...like the front of a truck)....running them through there range of motion every now and then will keep them happy

 

[apextrans]

I agree 100%. I did say i had too much air in them but could live with the ride. Now my 97, I put bags in the rear, custom made, to pull the fiver & they work fantastic. Took off my overload springs off to improve the ride on the bags. Work flawlessly. Do the bags.

 

[Popeye2347]

I agree 100%. I did say i had too much air in them but could live with the ride. Now my 97, I put bags in the rear, custom made, to pull the fiver & they work fantastic. Took off my overload springs off to improve the ride on the bags. Work flawlessly. Do the bags.

So, if I am understanding this right, the more weight the air bag is supporting [up to it's max, of course] then for the most part the smoother the ride?

To carry the question one step farther down this line of thinking, If one was to remove a leaf or two from the front leaf springs allowing the air bag to carry more of the weight, then chances are the ride quality would improve [assuming you stay off the bump stops and max air pressure]?

 

[97idi]

CHECK OUT airliftcompany.com

 

[Manwiththevan]

I am running air shocks on the front of my van, they raise the front a little about ~1.5" and gives a pretty good ride. Also, they are cheaper than bags.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000C59SCY...e=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B000C59SCY

^ these are them I had to "modify" the top mount for stud type mounting.

 

[timothyr1014]

popeye...you are correct...in the lincolns of old the glass smooth ride in the contenentals was achieved by only using and air spring...the whole car is supported by air bags...the downside is if one goes out the car is sitting on the stops.

Apex, look into taller bags...from looking at the pics, going to a 2" taller bag would make it much happier. Another thing to keep in mind, shop around a bit...95% of the bags out there are firestones and they by far are the best (and its easy to spot a knock off)...as a ballpark I typically pay about $85 per bag, and $250 for a complete kit...I only say this because in apex case these is no sense in spending $250 for a new kit when what needs to be changed is only $160....the mounts and air fittings are universal.

Somewhere I have the firestone reference that gives the bag #, height range, load range and diameter

 

[diesel4me2]

i've got them front and rear. installed them with a parallel four link set up. unless i run the bags at 90 lbs i chew up tires like there's no tomorrow. some on here have seen it. the ride is ....ok but not great. i'll try to find pics. in the interim you could search for post by "diesel4me2" and see whats been posted on here already.