FIRESTONE REAR AIR BAGS - Montana Owners Club

johncamtravel · 08-17-2013, 04:15 PM

Well yesterday I added a set of Firestone Air bags to our Ram Dually.
I am impressed at the ease of installation. Took me about 3Hrs to install in my driveway. I have not tried them out with the trailer on the truck yet. I am hoping that it improves the ride the way they said it would. Does anyone else have Air Bags in the back of their truck? Has it improved the ride? What air pressure
to you put in them for towing your fifth wheel? Any help would be appreciated.

Denfinger · 08-17-2013, 04:31 PM

Yes, we added air lift bags 3 months ago. Much better ride with no bottoming out. I measured the drop at the fender well when I loaded our Monty and pumped up the bags to stay level at 60 psi. It provided a great ride for us. Others adjust for just the best ride which could be a little less psi and softer. I try and remain near level. You will love them on the road. ENJOY!!!!!!

**DQDick** · 08-17-2013, 05:36 PM

I run mine at about 40#s with the trailer on. That keeps me level and the ride is fine.

Art-n-Marge · 08-17-2013, 07:22 PM

I have mine on an '06 Ford F-250. I keep about 15 lbs most times. I have a digital controller that does not allow me to go below 7 lbs. When towing I run about 50 to 55. The difference in the ride was noticeable. They also help with the headlight aim on those rare occassions I tow at night. Keep my headlights from turning into high beams.

Chip · 08-18-2013, 12:59 AM

I have a 3500 dually and run only 5 lbs empty. That seems to soften the ride a lot when connected.

mail2us · 08-18-2013, 06:16 AM

The Firestone AirBags have been on my truck for about 4 yrs and proved to be a good investment. I run 10 lbs w/o rig and about 50 lbs with. Good luck on your new install.

dieselguy · 08-18-2013, 06:30 AM

I run 30# - 35# hooked up to the trailer ... that automatically drops to about 12# - 15# with the weight of my fiver off the truck. Air bags take the jolt out of bumps in the road like where bridges and the road join. Each TV / RV combination will be a bit different ... if I were to air up to 50# - 60# as others have chimed in, the rear of my truck would be way up in the air and I'd probably be headed to the dentist after a couple of trips.

PS: I will disagree with the poster who says run no air empty ... 5# per the manuf. won't effect your unloaded ride and it will minimize the tendancy for your pucks to grind on themselves depending on road conditions fully deflated.

richfaa · 08-18-2013, 11:09 AM

We have them on the F-350 the purpose is to keep the truck and Montana level. Rides really rough solo but does wonders when the Montana is hooked up. The book on the airbags says to keep at least 5 lbs psi in them when empty

johncamtravel · 08-18-2013, 12:54 PM

Thanks so much for the replies so far. Keep them coming.
Sounds like I made the right decision to install them.
I guess I will have to find the right amount of air for my combo.
But I'm not sure if you are suppose to air up before or after you hitch up the 5er? Which way is best??

**DQDick** · 08-18-2013, 02:47 PM

The first time I put 20# in and then aired them up using a level until the truck and camper were level. That's how I arrived at 40# for me. Now that I know, I air up the tires on the vehicles and trailer and do the air bags at the same time. Usually the day before we leave on a trip.

maximo · 08-18-2013, 03:09 PM

I read somewhere when you have your truck serviced and the truck is raised up by a lift on the frame that the rear axel goes down when the weight is off the rear wheels and it could damage the air bags. Anyone ever heard about this?

Frank

8.1al · 08-18-2013, 03:49 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by maximo

I read somewhere when you have your truck serviced and the truck is raised up by a lift on the frame that the rear axel goes down when the weight is off the rear wheels and it could damage the air bags. Anyone ever heard about this?

Frank

I don't know about Firestone but Airlift says that letting the rear hang down for short periods is ok
http://www.airliftcompany.com/support/faq/

twindman · 08-18-2013, 04:42 PM

Something not mentioned here - I had airbags on my last truck. It kept the truck and Monty level nicely. But last year while up in Washington, I noticed the break in the wood in the Bedroom closet. To make long story, short - The frame cracked/broke as has been mentioned on other threads many times. My local dealer (whom I trust) said the airbags can cause the break (probably at least make it worse) because of less bounce at the hitch. And to me it makes sense - a hard choppy ride on the front of the Monty could cause stress on the frame.
Just my 2 cents.

1retired06 · 08-19-2013, 02:19 AM

We have them and a great investment. My driveshaft is a two piece, with a support bearing, and the pin weight of the Montana would cause a sometime shudder in first gear, which disappeared with the airbags.

JandC · 08-19-2013, 02:34 AM

I have only pulled my Monte once since the Firestone airbag install. I was running them at 20 pounds when not pulling Monte and the ride was rough. Set them at about 10-12 and much better. I actually measured my rear bumper height prior to hooking up to Monte. After I was hooked up and on level pavement I added air to bring back level. I only had to have between 50 and 55 pounds. The ride hooked up to Monte may have been slightly more solid but not much difference. I also took measurements from front cut out of the Monte so I could later figure any height difference the air bags made. I suspect it raised the front of the Monte 2 or 3 inches.

8.1al · 08-19-2013, 02:49 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by twindman

Something not mentioned here - I had airbags on my last truck. It kept the truck and Monty level nicely. But last year while up in Washington, I noticed the break in the wood in the Bedroom closet. To make long story, short - The frame cracked/broke as has been mentioned on other threads many times. My local dealer (whom I trust) said the airbags can cause the break (probably at least make it worse) because of less bounce at the hitch. And to me it makes sense - a hard choppy ride on the front of the Monty could cause stress on the frame.
Just my 2 cents.

I have a hard time believing your dealer,we found the ride to be better with the airbags. All of us want to believe our dealers know what they are talking about, unfortunately they don't always.

Art-n-Marge · 08-19-2013, 05:39 AM

Maximo, I had a Mercedes Benz that had an automatic air suspension that would automatically increase the air depending on load, road conditions and how much weight it was carrying. Since this system was on all the time I did not allow any shop to raise the car because the system would go nuts trying to adjust the air when the axles started to hang down. However, the MB dealer service did this all the time because they knew how to turn it off and I never bothered asking them how.

In the case of the truck air bags, since they operate on a switch to operate the onboard compressor, or in the manual case you aren't putting air in them, they stay inflated at whatever psi you have in them and there shouldn't be any concern. If anyone has turned theirs into an automatic system then it's time to worry, or just learn how to turn it off temporarily.

Couple more things...

Twindman, I think that dealer is very incorrect. The air bags make a hard ride softer (no matter what the lbs) so it's never the air bags fault. THAT is THEIR PURPOSE of which there are many others. Think about it. A hard unforgiving bump stop is replaced with air in rubber that gives a lot. It's like comparing a ride with pneumatic tires versus, solid rubber tires. I wonder why we don't use solid rubber tires even on bicycles.

Like 1retired06, the air bags also removed the shudder we had. THAT alone was worth the price (and we probably paid too much, having them done in California by some suspension shop), but we did realize many other benefits which I described in an earlier post.

Finally, the way I learned to use the air bags: First, I measure the gap between the fender and the top of the tires. Then I hitch up the truck (this way I don't have to raise the fiver as much) and of course there will be sag. Finally, I increase the air in the air bags so that the gap is ALMOST the same as when it was unhitched. After all, the truck has a load and should ride a little lower than normal but not sag. When the gap is the same I am at 65 to 68 psi. But I use 50 to 55 and that seems to be the sweet spot. Your numbers will vary.

When I unhitch I don't necessarily remove the air unless we're gonna be a few days. If it's a weekender, I may not mess with it. Having an onboard compressor and controller sure makes things easier. I might release air because sometimes I think my truck looks like a "cat in heat" when it's got a lot of air and not carrying a load. It's also easier to unload the truck bed gear if the rear end isn't as high. The Old legs and knees appreciate it.

twindman · 08-19-2013, 07:34 AM

I disagree about the rough ride and bottoming out. How else can airbags keep the truck higher other than to put more pressure/force in an upward direction. Therefore it would have to have less flexibility. Now I do agree if you were bottoming out on the rubber stops before, and now have airbags it may be better. In my case with a 2980 I don't think I was bottoming out.
Probably no way to prove it one way or another......
Each to his own.
By the way, I did drive to Alaska 2 years prior to the breaking, and that road was ROUGH! So that may have started the problem.

Art-n-Marge · 08-19-2013, 07:51 AM

I don't know for sure twindman, but I think two sets of air (air bags and tires) will do better than one (rubber stops and tires) but for the truck. Using air as a support has a lot more give than any solid object. I think the dealer should have said the roads are what created the problems (rough roads in Alaska) for the trailer. When I've been in Alaska, I saw quite a few RVs driving faster than they should have and those frost heaves happen fast and furious. Maybe there needs to be air bags on the rig. There's mostly metal for a rig's suspension in the leaf springs other than the tires (and maybe some shocks).

When I think about it, the air bags on the truck probably don't help the trailer as much as an air hitch or some improvement on the rig's suspension. The air bags help the passengers tolerate the ride, and do give some relief to the hard bouncing but maybe not as much for what the trailer goes through. The bad roads and driving too fast (making for tougher bumps) would change the Richter scale for what a trailer goes through and that's what I think causes trailer things to break (including the many front cap issues reported in this forum).

Whatever the science, a dealer declaring air bags are worse than a stock suspension will definitely attract some firm counter disagreement. And this goes for Timbrens or any other non-adjustable rear end improvement over the stock bumbers.

dieselguy · 08-19-2013, 10:43 AM

I think over the road tractor trailer suspension tells the story with no question. You see alot of "air ride equipped" trailers hauling stuff ... you don't see too many leaf spring trailers doing the same. Air hitches operate under the same principle and are supposed to be the "cats meow" in the hitch world. The "stealer" was spinning yarn and needed someone to wind the ball.

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