AiR ride

[Jonboymentalhealth]

Hi all

Lots of good reviews for the above do mainly want them fitted for when on motorway passing lorries etc can get bit hairy.

All the sites selling them mention using them to level up on site but non of the reviews mention this, does anyone use them for this purpose, is it any good?

[terry1956]

hi. it all depends on the system you have to level up. yes if you have a compressor you can use a few inches of movement can be made on the rear axle. But for some reason I always used the blocks on one side or the other. michael

[Brock]

Air ride is a specific product and is an example of semi air suspension. There is also full air suspension for those with very deep pockets. Semi air suspensions will tighten up the handling of a motorhome but are not the only solution.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by a 'bit hairy'. I can guess that you get some buffeting when being overtaken by a lorry or other large vehicle. That is not unusual although I wonder as to what extent you suffer.

 

You can get other suspension aids that will improve your stability. Simply loading your vehicle better could help.

 

I suggest that you post the age, model and chassis [eg whether Alko or Fiat] of your vehicle, whether it rides level, nose down or up or to one side, and what is the chassis maximum gross vehicle weight and your running weight.

 

With a better understanding of your issue, some experts might come along and guide you.

 

[IVAN]

I've just fitted air suspension to the rear of my 2009 Ducato because of the long overhang I have. Iasked two different companies to do it for me and both never got back to me. I'm glad in a way because now I've done it myself I can guarantee it's done right. I have two gauges and can balance it up as required. It now doesn't ground but it does creak a bit due to the stiffening up. I will have to probably let a bit of air out but it is so easy to do. We'll be taking it down Portugal soon so we'll see how it copes with passing wagons if any manage to get past.

 

[lennyhb]

Driving style can make a big difference when overtaking bigger vehicles make sure you are accelerating when passing, if you drop down a gear or two and accelerate past the lorry rather than cruise buy in a higher gear you will get a far lower drag effect.

[Brian Kirby]

Its not a big van, and it hasn't an excessive rear overhang. But it has quite a rear overhang and a largish, rather bulbous, luton. The two in combination probably do leave it prone to buffeting from larger vehicles. It could well be that adding air assistance to stiffen the rear would help stability when overtaking (or being overtaken by) HGVs.

 

If doing this, I would recommend using the simplest possible type, with no pump, and each air spring individually inflated. A couple of tyre valves connected to the air assisters are installed by the rear wheels and need only a few strokes of a cycle pump to top up. About once per month, if that, from memory. Done this way, the air assisters are at individual pressures, which means they also act to control roll which, with that luton body, would probably be an additional advantage. Further advantage is that if the vehicle is inherently heavier one side than the other, the pressure can be adjusted to compensate. Finally, being simpler, it is also cheaper.

 

I fitted Firestone Driverite units to our last van as above, and they worked extremely well. Supplied by Autovan Services of Wimborne, Dorset.

[Colin Leake]

We've got air assisted suspension on the back. Does improve the ride and stability. I theory it can be used to help level up on site and I did experiment with it on the drive when we first had it. In practice we also have the heavy duty double leaf rear suspension so we normally need to use level ramps to lift the front.