Air bags improved ride while not towing?
I have a 2009 2500 HD Duramax.... I'm thinking about installing air bags and am wondering if while not towing do they improve the ride of the truck. You know less jarring....smoother ride etc ??????
Forum Discussion
The biggest improvement to the ride on my 08 F250 were the Bilstein shocks. The original ones had 62k on them and had very little rebound left.
During the same week I installed Air Lift 5000 "ultimate" bags. They have the internal bounce or "jounce" stop that allows you to run the bags empty. Many manufacturers recommend a minimum bag pressure of 5 psi to prevent damage to the bags should your suspension actuate enough to compress the bags.
Running the bags empty, I can't say I have noticed any real difference in ride (not better not worse).
I also installed new sway bars during the project, these made a big difference in the ride and handling. On relatively flat roads, these keep the truck level in turns and on-ramps. On uneven roads, they will make the truck jerk back and forth because of the reduced flex. This can be annoying on the Pennsylvania roads.
We've since taken the truck on an 8 hour road trip and I am still happy with the entire package.
Besides new shocks or something like the R4Tech or Kelderman suspension systems ($$$$$$), I don't think there is much you can install that will improve the empty ride on an HD truck.
Good luck with your decision.
OJ
During the same week I installed Air Lift 5000 "ultimate" bags. They have the internal bounce or "jounce" stop that allows you to run the bags empty. Many manufacturers recommend a minimum bag pressure of 5 psi to prevent damage to the bags should your suspension actuate enough to compress the bags.
Running the bags empty, I can't say I have noticed any real difference in ride (not better not worse).
I also installed new sway bars during the project, these made a big difference in the ride and handling. On relatively flat roads, these keep the truck level in turns and on-ramps. On uneven roads, they will make the truck jerk back and forth because of the reduced flex. This can be annoying on the Pennsylvania roads.
We've since taken the truck on an 8 hour road trip and I am still happy with the entire package.
Besides new shocks or something like the R4Tech or Kelderman suspension systems ($$$$$$), I don't think there is much you can install that will improve the empty ride on an HD truck.
Good luck with your decision.
OJ
