Air ride!

HMS Beagle wrote:

travelnutz wrote:

Only major issue I see with cantilever air ride systems and removing the OEM springs (while there's many good points) is in a bag etc quick failure, there's no backup support system at all and it can have very catastrophic results for control loss.

Actually it will just come down on the bump stops, better than breaking a spring which will lose control of the axle.

I suspect more of the reason we don't see these on pickups is it costs more (because you need a control system and air source) and it requires a little more knowledge in care and maintenance. Air ride is becoming quite common in passenger cars and SUVs.

As far as the multi-link suspension, whether it be a coil sprung or air sprung system, multi-links have been used on the front ends of cars, pickups, vans, suv's for many years.

The front end is a higher stress location for a multi-link suspension than the rear end is, due to the factors of weight transfer and side forces when steering and braking, which the rear end doesn't experience nearly as much. Yes, if some link point of a multi-link suspension fails, it can be catastrophic.

However, the OEM's have proven they can handle the stress factors and design multi-link front ends that work safely and reliably. Whether it is sprung by coils or air bags really doesn't matter much.

All that said, I still prefer the simplicity of a straight axle, leaf sprung Hotchkiss suspension design, front and rear, for heavy duty truck applications.