Air bags for ford f250

[Snowman325]

Look for air bags for my 2011 f250 crew cab. I pull a 10500lb fifthwheel and want them to level the truck out. Anyone have them and what brands work well?

[nremtp143]

I've had airbags on my trucks since 2010(a '10 and '13) and it is a dually! The main reason I did it was to help with the 'launch shudder' that a lot of the new trucks have. All of the big 3 are known to have them. NO-not all of them, just some of them. However, the Firestones I put on helped a great deal not only with keeping the truck level, but taking the 'shock' out of rough roads. I have an on board air compressor so I can adjust on the fly. I won't tow heavy without airbags again.

[spud1957]

#40Fan wrote:
There is a TSB out for this. TSB 13-03-38. Ford will exchange the 2" blocks for 4" blocks as well as the rear shocks and u-bolts. Still under warranty??

Weird thing is, back in the late 90's, they were taking out 4" blocks and replacing them with 2" because they sat up to high in the rear.

Unfortunately the TSB is not covered under warranty. This quote is taken from the TSB document:

"Some customers with 2011-2014 F-250 Super Duty 4×4 vehicles want to raise the rear of their vehicle to change vehicle attitude appearance. This procedure provides the necessary information for this modification in accordance with engineering specifications. The modification is a customer responsibility and is not covered by New Vehicle Limited Warranty."

Link to the complete TSB

[Gdetrailer]

OH48Lt wrote:
Air bags are needed for a 10500 lb 5ver? I pulled a toy hauler 5ver weighing about 11800 loaded with a 2005 F250 CC, and the rear bumper went down less than an inch. No airbags, but did have Timbrens.

There is a big difference between your 2005 and the OPs 2011 suspension, period.

I have a 2013 F250 and it DOES drop more than our 2006 F250 hauling our same 26ft TT.

I suspect that Ford made a large change to the spring rates AT THE BEGINNING of loading. The result is a bit softer "ride" unloaded and the rear sags a bit more than would be expected under load.

#40fan has it right, Ford had a lot of "complaints" and offered a TSB which swaps the 2" F250 block between the axle and spring for a 4" F350 block. The additional 2" should level out the ride while under load without the need for adding "bags".

I would go that route first before dumping money into a bag system and it MAY NOT COST ANYTHING to get the block swap done.

[OH48Lt]

Air bags are needed for a 10500 lb 5ver? I pulled a toy hauler 5ver weighing about 11800 loaded with a 2005 F250 CC, and the rear bumper went down less than an inch. No airbags, but did have Timbrens.

[C-Bears]

I have a F350 SRW and pull a heavy fiver. I installed the Firestone bags and have used them for two years. I went with the on board compressor. The system works great. I like the option of adjusting the air if needed while driving.

[RJCorazza]

I installed Firestone RideRite 2550 bags on my 2011 F250 CC last year and they work very well. I opted not to install an on board compressor and ran the lines back to the license plate area. A little less convenient, but simpler install.

[_40Fan]

There is a TSB out for this. TSB 13-03-38. Ford will exchange the 2" blocks for 4" blocks as well as the rear shocks and u-bolts. Still under warranty??

Weird thing is, back in the late 90's, they were taking out 4" blocks and replacing them with 2" because they sat up to high in the rear.

[iawoody2]

I just installed the Firestones yesterday, taking my time to make sure I was doing everything correct it took adout 2 hours.

[tvman44]

Firestone Ride Rite on my F250 and I love them. 🙂

[is_it_friday_ye]

I put Airlift bags on about 2 months ago. I like them so far. I bought the bags and compressor and am waiting on my $100 rebate. Fairly easy to install also.