Boss Coil Replacement Air Suspension

[mtofell1]

I've been looking at various airbags, Timbrens and other things to shore up my rear end. (With my 5th wheel attached I'm pretty much at my max 3000# payload). I found this replacement kit that isn't a supplement but rather a replacement for the stock coils:

Dodge RAM 2500 2014 Onwards Boss Air Bag Suspension Coil Replacement Kit LA67 | eBay

One thing that I'm questioning is each bag is rated for 2600# but my tires are each rated at 3400#. Are these adequate? Is the difference because the weight of the axle and wheels/tires are on the tires but only the bed sits on the bags? I suppose that could explain the difference.

I'm excited at the prospect of running on air when unloaded since the ride of this truck is stiff and I don't need that 90% + of the time when I'm not towing. I just want to be sure I'm not reducing the capabilities of the truck since the ultimate goal is to have plenty of support when at/near the max payload.

[noteven]

Hi transamz9 - that is a nice looking suspension. Do you have in cab control valves and guage for suspension pressures? I had that on a Firestone auxilliary setup and liked it - you could add a few psi on the downside to level up on a camp site etc.

How do you manage driveline angles/ride height? Does the 4 link keep the ujoints parallel?

[transamz9]

Here is a picture of the set up I have under my 2005 2500.

[transamz9]

06Fargo wrote:

alboy wrote:
I would not touch air bag susp unless you had auto load levelling capability.

Agree with ^.

Also - my air suspension uses hydraulic shocks not gas charged shocks... so maybe try a pair of hydraulic shocks first - you might find your pogo stick "bounce" is gone once you run shocks that dampen the springs in both directions...

Why would you not buy air springs without auto level. I don't have auto level and I have far more adjustments and versatility. I can do things only people could dream about with my suspension.

I should have done a little more homework when I bought my 5100's. The main reason I went with them is because they are designed with different heights in mind. I run my suspension at different heights depending on what I'm doing. I also had planned to bag the front of my truck also so there was the possibility of running at different ride heights completely.

[AH64ID]

I put the 5100's on mine with 19.5's and they made a huge difference when hauling heavy with GVW's around 11-12K and towing at 19-26K GCW.

I haven't tried the 4600's to compare thou.

I have ran many sets of RS9000's over the years and will never run them again, even if they were free.

[Bedlam]

The Blistien 5100 is an off-road shock typically used with a lift and not the right choice for heavy hauling - You want the heavier dampened 4600 model for this application. If the heavy dampening worries you about ride quality when unloaded, get the Rancho XL9000 with adjustable dampening - They made a noticeable difference on my F250 when I carried a 4000 lb truck camper and kept my heavy 19.5" tires under control.

[noteven]

alboy wrote:
I would not touch air bag susp unless you had auto load levelling capability.

Agree with ^.

Also - my air suspension uses hydraulic shocks not gas charged shocks... so maybe try a pair of hydraulic shocks first - you might find your pogo stick "bounce" is gone once you run shocks that dampen the springs in both directions...

[transamz9]

A few choices

[transamz9]

AH64ID wrote:

mtofell1 wrote:

AH64ID wrote:
The bounce is likey shocks. Have you considered starting there?

How much air pressure is in the tires when you aren't towing?

I'll look into shocks at some point but the truck only has 35K so, while they probably aren't great, it's been my experience that they won't change my life.

Running at 75-80PSI.... anything less and the gremlins on my dash start screaming at me! 🙂

I would guess that both of those are responsible for most of the reasons you started this thread.

OEM shocks are OEM shocks. They get the job done for most but not all, and really only designed to get thru the warranty. Ram uses decent shocks but not awesome. A set of Bilstien 5100's is a lot less money than a air suspension.

I forgot that the newer Ram's need you to be at 80 psi all the time. It's a bunch of lawyer BS and can actually decrease the safety of the vehicle. Over-inflated tires, aside from causing a crappy ride, are more susceptible to road hazard damage, have decreased traction, and often shorter tire life. Thank you lawyers... Yet another reason to go 3500 vs 2500.

I put 5100's on my 2005 @ around 75,000 miles and other than being pretty I didn't feel a big difference. Also, he already has the suspension. If he just buys air springs and airs them manually at first to try them out they are cheaper than 5100's.

[AH64ID]

mtofell1 wrote:

AH64ID wrote:
The bounce is likey shocks. Have you considered starting there?

How much air pressure is in the tires when you aren't towing?

I'll look into shocks at some point but the truck only has 35K so, while they probably aren't great, it's been my experience that they won't change my life.

Running at 75-80PSI.... anything less and the gremlins on my dash start screaming at me! 🙂

I would guess that both of those are responsible for most of the reasons you started this thread.

OEM shocks are OEM shocks. They get the job done for most but not all, and really only designed to get thru the warranty. Ram uses decent shocks but not awesome. A set of Bilstien 5100's is a lot less money than a air suspension.

I forgot that the newer Ram's need you to be at 80 psi all the time. It's a bunch of lawyer BS and can actually decrease the safety of the vehicle. Over-inflated tires, aside from causing a crappy ride, are more susceptible to road hazard damage, have decreased traction, and often shorter tire life. Thank you lawyers... Yet another reason to go 3500 vs 2500.

[alboy]

I would not touch air bag susp unless you had auto load levelling capability.

[transamz9]

You can run a lot of different bags you will just have to have some mounts made. I have a 2005 Ram that I have completely pulled the rear suspension and installed a 4 link like on your truck. My bags have a combined capacity of 10,000#.

[mtofell1]

AH64ID wrote:
The bounce is likey shocks. Have you considered starting there?

How much air pressure is in the tires when you aren't towing?

I'll look into shocks at some point but the truck only has 35K so, while they probably aren't great, it's been my experience that they won't change my life.

Running at 75-80PSI.... anything less and the gremlins on my dash start screaming at me! 🙂

[AH64ID]

The bounce is likey shocks. Have you considered starting there?

How much air pressure is in the tires when you aren't towing?

[mtofell1]

AH64ID wrote:
Why are you worried about GVWR?

Are you over FAWR/RAWR. If not I would hitch up and enjoy camping.

The truck does bounce a bit more than I'd like over uneven roads. Nothing I can't live with or that feels unsafe. Basically, I'm at a crossroad. I'm either going to just buy some cheap "helper" airbags (which do nothing to help soften the unloaded ride). Or, go for a full rear suspension replacement which would help my load while towing AND give me a nice soft ride while not towing (90% of the time and this truck is BUMPY).