Is airbag suspension worth it for Ford F150?

[zanoffmj]

Don't waste your money on airbags. I put the Roadmaster Active Suspension on my Tundra. It levels the truck and also helps with bounce.They are adjustable. Go online and check out the video.

[NMWildcat]

Well now you have heard all the systems suggested are a waste of $$$ by folks who have another product
When zanoffmj mentioned the RAS systems a week ago, I thought they were interesting, so started bookmarking appropriate pages with reviews that were on websites different from the official RAS websites. Found a few negative reviews that discussed how you adjust them at installation for the expected load (adjust spring tension by screwing in/out the tensioner rod). To get enough tension to handle heavier trailers, it also increased unloaded ride height and ride roughness. Went back to look at these reviews again today (a week later), and these reviews are gone. All of them that had any negative comments. Now that is some heavy handed image management that makes me nervous.
So you now have airbags (w/o compressor) that is about the same price as RAS. Airbags can be a pain if you need to change air pressure frequently, but are proven, infinitely adjustable and will definitely solve your problem without affecting unloaded ride. They are also easy to DIY if you are at all handy.
RAS is fairly new (2011 for third and current generation), not widely known, and IMHO promises a lot for what appears to be a helper spring. But I have never used them, so have no real experience. And again, same price as airbags if you install them yourself.
SumoSprings are about half the cost but can negatively affect your unloaded ride and are not adjustable other than which load range you buy. But they perform fantastic when towing.
So good luck making a decision and let us know what you decide and how it performs for you.
Happy RVing!

[reeston]

We just took our maiden voyage with a properly setup WDH and airbags. We did replace the 5000lb bags with the more appropriate 2000lb bags and customized the safety chain setup to achieve our goal. Followed the advice from a YouTube video and hitched up the loaded trailer without WD and aired up the bags with one inch of swat. We then deflated the bags and installed the WDH and aired the bags up to the same setting before WDH. Finally, we made sure the front and rear measurements were within spec, fine tuned the air pressure and she road like a dream.
Reese Steady-Flex with Ride-Rite 2000 and compressor. Bags @30psi with 7500lb trailer, 2019 F-150 3.0 diesel.

[Kwhite]

I went with Timbren suspension. No maintenance

[corn18]

The thing to keep in mind with all of these suspension add-ons is they all work a little differently. They all can solve the problem, though. Short of trying them all, you have to decide how you want to solve the problem. I like airbags with a remote because I can dial them in while going down the road. Way more complex to install. I love being able to add 10 psi to the bags as I'm driving and I can feel what effect that has on the ride. When I first use them, I set them to 5 psi for a while and see how that feels. Then I crank them up to 75 psi and see how that feels. Then I fine tune them as I go down the road. Turns out for the 5er, 35-45 psi is best. If I put 3,000 lbs of dirt in the bed of the truck, maybe I will need more air. And when I am empty, they are set to 5 psi and don't participate in the unloaded suspension.

[jlh1958]

Hey There!


I installed these exact air bags on my 2018 F-150 and they are awesome! I wish I had done it sooner. I also went with the on-board air compressor and remote control that checks air pressure every time the ignition is on and adjusts/tops off the bags as needed. It is really nice.


Like you, my truck didn't squat more than a couple of inches, but that was enough to put my headlights into people's faces, and even with equalizer hitch/sway bars, it unloaded the front tires enough to feel a little odd. It is way better to be able to touch the remote to inflate the air bags to the preset PSI that makes things level and tow away. It tows better and is much more stable with the air bags.



I highly recommend these air bags. I am not a mechanic, but I was able to install the air bags myself. It was a job, tho, and without special tools like a lift, it meant lots of crawling under my truck. I had a real mechanic run the air lines and install the compressor/electrical connections for me, tho. It was money well spent to have it done right and working perfectly. If I were to do it again, I'd have a real mechanic do the whole thing.



Good luck and happy trails!
Jeff

[TxRockwood]

Originally Posted by reeston

We just took our maiden voyage with a properly setup WDH and airbags. We did replace the 5000lb bags with the more appropriate 2000lb bags and customized the safety chain setup to achieve our goal. Followed the advice from a YouTube video and hitched up the loaded trailer without WD and aired up the bags with one inch of swat. We then deflated the bags and installed the WDH and aired the bags up to the same setting before WDH. Finally, we made sure the front and rear measurements were within spec, fine tuned the air pressure and she road like a dream.
Reese Steady-Flex with Ride-Rite 2000 and compressor. Bags @30psi with 7500lb trailer, 2019 F-150 3.0 diesel.

We must have watched the same YouTube video. I bought my airbags right after seeing his explanation. I use the same method method for my 8000 lb TT with with Blue Ox WDH and Air Lift 5000 lb Ultimate airbags at 27 psi on my Ford Super Duty SRW Diesel and it drives great!

I love the adjustability with an onboard wireless controller and those who think airbags are a waste of money have either never tried them or they were not being used correctly. I can add air if my TW is heavier due to loading with water, etc and I drop them down to 5 psi after unhooking at camp so my truck is back to a normal ride. I do not have to spend 20-30 minutes messing with sumo springs in the pouring rain or adjusting the RAS for a softer unloaded ride when it is pitch black. (I have owned all of them and done it all while camping)

Even my wife said it was money well spent after our last trip, and she is not one who comments on truck related things.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by TxRockwood

I do not have to spend 20-30 minutes messing with sumo springs in the pouring rain.

What do you mean by this? SumoSprings only need 20-30 minutes to install. After that, there's nothing to mess with. It's Set and Forget.
I guarantee it's a easier and quicker installation than your airbags. And they never need adjusting or maintenance.

[hazmat456]

A weight distribution hitch is not designed to take the squat out of a truck or make it level. Especially for the half ton. What it is designed for is to return weight to the front axle that is removed by loading the hitch. If the rear of the tow vehicle doesn't squat then too much weight has been transfered to the front and could result in a dangerous condition. Air bags are the only good way in my opinion to maintain the vehicle's correct stance. There is a reason that semi-tractors use them in conjunction with a auto air valve.

[TxRockwood]

Originally Posted by bikendan

What do you mean by this? SumoSprings only need 20-30 minutes to install. After that, there's nothing to mess with. It's Set and Forget.
I guarantee it's a easier and quicker installation than your airbags. And they never need adjusting or maintenance.

I drive a Ford SD Tremor that I take off road without my TT while I am camping. After putting on Sumo Springs that were correctly sized (ie. long enough to help with sag), the ride was very jarring when going over medium bumps, and especially when driving off road in a truck that is designed for flexibility. This meant, I had to put them on and take them off every time I used them, which was not ideal in certain circumstances as I outlined above.

The airbags were installed at the same time as my Carli Backcountry suspension and Deaver +3 progressive leaf springs, so the extra work was minimal. I have Daystar cradles underneath the airbags so they are not permanently connected to the axle. This allows the truck to flex without ripping or damaging the airbags. When I arrive at the campground, I unhook my TT, press a single button on my remote, and the truck returns to driving normally for all activities.

[TxRockwood]

Originally Posted by hazmat456

A weight distribution hitch is not designed to take the squat out of a truck or make it level. Especially for the half ton. What it is designed for is to return weight to the front axle that is removed by loading the hitch. If the rear of the tow vehicle doesn't squat then too much weight has been transfered to the front and could result in a dangerous condition. Air bags are the only good way in my opinion to maintain the vehicle's correct stance. There is a reason that semi-tractors use them in conjunction with a auto air valve.

This is exactly why I use both a WDH and airbags. The compliment each other and make the long trips much more pleasant for my wife and I.

[ARhappycamper]

You should never need airbags or extra any kind of springs with a Superduty truck !

[corn18]

Originally Posted by ARhappycamper

You should never need airbags or extra any kind of springs with a Superduty truck !

Or tow!haul mode. Am I right?

[TxRockwood]

Originally Posted by ARhappycamper

You should never need airbags or extra any kind of springs with a Superduty truck !

Haha! I hope you are joking.

The Tremor package includes 1-ton leaf springs and a Dana 275 rear axle. When your TW, plus the amount of gear in the bed of the truck exceeds 2K lbs, you certainly need something to keep it from squatting 3” or more. With the 1050 lb/ft of torque in the 6.7L diesel, it will out tow any 1/2 ton, but driving a truck that is heavily loaded in the back is not safe or recommended without a proper suspension setup for the weight.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Honestly, just pay the little bit extra $$ than the SumoSprings and get the air bags. Airbags are very adjustable for conditions, SumoSprings are not. I actually tried them for awhile. Loved them when towing. When not towing or lightly loaded and hit a large bump/pothole/washboard it was a terribly jarring ride. When unloaded there is only a few inches between the bottom of the new bumpstop (SumoSpring) and the axle. Make the axle travel that far and it is an abrupt stop to spring travel.
Just my experience.

X2

[hazmat456]

Originally Posted by ARhappycamper

You should never need airbags or extra any kind of springs with a Superduty truck !

I don't know why you would think that. A superduty is only a class 3 truck. There are plenty of F450/ F550 with air bags out there.
Next you are going to tell me that a class 8 dump truck shouldn't need that pusher axle.

[moose074]

Originally Posted by ARhappycamper

You should never need airbags or extra any kind of springs with a Superduty truck !

I have used them on my last two 1 ton trucks first a 2016 F-350 SWD then 2018 Ram 3500 DWD. I am on the fence with the 2021 Ram DWD , I have two miles towing with it, it looks more level than the two previous. Night driving will be the key. If headlights are blinding others I have decisions to make.

I have used Sumos, aircel and Timbren in past love them. Install and forget. However I am thinking about airbags this time. My problem is I will want the auto level and budget says gonna be stuck using bike pump to inflate.

[GravelRider]

I set up my WDH again from scratch, closely following instructions and YouTube videos. No change in any of the settings. 1/4" difference in front wheel well height empty vs trailer attached. I'm confident it is set up correctly. Here is a better picture of how my truck sits:

[reeston]

Still looks to be too much swat with airbags. Did you try adjusting the ball further back towards the trailer and how much air pressure are you running?

[GravelRider]

Originally Posted by reeston

Still looks to be too much swat with airbags. Did you try adjusting the ball further back towards the trailer and how much air pressure are you running?

I don't yet have airbags. The squat is why I am considering installing airbags.

I did not adjust the ball further back, as I adjusted it to keep the bars level, as per the instructions. I then left it there at that point.