E450 Liquid Springs

[Gumpster808]

Originally Posted by Canadian Eh

I want to do the highway going into Bella Coola and also some of the travels into the north coast of BC. Lots of gravel roads and I need to upgrade the suspension so I don't rattle the poor rig apart. LiquidSpring sound like an option. Has anyone used the Kelderman rear kit on an E450?

Here is the write up on our LS install.

Liquid Springs on our Forester 3051S (long)
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...d.php?t=231080

Haven’t seen a write up on the kelderman. Would be interesting for comparison to see if they can react as quick as the LS does to compensate for the changing conditions.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by Canadian Eh

I want to do the highway going into Bella Coola and also some of the travels into the north coast of BC. Lots of gravel roads and I need to upgrade the suspension so I don't rattle the poor rig apart. LiquidSpring sound like an option. Has anyone used the Kelderman rear kit on an E450?

We don’t have the Kelderman system on our E450, but I considered it. For our Sunseeker, the Kelderman would have interfered with the hydraulic leveling jacks and possibly stolen some of the space where the spare tire resides. It appears that all of the Kelderman hardware hangs behind the rear axle, which is not where I wanted to add weight.

We went with LiquidSpring. It did not interfere with any existing hardware or functions, and all of it’s weight is at and forward of the rear axle. LiquidSpring features auto leveling and on demand raising/lowering of the suspension in low speed situations. LiquidSpring is also available for both front and rear axles on some motorhome models.

[Longifle]

Thanks to everyone who contributed here. I have a 2015 Forest River Forester 25, and I have added a Roadmaster sway bar and Bilstein shocks. Plus new tires. Made a huge difference in road handling, but when I am on a rough gravel road it gets all beat up. I air down the tires and that helps but it is a pain in the ass. Still cannot go very fast and I just hate the shaking it gets from a washboard gravel road. Seriously considering the Liquid Springs option. Would you think the Liquid Springs would make a considerable difference on those rough gravel roads?

[ChrisParise]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

I asked on the forum if anyone had feedback on the LiquidSpring suspension a few months ago and heard nothing but crickets. I am seriously considering doing the upgrade, possibly in the next 6 months.

The handling on my E-450 is fine, but my goal is to smooth out the ride, if possible. The thump and bang from the stiff rear springs gets old.

Hmm, thumping and banging from the rear sounds like the factory hard rubber jounce bumpers are doing their job as designed - which is for minimal comfort and basic chassis protection

I had Timbren helper springs installed ipo the factory jounce bumpers and they reduced rear end banging dramatically. When installed properly, they are about an inch away from making contact with the chassis and they're infused with air bubbles to progressively absorb shock

Timbrens are primarily advertised to address sway and secondary advantage is quieting the rear end and banging.

Might be worth the $425 to try them considering the gigantic cost of the LS. My Timbrens are one of the best values for the money I've put into my Class C

[ChrisParise]

Originally Posted by Gumpster808

Hi all,

Rather than upgrade to something bigger for retirement we are kicking around keeping our Forester 3051 on the E450 chassis.

There are a few things we would do as part of that and the suspension is high on the list.

Have the Firestone rite ride air bags but they don’t make much difference in the ride.

Wondering if anyone has had the liquid springs installed on this chassis and how much difference they made?

It does handle nice now but the frost heaves etc bang a lot and it gets tiresome depending on the road conditions. Traveling with a full water tank takes some of that out. Taking a lot of that out would make he longer trips much more enjoyable.

It was at 13,700 when we took her across the scales and I know this would add some weight probably putting us close once we took on full water etc.

Thanks in advance.

Search on Liquid Springs over at iRv2. There's at least 1 person posting on their experiences with LS

[Longifle]

Thanks for the info on the Timbren springs. I just looked for my bump stops and see that they were replaced by the air assist air helper system. They are a pain since I have to air them up before every trip. I think the Timbrens may be a good replacement

[ChrisParise]

Originally Posted by Longifle

Thanks for the info on the Timbren springs. I just looked for my bump stops and see that they were replaced by the air assist air helper system. They are a pain since I have to air them up before every trip. I think the Timbrens may be a good replacement

I've heard air bags may need connection r&r, finding leaks, fittings not right etc, but once corrected need much less attending to. Seems like air assist would be a good thing to have. It's true the timbrens require no maintenance and are 'progressive ' based on the load applied.

Maybe you've tried to fix them? I think if I had them that's the route I'd go.

Sometimes old school is better. Pros and cons I guess