Air Bags on 3500? Pros & Cons
 

When I bought my 3500,it came with the tow package & camper pack, extra springs. My Fiver may be about 2500 lbs pin weigh, or less. It rides relativeltively well, the Bilsteins help.
Would Airbags improve the ride significantly, loaded or empty?
Seems most people are buying the Firestones?
What do they cost?
Is anyone unhappy they got them?
I understand 2500's getting them for lack of springs, but it would seem 3500's should not need them.
Looking for thoughts & opinions.

I have the no drill RideRites, work well for leveling my truck when the 5th wheel is hooked up. They do hit a bit harder when empty, even with just 5 lbs in them.

I wouldn't be without them now, I believe they were around $200.00

I also added a 2" block, made out of 2" square tubing, between the rubber pad on the overload stops and the bracket, so the overloads would engage earlier. I had to play with the air pressure to get it right, and not be bouncing on and off the overloads. Prior to the 2" blocks, with 45 lbs of air in the bags to level my truck w/trailer, the overloads would never engage, I wanted that extra stability. Now with 20 lbs in the bags, the overloads are engaged, the truck sits level, and it rides great.

I posted a picture on a post about axle wrap on this forum, if you are curious about the 2" block.

I would not be without the airbags on my truck and the 4,000 pound slide in camper.

I did have to grind a lttle on the brackets for my Ride Rites. If I would have known about the PacBrake I would have bought them instead of the Firestone, just based on the looks of the brackets.

I've got the Firestones as well.

Empty weight my 3500 rides much nicer than 2500. Loaded its even better. I got mine as a dealer installed option when I bought my truck last year so I'm not sure on the exact price but $200 to $250 sounds about right. I told them why I was buying it and they highly recommended them. They included the chrome full length step bars with the Firestone kit for about $1500 total.

Bottom line: the horrible ride is gone and my kidneys aren't in my back pockets or my throat anymore.



-K

I also have the Firestone Ride Rites. My 5er pin weight is up around 2200# and I pump the air bags up enough to keep off the overloads, about 25# and it makes for a much nicer ride. The ONLY issue I have is the raised the back of my truck up to near stock height which put my trailer nose high so I lowered the pin and lost precious bed clearance. It has only come to cause an issue twice in extreme conditions.

I use Timbrens on my truck. They don't touch the axle until I hookup the trailer and they really improved the ride and keep the truck and trailer level. Took about 15 minutes to install them.

I have the Firestone Ride Rites - LOVE THEM !!!! I also added taller bump stops to engage the overloaders (at some point) both work fantastic together. I air mine down to about 5#s when running empty. I have not really seen any harder a hit on bumps, the truck rides well, takes bumps the way a 1 ton takes them. Loaded, the air bags are just SWEET, they take/absorb that push/pull sensation out of towing that goes with the wheelbase differences between the truck and the trailer being on different places in the road simultaneously.

I'd put another set on my next truck, the truck after that, etc. Best investment I've made in suspension stuff.

CD

Love my Ride-Rites! I had a 2500lb slide-in camper and it made my 3500 squat and sway. I put on the Ride-Rites and a Hellwig sway bar and it was a 100% better ride. The air bags are one of the best improvements I've made in my truck!

The cons to air bags is you have to write a check. Get the on board compressor and you'll be in fat city. Get the pac brake air bags and their E brake and you can run them both off of the compressor save you a few bucks.

I put the Firestone's on my 3500 last year, and have towed our 5er 40' race trailer about 10,000 miles with them. I would never tow without them - they are awesome, and make a very noticable difference. My pin weight is around 3000-3250, and with the bags at 50# each the trailer is totally rock solid and super-stable. We dropped the trailer off once for an inspection at a trailer shop about 10 miles from the race shop and didn't have the bags inflated (more than 5#) for that short trip, and even with the trailer empty you could tell a difference - without air in the bags the truck wallowed slightly and you definitely noticed the trailer a lot more. Most of our trips are long and continuous with the trailer (300-600 miles one-way) so I just ran the lines back to the rear bumper where we inflate them with a very small cig-lighter/battery compressor, we didn't feel the need to go with the on-board inflator device. With the long trips, we usually just inflate them before the trip and leave it like that for the entire trip. With the bags at 50# each and the truck empty, it is definitely a choppier ride, but not unbearable. With the bags as the min 5# each, it seems to ride fine. The Firestones fit easily on my 2007.5 3500, no drilling, easy 30-45 min install. Highly recommended!!

Has anybody thought about the longer overload cushions that they came out with?

I just put my Pac Bags on last week. Like em alot!!!

I have Airlift on mine. Hauling a 3500lb camper, airbags are required!

Empty, the ride may be a little rougher...just enough to notice.

FYI...when I get some money, I'll be installing the Wireless air bag controller on my truck.

Tony

Ok, since I seem to be the only one posting who drives an "older" truck, I have the Air-Rides, and LOVE THEM!! makes a huge difference in ride quality with the 9K trailer hooked up..I dont bother with the on-board air, I have the fill-stems mounted in the rear valance belwo the tailgate.
Now, first gens ride rough enough that if they are inflated to 30-40 lbs, its not a huge difference in ride without the trailer[laugh]... but definitly a worth while investment!

I have the firestones and wasnt going to put them on. I leveled the front of the truck and then putting the camper on with a 3k pin weight it made it look like it was squatting. I put the air bags on and ran them off my kilby air system. I then got the in cab controller and it works great. I have hauled 6500 lbs of gravel in the bed and I filled the bags and then loaded the gravel and the gauge inside said that there was 150 psi of air. I lowered the air back to 100psi but I learned to fill after the load. When I pull the dozer I have about 5k of pin weight and 100 psi it brings it back to level.