Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JollyRodgers

Has anybody used or thought about adding air bags to assist their front coil springs? It reads fairly straight forward and by looking at several web reviews from various sites - it seems like a promising option to ponder. I wonder what ya'll think?

4101, Firestone Coil-Rite Front Air Spring Kit for the Ford F-250 - TruckSpring.com

What are you trying to accomplish? What do your coil springs need assistance with?

A lot of people who have tried adding air bags in combination with steel springs thinking their vehicle would ride more like a motorhome with air suspension were disappointed with results. On the other hand if the air bags are added so you can overload the vehicle, or raise ride height, that's another problem entirely. And then there may be some who want to modify how the vehicle handles.

I normally don't like a harsh ride so see little point in making a truck suspension that much worse for me. But if I was looking to stiffen the suspension I'd first look to see what size coil spring you have now. Ford makes at least 6 different sizes/stiffness for E-Series, and I would personally revise in that manner before adding air bags (provided you are not already at stiffest coil spring).

The main advantage I see to air is that it's adjustable, but for me if I know exactly how much stiffer I want the suspension, a stiffer coil spring is far simpler.