Firestone Air Ride should i consider it?

[socalhd]

My Truck is a 2007 F350 DRW Crew 4x4 with TowBoss (4.30) gear ratio.
My last 5er was a Sierra 37sp ToyHauler. I recently sold that and will be stepping up to a Fuzion 342. Specs indicate the Fuzion hitch weight is almost 1000lbs more.
I was thinking about adding the Firestone AirBag system or is this just overkill?

[chuckster57]

I have a '94 F350 CC,LB, DRW. I used to tow a Jayco with 1985 king pin. I installed airlift 5000 with onboard air. Sure did a world of good when we went across the country in '09. I was able to adjust the air pressure to meet ever changing road conditions for a smooth ride. Once unhitched, I released the air pressure and did the sightseeing in comfort.

Current rig has a 1250 king pin, and I still use the bags. Firestone or airlift, personal choice as they are of equal quality IMO. But I wouldn't do it without onboard air. You understand that airbags do nothing to increase payload, right?

[bchesley]

I installed one a few weeks ago. Total install time was 1.5 hours. I could have been quicker but I broke an Allen wrench and had to go get another. The difference in how it tows is night and day. I feel like I have so much more control of the truck. The ride is a little bit more firm when empty, but I'm the only one that can tell.

[Wing-in-it]

Absolutely, I installed mine and love it...the ride is MUCH better than not having it....Takes out most of the porpoise(ing) you get on the highway. Your family will thank you for it!

[Wing-in-it]

Originally Posted by bchesley

I installed one a few weeks ago. Total install time was 1.5 hours. I could have been quicker but I broke an Allen wrench and had to go get another. The difference in how it tows is night and day. I feel like I have so much more control of the truck. The ride is a little bit more firm when empty, but I'm the only one that can tell.

bchesley,

You should reduce the air pressure to 10psi when not towing....it puts the truck basically back to stock.

[trueweb]

I put the Airlift 5000 Ultimate on my truck. Night and day. The headlights aim at the ground and I can customize the ride level depending on what I towing... The RV, a utility trailer or a dump trailer. The nice thing about the ultimate version is they have bump stops built in so you are less likely to damage the bags if the pressure in them drops to 0 for some reason. If you are putting on an automatic inflator with your install this probably isn't as big of a concern.

Airlift has $100 rebate going on right now. Buy airbags, get $50. Buy any wireless compressor system get $50.

[CWtheMan]

How much does the air bag system weigh when installed and fully functional? Are you pushing a heavily loaded truck to its limit by adding extra weight? Do you have to sacrifice fuel weight to add the air bag system?

CW

[Desert185]

I'll wager its a lot less weight than the typical 5er hitch. If one were buying these days, and concerned with weight, then the Goosebox or Andersen Ultimate hitches would more than make up for the weight of adding bags, and certainly the Timbren SES system.

FWIW...

[Javi]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

How much does the air bag system weigh when installed and fully functional? Are you pushing a heavily loaded truck to its limit by adding extra weight? Do you have to sacrifice fuel weight to add the air bag system?

CW

On my Ford they're roughly 50 lbs

[hankpage]

Originally Posted by Javi

On my Ford they're roughly 50 lbs

Same on my Dodge ... maybe a little less. I only have a 2½ in. sag when hitched so I bring it back to unhitched height to level and keep headlights adjusted. I try to travel mostly at night so keeping headlights where they belong is important to me.

[chuckster57]

The heaviest part is the brackets on mine. I would wager my entire system weighs less than 50 pounds. My air tank and compressor for my train horns is probably heavier.

[Wing-in-it]

Per Amazon's website the whole system with compressor weighs less than 30lbs.