Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle
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2009 Ford Explorer
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2009 Ford Explorer
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When the back end starts to sag under a heavy trailer or full bed, the Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs step in to keep things level. With a 5,000-lb load-leveling capacity, these double-convoluted air bags add real support to your suspension. They reduce strain on the rear axle and leaf springs, improve steering and braking, and keep your headlights aimed correctly when towing or hauling. Even tire wear and balanced load distribution come naturally once the truck sits level again.
Not every trip is the same, and that’s where adjustable air pressure makes all the difference. These air springs can be manually tuned from 5 psi to 100 psi using individual inflation valves for each side. Add air for towing or heavy gear to maintain control and stability, or drop to the minimum pressure for a smoother ride when empty. This flexibility helps absorb road shock, prevents bottoming out, and keeps off-center loads balanced side to side.
The core of this system is Firestone’s heavy-duty spring design. Each air spring uses four layers of reinforced rubber with a braided wire girdle that forms the double-convoluted shape for maximum durability and burst strength. Corrosion-resistant metal end plates are crimp-rolled to lock everything tight, preventing leaks and maintaining consistent performance over time. The result is reliable load support mile after mile without premature sag or wear.
Installing real suspension support doesn’t have to be complicated. The Ride-Rite kit includes custom-fit brackets that mount between the frame and rear suspension using standard hardware, airline tubing, and manual inflation valves. Drilling might be required on some setups, but everything you need for installation is included in the box—brackets, air springs, lines, fittings, and hardware. Once installed, you can pair it with a compressor or gauge system (sold separately) if you want in-cab control later on.
The construction material of the fittings may vary.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
89% were satisfied with this product
11% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
I bought these for my 2002 Ford F-350 Crewcab DRW. I pull a 40' fifth wheel with 2200 lb toungue weight. Previously it was slightly below level and touching the overloads which was not a show stopper. Now pulling same trailer, this truck sits level with only 38 lbs of air. With the truck level, headlights are striking where they should at night and I can seriously tell the difference in the smooth ride, especially when entering and exiting concrete overpasses. I am totally impressed with these air springs and would recommend them to anyone that is interested in pulling loads and keeping your tow vehicle level which means safer for a better control.
Installed on a 2003 Ford F-250 Lariat extended cab long bed, the best factory installed rear spring options, and with the factory rear anti-sway bar, 2wd. For me, installation is tricky and, as a shade tree mechanic, I see it as difficult.... so I had my long-time trusted mechanic install the air bags... so he had his trusted helper actually do the job. Installation was successful. Gee, I just checked the current price of the kit it has shot up again... I think I paid under $XXX from eTrailer for the kit... and guessing it was about $400 for my mechanic to install, so I spent about $800. Lucky... because here in San Jose CA a local trailer shop wanted about $800 for an install, and who knows how much they would charge for the air bag kit (I'm estimating about $1600 for the complete job, out the door). This Ford F-250 Lariat has fixed step bars along the sides so that guys and dolls can more easily climb into the cab no matter what their age or what they are wearing; these bars have the fixed mounts front and rear bolted to the frame of the truck. I did NOT want to have an "on board" air compressor to inflate the air bags, and I did NOT want to crawl under the back of the truck, in the dirt, to monkey with inflation valves, so I had my trusted mechanic run the red left-and-right air tubes up along the side of the truck frame and over to the left rear step bar mount, and used cable ties to secure the 2- air valve filler kit -- and there it sits, with the caps on the valves sticking out ever so slightly (completely accessible just behind the door with no crawling), and ready for action. See picture. Although the printed instructions for the air bags suggest 10 lb psi for each bag in with no load in the truck, I filled with 20 lb on each side just for fun on the unloaded truck. (This is a HUGE improvement over the essentially worthless rubber Timbren bump stops that I once had, that previously attempted to shake my truck and camper apart on a multi-state round trip.) When my 8.5 ft camper is on the truck, I have a small 12 volt air compressor securely mounted and wired into in a left-hand side compartment of the camper; its location means that I am able to easily open the side compartment and pull the bright yellow air line from the compressor to any of the 4 tires on the truck OR to the short distance from the compressor to the air bag filler valves just under and behind the left rear door of the truck.
When planning your rig, recommend you think in terms of getting slightly "more truck than you think you need." Ford says that this truck weights 5500 lb dry. But with factory add-ons and a basic camper weight of 2100 lb the fully loaded "wet" camper and truck on the CAT scales gives a readout of 9600 lb. And now with the air bag kit, a front hitch receiver, and some other things I have added, that adds to about 10,000 lb for a 5000 lb truck! And then, there is the hitch weight of any added trailer! Go figure. Air bags YES. Stay in control. [Ford says that for this particular old truck, loaded truck + trailer maximum for this is 13,500 lb, so to tell the truth, if towing a trailer, gross loaded weight of the trailer should be no more than 13,500 lb - 10,000 gross truck weight = 3,500 lb gross for the trailer.] To adjust your air bag fill, consider using your tape measure to measure from from the style side top of each rear wheel well down to the ground. And of course, trailer hitch equalizers are most welcome. See picture.
This has been a great addition to my truck. Pulling the fifth wheel became so much nicer, should have done it much sooner. Suggest installing with the onboard compressor.
I bought for 1999 Super Duty. It appears Firestone superseded F2550 with F2597 noted on Summit Racing website. You get F2550 instructions with F2597 kit. Online F2597 instructions show the parts in a F2550 box. Lower brackets are a different design. Newer trucks have larger diameter axle tubes meaning more distance between U bolts and wider lower brackets. Not an etrailer issue, it's a Firestone issue. It takes a while for the average idiot to figure this stuff out. It would be helpful for buyers to know.
So far so good. Love the air bags. Would have been a 5-star review but one of the push in fittings failed on the left side, air supply tube. I had to get a replacement from the local BST (big scary truck) store. Swapped it out and no further problems. Hope they last because I like and need them on my 2009 F250.
Judy
10/4/2022
Perfectly. Need to add air from time to time to maintain pressure but very pleased with the product.
My airbags showed up quickly and I installed them as soon as I got home. I spent about 3 hrs to install them, the instructions are alright, could be a little better. I have a gas F-250 and installed the air valves in behind the fuel door which makes them very easy to fill of deflate. I put 20lbs of air in them and they lifted the back end 1 3/4" with the truck empty. Going to be pulling the fver this weekend, looking forward to see how much air I need to put in them with a load and see how they perform.
Gordon M.
5/26/2016
They are still performing great, only issue I had with them was I had to replace the valve stem cores right away as they started leaking.
I have this product on a Ford F-250. Have towed a 34 ft Fifth wheel Trailer more than 10,000 miles this past year and the air bags have worked great. I keep 50lb when towing and 15lb when my Fifth Wheel is parked. Have been very happy with all product and service from etrailer
Larry P.
10/24/2018
Ive been very happy with the product. We have put 30,000 miles on the truck since purchasing the air bags and it has improved the drive tremendously with hauling a trailer. Thanks for following up.
The product is high quality. The components are heavy duty, well made and fit together properly. Just beware, this is a time consuming installation that requires lying on your back on a creeper for several hours and doing work requiring some arm strength over your head. If I were doing it again, the kit would go to my mechanic and the young guys would do it with the truck on a lift. Also, removing the jounce bumper on the four wheel drive truck was very difficult. The nut was well corroded on the bolt and it is in a nearly inaccessible position. I ended up using a sawzall with a metal cutting blade to remove them and that wasn't easy. After about seven hours of hard labor flat on my back, the job is done and I am satisfied with the results.
Jim F.
8/26/2016
A year later and all is well. I load the bed of my truck and tow a 7,000 lb trailer. The air lifts keep the truck level. That is the objective.
The product is nice but instructions were wrong for my truck. Also I had aftermarket u bolts which were bigger causing the lower bracket to not fit between them. Modification was required. They function great and I plan to add a compressor in the future.
Easy to install, fit perfect with my 5th wheel hitch. My camper weighs 14000 lbs, hitch weight is 3000 lbs. It takes 85 lbs of air to raise my truck to standard driving height. Definitely a better ride. Thanks E trailer, Melinda, you were very helpful in helping me making the right decision for lifting air springs.
Terry S.
6/18/2016
I had to replace a couple of support brackets due to an auto accident. Etrailer was very helpful in contacting the manufacture for the parts. Thank you for you help. Now for the lifting bags themselves. All work great, very easy to make adjustments with load. I will have them on any truck I own from now on.
See Last Review. Both are related.
This unit is a good option but I’ve never been able to track down a troublesome air leak that slowly releases the compressed air over fifteen minutes. It’s a very annoying problem. Beyond that the unit was relatively easy to install although I made some specific upgrades to mount the compressor in a manner that leaves the fuel and brake lines in there original position so they didn’t need to be twisted up and out of the way. I used a 4” c-channel to firmly attach and mount the compressor over the undisturbed lines. Works great with less risk. I wish I could find the micro air leak and fix it but am at a loss as to how I might do that. I’d gladly try to spray some kind of stop leak into the air lines if I didn’t think it might screw the whole system up. In the end I’m not sure I would install this system if I had to do it all over again. I may ultimately remove it and reinstall the original rubber stops on the fra I’m since I no longer have my RV trailer anyway.
Jenny N.
4/12/2022
You mentioned that you wanted to find the micro leak and I wanted to ask if you had tried the soapy water technique? Where you would spray soapy water onto the lines -being careful of course- and see where bubbles form.
This item will not fit a 1999 f350 single rear wheel 2wd truck as advertised. The 2wd truck does not come with the extra 2” spacers that contain the jounce stop which would be located under the rear leaf springs. This block is required to allow clearance for the mounting brackets to be installed correctly. It will work fine on a 4wd truck.
Gwendolyn Y.
10/16/2024
Hey Bobby! That is not a pleasant experience at all. I am going to get this taken care of for you.
This does not fit a 2001 F250 with the factory HD leaf springs.
Worked via etrailer "Chat" for air bags. Within minutes had information I needed and ordered. No problem. EZ PZ... Probably illegal it went so well..
Brooke M.
2/28/2025
I wont say anything if you dont...haha! Seriously though, Im happy to hear it was a smooth experience! What are you hauling?
Product seems to be of great quality, have not towed with it yet but excited to try.
The overall rating is due to fitment. As someone already posted, with pictures, this WILL NOT fit a 2004 F250 without modifying the brackets. The top part of the bottom bracket has tabs on the end against the leaf spring Ubolts. It does not fit, you have to take the tabs off. Even after taking the tabs off it still keeps the bottom portion from being close enough to clear the shock bracket mounted on the axle. I had to remove some metal here as well so that the bracket would rest smoothly on the axle.
This wasn’t the end of the world but I specifically bought this because it stated is was no modification, bolt on product for my truck! Clearly the information in the system is not correct and needs to be updated as there are multiple reviews stating the exact same thing!
Great product, I ordered this for a 1998 custom e350 running 2010 king ranch gear meaning the running gear, since I couldn’t go with the kit specific for my van due to the fact that I converted it to 4x4 I ordered this kit. I did have to drill some holes since it was not specific to my rig, but that was no big deal just used a step bit. I also had to cut a bracket and reroute my emergency brake line, but hey I knew it wasn’t gonna be super easy. Any way kit is superb bags are top quality. The kit comes supplied with everything you need
Put on 2008 f250. With a B&W turnover ball. Had to remove one bolt on both side of B &W to mount top bracket then replace with new bolts in kit No big deal. Put both sides on and ran the air lines in less than 2 hours. Had a leak on driver side. It was where I didn't cut the air line straight. Recut air line and that fixed the problem. I would recommend this to anyone.
After ordering these brackets twice, I still had to make an alteration and cut tabs off of them After doing research on this, I found out that they were for a 2011 to 2016 pick up truck not a 2002. The part number 2550 is the same between the two pick ups. I don’t know how you would differentiate to get the right one for a 2002 F250.
Jenny N.
7/18/2024
Based on the picture that was sent, the incorrect lower bracket was in the fit. I will have this taken care of for you and have the correct bracket 5380 sent out.
I install this for a customer that I have on the recommendation of etrailer as being the one that was necessary for this vehicle. On receiving the product was having problems as the truck was not set up the way that the illustration showed the truck was bought new by the original owner and had 50,000 miles and have never been modified spoke to fire stone about that at the recommendation of a trailer other parts were necessary, it turned out to be quite a mess. Mini phone calls hours of trying to make something work. The system failed at about 500 miles customer was very upset. I spoke to eat trailer no help at all referred me to fire stone no help at all. It was just to say the way things go sometimes and they were very sorry. I ended up having to give the customer his money back very expensive for me all the way around very poor recommendation on what I should’ve bought for this vehicle very poor product service by a trailer and fire stone both so end result after turning the truck back to stock, I haul the airbag system that I purchased to the dump
The airbags i got from you last yr, well I never got a chance to put them on because I traded that truck for a newer one. I did however put the firestone bags along with the remote compressor and total enjoy that set up..
2003 Ford F250 CC FX4. This kit came with the wrong lower and saddle brackets. After reading the other reviews, I see I’m not the only one with this problem. I had to do heavy alteration and remanufactured the brackets to fit. Otherwise I’d give it fives stars.
After emails with firestone, in which many disagreements came to light.
My vehicle is a 2002 f350 dually Crew cab 8ft bed, completely stock no alterations at all.
First issue was the emergency brake Cable was in the way. I rerouted the cable sent photos to firestone. The person in which I communicated with, stated that my brake line was not stock OEM.
The emergency brake cable was the issue not brake line and the person at firestone doesn't know the difference between brake cable and line.
In the photo sent showed my rear brake line that was just replaced and it was shiny. The brake line replacement was OEM. The brake line was not an issue at all.
I have photos showing how we had to modify the firestone air bags set up. I welded straight to the axle.
The bags will work now after hours of mods....if anyone else has a vehicle like the one stated above please let them know mods will be required.
This isn't my first issue with firestone air bags. I had to prove to firestone that I had a pin hole in a seam on a air bag. I had to submerge the air bag in water, take a video and send it to them. They did send a replacement after a while.
Just had to say this.......
I think this is a good product that helps my truck handle the weight of my trailer, the only issue is that one side of the airbag loses more air than the other side.
I returned the air helper springs (air bags). These did not fit my early 1999 F250 Super-Duty. The airbag alignment pin did not seat properly into the alignment hole due to contact with the jounce bracket. The upper and lower brackets would contact my shock mount and the manufacturer would not approve modifying them. In addition, the manufacturer changed the brackets to more of a universal style where, rather than bolt "holes", there were elongated "slots" where the upper and lower brackets fit together. I was concerned that over time the brackets would not stay tight in position and would contact the axle mounted hard brake lines. I spoke with the technical engineers at Firestone and they stated they did not have a solution.
Mike L.
3/4/2026
What's the GVWR of the truck? If it's above 8500 lbs, the F2550 is a fit. If the GVWR is below 8500 lbs, you'd need to use # F2320.
This installation took twice as long as it should have! The top plate had to be modified to clear the leaf spring U bolts and shock absorber bracket.
The Jounce doesn’t allow the installation of the 3/8@ bolts close the leaf spring that holds the brackets together. I’m not sure what to do with this now. I saw in other reviews where other people had similar issues. Not sure if it’s the universal bracket design vs having slotted holes like your video.
Any help would be appreciated.
Also both valve inserts had to be replaced!
Lazer S.
6/16/2026
I will be contacting Firestone about this, but what is the year, make, model, and version of the vehicle you are trying to install this on?
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Steve H.
11/24/2022
Love the purchase. makes towing the 5thwheel so much easier.