Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle
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2008 Ford Explorer
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2008 Ford Explorer
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Heavy hauling can make your rear suspension sag, throwing off steering and braking. The Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs add up to 5,000 lbs of load-leveling capacity between the frame and rear axle to keep your ride height even. With balanced pressure on both sides, the truck stays level, steering feels steady, and braking stays predictable even when towing or carrying serious weight.
Every load is different, so being able to dial in pressure makes a big difference. The Ride-Rite system lets you fine-tune air pressure anywhere between 5 psi and 100 psi to match your load. Add air when towing a heavy trailer or running with bed cargo, then drop the pressure for a smoother ride when unloaded. Individual inflation valves are included for manual side-to-side adjustment so you can easily balance uneven loads.
The double-convoluted design uses four layers of reinforced rubber with a braided wire girdle to handle high pressure and absorb road shock. By softening the contact between the axle and frame, the springs keep you from bottoming out on rough roads or dips. You’ll notice less bounce and a more controlled feel when driving over bumps or uneven pavement.
These air springs are anchored with corrosion-resistant metal end plates sealed by a rolled crimp that keeps the bags secure under pressure. The custom brackets bolt to existing mounts on the frame and axle—no drilling needed. With included hardware, air line, and valves, installation is straightforward with hand tools, making it easy for DIYers to add real suspension strength without a shop visit.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
98% were satisfied with this product
2% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
So far so good. I installed these in just over 2 hours on my 2013 Chevy 2500HD for help with my fifth wheel. I pull a 12.7k pound (dry) camper. My truck was level prior to airbags, but had really harsh bouncing over bridges, put holes, etc. The side to side way and roll was noticeable was noticeable as well. These bags put all of that to an end. I've towed twice with them and 35psi seems to do the trick (doesn't life the truck higher in the rear, and takes away the bounce and roll).
I must point out that installation while straight forward, still had some issues with stock components. The parking brake cable and brackets had to be removed on both sides for the springs brackets to be installed. The passenger side bracket covered the OEM parking brake bracket location and the driver side is too tight of a fit without crimping the brake cable. My brake cable is no freely resting across the truck which I'm not a huge fan of.
Been a great product for me has worked well for my application I chose to just run individual airlines out by the license plate to air up when needed with a little handheld compressor did not want to spend the extra money on onboard compressor pretty straightforward install
The only thing I changed was the plastic air hoses to braided lines with fittings
You would think braided lines would be standard equipment with these bags plastic hoses are junk
Hope this helps somebody down the road
I absolutely love the Firestone Ride Rite air bags, took about 3.5 -4 hrs, laying on the ground but it was well worth it! I highly recommend these bags. I have a 16’ 22k dump trailer and a 25’ gooseneck trailer that I haul my mini x on, it weighs 11530. The ride and handling are outstanding and I use very little air in the bags. Thank you Etrailer, fast shipping and exactly what I needed!! Installed these on my 16 Chevy 2500. No leaks either, first time ever! Got lucky I guess.
Good quality, easiest install. Only thing on a negative side was shorted 2 each 3/8-16x1 head screws and flange nuts. Also if the hook spring mounts where rounded on the J- hook side would make for and even better install. Thanks for a good product. Hopefully this is comes across as constructive criticism. Not bull[crap].
Air ride works great easy install
Purchased a set of airbags and a compressor for my truck from Etrailer. Smooth transaction and everything fit perfect. No complaints. Wouldn’t hesitate to deal with them again.
Randy
9/14/2025
Still happy with the airbag system from Etrailer. Glad I put them on.
Gwendolyn Y.
9/16/2025
I had these installed on my 2024 Chevrolet 3500HD truck to level out the bed and improve ride feel and handling while towing our 14K loaded 5th wheel trailer. They have met my expectations and I’m glad I did it. A much better ride.
Just got done installing the Firestone airbag kit for my 2020 Chevy 2500 LTZ Z71 crewcab Duramax truck. Install went smooth, with no issues at all. I had the Firestone airbags on a previous truck and really liked them. I got the kit for a 5th wheel trailer.
Robert J.
4/4/2021
Excellent
I installed this about two weeks ago. I don’t have a lift so spent a lot of time on a crawler. Thank goodness there is sufficient underbelly height on my Silverado 2500HD.
I bought these just to remove a bit of sag when I hook up the fifth wheel. Installation was pretty easy and the instructions were fine. Although I learned from my mistakes doing the first one, which made installing the other much smoother. I haven’t had the fifth wheel hooked up yet, but I don’t think there will be any issues. I have had them inflated to 10 PSI and the haven’t lost any pressure yet. That’s with an empty bed, so we will see how they hold up with a load.
Since I didn’t get an air compressor kit with them, I was able to use two spare TPMS sensors that I had on hand to monitor the PSI of the air bags.
So far so good. etrailer service was great as usual.
Tris
5/15/2024
Great.
Quick shipping and easy install.
These nake so much of a difference! Right now we fill them with a portable compressor but eventually we will add a built in compressor.
I installed the air bags in about 5 hours by myself. The videos you provide helped.
While I don’t have a lift, I removed the rear tires and was able to excess area to place the bag in and also removed the spare and heat shield to tighten the hardware. This also helped to run the air lines to the bumper
The air bags did a nice job when the truck is loaded down. I do not like the additional lift the 5 psi minimum causes.
Perfect. After 1 year of full time towing, has not failed to perform at 100% every day. Really help stabilize the truck under varied conditions and gives full flexibility to adjust pressure based on load and conditions. Easy to self install, did not have to jack or drill anything. Just remove the spare to get more head room.
Thanks William S. Customer service was excellent. My 2023 2500 duramax has a leveling kit with 1 inch spacers under the springs . This kit is exactly what i needed. Top notch kit and top notch customer service
Installation was straightforward but some of the mounting hardware had to be modified due to the emergency brake cable routing.
Researched and found predominantly, Firestone Ride-Rite are top tier. Installation was a little tougher not having a lift, but I got it done and can't believe I didn't do sooner; the ride is better trailering heavy loads and even better just around town.
Install easy. Except running air lines PITA, but seem fine just installed so don’t know about longevity
David
5/17/2026
Still working fine
After reading the commenters before I bought the Ride-Rite Air Helpers. I specifically ran into at least 3 of 4 items I saw people call out from their installs.
#1 Open the package and verify you have the correct nuts and bolts quantities and sizes. Mine was missing one of the flange nuts, 12 needed in that 3/8" size, which I thankfully had in my surplus bolt bin. Also note that the 4 carriage bolts (2 per side) for the bottom bracket to clips will be short on one side of the bracket, both sides of the truck. So have 2 longer carriage bolts in case. The front facing side of the brackets with the clips and brackets flush in position were allowing barely a thread to start the tightening process. So I had some carriage bolts just a 1/2" longer that worked perfectly.
#2 Verify the large nuts that fit the airbag are correct thread. Mine were correct, one commenter had course which didn't work. A 1 1/8" wrench would be perfect for that nut size, but limited area to work around.
#3 Expect the emergency brake cable WILL interfere with the airbag locations on both sides. Expect you will need to reroute to create no rub or pinch points.
Someone mentioned an hour job. Expect many more than that if you're not working on a lift. Jack stands and wheels removed worked well. And the airbag install was easy and quick, 30 minutes for both sides. The extra rerouting and messing with things in your way will be the hardest time consuming part of the whole install. It took me 4 hours start to driving, with MANY neighbor interruptions during the process. I would consider myself better than average 70 year old mechanic and very particular how the airlines and brake cables were routed and realigned. Unless you have lift and nothing in your way, 1 hour could be a stretch.
#4 The instructions worked well, someone mentioned they were tough. I found them easy to follow and the flow worked well. Start on the passenger side to get an easier start point, and remember the heat shield on that side where the exhaust runs. Driver side will have a gas tank cover to hinder wrench access. Wrenches will be the majority of your tools needed. Socket wrench only fit on 4 locations.
As far as the ride. So far I love the solid feel without my trailer installed at 20# PSI level, I might lower it and raise it a little and see what works best unloaded. Leaving on a long road trip soon, so I will be able to see the improvements with a 14000 5th wheel trailer.
Hope this information adds to the other commenters. So far I love the way they feel.
I recommend this to anyone with a 3/4 ton that wants stability without adding springs. It works well at giving support when I hook up to the 5th wheel. Before adding the airbags the rear suspension would settle 4 inch or more when hitching up to the trailer. Now I can control how much it settles and I get more stability and a better ride. Good system and not too difficult to install. I would have given 5 stars but I had to make three attempts to get the airlines to seal. The airlines are plastic and are a tight coil and are tough to straighten and install. I had a leak that I finally was able to remedy after several attempts at connecting. This was frustrating but I am still a big fan of this system and highly recommend these airbags. I have run with as much as 60 psi in the bags and have decided that around 40 is about right for my setup. The truck settles about 1-2 inches with about 40-60 psi.
Brooke M.
4/9/2025
Glad to hear this, Steve! I am curious, what all did you do to find and fix the leak? I'm always looking for new ways to help folks stop a leak or whatever the issue is :)
The installation was pretty straightforward, and was managed at campsite with basic tools. It is filled with Milwaukee portable air inflator and has been keeping air pressure set at. We have had good use of it to level truck after loading 5th wheel. I elected to not join both lines together so I can keep individual air pressure in case one had leak but has been fine, I might join them with optional part etrailer offered.
After 1 year and 8,000 miles has been great purchase. All bolt on, no holes to drill, I even placed fill valves in license plate to conceal installation.
Alex at etrailer was excellent as helping us find the correct kit and shipping promptly with great communication and follow up.
Gwendolyn Y.
4/21/2025
Your set up looks great, Mike! Where are you planning on traveling to this year?
Gwendolyn Y.
4/23/2025
I’d really love to give these a 5 star as they massively improved the ride and porpoising of my truck with a fairly heavy truck back camper. We were shorted one bit of hardware in the kit that caused a 1 hour RT drive to the hardware store for a stupid bolt. One of the hex head flange/wedge bolts for the upper mount was missing . Simple ‘miss’ by someone but was annoying . That aside everything g was great.. instructions were clear and helpful… I’d give them a 2 of 5 for difficulty installing.. any weekend mechanic can do this. The truck rides better and is safer now so thumbs up all around except for Mr Bolt pack loader!
Gwendolyn Y.
6/17/2025
Thanks for being honest with your review, Lee. It really is a bummer when a part, even as small as a nut, is missing causing a delay with the install. However, I'm glad that you were able to get everything installed and that the ride is better and safer now. When's the next camping trip?
Installation was really easy except for the lower brackets that attach to a lip of metal. There was another piece of metal on the axle that got in the way but i pried and then hammered the bracket into place, squeezing it in. If I didn’t I’d still be able to get the bolt through but I bet as I tightened it down it would move the base plate and wouldn’t be lined up as well. No air is leaking so far. I didn’t buy the compressor so I might screw on some Bluetooth tire pressure monitors so I’ll get notified if pressures drop below 5psi. I have a 2023 Chevy 2500 and surprisingly with 15psi and no load in the bed it rides much better! Doesn’t hop all over the place
Mark
8/20/2025
I ended up adding an airlift compressor which was super easy to install and everything works great! I got tired of checking pressures, the air compressor monitors psi and kicks on if needed. I would buy and install these things again if I ever end up getting a new truck. Works great when towing my 12,000 pound bumper pull camper
This the 3rd truck I've used and installed myself of the Firestone 5,000lb rated airbags on, and not one has ever failed on me. I used them on a 2007.5 Chevy LMM 2500 LT Silverado, a 2020 Chevy 2500 LTZ Silverado, and yesterday I put them on my 2025 GMC 2500 Denali. I did pair my new bags with an Airlift wireless compressor, which is an awesome addition to the bags. I like the fact that etrailer did a comparison video on the Firestone and AirLift bags, and they found the Firestone bags are of better quality and can support the weight of the axle if you lift the truck off the ground by the frame. If you have never installed these bags, you do not have to lift the truck off the ground or remove your rear tires. If you're like me, and do not have access to a lift, I suggest removing your spare tire, which will give you more seating area, and you will not bonk your head into it. Two thumbs up on this kit
Robert
1/17/2026
After 1 year of use, my Firestone airbags never let me down. Working perfectly. This is the 3rd trucks Ive run Firestone 5000 lbs. rated bags on with no issues.
excellent product, very easy (uncomplicated) install. anyone who is somewhat mechanically inclined can install themselves. It took me about 3.5 hours by myself with simple tools and a jack on my garage floor. Hardest part was me getting up and down from the creeper.
On my truck, (2015 GMC) i had to remove Ebrake cable brackets on both sides and reroute, not a big deal. also, did not find it necessary to remove spare tire heat shield, worked around it just fine. Routed my schrader valves through the plate screw holders for easy access.
Jim
5/13/2026
Still happy with this install, bags help tremendously over bridge joints hauling my 5th wheel. not sure how these compare to Timbren setup, but i would guess better based on being able to adjust pressure. way more stable over bridges and bends in road.
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Gwendolyn Y.
7/21/2025
It's always a great feeling when a project goes exactly as planned so I say take it as a reason to celebrate, James! Sounds like you do a lot of hauling between your 2 trailers. How often are you out of the road towing?