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3,000-lb Capacity. Convert your Chevrolet C/K Series Pickup's leaf springs into a mechanically active suspension system. RAS adjusts to your load to level your ride. The system also increases stability, handling, and control by improving traction and reducing sway.
Features:
Specs:
All-In-One Suspension System
When towing or hauling a heavy load, you may encounter a number of problems that can make your driving experience difficult or dangerous, such as sway, body roll, or bottoming out. When your vehicle is weighted down, your factory leaf springs can't counteract these problems to the extent that they are supposed to. The weight will overpower the leaf springs and cause them to twist or flatten out. When that happens, they cannot support, level, or stabilize your vehicle effectively. Additionally, because your factory leaf springs are passive, they won't begin to tackle problems such as sway until those problems have already started.
RoadActive Suspension (RAS) kits enhance those passive leaf springs by converting them into a mechanically active, all-in-one suspension system. RAS kits have variable-rated coil tension springs that automatically adjust to your heavy load. Other suspension systems only solve a few problems and usually at the expense of other improvements your factory leaf springs may need. RAS, on the other hand, is a unique kit that provides everything you want in a suspension system without any trade-offs. It eliminates bottoming out like air springs, reduces sway and body roll like sway bars, keeps your ride level like helper springs, and improves traction and braking control like traction bars. This improves your vehicle's stability, handling, and control while you are towing or hauling, as well as when your vehicle is unloaded. RAS also makes your overall driving and towing experience safer and more comfortable, which greatly lessens driver fatigue.
Each RAS unit has a powerful variable-rated coil tension spring that converts your passive leaf spring into a mechanically-active system. Once your vehicle is loaded, the tension springs immediately activate to absorb and support the weight. This allows your leaf springs to maintain their bowed position and keeps them from flattening out or flipping over, which greatly hinders their ability to bear a heavy load. The tension springs are variable-rated, which means that the heavier your load is, the more assistance they provide to your leaf springs. Because of this design, RAS reacts instantaneously, whereas hydraulics, air springs, and other suspension systems take time to react. And unlike your factory leaf springs, RAS stops sway and sag before they even start to happen. Additionally, when your vehicle is unloaded, the tension springs disengage, allowing your leaf springs to perform as intended without hardening your ride. RAS won't hinder your leaf springs' movement, nor will it cause any friction between any of the brackets.
When under a heavy load, leaf springs are especially susceptible to axle wrap, which can cause wheel hop. Wheel hop is when the tires lose their grip on the road, causing a jarring, up-and-down movement. Axle wrap occurs when the circular motion of the tires cause the leaf springs to twist or rotate. If the leaf springs twist far enough, wheel hop can occur. RAS stabilizes your leaf springs by absorbing the force of the load they're trying to support. This eliminates axle wrap and wheel hop, as well as prevents your vehicle from bottoming out. Because of this, less strain is put on your vehicle. And by reducing some of this wear and tear, RAS helps extend the life of your leaf springs, shock absorbers, shackles, and even tires.
When driving along a curve while towing or hauling a heavy load, the back end of your vehicle or trailer can start to shift with that weight. If your factory leaf springs have flattened or twisted under this load, they won't be able to prevent it from shifting. Because of this, your trailer will sway away from your vehicle. This makes driving challenging and dangerous, as it increases the risk of body roll, which is when your vehicle drastically leans to one side. This can often cause you to completely lose control of your vehicle. Body roll is especially prevalent with multi-passenger vans and vehicles towing long campers, trailers, or boats. RAS provides a much safer ride by reinforcing your factory leaf springs and stabilizing your load. This helps prevent sway from occurring and reduces the chance of body roll while cornering, turning, and swerving. RAS also lessens the rocking motion that happens during windy conditions or when a semi passes by on the road.
When your vehicle is overloaded, the bulk of the weight transfers to the rear axle. Your factory leaf springs then become overwhelmed by this weight, as they are not strong enough to support it. This causes the back end of your vehicle to sag and the front end to rise, which means that the front tires have lost some of the grip they need with the road. In addition to loss of traction, it can also cause poor headlight aim, unintentional swerving, and an extremely bumpy and uncomfortable ride. RAS bolsters your factory leaf springs and enables them to provide support for your load without compromising ride quality or comfort. This keeps your ride level from front to back whether you are hauling a load in the bed or towing a boat, trailer, or camper. RAS also ensures that your tires have the traction they require while braking and accelerating, which improves the overall driving experience.
RAS is also customizable. During installation, the coil tension springs can be adjusted to 2 different tension settings or anywhere in between for improved road handling and support. To do this, rotate the springs while keeping the threaded rod still. As you turn the spring, use one of the 2 included spacers as a gauge to measure the widening gaps between the coils. In order for the RAS units to work as intended, you must tension the coils to a minimum of 25 percent with the 1mm white spacer and no more than 40 percent with the 2mm spacer. The springs can also be independently adjusted to compensate for off-center loads such as a handicap lift.
This custom-fit kit comes fully assembled and is easy to install. Each RAS unit simply bolts onto your factory leaf spring with the included hardware, and drilling, welding, and cutting aren't required. First, position the eye hook bracket so that it wraps around the top of the factory leaf spring eye. Then the axle bracket secures under the leaf spring and around the factory U-bolts on the other side of the leaf spring pack. Once the maintenance-free RAS units are fully installed, you won't need to monitor them as you would with air springs.
RAS is extremely durable and corrosion-resistant. The units are constructed of high-grade alloy steel, and they have an epoxy e-coat on the coil springs to provide extreme corrosion resistance. The brackets on the ends of each unit resist the effects of water and other elements, and they have a salt spray rating of more than 800 hours.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (719 Customer Reviews)
3,000-lb Capacity. Convert your vehicle's leaf springs into a mechanically active suspension system. RAS adjusts to your load to level your ride. The system also increases stability, handling, and control by improving traction and reducing sway.love the the ride without camper easy to install cant wait to put the 3163 lbs camper back on need tires first
They did raise my truck 3/4”. Set my fifth wheel on it 15K and 2750 hitch weight it dropped 2” so not bad still had a little on my overload spring so it should ride pretty nice. 2017 GMC 2500
Does not support the rear suspension of a Chevy 3500 HD with a fifth wheel connected.
These provide a noticable improvement in ride and handling both empty and loaded. I would add them to another truck without hesitating.
I received this kit in a very timely manner always do from etrailer have some issues with the instructions that come from roadmaster not a trailer the bump stop spacer didn’t say that you need to use the original bolt from the bump stop so it slowed me down greatly on the install however I took it out on a quick run without a load I do feel that this has made the unloaded ride smoother tomorrow I’ll be taking the trailer out for a bit and we’ll see how it works there and I’ll update this rating.
Admitedly, I haven't even rolled my '07 Silverado 2500HD classic out of the garage yet, but I'm already very pleased. I had to go to a neighbor for a 10mm hex key socket and was slowed down by my 7yo kid 'helping', but it was still only 90 minutes my jack stands were in use. Easiest thing to do!
My only small downsides so far:
* needed to find a 10mm hex key that I apparently don't own, not sure why they picked that fastener
* wish I put some loc-tite on; just to make me feel better
* distance to drop the axle so the suspension fully hangs was way further than I expected; barely had my jack stands tall enough to get the job done.
These aren't really bad on the product, just notes for future customers. We're towing the 5er about an hour an a half this coming week, hopefully it steadies up a lot!
Overall, very happy with the product. GMC didn't have any way to improve the truck from squatting when I hooked up my trailer. This kit didn't stop the squatting but significantly reduced the bounce on bad dips in roads, bridge/road transitions and bad railroad crossings.
I bought this last summer (2022) for my 2020 F150 to haul the travel trailer (summer) and to have the quad in the box (fall) during the hunting season. I mainly used it during the weekends as I work from home during the weekdays. I adjusted the tension just before the winter because I haven't haul anything during winter. As it is now spring, I wanted to adjust back the tension for the rv season and I found everything rusted out (I am.in Canada and use the truck only 2-3 times a week).
I was pleased to use the product back last summer but because of all the rust I found this spring, I'm having a hard time adjusting them and I am also quite scared for next seasons as rust is making adjustments hard.
By having this for less than a year, I am now dissapointed in the product. Before buying this, I looked a lot into airlift a lot but because of reviews, I changed my mind to go with RAS.
Rust is now found on the main threaded rod locking nuts the bolt/tube underneat locking the device was rusted and seized.
Rarely adding an aftermarket "upgrade" to any of my vehicles am I 100% satisfied with the outcome. There is usually a trade off with something. However, this is one of those upgrades that has zero con's that I've discovered so far. I was struggling to keep the leaf springs on my modded out 3rd get Tacoma from "flattening" out because I always have at least 900 lbs of payload in my bed. Adding the RAS has prevented this from happening. I also thought that they would affect off road performance, since I've never seen them in an off road application before, they don't. People on the trail often ask "What the heck?" when they see them on my rig. I tell them that RAS is the easiest to install, most cost effective solution to manage sag without sacrificing ride quality. There is the famously noted "Taco lean" and it's most prominent after fueling up. RAS will help iron this out. I've had them on for about a year now and they haven't needed any adjustments. Kinda like (Ronco), "set and forget it". I don't know their duty cycle is but, I wouldn't hesitate buying them again!
Installed this today on my 2023 Ford F150 Lariat 4x4 with the tow package. The kit arrived within 2 days of ordering. The box was slightly open but the springs appeared undamaged. I elected to do the install myself and opted to get a 4 ton floor jack to replace my very old 3 ton. I’m very glad I did. After blocking the front tires and setting the parking brake, I loosened the wheels and raised the rear at the differential using a small 2x4 block to span the contact points. I took the wheels off and originally set my jack stands in front of the leaf spring on the frame. Lowering the truck onto the stands was not effective. There wasn’t enough travel to provide relief to the springs. I ended up setting my jack stands on some 1x16 scrap pieces and put them under the spring attachment point. This gave me just enough room on my floor jack to unburden the springs. Once I got over this small hurdle the install went smoothly. This took about an hour to very carefully construct as I didn’t want to drop my brand new truck on the ground. Brand new 5 ton jack stands would have eased my mind considerably. My install includes a spacer for the bump stop to offset it towards the centerline of the vehicle. The instructions weren’t intuitive and it took a few minutes to figure out the bolts. You need to insert the provided bolt into the spacer and attach the spacer to the frame with the original bump stop bolt. It’s the only one you can get a socket on in the depression. The bump stop then attaches to the provided bolt you inserted into the spacer using the provided nut. You will need a deep well 15mm socket for this attachment. Fortunately I had one. I set the spring using the 25% white spacer, reinstalled the wheels and set the truck back on the deck. The truck now sits 3/4” higher in the rear. I drove around and noticed that I was sitting a little higher as the site picture changed a bit. The truck didn’t seem to ride differently empty. If anything it seemed a little more cushioned though no less responsive. I towed my 9000lb travel trailer previously with a Ram 2500 6.7l diesel that had Sumo springs and a WD hitch. I got tired of the cost and maintenance and selected this Ford because it could haul the trailer. I chose the RAS over the Sumo springs because of how much squat I observed when I hooked up the trailer initially. I will update after I tow the trailer. My only concern at the moment is that the bump stop spacer isn’t going to provide enough clearance from the bracket.
I love the product since i have a 2021 toyota tacoma crew cab long bed with a campertop a robber mat and a jack thats around 450 pounds that a have at all times my truck was sittind low a lilbit plus it was swagging on the road i have summo spring to help my suspention but it was not enoght so i did my research but this was my better option i just installed it yerterday july-8-2021 and went for a ride where i ussually drive everyday and WOW now my truck rides very smood plus it lift my tryck 1 inch on the back now my tryck seats level it took me about 2 hrs but i did right i just follow the intructions and done i love the product the only thing that im concern is that the left side underneat the springleaft there is a breik line that is too close to the roadmaster suspention i hope that with the time dont hit that line because if it does thats the line for the breiks and i will be in trouble replacing it other wise evreything works great i recomend it 100% thanks guys i will buy it again?????best $500 that i spend on my truck
Follow up to my earlier review.
On top of the excellent care and service from etrailer, the roadmaster active suspension was easy to install. My Travel Trailer has a 1200lb hitch weight so I used the black spacer. The RAS gave my truck a 1 1/2” lift. I had recently loaded my truck to the top of the sidewalls with wood for the winter. Barely put a squat in the suspension. The truck handled on the highway like it had a quarter the weight. There was no noticeable sway or body roll. Unloaded the truck handles better than it did with just the leaf springs. Does not feel like hockey puck suspension. Love the RAS kit. My truck is a 2018 Ford F-150 eco boost with the max tow package. Looking forward to hooking up the Travel Trailer this fall.
Love this product. I ordered a set for myself just before Christmas and I was so impressed that I ordered another set for my son’s truck. I was kind of worried that it would raise rear end too much but that wasn’t the case at all. If it raised it at all, it wasn’t noticeable. Definite improvement in handling bumps, cornering, and it eliminated any squat due to my pin weight of the 5th wheel. Highly recommend for an easy install (45 minutes) and overall ride improvement.
The bed of the truck measured 37.5" with a tool box weighing 200 lbs. The truck felt weighed down with passengers weighing 600lbs. Total weight 800lbs with a tank full of gas. After the install the truck rides smoother and certainly " like new". The stopping distance and acceleration distance have shortened drastically. I'm planning on loading up the bed and the Roadmaster Active Suspension RAS4611. My wife even drive it and she could feel the difference. "It drives like a muscle car." Buy it. Install time at a reputable mechanic shop was a 30 min. Install. I received them today at 1 pm and got it installed at 3:00 pm and finished the install at 3:30pm. It's an investment worth the price over traditional air bag system. Mechanic installed this on 2011 Nissan Titan SV.
I have a 2020 Silverado 1500 6 cyl Duramax with the Diesel Off Road package (3.73 diff). Travel trailer loaded is probably about 6,000 lb. I took several measurements during and after the spring kit installation. All measurements increased about an inch including the stock suspension with trailer and equalizer bars and with the spring kit installed at 1 mm spacing. A one inch improvement overall. I took the truck on a short drive and didn't notice any difference in ride (wasn't stiffer) which is what I wanted. Good to know that I can adjust the springs to the 2 mm spacing if I want to increase the suspension assist. Going camping next week and looking forward to see how it improves handling and porpoising.
This system allows OEM ride in my 21 Silverado Z71 when a trailer is not being pulled. I have pulled an 8000 lb work trailer, and a 5000 lb travel trailer, with barely noticeable squat of the truck. This kit really seems to stabilize the back end when pulling a trailer. I'm very pleased.
Easy install 2011 Tacoma crewcab long bed. Helped with sag when towing microlite travel trailer. Keeps the rear end raised in the rear a little when unloaded, but I like that look. Only complaint and its nothing big when truck is unhooked and empty when i get out I can hear alittle noise from RAS. Sort of like a bedspring coil. Night pic is with RAS installed daylight pic is with out installed
Good quality part & easy to install. Instructions were on point as well. Once I set the truck down I did a small test & jumped on the bed a few times. I can instantly feel the difference!!!
Total transformation! I never knew how bad my ride was until I installed these RoadMaster 3611-HD active suspension. It took longer to safely jack my truck up and remove tires than it was to install them! Absolutely a game changer. I carry about 1000 lbs of tools and supplies daily and like riding a Rollercoaster when hitting bumps. Now, i hit bumps on purpose just to feel these RoadMasters work their magic! Love them!
I found this items cheaper on another site but etrailer match and then beat the price.
Item installed super easy, more work jacking up the truck and taking the tires off. Can be installed with out removing tires just make it easier to get it in. The item did lift the back of my truck 1 inch. See Pics.
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Brooke M.
10/21/2022
If it seems like the suspension isnt engaging when it should, you should take a look at page four of the instructions where they outline how to adjust it until it fits properly. Also, if you would like to get something that is more robust, you may like to try part # F2613. You will want to make sure you take note of the vehicles this part fits to be sure it will work for your truck.