Is Rough Ride Common with Air Lift Air Bag Kit with 5 PSI in Ford F-450

Published 12/20/2018

Question:

Hi, I installed this system on my F450, they work great when towing heavy, but when driving daily without a load or trailer my Truck rides really rough, more than before the system was added. The compressor maintains a minimum psi of 5 psi. These bags are really heavy duty, so the 5psi in the bags makes my F450 ride really stiff, if the highway is rough, it is unbearable, I can hardly keep the truck in the lane. I have been told its not good to run air bags empty, but I have done it on other trucks and never had a issue. I was considering adding a T into the lines for a manual air connector and removing the core allowing the air to remain at 0psi and air to go in and out to let the bags flex as much as possible. The AIrlift 72000 seems to stay on all the time. Is there a way to turn it off until I want to use it? If not, I was considering adding a switch on the compressor power wire to keep power off until I need compressor. Can you assist with any recommendations?

asked by: David

Expert Reply:

I wish there was an easy solution I can recommend but Air Lift will void your warranty if you run lower than 5 psi in the bags and the compressor kit won't let you do that anyway. 5 psi SHOULDN'T make it unbearably stiff so I'd hate to have you modify your setup to the point of voiding the warranty and not have it actually help.

If the kit is brand new the rubber may be pretty stiff (since it is a heavy duty kit), break in and get a bit more flexible over time. Your truck though isn't ever going to ride nice without a load since it's an F-450. Some people will add like a heavy truck bed mat and that can help a bit but I can't guarantee that.

expert reply by: Jameson C