Howdy Team,
Got a bit tired of the sub par front suspension on my truck so decided to do something about it
I was out for a specific goal ...
1. was a better ride, less harse feedback and more stable
2. fully adjustable front height
I looked at many different systems / setup from Link, Kelderman, and Talon. Some of the solutions was by sludge hammer approach and what I thought was a massive overkill ... I had to remember this is a work truck and do use the 4x4 ...
What did meet the goal and number one choice was a product from Firestone:
(swiped pic from the net)
Its a combination of two things:
- Bilstein gas shocks
- Air bag surround to control height
End result, at 75 psi, the truck is level (front to rear) and at 10 psi, normal factory height. 10 psi is the minimum required air to keep the bags safe. Ride is very comfortable (for me) by being a bit stiffer and softer at the same time (due to how the valving works). The setup was designed for trucks with front plows and other attachments to either lift, level or drop. So for our trucks, more than enough capacity to lift to level and keep it there.
They are huge and just barely fit the opening. Installation does require some skills and tools (metric and standard). Passenger side goes in with any issues, just a little patience. Driver side requires removal of the battery and tray due to power steering hoses and master cylinder. I found the tray takes about 30 minutes to remove and drop out from the wheel well and about the same amount of time to reinstall correctly. The old shocks (which where shot on my truck at 30K miles) come out with no fuss at all. I choose to install my setup as a common hose left to right. So I purchased a air hose tee (no supplied by Firestone) and more black DOT spec air line (for an OEM look) from the local semi shop.
Once everything was installed, I inflated the system to 25 psi to take the wrinkles out before dropping the truck. Dropped the truck and ran all the air lines for an OEM look and placed the temporary valve in the engine compartment next to the passenger headlight for now. I plan to install an onboard air system next (so I can handle the front and rear plus some other stuff).
So with the truck on its wheels, pressurized the system to 75 psi, truck went up to level (after many tries and measurements). Went for a 250 mile test drive, and worked like a charm ! Very happy !
Cost for the Firestone unit: $447.70 (discount applied)
Ordered from:
Level-Rite™ Air Helper Springs
Cost for misc hose and fittings: $28.00
Total install time: 4 hours .... (included several breaks, coffee, water and lunch ...
).
Sorry for no install pics, had little time available and if I started the job, had to finish asap. I will post pics later of what it all looks like installed. Hope this helps others.
Cheers.