Has anyone installed an Air Bag Suspension System on their Class B unit?
I own a 2007 Roadtrek 210 and I am considering having an Air Bag System installed on the rear axle of our unit. Since day one, I have had issues with low rear-end clearance on our RT 210. I noted in previous topics several discussion centered around a “Lift Kit” that was available from Home and Park and supposedly installed on all 210 models. But when I check with our dealer, they checked with H&P and according to them no such thing exist. At least not from H&P. Apparently, if a lift kit is installed it is done by Chevy when the chassis is assembled at the factory or a Lift Kit is installed in an after-market condition by the owner.
Anyway, I need to do something. And I think I would prefer a Air Bag System in lieu of a Lift Kit. So has anyone installed an Air Bag System on a Class B unit or particularly a Roadtrek 210?
Any advice or comments would be welcome and appreciated. Thank you.
Jim
Jim and Mary
2007 Roadtrek 210 Popular
FMCA F405952
I have a Ford, but the priciple is the same. Most auto and RV shops can install an aftermarket kit. Mine was made by Firestone. They augment the springs and raise the rear and support the extra weight we sometimes carry. I paid about $300 installed. Mine is manual fill, so it's a bit of a pain to keep it adjusted. Many offer the option of an electric onboard pump and gauge so you can raise or lower the height at will. One caution though, these are not an alternative for overloading the vehicle beyond what is safe. You might also stop by a commercial truck scale (many have electronic scales turned on all the time) and drive over it slowly. Observe the weight on the front axle, total and then rear axle. this might give you an idea on how you could redistribute some of the cargo in the van to balance better.
I have Firestone RideRite airbags on my ol' '87 Xplorer. I like them quite a bit. Really smoothed out the ride and I like being able to adjust them to the load. If I had the money at the time of install, I would have put in the air compressor you can adjust from the driver's seat.
There is (or was, anyway) a RT-factory installed lift kit for the Chevy chassis. IIRC, it was not standard from the beginning, but they started putting it on about a year after the intro of this series of 210. IIRC, it consists of metal blocks between the axle and springs, and longer U-bolts to accomodate them. I've seen pix, and think it's about a 2" lift.
I put Air Lift air bags on my Dodge RT. They didn't really improve handling on that one, but I don't fault them; it was beyond simple bolt-on help. It was a pretty large job, but within the ability of a good DIY'er. This was a drill & bolt kit, there may be a no-drill fitment for the Express 3500.
The optional compressor and dash controls are a bigger job, but mostly just tedious since there's a fair amount of plumbing and wiring to run. Get the dual controller.
Jim, "Caution: Do not look into laser beam with remaining eye!"
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison ('Loafer's Glory'); '07 Forester 2.5 ( the 'HANDBSKT'); '95 Toyota SR5 V-6 4x4 pickup, ARB locker, Bilsteins, Warn hubs & M8000, etc;
'94 968, M030 swaybars ('DOPPLER')
Are you talking about a actual "air suspension" like this - Air Suspension Systems or just an air booster system like those in earlier posts ? My Sprinter has the booster system, and I see no difference in it and my old Sprinter that didn't have the booster bags.
Dave W. AKA "Toyman"
KE5GOH - On 146.52
RV's ? What RV's ???
Apache Pop-up
Classic GMC Motorhome
07 Leisure Travel Sprinter
Do Boats Count ?
All rt 210 after 05 have the blocks installed which do no good but raise it 0ne inch. The Roadmaster active suspension will do a much better job look at their website. I have had it on both my 210's and wouldn't be with out it.You don't have to weigh it I can tell you it is very close to overweight on the rear weighed on scale at Fmca Rally all four corners in fact your left rear is probadly overweight.
I have owned four Roadtreks 1990 2000 2004 2008 never again
The Air Bag System that I am referring to... is the Firestone Ride Rite System. Our 2007 RT 210 did not come with any blocks or lift kits. Hence the reason for asking the dealer to check with H&P - it was my understanding that blocks or a lift kit were to be installed on all 210 units which raised the rear-end by 1 to 1 1/2 inches giving a bit more rear-end clearance.
I have weighed our unit fully loaded, i.e. water, fuel supplies etc. I weighed the entire unit, front of vehicle, rear and each wheel and in the end, the total weight did not exceeding the GVWR. The weight from side to side seem equal within reason, just a few hundred pounds difference.
The goal is to be able to balance from side to side and raise the rear end up a few inches with an air bag system. Currently I am planning on installing the compressor with small tank and having the dual control panel to monitor the air bag pressure.
Again, any comments or advise is welcome.
Question to “hotwire” … when you say “you owned four Roadtreks … and never again” can you elaborate on what you mean by “never again”…???
We had the factory supplied lift kit installed by our dealer in 2006. The lift solved our clearance problems (with a little better eyeballing of hazards, of course!)and seemed to result in even better handling. We do a lot of gravel road driving in our rig and the clearance, while not that of a 4X4, is certainly as adequate as any passenger car. We never expected an off-road vehicle when we bought the RT...
Steve & Bev
2005 Roadtrek 210
Carly the Sheltie
Zippy the Cat
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