We have the answers to all your air spring questions.
What are the different types of air springs, and where do they go?
Air springs come in various shapes and sizes and are made of heavy-duty rubber or polyurethane, depending on the application. They can be used on almost anything and are suitable for a wide range of vehicles with various suspension systems. This includes those with leaf/axle and chassis suspension, coil spring suspension, and full coil or struts replacement. Furthermore, air springs are used with the existing suspension in the light and heavy vehicle markets to remove spring sag and provide stability to your car or truck when towing or carrying uneven loads.
Air springs are also used to replace the existing suspension, allowing you to have fully adjustable heights for show purposes, standard heights for everyday driving, and raised heights for clearance while always maintaining your vehicle’s total weight-carrying capacity and stability. In addition, air springs provide the best vibration isolation of any isolator on the market. They have long been used as pneumatic actuators incorporated into new and innovative machinery designs and replacement actuators for traditional pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders. Furthermore, they have advantages over traditional cylinders in that they are more durable, perform well in corrosive and abrasive environments, are easily misaligned, and have a high stroke-to-collapsed-height ratio.
Do I need air springs?
If your vehicle tows or transports uneven loads that cause the rear or front end to sag, you must drive safely and level up with air springs. By adding air springs to your vehicle, you can enjoy various features and benefits like adjustable levelling control, elimination of spring sag, better braking, safer load carrying, improved steering and handling, body roll stabilisation, bottoming out prevention, excellent ride quality, reduced tyre wear, and lower maintenance costs.
Do I need a new suspension to accommodate air springs?
If your existing springs or shocks are tired or sagged from constant or varied load carrying, we recommend that you see a spring specialist to either reset or replace your tired suspension before installing your air springs. If your current suspension, springs, or shocks are worn, you will notice the air springs are overworking to support the weight of the vehicle and the load being towed or carried, leading to air spring failure and incorrect operation.
You can add air springs if you have a new vehicle with stock suspension. This will ensure that the load is distributed evenly across the suspension and the air springs, provided you operate your air springs correctly as specified in the owner’s manual.
Do air springs affect my vehicle’s articulation when four-wheel driving?
If your vehicle does not have air springs and you are towing or carrying a load, or even just four-wheel driving with passengers, and your vehicle is sitting low, sagged, and uneven, you lose suspension travel due to the weight on the vehicle and shortening the gap between your chassis and axle, potentially causing you to bottom out. When you add our air springs and inflate them to return your vehicle to its level ride height position, you eliminate that factor and regain the travel or flex you lost under load. The only way you will lose suspension travel is if you apply too much pressure to the air springs, causing the suspension to extend out past the standard height when it is not necessary. This will limit your suspension’s downward travel or flex.
At what pressure should I run the air springs?
Because all the air springs we supply are vehicle specific, the pressure varies depending on the load you put on your vehicle, the vehicle you have, the height of the air springs, etc.
Why are my air springs not returning me to my standard ride-height position?
The air springs ‘assist’ your existing suspension by distributing the load between the air springs and the leaf or coil springs. There could be several reasons your air springs aren’t raising your vehicle to its standard ride height. Your vehicle may be overloaded with too much weight, and you may have reached the maximum pressure of the air springs specified. Please keep in mind that the GVM of your vehicle determines the maximum pressure. Furthermore, your current leaf or coil spring suspension is too old and has sagged over time, causing the air springs to bear most of the load and preventing you from reaching your standard ride height position.
Will air springs cause my chassis to bend or crack?
No. Only overloading, load positioning, and vehicle operation can result in a cracked or bent chassis. This is because our air springs are installed where the vehicle manufacturer anticipates the bump stop impact load will be applied.
Will air springs influence the brake bias or brake proportioning valve?
We inspected and tested vehicles and components to ensure their operation and compatibility with our air spring products. These systems consist of a switching circuit that provides two states of front-to-rear brake bias based on the position of the lever on the valve. If your car or truck has not previously been adjusted, check the air spring operating height against the proportioning valve engagement to ensure the rear brakes are engaged in loaded conditions. On the other hand, if the vehicle has been adjusted due to a suspension lift or previous work, the proportioning valve may need to be adjusted to ensure proper engagement. Because these valves do not switch between two positions gradually, the variation between unloaded and loaded bias conditions can be set to a slight height variation.
What is the gross vehicle mass (GVM) of my vehicle?
The gross vehicle mass (GVM) of a vehicle is the maximum operating weight or mass specified by the manufacturer, which includes the chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers, and cargo but excludes any trailers. Never exceed the weight ratings for the overall vehicle (GVM) or individual axles specified by the manufacturer. For your vehicle’s specific GVM, consult the owner’s manual.
Do air springs increase the gross vehicle mass of my vehicle?
No, air springs do not increase GVM because they act as a suspension assist. However, if you get a complete suspension GVM upgrade and add our air springs to it, the air springs can carry weights up to your GVM.
Do air springs increase the weight of my tow ball when towing?
Air springs do not increase the stated weight ratings of the vehicle for GVM, or the gross combined mass (GCM), individual axles, or tow ball loads.
Contact Air Spring Supply Company for details
If you need more information about air springs, contact Air Spring Supply Company, South Africa’s sole distributor for the Firestone Industrial Products Company.

