Another air suspension question.

[Matthew A Kenning]

2014 Ram 1500 Limited 5.7 4x4
Hello, thanks for taking time to read this post. I've been stuck on how to move for a while now and am hoping you guys can help me decide one way or the other. I'll try to be brief as I feel I could rattle on about this all night I have a leaky rear driver airbag. The dealer wanted to change it and the compressor for 3k. The compressor still works however they say due to moisture they wanted to replace. They will also just replace the bag and recharge. I read every air suspension post on here that I could find, lots of great info I found. Unfortunately I'm still undecided. I like the air system however don't need it. This is my first truck, and ive really enjoyed the ride. I tow occasionally 3k boat - 5k trailer - 7k camper. I really dont know what question I even have, just gonna ramble out my thoughts and hope someone can get me off the ledge one way or the other. I'm concerned of throwing money into the air system only to have continious problems, I live in NC so not super cold but it does freeze here ocaissionally. Part of me feels I should be happy I've made it this far without putting any money into the air system and escape into a delete now. (more on that in a sec) I'm concerned that I may hate the feel of the truck after a delete for whatever reason, this is my daily driver and our familys vacation mobile. I'm also concerned about just replacing 1 rear bad and leaving all the other almost 10 year old bags/springs that it may feel wierd because of that.
Regarding a delete. I have spoken with air delete and he recommends the bilstien over the fox. To get stock height they offer a Bil 4600 in the rear with either a standard or +35% spring and they do 5100's in the front. For some reason they don't offer 4600 for the front in there kit. I've also read that 4600 are little softer so I was curious about them in the front simply to have a matching set. The 5100 in the rear will lift the truck 1 inch which I would match in the front with the 5100 adjustments however I'm thinking that would sacrifice ride quality which I dont want. I read good things about the fox 2.0 other that maybe having to maintain at some point. I'll also add even the dealer tech said he would just delete it. If I went that route I would do the work myself. Does anyone have any advice for me? Any experience on the difference in ride going from air to whatever system you got? Anyone riding on 4600 or 5100 bills or the fox 2.0 have any feedback on how they like them? Thanks to anyone who made it through my post.

Matt

 

[Bandit517]

Your air system won't feel "different" because of one new bag and 3 old ones. They still function as they should until they leak. The front *could* ride differently if the strut failed you'd notice the "boat in the water" feeling at that point. But the bags won't do that because of age. But the older bags obviously could/would fail at any point obviously.

LOTS of people jump to deleting the air suspension and going with coil springs. It's really a question of how much you like the air ride. It's a costly system to diagnose/repair, even worse if the dealership/repair shop is doing it. My 2016 air system is still functional. I've got a leaky bag or valve I haven't tracked down yet. Which makes the system freeze in the winter as the system has been introduced to moisture. The CORRECT way to recharge the system is to vacuum the system like an A/C system which will remove any moisture from the system and prep it for nitrogen recharge.

The 5100 is a popular setup for the front of these trucks. When I finally decide to swap to coils it'll be what I buy.

 

[Matthew A Kenning]

Thanks for the feedback, that makes me feel better if I decide to go with just the one bag. I've never noticed it freezing, I would usually see the rear driver (one with leak they found) sagging, however it would rise and seem to drive fine. However while moving my tractor over to a neighbors house to help with yard stuff I couldn't get it to raise back up while trailered. It was only a few miles down the road. But it scared me enough to not even want to consider going out of town with my camper until I find a solution.

Thanks again for your reply.

Matt

 

[Matthew A Kenning]

Also another thought. I read a lot about the 5100 bill's on here. I read a lot of posts that refer to the 5100's being to stiff. A lot of these are coming from stock coils not even the softer air ride which makes me pause even more. Hoping to get some more feedback from those running the 5100's.

 

[mikeru]

I had a 2015 with coils and a 2017 with air suspension, and honestly I didn't feel that the 2017 rode any better or worse than the 2015. Granted, the 2015 was a Tradesman and the 2017 was a Rebel, so the 10 ply tires could have negated some of the smoothness the air suspension might provide. My plan was to convert if I ever had any issues with the air suspension, but it never gave me any issues in the 3+ years I owned that truck. The one thing I would miss is how the air suspension levels the truck whenever I would tow anything. Maybe convert and add air bags to the rear to help when you're towing.

 

[Matthew A Kenning]

Thanks for your reply! That's good to know. Do you have any idea what spring coil setup you had on your 2015? Sounds like you move through trucks often. With the prices as high as they are I feel i'll keep mine as long as I can.

 

[Matthew A Kenning]

I have heard adding airbags to the rear stiffen it up considerably. If I went the delete route I would probably choose the + 35% rear spring.

 

[crash68]

I read a lot of posts that refer to the 5100's being to stiff.

Just because you can drive over a quarter and tell whether it's head or tails.. LOL

A lot of people have this misnomer that you need a firm shock/suspension for good handling. Depends on what your driving, on what type of terrain, and how fast your going.
If/when I replace the shocks on my truck I'll probably go with either the Fox 2.0 or stick with the OEM.

 

[Matthew A Kenning]

I agree, I never do any off roading so my setup is for daily driving plus occasional towing. I live on a gravel road and when I read the 5100's are stiff I fear I may hate things like gravel roads or small bumps. I'm sure I'm over thinking this decision however I love my truck very much and would hate to move into something I dont like.

I will say the air ride is nice however I do get considerable body roll. It's made me slow down driving as a whole however I'm sure I would enjoy a "stiffer" driving experience however I don't want to sacrifice too much ride "softness" for it.

Thanks for you feedback. I feel like I'm glued to the internet researching this very speculative and opinionated subject

 

[mikeru]

Thanks for your reply! That's good to know. Do you have any idea what spring coil setup you had on your 2015? Sounds like you move through trucks often. With the prices as high as they are I feel i'll keep mine as long as I can.

Whatever the stock springs are is what was on my 2015. Yeah, I definitely do move through them. I really should look into leasing LOL.

I agree, I never do any off roading so my setup is for daily driving plus occasional towing. I live on a gravel road and when I read the 5100's are stiff I fear I may hate things like gravel roads or small bumps. I'm sure I'm over thinking this decision however I love my truck very much and would hate to move into something I dont like.

I will say the air ride is nice however I do get considerable body roll. It's made me slow down driving as a whole however I'm sure I would enjoy a "stiffer" driving experience however I don't want to sacrifice too much ride "softness" for it.

Thanks for you feedback. I feel like I'm glued to the internet researching this very speculative and opinionated subject

Try upgrading the rear sway bar if you want to reduce body roll. That made a world of difference on our current 5th gen.

 

[Jeepwalker]

If you like the system and you're halfway handy (and the air-ride system is a NICE system), all the information you could ever need is in one very well written chapter of the factory service manual (which you can find for free on this site with about 2 min of searching). I've read through it word-for-word. It's the bible and it's all there waiting for you to read. All you have to do is find the manual, click here and there ....and read it. You can know more in a short time on the air ride than your dealer mechanic.

I used to maintain a number of different air ride systems. While there are a few improvements with computer tie-in's on modern systems, they have NOT fundamentally changed since the 90's. And items like the compressor and valves, the dealers want to sell new, they ARE serviceable if you take some time to disassemble. Usually the compressors crap out b/c people neglect the rest of the system. The dealers want to sell a whole expensive system than fix it ..which is a shame. Keep up with the system and the compressor should last the life of the vehicle. There's a handful of items which can go wrong (solenoid valves/leveling switches). All completely serviceable for a DIY owner with some ambition. Air springs will eventually fail too given enough time/miles. But so do hydraulic shocks and struts. And front coil-over hydraulic shocks are not necessarily cheap to replace either on these rams.

In your geographic region I would think the air ride should last a long time. No extreme hot or cold. Up to you. With so many people taking off their air ride systems, there's a bunch of cheap used stuff out on ebay or Marketplace, and new parts aren't that much either. If it were my truck, I'd learn the system and become my own 'expert'. Most mechanics gnash their teeth at air ride b/c it's not as easy replace alternator ...or battery and "..there you go, mr customer". It takes diagnostic time. Comebacks when they occur mean free work which they don't like to do. You could honesly make your own repairs in less time than it would take your wife to drop off/pick-up your truck from the dealer. For now, replace the air bag and keep up with it as needed .

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[Matthew A Kenning]

Great info, I'm going to track down the service manual and read up on the system. I am somewhat handy. I think i've avoided doing my own work on the air system due to lack of tools and nitrogen to deal with the fittings. However I'm sure the manual would send me in the right direction. Thanks

 

[Jeepwalker]

You don't "need" nitrogen ...but you can get a small bottle cheap at the gas place for welding supplies. If you have a wire feed welder, I wonder if CO2 would work? There's probably a cheaper way to get nitrogen.

 

[Bandit1859]

2014 Ram 1500 Limited 5.7 4x4
Hello, thanks for taking time to read this post. I've been stuck on how to move for a while now and am hoping you guys can help me decide one way or the other. I'll try to be brief as I feel I could rattle on about this all night I have a leaky rear driver airbag. The dealer wanted to change it and the compressor for 3k. The compressor still works however they say due to moisture they wanted to replace. They will also just replace the bag and recharge. I read every air suspension post on here that I could find, lots of great info I found. Unfortunately I'm still undecided. I like the air system however don't need it. This is my first truck, and ive really enjoyed the ride. I tow occasionally 3k boat - 5k trailer - 7k camper. I really dont know what question I even have, just gonna ramble out my thoughts and hope someone can get me off the ledge one way or the other. I'm concerned of throwing money into the air system only to have continious problems, I live in NC so not super cold but it does freeze here ocaissionally. Part of me feels I should be happy I've made it this far without putting any money into the air system and escape into a delete now. (more on that in a sec) I'm concerned that I may hate the feel of the truck after a delete for whatever reason, this is my daily driver and our familys vacation mobile. I'm also concerned about just replacing 1 rear bad and leaving all the other almost 10 year old bags/springs that it may feel wierd because of that.
Regarding a delete. I have spoken with air delete and he recommends the bilstien over the fox. To get stock height they offer a Bil 4600 in the rear with either a standard or +35% spring and they do 5100's in the front. For some reason they don't offer 4600 for the front in there kit. I've also read that 4600 are little softer so I was curious about them in the front simply to have a matching set. The 5100 in the rear will lift the truck 1 inch which I would match in the front with the 5100 adjustments however I'm thinking that would sacrifice ride quality which I dont want. I read good things about the fox 2.0 other that maybe having to maintain at some point. I'll also add even the dealer tech said he would just delete it. If I went that route I would do the work myself. Does anyone have any advice for me? Any experience on the difference in ride going from air to whatever system you got? Anyone riding on 4600 or 5100 bills or the fox 2.0 have any feedback on how they like them? Thanks to anyone who made it through my post.

Matt

I always thought air ride sunroof were just things designed to fail at some point

 

[Winfield]

To the OP, I have the air ride too and really enjoy it. Recently I had an issue with the Service Air Ride Suspension Immediately warning on my dash and that is what got me on the site. I found the previously mentioned DTC manual and performed the trouble shooting for my code and ended up swapping the compressor and everything is working like a champ. The system has very few parts but you want to be sure you arent buying them with a shotgun approach because they arent super cheap. I bought a Dorman compressor for $400 and change from Rock Auto (Mopar part was $1300! and they appear identical). I read how to recharge the system with compressed air using an air conditioner charge fitting that I bought on Amazon. I may put in Nitrogen before winter we'll see. In the end I'm glad I didn't just delete it. If you don't yet have a code order yourself a cheap OBD readerlike Blue Driver off Amazon or stop into an auto parts store and borrow theirs. You'll be glad to own one. The manual with the DTCs on this site will help you from there if you can work a multimeter. If you decide to tackle it I'm more than happy to share details of my experience. I'm even going to try and rebuild my old compressor just in case I need it again someday. Good luck either way!

 

[Zac1]

First love the ride in my 2022 laramie without air. Second I hated my 2017 with air due to constant issues with air system. Air suspension is like tires. It is recomended to change all or pair. You do not need to replace compressor, problem is dealers are terrible. They don't have equipment or knowledge. You pull vacuum in the system like AC. Charging. THEY NEED TO DO THAT ANY time they open the system. Then you fill the system with very dry N2. But here comes the problem there is air bleed behind right tail light. This bleed does not have any coalescing filter like big rigs, in case of low system pressure it let's the air in which has moisture. This is viscous cycle. Bad. Bad design. Problem is much worst if you live in an area with temperatures dropping below 32F.

 

[AncientSword]

I had a problem with my air suspension so I installed Icon 2.5's in the front and Fox shocks in the back along with a 6" zone lift. I love the truck much more now. I say dump the air ride asap.

 

[Lavvy643c]

2014 Ram 1500 Limited 5.7 4x4
Hello, thanks for taking time to read this post. I've been stuck on how to move for a while now and am hoping you guys can help me decide one way or the other. I'll try to be brief as I feel I could rattle on about this all night I have a leaky rear driver airbag. The dealer wanted to change it and the compressor for 3k. The compressor still works however they say due to moisture they wanted to replace. They will also just replace the bag and recharge. I read every air suspension post on here that I could find, lots of great info I found. Unfortunately I'm still undecided. I like the air system however don't need it. This is my first truck, and ive really enjoyed the ride. I tow occasionally 3k boat - 5k trailer - 7k camper. I really dont know what question I even have, just gonna ramble out my thoughts and hope someone can get me off the ledge one way or the other. I'm concerned of throwing money into the air system only to have continious problems, I live in NC so not super cold but it does freeze here ocaissionally. Part of me feels I should be happy I've made it this far without putting any money into the air system and escape into a delete now. (more on that in a sec) I'm concerned that I may hate the feel of the truck after a delete for whatever reason, this is my daily driver and our familys vacation mobile. I'm also concerned about just replacing 1 rear bad and leaving all the other almost 10 year old bags/springs that it may feel wierd because of that.
Regarding a delete. I have spoken with air delete and he recommends the bilstien over the fox. To get stock height they offer a Bil 4600 in the rear with either a standard or +35% spring and they do 5100's in the front. For some reason they don't offer 4600 for the front in there kit. I've also read that 4600 are little softer so I was curious about them in the front simply to have a matching set. The 5100 in the rear will lift the truck 1 inch which I would match in the front with the 5100 adjustments however I'm thinking that would sacrifice ride quality which I dont want. I read good things about the fox 2.0 other that maybe having to maintain at some point. I'll also add even the dealer tech said he would just delete it. If I went that route I would do the work myself. Does anyone have any advice for me? Any experience on the difference in ride going from air to whatever system you got? Anyone riding on 4600 or 5100 bills or the fox 2.0 have any feedback on how they like them? Thanks to anyone who made it through my post.

Matt

Moisture my ass. Put them in their place. Every time the compressor runs, it sucks in moisture. All you need is a bag

 

[Matthew A Kenning]

Thanks to all for the great feedback. This forum is awesome! I ended up replacing just the one airbag and so far so good. If I have trouble in the future I wont hesitate to go with airdelete.com kit. Brendan the owner was amazing and answered all my questions.

 

[Matthew A Kenning]

If you like the system and you're halfway handy (and the air-ride system is a NICE system), all the information you could ever need is in one very well written chapter of the factory service manual (which you can find for free on this site with about 2 min of searching). I've read through it word-for-word. It's the bible and it's all there waiting for you to read. All you have to do is find the manual, click here and there ....and read it. You can know more in a short time on the air ride than your dealer mechanic.

I used to maintain a number of different air ride systems. While there are a few improvements with computer tie-in's on modern systems, they have NOT fundamentally changed since the 90's. And items like the compressor and valves, the dealers want to sell new, they ARE serviceable if you take some time to disassemble. Usually the compressors crap out b/c people neglect the rest of the system. The dealers want to sell a whole expensive system than fix it ..which is a shame. Keep up with the system and the compressor should last the life of the vehicle. There's a handful of items which can go wrong (solenoid valves/leveling switches). All completely serviceable for a DIY owner with some ambition. Air springs will eventually fail too given enough time/miles. But so do hydraulic shocks and struts. And front coil-over hydraulic shocks are not necessarily cheap to replace either on these rams.

In your geographic region I would think the air ride should last a long time. No extreme hot or cold. Up to you. With so many people taking off their air ride systems, there's a bunch of cheap used stuff out on ebay or Marketplace, and new parts aren't that much either. If it were my truck, I'd learn the system and become my own 'expert'. Most mechanics gnash their teeth at air ride b/c it's not as easy replace alternator ...or battery and "..there you go, mr customer". It takes diagnostic time. Comebacks when they occur mean free work which they don't like to do. You could honesly make your own repairs in less time than it would take your wife to drop off/pick-up your truck from the dealer. For now, replace the air bag and keep up with it as needed .

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I wanted the thank you again for your post. I was very close the delete however i do like the system. I ended up replacing the 1 leaking bag (driver rear) and so far so good everything seems back to normal (for now

You were one of the few who recommended changing the bag. Even the tech at the dealer said he would delete. Your post gave me the little push i needed to get the bag replaced.