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Old 10-04-2014, 09:57 AM   #1
DVD
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2WD E250 Suspension

I've looked through most of the threads on suspension and thought I had a solution to my issue, but my mechanic is not sure it's the right solution...

2005 RB E250 with 100K miles, Air Lift Heavy Duty air bags all around, stock spring suspension, probably original shocks, newish stock size tires. The issue is an incredibly harsh ride over bumps. Smooth roads give a great ride with no drift, wobble, bounce, etc., but most any bump (even expansion joints) makes it feel like I've got cement tires, especially in the rear. I've tried various pressures in the air bags with essentially no effect. I know there's limited rear travel with these air bags, and since I don't haul anything heavy, don't go off-road and don't plan on pulling a trailer, my thought was to remove the rear air bag system and put on new shocks all-around to see if the ride improved. My mechanic is reluctant to take off the rear air bags because he thinks they may have been original from SMB and are needed just due to the extra weight of the SMB interior.

So - do I need to replace the air bags with a system that gives more travel, or can I safely remove them completely and just go with the stock suspension components?

Thanks,
DVD

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Old 10-04-2014, 10:35 AM   #2
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Re: 2WD E250 Suspension

Get rid of the air bags, get the spring rates right and be happy.
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Old 10-04-2014, 10:58 AM   #3
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Re: 2WD E250 Suspension

X2 !!!

Ditch those airbags. They only have about 4" total travel. You will need to replace the bumpstops after pulling the airbags. Other than that, everything else can just come off. If you aren't carrying occasional heavy loads needing leveling, you probably don't need airbags at all. If you do need airbags, there's better solutions than what you have now.
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Old 10-09-2014, 10:10 AM   #4
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Re: 2WD E250 Suspension

Got the airbags taken off the rear, put Monroe Gas Magnum shocks on the front, Monroe Load-Adjusting on the rears and it's a new vehicle. Ride and handling both improved with no more cement tires going over the bumps. For my type of driving (95% paved roads, 5% graded unpaved) I think these should do just fine. Thanks for the advice.

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Old 10-09-2014, 10:27 AM   #5
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Re: 2WD E250 Suspension

Good to hear.
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