Rear axle air bag issues
Just curious how many other owners have air bags above the rear axle and how they have worked for you?
I got them because I often carry a motorcycle on a hitch carrier, and was a bit concerned about the weight on the back end. I use the extreme air to raise the pressure in the air bags when I've got a heavy load on the back.
When I first got the van, I was concerned about tire clearance. When parked, there is only about 10mm between the backskide of the rear tires and the air bags (with the BFG 285s that came with the van). That struck me as too close, but I'm no expert and figured that SMB knew what they were doing..........
For two years, I've had no problems. That ended today. While driving home I noticed that the pressure gauge for the right rear air bag was showing 0psi. Normally, I have them at about 30psi. When I got out to inspect, sure enought, a small pinhole had worn into the bag from tire contact and/or road grit, and it would not hold air. I inspected the back side of both rear tires very closely and the contact with the air bags has been noticeable, but also minimal. Only enough to rub down the lettering on the tires about 1-2mm, but no penetration into the sidewall itself. That was a relief since we were in the middle of BFE. I kept it at 60mph for the rest of the trip and got home with no further trouble.
A quick check at home did not reveal any further rubbing. But after today's incident, I'm concerned about the very minimal clearance between the rear tires and the air bags. For obvious reasons, tire safety is a big deal and I'm wondering if the SMB rear axle air bag design is simply crap and not worth the hassle.
I'll be heading up to SMB soon to have several items fixed, and will add this to the list.
Any input from others with air bag experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks
Rob
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2006 SMB 4x4, EB-51, 6.0psd
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