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Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle

Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle

Item # F53ZR
Retail:$800.03
Our Price: $608.71
You Save: $191.32
Vehicle Suspension

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5,000-lb Capacity. Ride-Rite air springs enhance your factory suspension for safety and stability when you are hauling heavy loads. They reduce strain on your rear axle, keep your vehicle level, and adjust to load size for a consistently smooth ride. Great Prices for the best vehicle suspension from Firestone. Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle part number F53ZR can be ordered online at etrailer.com or call 1-800-940-8924 for expert service.
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Firestone Vehicle Suspension - F53ZR

  • Air Springs
  • Rear Axle Suspension Enhancement
  • Heavy Duty
  • Firestone

5,000-lb Capacity. Ride-Rite air springs enhance your factory suspension for safety and stability when you are hauling heavy loads. They reduce strain on your rear axle, keep your vehicle level, and adjust to load size for a consistently smooth ride.


Features:

  • Maximize safe load-carrying capacity, increase stability, and improve ride quality
    • Install between your vehicle's frame and its rear suspension
  • Keep your vehicle level when you are hauling a heavy load
    • Improve steering control and braking when you are hauling or towing
    • Level your headlight beams
    • Reduce tire wear
  • Maintain even load distribution with air pressure, leveling off-center loads
    • Air bags adjust manually, side to side, with individual inflation valves
  • Reduce strain on rear suspension
    • Prevent permanent sagging and excessive friction in leaf springs
  • Increase stability
    • Absorb road shock for a smooth ride
    • Soften contact between axle and frame to prevent bottoming out
  • Provide maximum load support and durability with rubber construction and double-convoluted design
  • Include all materials necessary for installation
    • Brackets, air springs, hardware, air line and separate valves for manual inflation
    • Switches and gauges, compressors, and air tanks (sold separately) are available for quick and easy air spring inflation/deflation from inside your vehicle
  • Made in the USA


Specs:

  • Load-leveling capacity: 5,000 lbs
    • Ride-Rite springs will not increase your vehicle's weight-carrying capacity. Do not exceed the manufacturer's recommended weight limit.
  • Adjustable air pressure: 5 psi to 100 psi
  • Limited lifetime warranty on air springs
  • 2-Year limited warranty on hardware


Note: The construction material of the fittings may vary.


Firestone Ride-Rite Air Spring Basics

Firestone Ride-Rite springs are designed to increase safety and reduce the strain on your vehicle when you are hauling heavy loads or towing a heavy trailer. The springs partner with your existing rear suspension system to help keep your vehicle level, maintain even load distribution and increase stability. Hauling heavy loads or towing a heavy trailer can make the rear of your vehicle sag and the front end rise. This puts more strain on your rear axle and reduces contact between your front tires and the road, causing problems with braking, steering control and traction. By adding air springs to your rear suspension, you can help to level your vehicle and improve braking and handling. The air springs also help to level your headlight beams and reduce wear on your tires.


Firestone Ride-Rite air spring airline installation

Adjustable Air Pressure

The air pressure in your Ride-Rite springs can be adjusted manually, side to side, to compensate for off-center loads. A centered load improves the stability of your vehicle by reducing body roll. The air springs will also help to absorb road shock and to soften contact between your axle and frame. This prevents bottoming out, thus improving ride comfort. Route the air line tubing for the springs to your vehicle's bumper to provide easy access to the manual inflation valves.


Firestone Ride-Ride air spring components

Air Spring Construction

Firestone's double-convoluted Ride-Rite air springs are designed to give you maximum load support and enhance the performance and ride comfort of your vehicle. The rubber springs provide cushioning between your suspension components and operate at up to 100 psi. The springs have four layers of reinforced rubber to ensure durability and enhance load support. A braided wire girdle creates the double-convoluted shape of each air spring, increasing the burst pressure of the spring. The rubber springs are attached to corrosion-resistant metal end plates with a time-proven, rolled crimp seal that keeps the bags securely anchored.


Firestone Ride-Rite air spring installation

Air Spring Installation

Each Ride-Rite kit includes custom-fit brackets that connect to your axle and frame. The brackets provide the mounting points for the air springs. Drilling may be required for some applications.



W217602621 Firestone Ride Rite Air Bags - Suspension Kit - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle

2621

Installation Details F53ZR Installation instructions

This Product Fits The Following Vehicles




Customer Satisfaction Score:


Customer Reviews

Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle - F53ZR

Average Customer Rating:  4.7 out of 5 stars   (2399 Customer Reviews)

5,000-lb Capacity. Ride-Rite air springs enhance your factory suspension for safety and stability when you are hauling heavy loads. They reduce strain on your rear axle, keep your vehicle level, and adjust to load size for a consistently smooth ride.

by:
2018 Ford Transit T250



by:
1996 Chevrolet Express Van



by:

The Ride-Rite air helper springs work great. If I'm pulling a heavy trailer or loading my truck with a heavy load, I can add air to adjust the ride and level my truck. They really help the ride.



by:

Works perfectly! It's so nice not having the truck sag and sway after installing the ride rite air bags. I built my own hard side pop up camper on my flatbed dually and it turned out a little heavier than I wanted but with the airbags I hardly know the camper is there.



by:

The kit I received had mismatched air fittings: one was a 3/8npt elbow instead of the required 1/8npt elbow. etrailer sent a replacement elbow and I was able to source a reducer to complete the install as I await the replacement. Glad i checked my parts before I started.

The install is pretty straight forward and the instructions are clear. The fasteners are difficult to access if you are doing the install by yourself. Must have tools include quality hose cutter and two 1-1/8in sockets.

The bags added 1in of lift to my unladen 2023 Tacoma Trail Edition at 5psi; 1-1/2in at 10psi; and 3in at 70psi.

At the 5psi minimum pressure the ride is firmer than stock. On acceleration the back end no longer “stuffs” wich is fine with me.



by:

High quality and easy to install. These air bags are working very well and keeping my truck level while towing my tow hauler.



by:

etrailer was very helpful with making sure I ordered the right product. As for the product... I love the addition to my 20201 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO. It made towing my 2021 Lance 2285 Travel Trailer a dream. The truck and trailer sit perfectly level now and the truck handles great. Easy install only took a couple of hours. In my pic... the stabilizer jacks are down because I was doing a quick overnighter and didn't want to unhitch. But the stabilizers aren't lifting the camper or truck.. just kissing the ground to keep the camper from rocking when inside. Its the only pic I had handy.



by:

First, my order was processed and shipped on a Sunday. There's not too many companies doing that outside of Amazon. Awesome! If not for UPS delay in Sparks, NV, I would have received my order in less time then mentioned at check out.

Second, my Firestone kit came complete. I was skeptical due to some reviews stating they received the wrong size air hose connector. Not this one. Seems they've worked it out. Kit is installed and doing exactly what I expected.

2023 Tacoma TRD OR.
2.5 lift with Icon AAL
Trailerlife WDH
Hauling 4400 lbs (dry) camp trailer
Reduced squat from 2.5" to 1" at 25psi for comfort. Can easily level, but I prefer slight squat at the tounge.

*truck and trailer pic is on a slope.

Over, great experience!



by:

So far so good. I installed these in just over 2 hours on my 2013 Chevy 2500HD for help with my fifth wheel. I pull a 12.7k pound (dry) camper. My truck was level prior to airbags, but had really harsh bouncing over bridges, put holes, etc. The side to side way and roll was noticeable was noticeable as well. These bags put all of that to an end. I've towed twice with them and 35psi seems to do the trick (doesn't life the truck higher in the rear, and takes away the bounce and roll).

I must point out that installation while straight forward, still had some issues with stock components. The parking brake cable and brackets had to be removed on both sides for the springs brackets to be installed. The passenger side bracket covered the OEM parking brake bracket location and the driver side is too tight of a fit without crimping the brake cable. My brake cable is no freely resting across the truck which I'm not a huge fan of.



by:

It happy. Poor packaging allowed parts to bang around in shipping and paint and pieces of metal to flake off on the larger pieces.



by:

Product arrived on time and perfect condition. Take about 3 hours to install. Have taken is out with 5th wheel yet. Raised that back 4 inches at 70 #. Only want 2 inches so try them at 30# and see now it rides is with 5th wheel.



by:

The kit did exactly what I was hoping and helped to level out the rear of the truck (2016 long-bed, 2x4, Frontier) when towing my 24'camper trailer. Installation was straight forward with the most difficult aspects being removal of existing rubber axil bump stocks



by:

These bags serve my purpose. It’s good to be able to level the truck up when I have a heavy load in the bed. Not too difficult to install. It would be more convenient to have the air bags with a built in compressor.
I do a lot of camping. When using the weight distribution hitch, you have to let the air out of the bags, before hooking up the trailer and hitch. Then put air in the bags. This is inconvenient, but the instructions for the hitch say to deflate the air bags.
I sometimes take a Foreman 500 four wheeler when I camp. I have to put it in the bed of the truck. It made the truck squat down a good bit. With the air bags, I can level it back up after hooking the camper and hitch up.

They do the job, but spend a little more and get the one with the built in air compressor.



by:

I mounted the Firestone airbag system on my 2008 Toyota Tacoma pickup. It was not as easy as the video makes it look (especially on the drivers side) but, it it turned out great. I mounted the compressor in the compartment behind the passenger seat behind the driver (see pic). I mounted the gauge and switch in the compartment between the driver and passenger (see pic). The airbag pictures are when they were holding 70 lbs pressure checking for air leaks. The first picture of the pickup is with 5 lbs air pressure in the bags and the second is with 50 lbs air pressure in the bags. When driving with 5 lbs in the bags it has the normal smooth ride and does a good job at 30 lbs of keeping the back end from sagging when I pull my boat.



by:

I installed these in about 2 hours the night before my wife and I were heading out to Sioux Falls, SD with our 30 foot travel trailer. I aired them up to about 38 P.S.I. and away we went. They worked flawlessly. I love them. I only used one air valve to air them up with a T connector.



by:

I wanted to follow up and let you know the Firestone Air bags fit perfectly with the B&W Turnover ball hitch. Attached are pictures of the Airbags installed on the 2018 GM Sierra 1500 Z71. I've also included the pictures of the compressor and tank install. The compressor is installed under the hood in the spare battery tray and the tank is mounted on the outside of the frame under the passenger side door. Let me know if you need any additional details on the installation.



by:

Install with 1 person took 4 hours, mostly looking for misplaced tools. I had on for 1 year and have had no problems. I did install a 3 way tee which allows for air to be equal on both air bags from 1 valve stem. What a difference these make while towing. I can actually tow my trailer at level height and get a better ride inside the truck. If you get these bags, you will want to buy a bigger trailer!



by:

After a year of use including 3 months in Alaska, these Air helper springs have worked flawlessly. They give me just enough lift to level out my truck with over 800lbs of trailer tongue weight and 500lbs in the bed. I have individual adjustments on my Ride-rites and I haven't needed to make the pressure different from side to side. I'm now considering adding an adjustable air system that can be operated from inside the truck.



by:

the airbags have held up very nicely over a year. this is my second pair on two vehicles and will not be without them. This system is redundancy for your current springs and should not replace them. I really appreciate them when going over a bump like railroad tracks, they absorb the shock nicely.



by:

I installed this about two weeks ago. I don’t have a lift so spent a lot of time on a crawler. Thank goodness there is sufficient underbelly height on my Silverado 2500HD.

I bought these just to remove a bit of sag when I hook up the fifth wheel. Installation was pretty easy and the instructions were fine. Although I learned from my mistakes doing the first one, which made installing the other much smoother. I haven’t had the fifth wheel hooked up yet, but I don’t think there will be any issues. I have had them inflated to 10 PSI and the haven’t lost any pressure yet. That’s with an empty bed, so we will see how they hold up with a load.

Since I didn’t get an air compressor kit with them, I was able to use two spare TPMS sensors that I had on hand to monitor the PSI of the air bags.

So far so good. etrailer service was great as usual.



by:

The fittings used to connect the airline to the airbag and the air-fill fitting are junk. You can buy much higher quality fittings at your local NAPA store and they don't leak. Firestone will replace the fittings for free but only after you remove the airbag and place it in a bucket of water to prove that it's actually leaking. Major pain in the ass. Firestone will not reimburse you for the time you have to spend proving to them that their fittings are garbage. I would definitely not recommend buying airbags from Firestone.



by:

The OEM air bags on my truck developed a leak and my truck was riding by on the frame. The install was an easy install and my truck had an instant better ride. My truck was level and looked like a truck again.



by:

These work great. No problems after one year. Made a big difference with 1020 lbs. tongue weight. I don't see any difference in ride when unloaded (10 psi on helpers), Really nice to have the boat tow level.



by:

After receiving the wrong air fittings, the replacements I received are also wrong. I will be submitting an RMA and sending the kit back.



by:

Installed on my 2021 Toyota Tundra, These Firestone Ride Rite are phenomenal. I’m very pleased with the results AAAA++++


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See what our Experts say about this Firestone Vehicle Suspension

  • Which Air Helper Spring Kit Fits 2021 Ford Transit T350 SRW Cutaway?
    It sure is! I reached out to my contact at Firestone and they were able to confirm that the Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted - Rear Axle # F53ZR you were looking at will fit perfectly on your 2021 Ford Transit T350 SRW Cutawy. This will give you up to 5000lbs of load leveling support which can be fine tuned to your specific needs by adjusting the air pressure between 5 - 100 PSI. To keep from having to manually inflate the air helper springs each time you are...
    view full answer...
  • What is the Difference Between the F53ZR and F2603 Firestone Air Bags for a 2018 Ford Transit T350
    The difference between the two Firestone air bag systems for your 2018 Ford Transit T350 comes down to the # F53ZR is designed for passenger vehicle versions of the T350 where the # F2603 is designed for a cargo van version of the T350. You will want to choose the one that your vehicle falls under to determine which one is the correct air bag system since there will be slight differences to the frames on these vehicles.
    view full answer...
  • Best Suspension Enhancement For 2017 Ford Transit 350 Cutaway
    The best overall option for suspension enhancement for your 2017 Ford Transit 350 cutaway, that will do the most to both help with sag and add stability, is definitely the Firestone air bags, with the correct fit (keep in mind this is for single rear wheel models only) being the following part number: - Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs # F53ZR The Ride-Rite # F53ZR air bags will give your Transit the best support, but also a more comfortable ride compared to the Timbrens, which...
    view full answer...
  • Do Air Bags for 2017 Ford Transit T350 Require Jounce Bumper Removal
    I do have an option for you but all air springs for a 2017 Ford Transit T350 replace the factory jounce bumper so if you want to install a set you'll have to remove this. I recommend the Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs part # F53ZR which do not require any drilling and simply bolt-on the frame. They provide up to a 5,000 lb weight capacity.
    view full answer...
  • Recommended Rear Suspension Enhancement For 2012 Ford Transit Connect
    I have a different option for you, but there is not an air helper spring kit designed to fit your 2012 Ford Transit Connect. The Firestone # F2603 fits the 2013-2021 vans but not yours as 2013 was the first year of the 4th generation, and your 2012 van was the last year of the 3rd generation which has different suspension. For your van I recommend going with the SuperSprings Custom Suspension Stabilizer and Sway Control Kit # SSA29 which offers 1,400lbs of load leveling support, but also...
    view full answer...
  • Recommended Suspension Enhancement For a 2018 Ford Transit 350HD Camper Van
    For your 2018 camper van on the Ford Transit 350HD having the dual wheel wheels I recommend installing the SumoSprings Solo Custom Helper Springs # SSR-121-54. These will help to reduce the rear end sag and increase stability around turns. The Firestone # F53ZR and other air spring products we carry are not compatible with your dual rear wheels. You can also add the Coil SumoSprings # CSS-1195F to your front suspension. These will also help increase stability when turning while also helping...
    view full answer...
  • Recommended Air Helper Spring Kit and On-Board Air Compressor For 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
    I have another option for you, but the Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Spring # F53ZR is only confirmed to fit Ford Transit vans and will not fit your Avalanche. As long as your 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche does not have the factory auto leveling system I recommend the Air Lift 1000 Air Helper Springs for Coil Springs - Rear # AL60769 which provides up to 1000lbs of load leveling support when towing a trailer or carrying a heavy payload. For an on-board air compressor I recommend the Air Lift...
    view full answer...

Do you have a question about this Vehicle Suspension?


Info for this part was:

Employee Jeff D
Installed by:
Jeff D
Employee Dustin K
Video Edited:
Dustin K
Employee Wilson B
Updated by:
Wilson B
Employee Daron K
Edited by:
Daron K
Employee Alex H
Written by:
Alex H

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