How to Determine Correct Inflation Pressure for Firestone Ride Rite Helper Springs

Question:

I have a Coachman Leprechaun equipped with these type of Airbags with a gross weight of about 14000 lbs, what would be the psi?

asked by: Wilburn M

Expert Reply:

Air Helper springs for a tow vehicle or RV's suspension always have a fairly wide range of operating pressure. For instance the Firestone kit you mentioned # F2071 requires nothing less than the minimum 5-psi pressure at all times but can be inflated to as much as 100-psi when the vehicle requires this much stiffening of its suspension. There are also kits such as Firestone # F2700 that are for extra-heavy-duty applications and these use air springs that can handle as much as 150-psi pressure.

There is not any one "right" pressure for these systems since both RVs and driving preferences can vary quite a bit. You can very literally do this by feel. But you'll certainly want to observe the minimum and maximum pressure guidelines for the specific system you own.

Automated compressor kits such as # F2097 allow you to make fine pressure adjustment on the fly as you drive and these add-on compressors can really make using the air spring system much more effective and convenient since you can "test" alternate pressures whenever you like simply by pressing the inflate/deflate lever. You might very well find that you'll prefer different pressure in the bags during the worst of summer heat than in single-digit winter temperatures.

expert reply by: Adam R