How To Determine The Correct PSI Levels For Firestone Air Springs On A 2023 Ford F-450

Question:

Donald C. 4/7/2024 I have a 2023 Forrest River 32 ft. Motorhome on a 450F. I have the Firestone Ride Rite bags in the rear, I have them set at 6 PSI without towing anything, My Question is how do i Know how much air i should apply when i am towing anything. Also, without towing anything can i run more air in the bags, so the rear does not Scrap/hit the road when going into a little dip on a driveway or turn???

asked by: Donald C

Expert Reply:

Hey Donald,

Air springs are designed to help eliminate sag so one of the easiest ways to see how much pressure you need is to measure from the ground up to the of the wheel well arch without the trailer to get your factory ride height. Then you can hook up to the trailer and increase the psi until you get the ride height back to factory settings, keeping in mind that the air springs do have a psi limit.

If you wanted to run your air springs with a bit more air in them unloaded that's totally fine. It's just going to be a guessing game as to what the right psi will be to help you sit a bit higher without sacrificing ride quality. The more psi the stiffer the spring so there will be a point were it just feels like you're hitting a brick when you go over a bump if you're unloaded.

To make it easier you can install an on-board compressor like the Air Lift WirelessONE Compressor System # AL25980EZ, which comes with a remote and Bluetooth app so that you can monitor and change your psi levels by simply pressing a button. This system also doesn't require any gauges or line to be mounted in the dash so you won't have to do any drilling.

expert reply by: Kevin C