New vehicle has aftermarket Air Lift airbag system with on board air. From the dealership they were at 10 psi. The ride was rough for sure. Filling them to 15 makes for a much soft ride without too much rake.

1. If minimum air pressure is 5-10 psi, does it hurt to run at 15 without a load?
2. Does running at more than 10 psi unloaded do anything to the suspension? Increase wear by taking some load off the leaf springs that would normally rest there?
3. Is there any harm in adding air Once the truck is loaded? To level the ride?
4. Is it best to lower to 10 psi and just endure the rough ride?
5. Any aftermarket suggestions to help with them at 10 psi for everyday driving? Bilstein shocks maybe?


I’m very ignorant to these systems and only started reading once I got the vehicle as they were already on it. So if my understanding of how they work with the suspension is not correct please educate me, seriously. I appreciate having them on as I think they will help with a load but I want to avoid unnecessary problems down the road from improper use.

I have airbags on my Tundra. You can set them however you want to. I leave mine around 5-10 psi most of the time. If I load it up I will add air after it is loaded and it raises the rear up to level it out.

I considered them on my truck so I’ve done a fair amount of research on them. In that study, I haven’t read or heard where driving around inflated to 15 lbs unloaded would have any negative effects on the airbags nor the suspension. I’ve read the info on the manufacturers’ websites, watched probably 25 videos and read the Duramax forums on the subject. I haven’t done it so the above info might be useless, but you could study the same sources I listed and see first hand. If you have a good tire store that sells and installs them, they might have actual experience to share.

No to all of your questions. The reason it rides smoother at 15psi vs 10psi is the air springs are taking the initial rate off the steel springs. Think of how the steel leaves are now not holding as much weight, ride qualities of air are better than steel.

Does your truck not have an extra leaf like this?:



See how the ends of the leaf aren’t touching the tabs coming off the frame? It’s designed that way on purpose.

With the truck unloaded, that spring does nothing and the truck rides fairly well except the shocks ate a bit stiff and the rear of the truck will be higher than the front.

Put a load in the bed, or hook up a 5th wheel and that spring well hit the tabs. Again, the truck will ride pretty well, the shocks are fine, and the truck will sit level.

It doesn’t need airbags. The F250 doesn’t have that spring, so an F250 can benefit from airbags to help level it while loaded. I would run zero pressure in the airbags unloaded. If you want to use the airbags, I’d unbolt those tabs on the frame so the that spring does nothing all of the time.

The least expensive way to affect the ride of your truck is to lower the air pressure in the rear tires. I know the door sticker says 80psi rear and 65psi front. That works great with a load and is what you should run loaded. 80psi in the rear is way overkill without a load. I settled on 60psi. 65psi in the front is more than enough for the 4,700 pounds on the front axle and 60psi is mote than enough for the 3,300 pounds on the back axle. 80psi in the rears allow the tires to carry over 7,200 pounds which amazingly enough is what the rear axle weight rating (RAWR) of the truck.

I liked the Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks for the rear because I could set them own way for unloaded when that extra spring wasn’t doing anything, and another way for loaded when that spring was being used. I never really changed the fronts at all. I’m using KYB Monomax shocks front and rear now. My truck is a dedicated tow vehicle now so no need for adjustability. They do OK with the truck unloaded, but the ride is a bit harsh.

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