Fitting Air Suspension to a 2011 Mercedes Sprinter
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- Опубликовано: 30 апр 2020
- With the lockdown and travel restrictions due to the coronavirus, I had time on my hands. Having changed the front suspension units last year it was time to look at the rear. I decided to upgrade the existing set-up by fitting airbags. These replaced the standard bump stop rubbers, allowing me to stiffen or soften the rear suspension. It also allows me to raise or lower the back end depending on my load weight.
The kit was easy to fit, and for just over £200 and a few hours work, it has proved to be a worthwhile update.
How do you connect the air lines is it just a screw on affair? Would just wonder under the constant pressure how you keep them sealed. Also how did you run the gauge and wires into the interior? Thanks
The airlines are fitted by screw-on connectors, similar to gas fittings. I have not had any problems and the pressure has remained constant, over the past ten weeks, since I fitted the system. I mounted the gauge to the angle just inside the rear right door, it's my garage space under the bed so the unit is out of the way. I made a small hole through the floor, again it works well for me. Different kits have different gauges, but I think the fittings should be similar. Hope that helps.
I fitted a kit that didn’t include the chassis strengthener.
I found that the airbags reduced roll, and lifted the vehicle satisfactorily. However…. One side affect that was never good, was a very bouncy hard rear end. We only ever inflated the airbags to 30% capacity to achieve the lift we required.
3 yrs later the chassis legs on both sides completely sheared just behind the rear axle. The rear end of the chassis entirely seperated. Damage to the corrugated floor and also the inner wheel arches also occurred.
It took 3 weeks of professional labour to correct the catastrophic failure.
We are now looking at upgraded parabolic leaf springs to lift the van. The feel that springs give is far superior than these air suspension kits. Although it’s true that they reduce the left/right roll. However there are products such as Sumo springs to at van help with this.
I will never go back to air suspension.
Thank you for taking the time to share your comments and fit out. We've recently discovered our van is near its 3500 limit and will be fitting a similar kit 👍
Thanks for the nice comment. I've found the upgrade has worked well for me and I hope it doe's for you as well. Have safe travels and great adventures.🙋♂️😀🤟
Great item and video thanks for the purchase
Buen vídeo, enhorabuena y gracias por la partilla.
Gracias por sus amables comentarios.
Hi, do you still have this? How much do you weigh at the max? I’m about 4.2t fully loaded and currently have triple springs but want to change to 1 spring and airbags like I see many have.
Hi Ben, yes I still have the camper although it will soon be up for sale. I weighed around 3.7t, but I made the upgrade as I was carrying a bit too much in the garage area under my bed and wanted to keep the camper level. I did then upgrade to twin heavy-duty rear springs but to be fair that was overkill for my weight. I have friends with single springs and an air assist at the rear and Sumo springs at the front and this seems to be an ideal set-up for a 3.5t van unless of course you are towing a heavy trailer or have a motorbike rack on a tow bar. I think twin rear springs with air assist would be the way to go if you are around the 4t - 4.5t.
@@TheNarrowboatNomad Brilliant, thanks for the reply.
Hi, This is an excellent video. I am about to fit these to my Sprinter and I have noticed lots of fear-mongering around cracks appearing in the main chassis. I am wondering if, after 3+ years of you having these, if you have ever experienced any issues? Thanks very much again for sharing! G
Hi, and thanks for the comment. I have had no issues after fitting the system. I have always run mine at between 1.5 and 2 Bar pressure depending on how much weight I have aboard.
@@TheNarrowboatNomad Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated!
Nice job and seems well worth the effort on a LWB or Extra LWB van. Unfortunately you did not video the test drive to access the improved ride characteristics, which would have been interesting. never the less Great video, full of information.
Hi, thanks for the nice comments. I did think about filming the test drive but as everyone has a different setup, didn't. For me, it has been a worthwhile upgrade giving a smoother ride and less roll in the corners and obviously, I can make adjustments based on weight. Travel safe and have great adventures.
@@GlobetrekaTravels thank you for your response. I have been looking on and off over the last few years into the benefits of air suspension especially on the rear axle of camper vans. Your video is the best I have seen on air suspension, which prompted me to investigate further and I have found a system called Sumo Springs manufactured by Supersprings in California USA. From what I have seen these are pretty good (if expensive to buy). Their efficacy and performance is very similar to air suspension, but are completely maintenance free and do not use air and therefore no compressor is required. They have been used for over five years and no long term defects have been raised. I am sure you will find this interesting and I look forward to your new videos, especially as I have just bought a used ELWB 3.5 ton sprinter van which I intend to convert to a camper van. I will certainly be fitting some sort of rear levelling system to counter "rear end sag" on this long van. Please feel free to comment. thank you
Great video and very clear, thank you for posting it.
I’m just about to buy the same tyres for my lwb Sprinter but wasn’t sure about size. Did you have any rubbing/chafing issues on the fronts on standard steels?
I do get very slight rubbing/chafing when on hard full lock, but it doesn't bother me as I only need to release the steering a fraction for it to stop. I went for 245/75 16" as I have used them for many years, they give good milage, increased road noise is very little and they have a good load rating at 120/116S
@@GlobetrekaTravels thanks. Has it been through an mot with them on and did they comment?
@@allandevaux4123 Yes I have had several MOT's done with these tyres fitted with no problems or comments.
@@GlobetrekaTravels that’s my decision made then. Thanks again and stay safe my friend.
How you getting on with airbugs so far? Any cracks on the chassis?
All good so far, after a year I have had no problems or issues.
Hello mate what pressure did you settle on in the end? thanks Tim
I'm running mine at 2 Bar which seems fine to me. It's about mid pressure for the bags I fitted.
@@GlobetrekaTravels I've just done mine and set them at the same 2bar, that lifted mine by about 1 inch, i weigh in at around 3150kg
More accurately described as spring assurance system.
I need a softer ride. Can bags help?
They are adjustable by altering the air pressure so depending on how soft you want to go the bags should help.
Whats the best way to increase my height,i would like to do a bit of off road,cheers david
Hi, fitting the air kit at the rear will allow you to raise the back end a good amount but if you want a complete lift, front and rear there are kits available, but they aren’t cheap. I have BF Goodrich 245/75 16 All Terrain tyres which are slightly oversized which will give you a slight increase but I have been off road quite a bit and have never got stuck yet. Taking it easy and reading the ground will get you through most situations. Hope that helps. 🙋♂️👍🤞🚐
He can I please ask you where did you buy it from?
Thanks in advance. Great tutorial btw
I bought my kit on eBay, it cost me £225 without a compressor and with free delivery. It was pretty easy to fit and has been a good upgrade. Glad you liked the video and thanks for the positive comment.👍
@@GlobetrekaTravels It is possibile to see a pictures or video at maximum extension? I have same tyres on my sprinter van. Thanks in advance.
@@nilasalari1 Hi Nila, not sure pics would be able to give you the info. I am using 245/75 16 BF Goodrich tyres on standard Sprinter steel wheels. With the airbags at the lowest pressure, the distance between the top of the tyre and the lip of the wheel arch is approx. 3" at maximum pressure the gap is approx 9". So you have about a 6" rise but obviously, that will depend on the weight of your Sprinter when you have it loaded up. Hope that helps, if not let me know.
@@GlobetrekaTravels Thanks a lot, I will be back to you once i will get installed. Have a nice evening. I will be great if you can upload a video with the final results.
Can you supply me with a link on ebay as id like to buy the same kit. Thanks for video
I bought mine from mar_tech_uk via eBay. They sell a range of different kits for different vehicles.
Cant find model number
Nice video! How much lift do the airbags give you? Did the kit come with that gauge too? Perhaps our channel will be interesting for you too :) Subscribed! Cheers
Hi, the kit came with the gauge and the lift is about 6" but that's going fro minimum to maximum pressure with an unloaded van. I fitted the kit for the handling rather than the lift. I have 245/75 16" BF Goodrich tyres which give me a bit more ground clearance though. I'll be sure to check out our channel. Cheers.
@@GlobetrekaTravels Great, thanks for the info!
.......jobs a good un..... with this lock down I have steadily been doing a service on my people carrier to help kill the time... give us an up-date on the air bags when allowed to do a road test.. cheers..
Hi, have now driven a good few miles and I am pleased with the upgrade. I get a lot less body roll and it feels much more stable. I have the bags inflated to 2 bar, which is about a midway point. It will definitely lift the rear end up if you are sitting low and the setup is good for up to 4,000kg👍🚐💨
Где купить можно?
I bought mine on eBay in the UK. 🙋♂️👍
I'm looking at an identical kit for my Luton Sprinter. Did you remove the old leaf springs???
No, the leaf springs stay in place, I only had to remove the original bump stop blocks to fit the kit. Obviously, mine is a long-wheelbase panel van, I'm not sure if the Luton has the same original suspension set up though. Mine only has single leaf springs.
@@GlobetrekaTravels I was under the impression that the air bags replaced the springs
@@Merc-Rover There are kits available that replace the springs I think, but the kit I fitted gives air assistance rather than a complete replacement. It works well on my camper van and I am pleased with the setup. Not sure how much or how easy it would be to make a complete change from springs to airbags.