Air suspension Setup (1 Viewer)

[Peter Ashcroft]

Hi Everyone, I have googled this but can't seem to find a definitive answer.

I have an Autoroller 600 based on a Twin Wheel Transit chassis, its running at about 3650 KG fully loaded with our usual stuff

I have dunlop air suspension on the back and I am very impressed with it, but I am unsure as to what setting to have it on, currently running at about 2 bar. Would any of you mind sharing your settings and any general observations and experience you have with putting different levels in?

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Happy birthday!

I think that it is very subjective - 2 bar seems a good starting point but worth experimenting a bit. I don't have a twin wheel chassis but have varied from about 1.5 bar to 3 bar. Currently at 2 bar and feels comfy

 

[Abacist]

Surely if any comment is to be useful you should quote your Motorhome make, model, chassis and cab, gross maximum allowed weight and if you have uprated the weight from standard and from what weight.

I have a 2010 Autotrail Savannah 3 litre on a Fiat Ducato Maxi chassis which was originally plated at 4005 kgs but now uprated to 4500kgs and the pressure in the air suspension is run at 5 bar as suggested by Dunlop. Very good but firm ride with no appreciable roll in roundabouts etc.

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[Peter Ashcroft]

Surely if any comment is to be useful you should quote your Motorhome make, model, chassis and cab, gross maximum allowed weight and if you have uprated the weight from standard and from what weight.

I have a 2010 Autotrail Savannah 3 litre on a Fiat Ducato Maxi chassis which was originally plated at 4005 kgs but now uprated to 4500kgs and the pressure in the air suspension is run at 5 bar as suggested by Dunlop. Very good but firm ride with no appreciable roll in roundabouts etc.

I did

 

[Peter Ashcroft]

Sorry after re reading the thread, I am guessing that wasn't aimed at me, but rather the people replying! lol

 

[Abacist]

Sorry after re reading the thread, I am guessing that wasn't aimed at me, but rather the people replying! lol

Exactly!

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[Peter Ashcroft]

Maybe if I expand a bit more.... been running at 2 bar fine for a while, i have been working away in it and doing a lot of driving in the 2 recent storms, including imogne, in fact at one point I got half way to scotland and had to stop it was so bad, I felt like it was going to blow me off the motorway.

Anyway, I upped the suspension to 4bar and it seemed to drive a lot better, however on the MWAY in the high winds it seemed worse, or it could have been I just haven't experienced high winds like that before and put it down to the increase in pressure.

Then a friend said to lower the pressure in high winds as the stiff suspension could cause the van to get blown around more due to less give in the suspension

 

[DavidG58]

I think you should drive for the normal, such high winds are relatively rare

we have a twin rear wheeled Mercedes, it now has fully auto rear air, but before we ran at 3.5bar rear only, no air on front, your setting sounds low to me

 

[DavidG58]

edit to above, we are 5 tons which might affect settings maybe

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[tonyidle]

I set mine so the springs are only just bowed (downwards) based on the assumption that this is the position the suspension was designed for.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Surely if any comment is to be useful you should quote your Motorhome make, model, chassis and cab, gross maximum allowed weight and if you have uprated the weight from standard and from what weight.

I have a 2010 Autotrail Savannah 3 litre on a Fiat Ducato Maxi chassis which was originally plated at 4005 kgs but now uprated to 4500kgs and the pressure in the air suspension is run at 5 bar as suggested by Dunlop. Very good but firm ride with no appreciable roll in roundabouts etc.

Fair point but it is still very subjective and subject to trial and error. There is no right or wrong according to Watling engineering.

Just to keep you happy, I have a Pilote G690 A class which has been uprated to 3850 kg. Tried it at 3.5 bar and quickly decided that it wasn't balanced - sits better at the low pressure but eventually settled on the 2 to 2.5 bar which Watlings thought should give the best compromise

 

[MikeD]

We added air suspension to our tracker FB to stop the tow bar hitting the ground on ferries etc.

We are the same weight as you and usually run the Dunlop air suspension at around 2.5 bar

I basically just put enough air in the maintain a reasonable ride height. So pressure varies depending on how much weight we are carrying.

Dunlop state if I remember correctly minimum 0.5 bar. Max 7 bar

So you have a fair bit of playing/adjustment room.

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[Charlie]

There is no definite default setting it will be dependant on the van it's weight the distribution of the weight and your personal feel for how it's set up . 2 bar is a good starting point .

 

[Manic]

I've put Air assist on my Hymer, not Dunlop though, and am running it at 2 bar which I'm happy with, I've not tried other pressures yet. Like tonyidle, mine just gives the springs their shape back, rather than being flat.

 

[Techno]

I never had my starspirit at less than 3 bar after the first year and would go to 5 or 6 returning with wine
Generally I aimed for the van to look level

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[Peter Ashcroft]

Thank you all for your replies, I think after being very happy with the suspension since fitted and the vast improvement it gave, my confidence was knocked a bit when caught out in the recent storms, we had to abandon one journey as i said before after a couple of scary incidents on the motorway.

 

[daveandsan]

@Peter Ashcroft . Hi Pete, we have a Hobby Siesta T650 on a Transit twin wheel chassis thats been uprated to 3850 kg and I run ours at 3.5 bar.

 

[Peter Ashcroft]

Thats really helpful thank you, that will be the setting I try out next then will let you know how I get on

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