Another air suspension question

[Yorkshire Puds]

Hi all, I’m not sure if this is in the right section, so please forgive me if not.

I’m looking at buying semi air suspension for the rear, and I’m swaying towards The VB comfort set up.
first of all, if I was to go down this route from rhino installs it’s £774, I know they advertise on here, so I was wondering if there is a discount code?

secondly is there a similar system that is just as good, I.e Dunlop for example that has the same features and adjustments?

and lastly, are the adjustments such as individual bag control just a gimmick or are they really worth it?

thanks in advance folks.

 

[TheBig1]

what you need to remember that all semi air systems use very similar air bags. 2 suppliers in particular Dunlop (the best) and ribena (cheaper copy from eastern europe). The difference being the compressor and guage system. The VB is expensive but looks good and allows individual bag control for levelling the load. The dunlop system is far more heavy duty and allows individual bag control with the correct guage choice. The ribena systems are the cheapest and the standard system uses linked bags, but you can pay more for the individual bag contol

They all do the same thing and it just depends how much you want to pay

Individual bag control is worth it in my opinion to stabilise an uneven load and give some levelling ability when pitched up

 

[TheBig1]

oh and probably Jim will move this thread to the technical and mechanical area, where it will attract more viewers and posts

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[Yorkshire Puds]

Cheers Big1. I didn’t know Dunlop did a kit that had individual control, or that they where heavier duty than the VB.
I might have to look at that system instead.

 

[125BEER]

Easy Top from Italy delivered £350,then find local garage to fit upto 2 hrs Labour.
My set up with 2 dials left and right and use portable small tyre inflator to fill.

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[Mikeco]

You may find that you need different pressures on each side to level the van up, one side of mine needs 1 bar more than the other due to the weight of the fridge, oven and cupboards being on one side.

 

[SD j]

I had the VB kit professionally fitted to the rear on my last van. (Ducato PVC)
It was possible to level up both back to front and from side to side on slight gradients.
We found a few issues which I have not seen mentioned by anyone yet.
The first was the nose down stance it created even on the lowest pressure setting the rear was much higher than it was with the standard set up .

The knock on effect of this was that the headlights needed to be adjusted in order to function correctly. We didn’t find this out until one dark night in autumn and still find it very annoying that the installer never mentioned this as it was dangerous.
The ride quality was not improved in any way either.
Would I buy it again? Probably not .

 

[125BEER]

I am sure in the info it mentions headlight beam I think.
Still will have to fit if payload needs to be increased and sometimes over 3850kg front coils need upgrading.

 

[Bessy765]

We fitted semi air to our Aspire 255 (2012) and increased the tyres from 215/70/15 to 225/70/15 took us up to 3850kgs and a rear axle loading of 2240. Fairly straight forward to fit around three hours. We just had separate airlines for each bag topped up by a 12 compressor. Once the correct pressure was obtained very fairly had to alter or top it up in two years. felt to fit the onboard compressor did not justify the addition cost.

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

I had the VB kit professionally fitted to the rear on my last van. (Ducato PVC)
It was possible to level up both back to front and from side to side on slight gradients.
We found a few issues which I have not seen mentioned by anyone yet.
The first was the nose down stance it created even on the lowest pressure setting the rear was much higher than it was with the standard set up .

The knock on effect of this was that the headlights needed to be adjusted in order to function correctly. We didn’t find this out until one dark night in autumn and still find it very annoying that the installer never mentioned this as it was dangerous.
The ride quality was not improved in any way either.
Would I buy it again? Probably not .

Im guessing it may be down to the supplier and its fit regarding your issues? I know my system is the Full VB air system and i cannot fault it to be honest. The ride is just a dream from what I am used to. The fuly automated system does the lights too so ...well impressed with it.
That aside..our truck is 8 meters in length and 4.5 ton in weight , from your avatar you have a PVC which may be shorter and therefore the improvements may be limited? Some one else may come on here with a similar set up and confirm either way hopefully.
Would we go back to coils and springs .....no. Air ride always from now on !

Kev

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[SD j]

Im guessing it may be down to the supplier and its fit regarding your issues? I know my system is the Full VB air system and i cannot fault it to be honest. The ride is just a dream from what I am used to. The fuly automated system does the lights too so ...well impressed with it.
That aside..our truck is 8 meters in length and 4.5 ton in weight , from your avatar you have a PVC which may be shorter and therefore the improvements may be limited? Some one else may come on here with a similar set up and confirm either way hopefully.
Would we go back to coils and springs .....no. Air ride always from now on !

Kev

your right about the installer,, not a back street guy either , but that’s another story.
I can see how a full air system would provide a much better ride , its what is used on coaches , trucks and my car.
i think the semi is badly designed, from an engineering point of view I see no reason why it couldn’t be fabricated in such a way that the original ride height can be dialled in.

i also think that the standard shocks (dampers ) on the ducato are poor maybe as its van based.
Had we kept our last van I would have definitely looked out for some gas shocks.
The Op is having his front springs uprated which I was told (only after the installation of the semi kit) by the VB installer would cure the levelling problem , I decIded not to have stiffer springs as I was of the opinion they would probably make for an even harder ride.
full air has to be the best all round solution.

 

[minesapint]

Easy Top from Italy delivered £350,then find local garage to fit upto 2 hrs Labour.
My set up with 2 dials left and right and use portable small tyre inflator to fill.

Hi all, I’m not sure if this is in the right section, so please forgive me if not.

I’m looking at buying semi air suspension for the rear, and I’m swaying towards The VB comfort set up.
first of all, if I was to go down this route from rhino installs it’s £774, I know they advertise on here, so I was wondering if there is a discount code?

secondly is there a similar system that is just as good, I.e Dunlop for example that has the same features and adjustments?

and lastly, are the adjustments such as individual bag control just a gimmick or are they really worth it?

thanks in advance folks.

Hi Yorkshire Puds, I bought Easy Top from Italy, it was appx £350 to buy and a few hours to fit. A decent garage should do it in a few hours. The instructions are all in Italian and caused a bit of a problem but all fitted and works, as it said it would.

 

[HugoBNB]

I got this professionally fitted (Tyneside) for £400.00 all-in. It has been well worth it.

 

[Yorkshire Puds]

Hi Yorkshire Puds, I bought Easy Top from Italy, it was appx £350 to buy and a few hours to fit. A decent garage should do it in a few hours. The instructions are all in Italian and caused a bit of a problem but all fitted and works, as it said it would.

Hi,
I actually ended up going for the Dunlop stage 5 system. Fitted it myself in a few hours. Best thing I’ve bought so far.

 

[PeteH]

The previous owner had Rear Air fitted to the Rapido "A" class we have. It sat with 10psi permanently and, out of curiosity I let it down to zero, to see if the ride was different.? There is a slight improvement with the air so it`s back to approx 1bar (14ishpsi). This is on the Mercedes Chassis BTW. We Run at Roughly 95% Max Permitted loading. 3700Kg ish.

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[Yorkshire Puds]

1 bar seems a bit low. I’m sure I read that you should run at 1.5 as a minimum on here somewhere.

I’m currently running at 2.5 to 3 bar weighing in at 3750 from 4400 fully loaded and it’s a huge difference.

 

[Apache]

I fitted the Dunlop system over lockdown , got it from Marcle , great service. I didn’t bother with a compressor and only a basic twin gauge which I pump up with a 12volt tyre inflator . It only takes about a minute to fill from its storage setting ( around 10pounds ) to its running setting which is currently 40 pounds . The only regret is that I located the gauge block on the bulkhead formed by the seating area behind the driver , so they face forwards and are easy to operate . However you can’t see them when driving. I might alter it sometime in the future when funds allow and if so I will probably move them onto the dash and install a compressor . Otherwise very impressed with the ride and handling improvement.

 

[Apache]

I must be getting old , it’s only a single gauge with twin pipes so you can fill left , right or both .

 

[Whizzo]

I brought the Dunlop system from Marcle Leisure with a manifold valve and gauge block. Fitted it myself which was fairly straight forward if you have the correct tools for the type of base vehicle. Ride is definitely improved in terms of stability, much less swaying and definitely more sure footed in corners. Have now put headlight adjusters back to zero. I guess it depends on type of van and how you are loaded. I have 7m burstner with garage and weigh in at approx 3.5t. Very good safety upgrade in my view.