Full Air Suspension - is it worth the price?

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Darrell Blackmore

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Thinking of installing full VB Air Suspension onto my 6.49m motorhome. Main concern is ride comfort (ironing out the bumps and crashes down country roads) and a degree of self levelling on site. Recently installed VB semi-air to rear and apart from slight improvement in handling/dealing with cross winds, this provided no improvement to ride comfort.

How significant is the improvement provided by automatic full air system?
 
We have just taken on a Auto trail Delaware with this kit fully fitted by Conrad Anderson in Birmingham.
Only used the truck a couple of times just to test and play with it til we can all go travelling again. Honestly ....Bloody marvellous! Just glad we did not have to buy it ourselves! Struth it was expensive.
The previous owner paid £6800 fo the fully remote controlled system to be installed and I am just glad he did!
We are still playing with it to be honest. It is good though! Blown away with it to be honest! When you want to empty the grey waste ...there is an option to lift and tilt the truck so as it empties properly...How cool is that?

Kev
 
Seriously? It improves the drive brilliantly! The ride becomes softer and all........' ALL' pot holes become a slight bump and not a thump!
I bought mine back from Aylesbury all the way back to Stafford and purposely drove over pot holes to see the effect! Would not suggest you do it but it was a really positive test. Just cushioned the impact so that you could enjoy the drive a lot more!
Seriously ...it is a hell of a lot of money to pay for a full system installation. It really comes down to you and your pocket though ? If you have the money to spend on something that would improve the ride...a rear end half application would do. If you really want to blow your account and just go for it....The full system works really well . If you plan on selling your motorhome in the near future...remember this...it will be priced on its age only and not what you have fitted as extras

I am seriously chuffed with mine. Purely because it really works very well and most importantly...I have not spent the monies on its fitting.
Any cushioning of the chassis on a bumpy road is a positive! You just have to decide what is of most importance to you and of course...your wallet!

I would never turn back after this fitting. It is an excellent addition and a wonderful option to have

kev
 
Major diffeeenxe in the ride on mine which is 9m and 7t. Previous model used to be a real “bang’ on every pothole. Now it is just a smooth blip as you go over it.
Even has an off road mode to really push it up on badly rutted surfaces.
 
There you go....Mine is a mere 4.5 tonne and yet as Ceejayt has stated...it gets better as you get heavier!

Go for it...You wont be disappointed !

Kev
 
A couple of things to consider

Firstly how pleased overall are you with the van, are you going to keep it or planning to get another in a couple of years

Do you have any money worries, almost 7 grand is a lot of cash and could it be better spent?

Anybody else around with the exact same van as you, the same issues and have they had it fitted and has it transformed it?

It may behave differently on different vans and just because it's been really successful on one van doesn't necessarily mean you will experience the dead same on your make of van.

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CazPaul said:
A couple of things to consider

Firstly how pleased overall are you with the van, are you going to keep it or planning to get another in a couple of years

Do you have any money worries, almost 7 grand is a lot of cash and could it be better spent?

Anybody else around with the exact same van as you, the same issues and have they had it fitted and has it transformed it?

It may behave differently on different vans and just because it's been really successful on one van doesn't necessarily mean you will experience the dead same on your make of van.
Click to expand...
I think the fact that others on different vehicles have stated that it works well for them ..should indicate that it should work for most? There will always be one that it does not function for . Of that I am sure.
That aside
By virtue of the fact you are fitting a cushion (albeit and expensive one) between the chassis and the road ..the journey would be improved some what greatly would you not think?

Its whether or not it is justifiable as regards cost? Personally.....If it had not been for the previous owner and his deep pockets.....I would only dream of it! The long and short of it is that it obviously does work and it really Does come down to the quality of choice and the fitting of it.
After all.....there are some beds that show a hippo and some that do not? Which one is the best bed?

Personal choice and of course........deep pockets!

Kev
 
Kev and Carolyn said:
I think the fact that others on different vehicles have stated that it works well for them ..should indicate that it should work for most? There will always be one that it does not function for . Of that I am sure.
That aside
By virtue of the fact you are fitting a cushion (albeit and expensive one) between the chassis and the road ..the journey would be improved some what greatly would you not think?

Its whether or not it is justifiable as regards cost? Personally.....If it had not been for the previous owner and his deep pockets.....I would only dream of it! The long and short of it is that it obviously does work and it really Does come down to the quality of choice and the fitting of it.
After all.....there are some beds that show a hippo and some that do not? Which one is the best bed?

Personal choice and of course........deep pockets!

Kev
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For most you said, yes but it would be better if the OP knew someone who has his exact van, didn't Lenny HB have it fitted then removed?
 
CazPaul said:
For most you said, yes but it would be better if the OP knew someone who has his exact van, didn't Lenny HB have it fitted then removed?
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Does not Lenny has a massive truck? .....Vb may not have been the right choice for him at that time?

Just a thought... (y)
 
My van is a Pilote G650L 2018 model on a Fiat chassis. It’s only 6.5 metres and 3500kg. Weight is not an issue as always at least 150kg under payload. I am looking to smooth out the ride but I wonder how effective it will be on a small van. For £6.5k I would expect to glide over poor roads/potholes. Intend keeping the van long term so if it works I think it should be a good investment
 
Kev and Carolyn said:
The previous owner paid £6800 fo the fully remote controlled system to be installed and I am just glad he did!
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For that price, presumably you also have hydraulic levelling and not just air suspension?

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You should not expect air suspension to act as leveler when stopped , as it will be like being at sea .
Air suspension is also very dependent on having correct dampers (shock absorbers) fitted and maintained in a good working order as there is no inherent damping .
 
VB air claim leveling:
Auto Level

After a long journey, you arrive at your destination only to find that the campground is sloping and you have to spend ages getting your motorhome level, before you can relax. VB-Airsuspension offers the solution:

With our one-touch "Auto Level" function, VB-Airsuspension 4C air suspension ensures that your motorhome finds its perfect level quickly and easily. Sloping grounds can be leveled by up to 130mm, leaving you to concentrate on relaxing.
Goodluck
 
Stanbrook said:
VB air claim leveling:
Auto Level

After a long journey, you arrive at your destination only to find that the campground is sloping and you have to spend ages getting your motorhome level, before you can relax. VB-Airsuspension offers the solution:

With our one-touch "Auto Level" function, VB-Airsuspension 4C air suspension ensures that your motorhome finds its perfect level quickly and easily. Sloping grounds can be leveled by up to 130mm, leaving you to concentrate on relaxing.
Goodluck
Click to expand...
13cm isn't much - 5 inches?

If you have hydraulic levelling then the recommendation is to drop the air all together once stationary and then level the van so it doesn't rock.
 
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My apologies ours was only a VP ‘semi’ air. Not self levelling. But it was all we needed to get on and off some quite obscure Italian ferries. The ride was much better with our system.
 
CazPaul said:
For most you said, yes but it would be better if the OP knew someone who has his exact van, didn't Lenny HB have it fitted then removed?
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Yep had the VB removed and spent even more money on Goldschmitt full air.
Kev and Carolyn said:
Does not Lenny has a massive truck? .....Vb may not have been the right choice for him at that time?

Just a thought... (y)
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Only a tidler 7.5m 4500kg.
klaatu said:
For that price, presumably you also have hydraulic levelling and not just air suspension?
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You need over 12 grand for that.
 
My van is 7.5m 4500kg running at 4200kg it had extremely hard suspension, particularly the rear for some reason the torsion bars on the Al-Ko chassis were wound up to a far higher tension than the standard Al-Ko setting. We did have VB fitted but couldn't get enough rear ride height even after addition spacers were fitted so we ended up having it removed. Full marks to SAP for giving us a full refund.

Then we had Goldschmitt Full Air fitted, a bit more expensive but saved loads by getting it done in Belgium (£7100 compared to Travelworld's £8700).
The van now thumps over bumps & potholes rather than crashing over them and shaking out your fillings. Not as big improvement in the ride as I hoped but still worth it. Most noticeable is the stability, you can drive in gale force crosswinds overtake artics at 70mph, take your hands off the wheel and the van keeps a straight line.
The Goldschmitt has a few more features, emergency inflation points are standard, you get a sport mode which lowers the van when cruising fast & weight gauges on the axles so you can weigh the van.
I think the Goldschmitt has slightly longer front suspension travel which makes the ride a bit softer than the VB and gives a bit more leveling.
We find we can get level 90% of the time.

I don't think I would have bothered with it on a light chassis our previous van was on the light chassis 7.2m running around 3700kg, the ride on that was fine by comparison probably softer than the current one with air.

Having said that now we have had Full air I wouldn't want a van without it even on the light chassis.
 
pandas said:
No remote, cannot see why you would want that, it had a separate control button for both sides of the MOTORHOME. Perfect bit of kit.
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You have to remember that we did not buy it separately....but as a package. It came with the truck.The previous owner bought it. That may mean he had more money than sense? I dont know and dont really care to be honest. That aside...I can sit outside the truck with this remote gubbins that some one has paid for and play with the VB system in the loo on site if i wanted to? Its fun to think that when you are outside and the missus is cooking or doing stuff inside.......You can have a laugh whilst away from the truck with the hand set
...Some body has made a seriously good job of it.

Personally ....Its expensive full stop! Would I buy it if I had the money? No....Why? Because I could buy the Hydraulic one and have more fun with it.
I digress........You have what you want. Mine came free with the purchase of the vehicle. That I am glad of!
Would I recommend it....yes of course! It works for us and surely that is all that matters?
Feel free to slag it off if you wish...but dont if you have not tried it out! You really dont know!

This is not a rant...its just an opinion based on our experience. I have not tried anything else so I cannot compare.

Is the figure expensive ? Yes it sure is ...again I say...I did not buy it...its a package in the truck.
Realistically ........If you can buy it today for 3k then do it! It is your choice
 
Lenny HB said:
Yep had the VB removed and spent even more money on Goldschmitt full air.

Only a tidler 7.5m 4500kg.

You need over 12 grand for that.
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Nice one, we have Goldschmitt rear air on our twin rear wheel 6.48 metre Concorde, plated at 4900kg. It was on when we bought it so I can't tell if it's worth it but ride seems fine.
 

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