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I cut and pasted a previous posting and a follow up as a result of a warranty claim. My set up was around the $1500.00 dollar mark. Springs would cost less but would not perform the same depending on your needs. Hope the info helps.
We have Ride Rites as well. It was explained to me that it would make for a smoother ride. There is no more thump when you hit the expansion joints or other bumps on the roadway. It works the same way as an air ride pin box, but you have 2 air bags. I opted for the on board compressor so as not to have to deal with any set up. It is on the under side of the floor (exterior) beneath the drivers seat.There is also a valve installed in the plate of the 7 pin connector at the rear beside the receiver hitch if I need to use an external pump. It has not lost any air in 4 or 5 years. Once the 5er is hitched up I bring the pressure up to 60 psi and the unit is level.
I have used the inflation and deflation capability to raise and lower the truck instead of the front jacks of the 5er. The controler (inflator/dump vale) is mounted on the bottom of the dash board to the left of the brake control for easy access from the cab. The controller is illuminated in the dark. You can even fill or deflate on the fly! We got the Morryde pin box as well, even smoother. One caution is to inspect the installation periodically. During an emergency brake repair in Charleston in May the Technician noticed the nuts on the mounting hardware were loose and he tightened them. Wouldn't be without them.
Follow up posting
I want to give some information about the Firestone Ride Rite air springs that we had installed on our tow vehicle 4 or 5 years ago. On the first day of a trip to Prince Edward Island this past July there was a slight leak in the system. I tried to diagnose in the field but couldn't. The only visible signs was a rust residue on the left side in the middle of the bellows and at the top where the mounting hardware is attached to the bellows. The right side bellows looked like it just came out of the box.
At first it required topping up the system every 300 kilometers. The rougher the road the more topping. It seemed to get worse after a couple of weeks. Nothing catastrophic happened, the system otherwise performed properly, so I waited until we returned home and went back to the shop that installed the system. That was August 15. They found a leak at the top where the mounting hardware is attached. They replaced the left side air spring at my cost and sent the unit to Firestone for warranty replacement. I had to remind the shop that there was a lifetime warranty. I also got the manufacturers supplied fittings replaced with compression fittings to prevent further slow leaks that are common with the kit fittings.
The shop took some time to send the unit to Firestone, trying to save freight expenses to me, by giving to the Firestone rep. The rep was tardy. I called the shop today and found out that Firestone refunded the cost of the air spring and the sales tax to the amount of $222.61. No labour. We were happy that Firestone stood by their product and warranty, not blaming it on the unlikely maintenance outlined in the warranty.
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Married To The Navigator
2005 Red GMC Duramax 4X4 HD Crew Cab
2018 North Point 315RLTS
4" Magnaflow, Banks Air Intake
Firestone Ride Rite Air Springs
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