A short history of air ride suspension technology
For the last 100 years, auto makers have experimented with alternatives to the conventional leaf spring suspension. Air suspensions were used on everything from motorcycles to heavy aircraft and passenger trains.
It wasn’t until the 1950s that companies like General Motors and American Motors began to install air springs on car suspensions to improve the ride quality and prevent suspension sag.
By the 1980s, companies like Air Lift and Firestone were providing aftermarket kits that would assist the existing leaf spring and coil spring suspensions. These kits used basically the same five components:
- Air bags
- Air lines
- Air tank
- Air compressor
- Height control valves
Before we try to explain how they work, let’s take a quick look at the basic working parts of an airbag suspension with onboard air supply for the rear suspension:
- First of all, rear airbags - one for each side of the truck - are connected by air lines to the air tank and the compressor via the height control valve.
- When the level of compressed air in the tank drops to a certain level, the height control valve kicks in the compressor and the air tank is filled once again.
Suspension airbags are adjustable. In other words, by adding compressed air into the airbags, you are able to lift or lower the frame of the truck to the desired ride height.
Suspension airbags improve weight distribution by leveling the load. A level load provides more control over steering and braking.
The future of truck suspension technology
If the history of truck suspension technology includes leaf springs and air springs, what can we expect to see tomorrow? There are a few alternatives to air springs already available.
- Add-a-leaf products
- Foam products
- Timbren rubber springs
Each of these products are easy to install and cost a lot less than an air ride system. But will they still be around for the foreseeable future? One thing is certain: Timbren SES products will continue to outshine their competitors! Why?
Below is a quick comparison:
Add-a-leaf
- Price: $500
- Rated capacity: 1,500 lbs
- Progressive spring rate: NO
- Improved ride quality: NO
- Durability: NO
- Lifetime Warranty: NO
- 100-Day money-back Guarantee: NO
Foam
- Price: $299
- Rated capacity: 1,000 lbs
- Progressive spring rate: NO
- Improved ride quality: YES
- Durability: NO
- Lifetime Warranty: YES
- 100-Day money-back Guarantee: NO
Timbren rubber springs
- Price: $297
- Rated capacity: 8,600 lbs
- Progressive spring rate: YES
- Improved ride quality: YES
- Durability: YES
- Lifetime Warranty: YES
- 100-Day money-back Guarantee: YES
Can you see why Timbren is the better alternative to air ride?
The future belongs to Timbren SES
Timbren SES spring helpers, aka Aeon® hollow rubber springs, are at the heart of every Timbren SES product. Timbren hollow rubber helper springs are the alternative to metal and air. Why? Because Aeon® springs are stronger than steel and more reliable than air.
Every Timbren SES kit includes a set of Aeon® hollow rubber springs. Timbren’s rubber springs come with 2 innate characteristics:
Unlike metal springs that have a linear spring rate, Aeon® rubber springs have a progressive spring rate, a rate that increases as more weight is added to the truck.
Unlike metal springs that need shocks to absorb the energy created when they compress, Aeon® rubber springs are self-damping, able to absorb the kinetic energy by themselves.
At the end of the day, Timbren SES suspension upgrades give you the biggest bang for your buck. Check out the benefits you receive when you install an SES upgrade:
- Affordable - most Timbren kits are about $300.00
Timbren SES upgrades are the best helper springs because they’re the most reliable. Like we said earlier, Timbren SES upgrades offer a progressive spring rate and require zero maintenance. These 2 advantages alone guarantee for you the most reliable helper spring in the industry.
And each kit comes with a Lifetime Warranty and a 100-Day Money Back Guarantee. Head on over to Timbren.com and transform the way your vehicle tows and hauls right now.
For more information on how to get your hands on a set of easy-to-install Timbren SES upgrades, visit Timbren.com or contact Customer Service: Sales@timbren.com
