Auto manufacturers are constantly working to develop trucks that safely tow and haul more weight. However, the byproduct of high load capabilities is a rough unloaded ride. On a recent visit to J&D Performance, we found the crew beginning work on an Air Ride system for the owner of a 1999 F-350 two-wheel-drive dually. The owner of the truck was happy with its ability to tow and haul, thanks to Part-1’s addition of a full Banks Power Pack, but extremely unhappy with the truck’s ride when unloaded.

According to J&D, the most common way to improve the ride in a modern 3/4- or 1-ton truck is to add an air suspension. The advantage of an air suspension system is the ability to constantly change the spring rate (in this case, air pressure in the airbags) for any condition. When a stock truck is unloaded, it is riding around on springs that were designed to carry 3/4 or 1 ton of weight. With no load in the truck, it tends to hop over bumps and ride extremely rough. With an air-suspension-equipped vehicle, the airbags are deflated when unloaded. Deflating the airbags means little spring rate and thus a much smoother ride.

For this application, the crew at J&D chose an in-cab-controlled -full air suspension system from Air Ride Technologies (www.Ridetech.com). For this two-wheel-drive truck, the system completely replaces the factory front coil springs and spring bucket. In place of the coil spring goes Air Ride’s Cool-Ride front spring replacement system. With the removal of the factory coil bucket, the Cool-Ride brackets bolt onto the frame and support the new airbag system.

For the rear of the truck, the complete factory suspension system is removed. In place of the factory rear leaf springs goes Air Ride’s AirBar rear suspension system. The new system consists of a series of brackets that support the new full four-link rear suspension system. The AirBar system uses two airbags mounted behind the rear axle to support the truck’s load.

We followed along as the crew from J&D installed the system. This install was involved and required equipment such as a lift, a large-capacity air compressor, an air chisel, a heavy-duty drill and more. Many of the Ford’s suspension brackets are riveted on from the factory. All of these rivets had to be cut off for the new suspension components to fit. At times, cutting these rivets appeared difficult due to space constraints. Based on the install’s level of difficulty, we’d recommend leaving it to a professional. However, once installed, the quality of this kit is second to none. Each of the components was of the highest quality and obviously built for strength and longevity. We were truly impressed with the quality of all the components in this kit.

Once the install was complete, J&D took us for a ride in the newly air-suspended truck on California’s bumpy I-10 freeway. We were amazed at the way the air suspension smoothed out the ride. With the airbags set for non-hauling pressures, the truck rode more like a car. The ride was extremely smooth and incredibly controlled. After speaking with the folks at J&D and riding in their air-suspended truck, it was obvious why they choose to use Air Ride for all their customers looking to smooth out the ride in their modern 3/4- and 1-ton trucks.