Need aftermarket air springs for rear to help towing
#1
Need aftermarket air springs for rear to help towing
Have a 2012 ML350 4Matic and tow a camper at 6000 pounds. My rear end sags quite a bit and wondering the best aftermarket air springs I can add. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Also, don't want the whole system, just the springs that you can manually add air to, don't want a compressor in the car.
Any help would be great...Thanks!
Also, don't want the whole system, just the springs that you can manually add air to, don't want a compressor in the car.
Any help would be great...Thanks!
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2013
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W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars, EQE 4Matic+ on order
If the rear of the car sags when you attach the trailer, the tongue weight of the trailer is too high for the vehicle. Even if you were to change the rear springs, the weight that has to be supported by the hitch and rear subframe, wheels and tires would be of greater concern. Do you know what the tongue weight of your trailer is?
#3
Junior Member
Have you looked at Weight Distributing hitches? A WD hitch "distributes" the weight properly. Airbags will just band-aid the situation - you will still be light on your front axle, possibly overloaded on the rear, and also possibly overloaded for your dead weight capacity on your hitch itself. I tow an Airstream with my W166 and use the Equal-i-zer WD hitch. Once properly set up, it will properly transfer weight to the front wheels of the car and allow it to be level when driving, as well as help to cancel sway.
pg
pg
Last edited by pgeller; 11-29-2016 at 02:02 PM.
#5
MBWorld Fanatic!
Join Date: Jan 2013
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W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars, EQE 4Matic+ on order
Have you looked at Weight Distributing hitches? A WD hitch "distributes" the weight properly. Airbags will just band-aid the situation - you will still be light on your front axle, possibly overloaded on the rear, and also possibly overloaded for your dead weight capacity on your hitch itself. I tow an Airstream with my W166 and use the Equal-i-zer WD hitch. Once properly set up, it will properly transfer weight to the front wheels of the car and allow it to be level when driving, as well as help to cancel sway.
pg
pg
WDH hitches are expressly forbidden for use on the ML. The force they place on the rear subframe is enough to twist the steel. It's a unibody vehice, not a ladder frame pick-up truck.