Need aftermarket air springs for rear to help towing
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 4
Likes: 2
2004 ML500
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!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 3,745
Likes: 811
From: The Great White North
W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, Taycan GTS Sport Turismo, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars
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?
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 36
Likes: 6
From: Oregon
2014 ML350 Bluetec
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; Nov 29, 2016 at 02:02 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 3,745
Likes: 811
From: The Great White North
W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, Taycan GTS Sport Turismo, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars
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.
