Air Bag Suspension and / or Rear Seay Bar Upgrade

[DodgeAries]

I have a 2019 Expedition XLT with tow package and am looking at adding an air bag suspension system or upgrading the rear sway bar to reduce squat and swaying when towing. It does okay now but would like to make driving it more comfortable. Currently has stock tires and shocks, would like to wait until the tires need replacing before upgrading to heavier duty towing / load tires, car has 23,000 miles on it. Not sure what brands make an air bag suspension system for the vehicle, most websites I have visited say not available for this year. Also not sure what the best sway bar brand would be or which option would reduce trailer sway the most. I have not done a lot of car upgrading in the past and pretty much have no knowledge. Any input is appreciated!

 

[JEFF WISECARVER]

Check out helwig sway bar (consider getting new end links to attach it at same time).
Sumo springs for squat.
For better towing consider a weight distribution hitch

 

[apex96]

There are no air bag systems for this generation expedition. The hellwig sway bar is noted by others as being a very good upgrade over the stock unit. If you’re dealing with squat it would be best to invest in a good weight distributing hitch to better distribute the tongue weight across the vehicles front and rear axles.

 

[DodgeAries]

Awesome, thanks for the info!

 

[DodgeAries]

Check out helwig sway bar (consider getting new end links to attach it at same time).
Sumo springs for squat.
For better towing consider a weight distribution hitch

So I found both, it looks like Hellwig makes a 22mm and a 1.5 in diameter, any thought on what would be best? Not sure how much the difference each would make on the ride. I found Hellwig adjustable end links, those best? Or would a non adjustable one be better?

 

[Knut]

I went from the stock Micheline tires 275*65 18" to Cooper XL load rating: 275*55 20" got new rims which sits a little bit further out and are 1" wider than stock rim. It made a huge improvement in stability, especially when I'm towing my Passport 2950 (about 6800-7000 Lbs loaded).

 

[Deadman]

I went from the stock Micheline tires 275*65 18" to Cooper XL load rating: 275*55 20" got new rims which sits a little bit further out and are 1" wider than stock rim. It made a huge improvement in stability, especially when I'm towing my Passport 2950 (about 6800-7000 Lbs loaded).

The wider wheels also made your suspension spring rate and dampening rate SOFTER by making them wider. Towing usually wants stiffer spring rates....

 

[Knut]

The wider wheels also made your suspension spring rate and dampening rate SOFTER by making them wider. Towing usually wants stiffer spring rates....

Certainly does not feel and act that way.

 

[duneslider]

The wider wheels also made your suspension spring rate and dampening rate SOFTER by making them wider. Towing usually wants stiffer spring rates....

The new tires have less sidewall and are a stiffer sidewall so it would have had a pretty big impact on stability. The Stock michelins on 18's are super soft sidewalls and def felt squirmy to me when towing. They rode really nice but they are a super soft tire. Going lower profile and stiff sidewall would be a massive difference.

 

[Knut]

The new tires have less sidewall and are a stiffer sidewall so it would have had a pretty big impact on stability. The Stock michelins on 18's are super soft sidewalls and def felt squirmy to me when towing. They rode really nice but they are a super soft tire. Going lower profile and stiff sidewall would be a massive difference.

Exactly my experience also.

 

[KFordEx8]

@DodgeAries What are you towing?

 

[Left Coast Geek]

The new tires have less sidewall and are a stiffer sidewall so it would have had a pretty big impact on stability. The Stock michelins on 18's are super soft sidewalls and def felt squirmy to me when towing. They rode really nice but they are a super soft tire. Going lower profile and stiff sidewall would be a massive difference.

squishy/squirmy is entirely a function of air pressure. the tire sidewalls just hold the pressure in, they are NOT load bearing.

 

[duneslider]

squishy/squirmy is entirely a function of air pressure. the tire sidewalls just hold the pressure in, they are NOT load bearing.

I disagree, you are saying there is no difference in feel between a Load E and a Load C at the same air pressure? This is also very apparent in bike tires. I can run a soft sidewall and a heavy sidewall at the same air pressure and there is a HUGE difference. Tire construction plays a role in the feel and handling.

 

[5280tunage]

Sumo spring spacers help a lot. have had mine on for almost 3yrs no issues and definitely helped when I towed a travel trailer at near the Expy's max.

 

[duneslider]

Sumo spring spacers help a lot. have had mine on for almost 3yrs no issues and definitely helped when I towed a travel trailer at near the Expy's max.

@5280tunage what improvement did you see? I have been hesitant to try sumosprings but have not been impressed with towing with the CCD. The bilsteins seemed to control the rear end way better when towing on my xlt. I really need to do something and the rear swaybar and sumosprings are on my list of things to try.

 

[5280tunage]

the sumo spring spacers for one helped with squat quite a bit, which you would expect, and that was specific to towing a large load.

outside of towing, i believe they also do a couple additional things. I believe they help reduce rear sway (along with the sway bar upgrade) as spring compression is slightly reduced. That can impact the ride a little bit with the added stiffness, i.e. bumps in the road may be felt a little more. But on the positive side, I believe they funciton a little like insulators on A/C systems, in that they reduce resonance a little bit in the rear. I don't have any empirical proof of that but if you think about, it's very much like putting noise isolation materials on hard surfaces, it can help reduce the vibration in the base material. In general, between my two swaybars, and the sumo spring spacers, I'm okay with my ride. It's still nothing like my previous vehicle with airbags, but it's pretty good.

 

[JasonH]

Check loads at a scale and get E tires.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

I disagree, you are saying there is no difference in feel between a Load E and a Load C at the same air pressure? This is also very apparent in bike tires. I can run a soft sidewall and a heavy sidewall at the same air pressure and there is a HUGE difference. Tire construction plays a role in the feel and handling.

let the air out of the tires, do they stand up on their sidewalls? nope, the rims bottom out.

 

[Hellwig]

the sumo spring spacers for one helped with squat quite a bit, which you would expect, and that was specific to towing a large load.

outside of towing, i believe they also do a couple additional things. I believe they help reduce rear sway (along with the sway bar upgrade) as spring compression is slightly reduced. That can impact the ride a little bit with the added stiffness, i.e. bumps in the road may be felt a little more. But on the positive side, I believe they funciton a little like insulators on A/C systems, in that they reduce resonance a little bit in the rear. I don't have any empirical proof of that but if you think about, it's very much like putting noise isolation materials on hard surfaces, it can help reduce the vibration in the base material. In general, between my two swaybars, and the sumo spring spacers, I'm okay with my ride. It's still nothing like my previous vehicle with airbags, but it's pretty good.

The setup of mine is exactly like yours and I have same improvements as yours too. Before installing the hellwig swaybar and sumo spring helper at rear, I felt my expedition max is not able to tow safely with my 4300 lbs travel trailer due to severe sways caused by almost any types of wind or even when a small passenger car fast passing the trailer. Towing experience was horrible. After the installation, I feel day and night difference when towing the same trailer. By the way, I've never used any weight distribution hitch.