Air Lift for Rear Suspension

[Goclmbmnt]

New Expedy owner here and looking for recommendations to upgrade the rear suspension. I haul a boat every summer and when I had it hooked up, the back end sagged more than I’d like. I had simple air bag in the coils of my last ride, a 2010 suburban, and that kept the back end up nicely. Would love an airlift type solution but haven’t found anything that fits. Any recommendations or thoughts?

2020 Expedition Max XLT, FX4, HD Tow package

 

[Fozzy]

Being a coil over set up there is only one option I know of right now. The Sumo spring inserts. I run them and have been pretty happy. My boat has a 500lbs tongue weight and it would sag the Expy pretty good. They did not totally eliminate the sag. But it is way better. Empty I can’t even notice they are there.

https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Suspension/Ford/Expedition/2019/CSS-1168.html?VehicleID=20195001928


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[Expedition Dave]

Fozzy, have you played with them off-road yet (or considered it)? I see the zip ties and wonder how it might hold up during that particular scenario?

 

[Goclmbmnt]

@Expedition Dave - Good thought... I’m curious about the answer. Might be ok because I only see zip ties on one side?

@Fozzy - Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll check them out. Anyone else thoughts or success with this or something else?

 

[Fozzy]

They do limit the off road travel of the shocks. They will compress a little. They are not a solid rubber. I have not had them come out or break the zip ties. When in heavy mud or salt I make sure to keep them clean so they won’t wear out prematurely and check the zip ties. I have the R/L 3/2 and 35” tires. I have stuck the rear tires into the rear fender wells and caught all of the carpet and ripped it out. These have stopped that from happening. If I didn’t love the ride and adjustability of the CCD’s I would run the ICON’s and spec out a heavier rear spring and sport 33’s. You could have someone make you a custom rear spring. But I think that would kill your daily ride quality. And you would probably have to play with the spring rate multiple times to get it right. This makes the Sumo’s a no brainer until Ford goes back to the air bag. Cheap and effective.


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[TDGFordGuy]

You could install (if they fit) the air struts from the older models and use a manual control system since the 4th gen don't have the height sensors on the lower A-arms.

https://www.suncoreindustries.com/p...-compressor-w-cage-07-16-expedition-navigator

 

[Haakon]

I also use the Sumo Springs on my 2018 Max Limited. Have towed trailers to CO and up mountain dirt/rock roads (I use the term road very loosely) without issue. They definitely help with some of the sagging of a heavy trailer or boat. Very happy with them so far.

 

[mwl001]

I also use the Sumo Springs on my 2018 Max Limited. Have towed trailers to CO and up mountain dirt/rock roads (I use the term road very loosely) without issue. They definitely help with some of the sagging of a heavy trailer or boat. Very happy with them so far.

I don't have any sag issues due to the weight distribution hitch I have doing its job. However I did notice some side to side "squish" as well as bounciness over bumps in the rear that I'd like to reduce if it won't penalize the ride much or at all. In your opinion do the sumos help those issues at all? I also have a Max Limited and I tow a 5k lb 25ft TT.

 

[Goclmbmnt]

Surely someone out there has solved the squishy rear end on these things? My mechanic truly believes since these things are built to tow, they shouldn't need any upgrades, but I had a 8,000 lbs TT hooked up and that back end hung LOW.... there was bad sway too. Admittedly, it was a bit urgent and we didn't fully adjust the weight distributing hitch, but we were fairly close on the setup.

 

[GAINMOB]

check coilovers.com as i had them make me a set of rear springs to hold 2k lbs over oem rating and check strutmasters.com

 

[Fozzy]

check coilovers.com as i had them make me a set of rear springs to hold 2k lbs over oem rating and check strutmasters.com

How did that effect the empty ride? I have been wanting to do this as well.


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[GAINMOB]

How did that effect the empty ride? I have been wanting to do this as well.


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They took about a year to settle down but other than that rides good...I did it for my audio wall for 4-18" subs and 8 amps and 300lbs in batteries

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[MHay]

Surely someone out there has solved the squishy rear end on these things? My mechanic truly believes since these things are built to tow, they shouldn't need any upgrades, but I had a 8,000 lbs TT hooked up and that back end hung LOW.... there was bad sway too. Admittedly, it was a bit urgent and we didn't fully adjust the weight distributing hitch, but we were fairly close on the setup.

You can likely squeeze more out of your WDH to reduce the sag. I tow a 7500 TT and the rear of my Platinum Max only sags slightly, to the point where the rear is level with the front. However, I find the rear too bouncy and squirmy so I bought the Sumos and got a Hellwig anti sway bar in the hopes of minimizing those issues. There are threads from others who installed these with good results. I’m hoping they’ll solve my problems too.

 

[mwl001]

You can likely squeeze more out of your WDH to reduce the sag. I tow a 7500 TT and the rear of my Platinum Max only sags slightly, to the point where the rear is level with the front. However, I find the rear too bouncy and squirmy so I bought the Sumos and got a Hellwig anti sway bar in the hopes of minimizing those issues. There are threads from others who installed these with good results. I’m hoping they’ll solve my problems too.

Looking forward to hearing how that goes. I'm like 99% on upgrading the rear sway but I can't find any good anecdotes on the Sumos helping with anything but sag (I also have none).

However I do get nasty trampoline-like bounce from highway bumps, which I believe is probably coming from or made worse by the WDH. I'm considering several options as a better idea than sumos:
1. Switch to a "better" WDH (haven't found anything to suggest there's a better option except for Anderson which doesn't distribute enough weight for me)
2. Switch to Hensley or ProPride ($$$$$$)
3. Buy a Gen Y or Shocker

Leaning towards 3 but not many people out there have used with IRS and a TT so I'm a little hesitant even though it looks like the best option.

 

[Zig10]

Looking forward to hearing how that goes. I'm like 99% on upgrading the rear sway but I can't find any good anecdotes on the Sumos helping with anything but sag (I also have none).

However I do get nasty trampoline-like bounce from highway bumps, which I believe is probably coming from or made worse by the WDH. I'm considering several options as a better idea than sumos:
1. Switch to a "better" WDH (haven't found anything to suggest there's a better option except for Anderson which doesn't distribute enough weight for me)
2. Switch to Hensley or ProPride ($$$$$$)
3. Buy a Gen Y or Shocker

Leaning towards 3 but not many people out there have used with IRS and a TT so I'm a little hesitant even though it looks like the best option.

I have had the sumos on my '18 Max Limited since it had 2000 miles on the odometer and have been happy with the ride overall. It definitely helped the squat in a large way when loaded and hauling my boat (7500 lbs +/-). However the biggest improvement for highway speeds when hauling was the sway bar. Absolutely transformed that vehicle and I cannot recommend it enough if you're towing heavy with it.