Brownfools Reviews
Brickbats where they are warranted and credit where it's due! Welcome to the Brownfools review page. we thought that we should share our experiences of some of the 'extras' that adorn the Brownfools van. If you have any comments or questions about what's written here, please contact us on the link at the bottom of the page.
Airide air suspension - our experience
Saturday 22nd April 2010 saw the Brownfools van parked up with hundreds of other motorhomes in glorious sunshine at the Newbury Showground. Over the years the way the van 'sits' has changed. When it was new the rear of the van sat slightly higher than the front. Years of touring with all the (non)essential baggage we carry has seen the seen the rear leaf suspension struggle to maintain the difference.
Whilst walking around the various trade stands I found myself looking at a display of the 'Firestone' airbags, gauge, piping, connectors and valves that make up the Airide system. I would probably have walked on by had my eyes not come to rest on a couple of damaged suspension stops that lay adjacent to the display. These stops had been removed from a Ducato based motorhome, similar to ours, during fitting of the Airide system.
We already knew that, when fully loaded (or, in other words, most of the time), the Brownfools van was "on the stops". A short time later, following a comprehensive and helpful demonstration of the system by the guys from Towcentre Ltd. I had arranged to have the system fitted while at the show. Shortly after that two engineers set to work under the Brownfools van.
They were everything that we would have wanted them to be. Efficient, thorough and professional. I stood by, waiting to see what the old stops looked like when they came off the van. The offside one wasn't too bad. It had obviously been under the cosh, but had stood up fairly well. The nearside one, however, was damaged. It had split under the constant punishment it had been subjected too over the years underlining the fact that the van was often riding on the stops. Little wonder then that the ride was less than perfect! (Huge understatement there!)
The new airbags and the piping were fitted and the gauge and control valves had been mounted unobtrusively on the side of the foot-well below the drivers seat. The back of the van was going up and down as the engineers tested that the system worked properly and that there were no leaks. Soon they were ready to demonstrate how easy it was to use the system Again, thorough and professional.
So, how was it for me? Nice of you to ask! Well, the first impression was that the ride height of the rear was back to where it had been when the van was new. It was immediately apparent that the van handled differently. I hadn't realized that, with the rear on the stops, there was no 'give' in cornering. Now it was back as it should be - and it took some getting used to. But the biggest change of all was a marked reduction in vibration.
This had a number of effects, all of them positive. Firstly there was the obvious absence of many of the rattles that accompanied us wherever we went. Good riddance to them! Also, things don't seem to move around quite so much as they did. But the most noticeable difference is that I can no longer 'play' with the Gatso's!
One of the quirks of the Brownfools van had always been it's ability to trigger speed cameras while driving within the speed limit. This, an expert (the late Paul Smith of Safespeed) informed me, was because the diesel engine set up high frequency vibrations in the chassis that continued up the rear of the vehicle causing the rear window to oscillate at a frequency that would 'fool' the cameras radar into believing that the van was well over the speed limit. (Once I understood the science behind this, I could select a gear and a speed that would set them off every time.) It seems that those high frequency vibrations have been muted too. Speed cameras are no fun anymore!
The system has other, more practical benefits too. It is possible to control the pressure in each airbag independently. Thus you can make minor adjustments to the leveling when parked. We have become quite adept at this. Or, as Prew says "You're just too lazy to put a block under the wheel!" You can also raise the rear to avoid scrapes when boarding or disembarking from ferries.
Now that we have had the system for a while we have noticed a couple of other things. Interestingly, the rear of the van seems to be getting higher. This may be attributable to a couple of things. We wonder if, now the rear springs are relieved of some of the load, they are returning to their original shape. Or, possibly, the effects of raising the rear has been to put stress on the ageing front springs. I had been thinking of replacing these anyway. Essanjay of Poole (Fiat agents and motorhome specialists) have "Uprated" springs available for Ducato (and other) vans.
So, are we satisfied? Yes, in short, well pleased. This was a sound investment and something that we should have done much earlier! Our thanks go to all the guys from Towcentre Ltd of Poole for their superb service.
Towcentre can fit Airide air suspension at their premises in Poole, Dorset, at one of their agents across the UK, or it is available as a DIY installation package. See the link to their website (below) for full details.
P.S.
Input from Connor was "Cool! The vans been pimped." This, as we understand it, is a good thing!
Links
Goldschmitt Uprated Front Springs
Other Reviews coming soon!
