Air suspension in motorhomes

Air suspensions

The condition of Polish roads leaves much to be desired, and the cars traveling on them are exposed to extreme exploitation. The group of vehicles particularly vulnerable to damage includes largely large vans, as well as recreational vehicles such as motorhomes. Usually they are loaded to the permissible limits, and this affects the extremely frequent and rapid degradation of the suspension or its components. Broken springs, broken rod ends, damaged bearings are just an example of what you can deal with when using the vehicle in extreme conditions. The worst thing about it is that the damage does not appear suddenly, but gradually, and it is difficult to detect it in the initial stages of damage, so any repairs only take place when the vehicle has a serious breakdown that effectively immobilizes it.

The condition of the roads, overloading are just a few aspects that affect the destruction of the car's suspension system. A motorhome or caravan is known in advance that they are intended for all operational difficulties related to the fact that they are also used on difficult surfaces, including holes, bumps and unevenness. Such conditions are inherent in this type of holiday escapade. Ordinary factory suspensions do not withstand such conditions and quickly deteriorate, in addition, they contribute to the low comfort of using the vehicle and there is no question of safety while driving. An overloaded vehicle with low adhesion to the road is not only exposed to its unevenness, but above all, the vehicle's steerability is reduced, which may lead to an accident. A camper or caravan are actually always loaded to the permissible limits, and sometimes overloaded. Each additional, excess kilogram causes the rear part of the car to sit down. This affects the vehicle's traction properties and poor steerability, which in turn affects the safety of traveling. However, there are solutions that eliminate such problems.

Well-known manufacturers of air suspensions such as Goldschmitt, Drive Ritte, VB come out against this, and a wide range of them goes to the Polish market, for example through the ELCAMP company from Krakow. They offer innovative solutions for the chassis of the most popular brands.
More and more recreational vehicle users are taking advantage of this. No wonder, safety and high comfort of using them is a priority nowadays.
There are full sets of air suspensions available on the Polish market, as well as supporting air suspensions. The choice depends mainly on the costs of such a project, which are considerable.

Full suspensions

Full air suspension is an ideal solution, the most modern of all suspensions available on the market, but not everyone can afford it. However, it has many advantages that are proportional to the prices. In air suspension, the load from the mechanical parts is transferred to the air bags. As a result, driving comfort on uneven terrain is significantly improved. There is no vibration or swaying. In addition, the great advantage is that it is much safer to drive even when the car is overloaded beyond the manufacturer's acceptable requirements. The traction of the wheels to the ground is always optimal. Loading does not affect the car's maneuverability in such a situation. The control over it is increased and thanks to automatic control and programmed options, it is possible to set the suspension to the required level, specifically for a given situation or conditions.

Support suspensions

A more affordable solution is the assist air suspension. The variety of booster suspension kits means that today most large cars, exposed to overloading and extreme exploitation, are equipped with them.
As the name suggests, this type of suspension supports the car's factory suspension, strengthens and stabilizes it. This has a very positive effect on the comfort of using the vehicle. As in the case of full air suspension, the problem of feeling uneven surfaces is eliminated and the car's controllability is increased. The vehicle or caravan is kept at a constant height, reducing fuel consumption and the risk of weight control on the road. The car behaves better on corners and is stable. Even overloaded, it maintains optimal aerodynamics by achieving an optimal, neutral angle of attack. Thanks to this, with the increased weight, the chassis does not hit the road surface.

Additional air suspension installed in the motorhome is a big cost, but worth the comfort and safety. Regardless of whether someone decides on a full air suspension or just a booster suspension, you should be aware that you should have these suspensions inspected frequently. These are not small costs, but in fact they are nothing compared to the costs of possible repairs. Quick detection of even the smallest fault guarantees avoiding very high costs. In order not to expose yourself to such expenses, it is worth doing periodic suspension reviews.