Copperhead14
Observer
I have Toyo R/T’s on my 17 mega cab 285/75-18 on factory steel wheels. No rub and I have definitely fully cycled the suspension.
Lady Godiva: 2017 Ram 3500 CCLB Build
- Thread starter Adventurous
- Start date
Adventurous
Explorer
Thank you for all of the tire advice! Still haven't made up my mind at this point, but I still have a little bit of time to do so.
Anyone ever piece together an on-board air compressor kit to supply the air bags AND fill tires?
The only kit I can find that fits the bill is this one: https://www.etrailer.com/Air-Suspension-Compressor-Kit/Firestone/F2592.html
But at $1,080 it's a speedy proposition. I'd love a system centered around an ARB dual chamber compressor, but have no idea if that's easily accomplished or if I would be better off
a) just getting the Firestone system
or
b) getting a cheaper dual path wireless for the bags and an ARB dual for the tires.
There'll be more pics at some point, I swear. This thread has dragged on long enough without any sort of real updates; turns out selling a house, quitting a job, selling a lot of your stuff and getting ready to hit the road takes up quite a lot of time.
Anyone ever piece together an on-board air compressor kit to supply the air bags AND fill tires?
The only kit I can find that fits the bill is this one: https://www.etrailer.com/Air-Suspension-Compressor-Kit/Firestone/F2592.html
But at $1,080 it's a speedy proposition. I'd love a system centered around an ARB dual chamber compressor, but have no idea if that's easily accomplished or if I would be better off
a) just getting the Firestone system
or
b) getting a cheaper dual path wireless for the bags and an ARB dual for the tires.
There'll be more pics at some point, I swear. This thread has dragged on long enough without any sort of real updates; turns out selling a house, quitting a job, selling a lot of your stuff and getting ready to hit the road takes up quite a lot of time.
Chorky
Observer
Perfect timing for this post. I would call viair. I was not previously a fan of them, but I told them what I wanted to do which is what you want to do plus run some minor air tools if necessary, or just have compressed air to blow stuff clean in the field. Needless to say they have a couple of products that are rated sufficiently to handle that sort of job. The most difficult part would be to set up the piping and hose layout - but if your familiar with a EVTM I'm sure you can make your own system relatively easily.
Originally I had considered ARB's dual compressor for this sort of setup, but after doing some research, realized it really wouldn't be up to the task. Maybe if not used that much it would work, but making multiple hose attachments with ARB's system could be difficult. With viair, its much more conducive to being customized.
Not saying this is the optimum set-up, but its what I'm planning on in the future as of now anyway. Either way, the reality is you usually get what you pay for, and for a complex system that will air tires, run tools, pump up tanks, and fill and maintain air bags (front and rear) its going to be pretty pricy. Hope this helps
Originally I had considered ARB's dual compressor for this sort of setup, but after doing some research, realized it really wouldn't be up to the task. Maybe if not used that much it would work, but making multiple hose attachments with ARB's system could be difficult. With viair, its much more conducive to being customized.
Not saying this is the optimum set-up, but its what I'm planning on in the future as of now anyway. Either way, the reality is you usually get what you pay for, and for a complex system that will air tires, run tools, pump up tanks, and fill and maintain air bags (front and rear) its going to be pretty pricy. Hope this helps
Adventurous
Explorer
Just a little update. As we get closer to our intended departure date (which is dependent upon when our house sells), more and more attention will be focused on the truck and camper. So the paced of updates should pick up a little bit as I get all of the goodies that have accumulated on my work bench installed.
First up was getting the bed Line-X coated. I needed the extra protection as loading the camper and using the truck bed had already taken off the paint in a few areas. I enlisted the good folks at Line-X in Boulder, CO to do the bed up to the rails with premium black coating.
DSC_4032 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
I have used several other DIY type bedliners in the past with mixed results, so this time I went with the tried and true. Total thickness of the coating sprayed was 0.081" on the left side of the bed, 0.083" on the right side, and 0.131" on the bottom.
DSC_4033 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
The crew did a great job and I am happy with the outcome. On the upside, curing Line-X smells like brownie batter. Anyway, I'm hopeful this will prevent future damage during use.
DSC_4035 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
First up was getting the bed Line-X coated. I needed the extra protection as loading the camper and using the truck bed had already taken off the paint in a few areas. I enlisted the good folks at Line-X in Boulder, CO to do the bed up to the rails with premium black coating.
DSC_4032 by Tim Souza, on FlickrI have used several other DIY type bedliners in the past with mixed results, so this time I went with the tried and true. Total thickness of the coating sprayed was 0.081" on the left side of the bed, 0.083" on the right side, and 0.131" on the bottom.
DSC_4033 by Tim Souza, on FlickrThe crew did a great job and I am happy with the outcome. On the upside, curing Line-X smells like brownie batter. Anyway, I'm hopeful this will prevent future damage during use.
DSC_4035 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
Adventurous
Explorer
Additional thoughts and musings after taking our camper out for 4 days this past weekend.
- Truck will greatly benefit from the Thuren/King suspension package I have on order. The ride unloaded is predictably rough, but when loaded the shocks just aren't up to the task. They are most definitely under-damped and that was with a lighter load. We put in probably 50 miles on dirt and they were quite underwhelming over washboard, but again, that was expected.
- On that note, the rear of the truck squats with the 2,400 lb dry weight camper in the bed to the tune of being 0.25" lower than the front. The air bags should help remedy that.
- Truck + camper performed admirably in the wind this past weekend. On several days we were battling a near constant 25 mph cross wind and while the sway was noticeable, I never felt real uncomfortable, but the same can't be said for the wife. Despite not wanting to handcuff the rear axle with limited articulation, a Hellwig Big Wig sway bar might be in my future. On the plus side, it was amazing how well the truck handed with the camper on it all things considered.
- OEM brakes are a bit underwhelming as well while hauling a load. With 1,500 miles on them they should be bedded in at this point; I expected better. I very much appreciated the contributions of tow/haul mode and the exhaust brake when driving as they helped to compensate for the lack of brake performance. I have some EBC Sport rotors and Orange Stuff pads on order for the front to fix this up. EBC rotors and pads transformed the braking performance of my Tacoma and I hope they do the same in this application.
- I was blown away by how comfortably the big diesel handles the camper. So much power on tap and even with the camper on it, it still returns the same MPGs as my built Tacoma does unladen. Where have you been all of my life?!
- Truck will greatly benefit from the Thuren/King suspension package I have on order. The ride unloaded is predictably rough, but when loaded the shocks just aren't up to the task. They are most definitely under-damped and that was with a lighter load. We put in probably 50 miles on dirt and they were quite underwhelming over washboard, but again, that was expected.
- On that note, the rear of the truck squats with the 2,400 lb dry weight camper in the bed to the tune of being 0.25" lower than the front. The air bags should help remedy that.
- Truck + camper performed admirably in the wind this past weekend. On several days we were battling a near constant 25 mph cross wind and while the sway was noticeable, I never felt real uncomfortable, but the same can't be said for the wife. Despite not wanting to handcuff the rear axle with limited articulation, a Hellwig Big Wig sway bar might be in my future. On the plus side, it was amazing how well the truck handed with the camper on it all things considered.
- OEM brakes are a bit underwhelming as well while hauling a load. With 1,500 miles on them they should be bedded in at this point; I expected better. I very much appreciated the contributions of tow/haul mode and the exhaust brake when driving as they helped to compensate for the lack of brake performance. I have some EBC Sport rotors and Orange Stuff pads on order for the front to fix this up. EBC rotors and pads transformed the braking performance of my Tacoma and I hope they do the same in this application.
- I was blown away by how comfortably the big diesel handles the camper. So much power on tap and even with the camper on it, it still returns the same MPGs as my built Tacoma does unladen. Where have you been all of my life?!
Last edited:
Adventurous
Explorer
Yup! Though I've gotta say, the brakes on the Duramax somehow felt even worse than the Ram. The Ford was the best of the bunch by far, it had a very light pedal feel and didn't require standing on it to feel like they were biting. Not sure why they are so bad, but here's to hoping the EBC stuff takes care of that!
1pieceatatime
Observer
Definitely interested on your opinion after EBC install.
I have run EBC pads/rotors on our 2003 Excursion and my F350. I am a fan, however the set on my F350 creates more dust than I care to clean. I cannot remember which color I used (or which color is on the Ex), but I would like to change mine to the same as what the Ex has on it. Good stopping power and low dust.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Adventurous
Explorer
Oh yea, the yellow stuff pads create a TON of dust. The life hasn't been that great either, I probably will burn through the set I have on the Tacoma in a little over 20K miles. I will say that those things STOP with a sense of urgency. The orange stuff pads were rated at the same stopping power with better life, so I rolled the dice. We shall see!
Explorerinil
Observer
I bought some bags from Genos garage, can’t remember the brand, I also run daystar cradles... I saved money and bought an old Coleman plug in (cigarette lighter) compressor, it works fine for me and was cheap.
Adventurous
Explorer
Update time! With 2.5 weeks to go until we close on the house and hit the road, it's time to buckle down and get serious knocking things off the to do list. First up, the EBC brake install.
Getting it all off is pretty standard brake job stuff, so I won't elaborate on that, other than to note that I found it much easier to get the truck up in the air and supported on both sides so I could turn the wheels fully in one direction. That really helped when trying to remove the caliper adapter bracket as the bolts are tightened to 260 ft*lbs and it was tough to fit a breaker bar in the wheel well with the wheels straight.
Anyway, after getting it all apart it looks nice and empty in there.
DSC_4069 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
This part is personal preference, but having grown up in MA, I am well versed in the ways of rust and components corroding together. In the name of avoiding a date with a BFH and torch in the future, I put a thin layer of anti-seize all over the hub.
DSC_4070 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
EBC rotor next to stocker. It is an OEM replacement kit, so there are no changes to the rotor dimensions or thickness, but the Sport model rotors from EBC are slotted and drilled.
DSC_4071 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
While the rotors are marked L and R, they are interchangeable as the only reason (to my knowledge) that they would be directional is if the internal cooling vanes are anything other than radial. In this case they are straight, so I ignored the L and R stickers and mounted them as such (Driver's side pictured). A fledgling chickadee happened to be learning how to fly and decided that my truck, and in this case the new rotor, made a perfect perch to rest on.
DSC_4087 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
And all back together again!
DSC_4072 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
A few things to note during install:
- I used the piston bore inserts provided with the EBC kit and did not re-use the anti-vibration shims that come on the back of the OEM brake pads. For curiosity sake I decided to see if I could get both the shims and the inserts in together, but no dice, the pads don't fit in with both in there.
- Worst part of the install has to be getting the 6 rotor retaining clips off. Those little buggers can be a real bear to remove, I finally settled on the technique of wedging a small flathead screwdriver behind the clip while turning it with a pair of needle nose pliers until it was off the rotor enough to turn it by hand and thread it off.
- Bolts came out dry, but went back in with blue Loctite. My general rule of thumb when re-installing bolts is to use Loctite (default to blue unless instructions specify otherwise) for all bolts that would result in catastrophic consequences if they backed out, and anti-seize for everything else.
I only have a few miles on them so far, so it's unfair to do a comparison at this point. EBC brake in procedures (https://ebcbrakes.com/articles/bedding-in/) recommend taking it easy for a little bit until the brake in coating has been removed and full pad contact has been achieved, then doing a serious of 60-10 intervals to get things hot and bedded in. I'll report back once they are fully broken in and I have a better idea of their performance vs. stock.
Getting it all off is pretty standard brake job stuff, so I won't elaborate on that, other than to note that I found it much easier to get the truck up in the air and supported on both sides so I could turn the wheels fully in one direction. That really helped when trying to remove the caliper adapter bracket as the bolts are tightened to 260 ft*lbs and it was tough to fit a breaker bar in the wheel well with the wheels straight.
Anyway, after getting it all apart it looks nice and empty in there.
DSC_4069 by Tim Souza, on FlickrThis part is personal preference, but having grown up in MA, I am well versed in the ways of rust and components corroding together. In the name of avoiding a date with a BFH and torch in the future, I put a thin layer of anti-seize all over the hub.
DSC_4070 by Tim Souza, on FlickrEBC rotor next to stocker. It is an OEM replacement kit, so there are no changes to the rotor dimensions or thickness, but the Sport model rotors from EBC are slotted and drilled.
DSC_4071 by Tim Souza, on FlickrWhile the rotors are marked L and R, they are interchangeable as the only reason (to my knowledge) that they would be directional is if the internal cooling vanes are anything other than radial. In this case they are straight, so I ignored the L and R stickers and mounted them as such (Driver's side pictured). A fledgling chickadee happened to be learning how to fly and decided that my truck, and in this case the new rotor, made a perfect perch to rest on.
DSC_4087 by Tim Souza, on FlickrAnd all back together again!
DSC_4072 by Tim Souza, on FlickrA few things to note during install:
- I used the piston bore inserts provided with the EBC kit and did not re-use the anti-vibration shims that come on the back of the OEM brake pads. For curiosity sake I decided to see if I could get both the shims and the inserts in together, but no dice, the pads don't fit in with both in there.
- Worst part of the install has to be getting the 6 rotor retaining clips off. Those little buggers can be a real bear to remove, I finally settled on the technique of wedging a small flathead screwdriver behind the clip while turning it with a pair of needle nose pliers until it was off the rotor enough to turn it by hand and thread it off.
- Bolts came out dry, but went back in with blue Loctite. My general rule of thumb when re-installing bolts is to use Loctite (default to blue unless instructions specify otherwise) for all bolts that would result in catastrophic consequences if they backed out, and anti-seize for everything else.
I only have a few miles on them so far, so it's unfair to do a comparison at this point. EBC brake in procedures (https://ebcbrakes.com/articles/bedding-in/) recommend taking it easy for a little bit until the brake in coating has been removed and full pad contact has been achieved, then doing a serious of 60-10 intervals to get things hot and bedded in. I'll report back once they are fully broken in and I have a better idea of their performance vs. stock.
Last edited:
Explorerinil
Observer
Where did you order your parts from?