Sean F

matched to the torsion bars

Gary R.

I KNEW you would be on this one sooner or later!

joel-cs

Do the air bags make the ride better when not towing also? This would be a huge bonus.

Also - do you have built in compressors or do you fill up the air bags at the gas station?

Thanks everyone for the informative answers!

Jeff Lamb

I have a 2005 Yukon XL 3/4 ton with the 8.1 liter gasoline engine and I tow a 28' Pace Shadow GT enclosed trailer that weighs approx 9,500 pounds with my car and spares and tools and and 55 gallon fuel containers. I use the Equal-i-zer weight distributing hitch with sway control (http://www.equalizerhitch.com/). I would seriously consider this weight control hitch over the Reese because you get rid of the chains that allow sway in the first place. Plus, the Equal-i-zer hitch is very easy to hook-up and un-hook every time I use my trailer. My trailer is heavy and it has the extra height so it is very susceptible to sway, but my Equal-i-zer hitch has allowed me to tow it with ease.

Jeff

Crazy Canuck

Air bags improve the ride unloaded yes.

Our truck has the onboard compressor. You can fill on the fly. It's the only way to go.

Crazy Canuck

Reese dual cam WD system has integrated sway control. The Reese Pro Series doesn't use chains and is cheaper than the dual cam.

Gasser

I don't notice any improvement in ride when unloaded as I only keep right at 5psi in them at that time. I really cant remember the before as its been a while. When loaded up I use them to level out the back of the truck and it does make a large difference here. The truck just rides so much more stable, side to side and does not porpuse. It does not take much air at all. A brief puff from my air tank and you can see the back of the truck rise. I use my pressure gauge to make sure both sides are the same and just "eyeball" the rig from the side to get it all level. I don't have any type of on board air as its just too overkill. It only takes a touch of air to do a LOT of work. Worth every penny.
If you are getting a bad ride when unloaded then check your shocks as they may need to be replaced. I know a buddy that complained of his ride and he changed the shocks out and made a world of differance.

Good luck.

Jeff

DrJupeman

I experience no "side to side" and porpoising in my no airbag Excursion. Are you sure you have your tongue weight correct? I'm not discounting that the airbags make things better, I just question the need.

DJF1

+1 on the Equalizer hitch. Its pretty amazing and zero sway at highway speeds and beyond. Where this hitch paid off in spades, was on my 2500 mile trip from Houston to Vancouver this past October. My GPS guided me through the Mohave dessert right through a sand storm with winds gusting to over 50mph. It was the day after the same sand storm caused a huge accident on the same highway because of the strong winds. Fully loaded I slowed down and went through it. While my heart was on my sleeve most of the time, the hitch proved its worth and completely controlled the rig. I have been converted for life.

jakermc

Buy a programmer or chip for the ECU. They have towing programs that will improve both gas mileage and hp/torque. I use the Edge controller which also adds gauges for things like EGT.

Gasser

It probably has a lot to do with the roads I have to drive on. Mind you, it tows great but just did better wtih them. Yes I have a lot of tounge weight but when I unloaded the tounge I started noticing some more sway. I just could not find the sweet spot in reguards to tounge weight. Once I added the bags, all was perfect. Most of my buddies that tow for a living swear by them as well.

Gasser

+1 I have the Edge and love it.

Sean F

how much gain in mpg do you see with the edge?

Veloce Raptor

Heck, I had my chip programmed in my 3/4 ton gasser, and it made a difference. Probably 2 mpg towing + crisper shifts (gets rid of GM's dreadful Torque Management algorithms).

Sean F

I've read about chips and controllers damaging PSD engines