Rear air suspension to coil spring conversion?
 

Hi all,

As per my previous post, our '08 3.0D X5 with 3rd row seat is having problems with the rear self levelling suspension...

Converting it to coil springs is definitely an option.

Would you guys do it? Any experience with it?

Thank you!!

I would not do it.

A ton of Range Rover folks have converted from air to spring which elimiates a key feature for the RR.

Check out Arnot Industries, they sell air springs.

What is the cost/benefit of this conversation.

The price of one bag is about $200.00 on ebay and, apparently I have to replace the compressor as well which is another $500.00. Shipping to Panama is about $150 thus giving a grand total including labor of $1,200.00. If for any reason it turns out that the other bag must also be replaced then it would be around $1500.00

If I buy a conversion kit for about $300 (on ebay), I can get away with a total cost of $650.00 and never have to worry about it again.

Of course, if you guys think that going to springs is a definite no-no, I will just suck it up and stick to air.

Conversion Done!
 

Hi guys,

despite not getting any convincing feedback, I went ahead and did the conversion from airbags to coils... The car feels and drives GREAT! :thumbup:

I am very happy with the result and the only thing left is to figure out how to turn off the "level control system failure" warning message.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Find a local coder and it can be done.

So for spending $1200 on a part which is obviously a wear item on a 6 year old car, you completely eliminated the functionality of self leveling. The bags are about $300, and there is no reason to change the compressor unless you let the problem fester for a long time, and the compressor wore out.

What are you going to do when your tires wear out, drive on the rims? Parts wear out, and this is not something that wears out frequently.

Please explain "functionality of self leveling" - is this only for towing? I am giving serious thought to switching to "maintenenace free coil springs"

My (new to me) x5 has collapsed rear air suspension. Wanted to swap to a spring but wasn’t sure what the general consensus was in regards to dong this mod.

Won’t be using it to tow or anything crazy, what I am losing by deleting the rear air suspension system?

You're losing self leveling so your X5 will be just like mine. :D I was actually kind of happy to look under our X5 when we were shopping to see it had regular coil springs but I am new to the X5 scene so I may not know what Im missing. If the system was coils plus bags I would be all for it but bags only is to many points of failure to me.

What?

Just spend the $200 for OEM airbags.... seems a pretty easy choice.

Fix the Bags. Its a better system then conventional springs. It provides a better ride and when you have the ass loaded you will notice a DRAMATIC difference in handling over the coil springs. Even without the rear loaded you will notice a dramatic difference in handling.

Just feels like it's a great point of failure with many components that could go wrong. I won't using it to tow or haul stuff. I don't have the 3rd row seats either.

Geez

So why own a car? Just take Ubers.

Do whatever you want. 3,4th owners and the hacks come out in full force....

Isn't the air suspension air only in the rear (some vans/trucks have coils with bags inside to level the load)? I'm just saying if that's the case it has more points of failure than a coil spring. LOL But if they are reliable then I guess that changes things. Then again there seems to be a lot of pics of collapsed air suspension on the internet. That's what turned me off to the system.

When I got my X, I checked to make sure it did not have the air bags. I wanted just the regular suspension.

Do you know the manufacturer for OEM airbags? Pelican.com shows three options:

1. generic "O.E.M." (not a brand)
2. Arnott
3. BMW

I'm likely to go with Arnott since it's the cheapest and they seem to use good rubber (Continental).

Does the compressor not work when the air springs fail? Started the car with the trunk opened to see if I could here the compressor kick in but it was dead quiet.

E70 X5s are kind of one giant point of failure. It’s the nature of the beast. I had a leaky bag two years ago. Replaced both with the Arnot bags and not an issue since.

The self leveling is sure nice when loaded up for trips.

How long have you been driving it around with leaking airbags?

Eventually the pump burns out.

I bought it from a friend and he said it started happening intermittent for 3 months and finally collapsed.

The compressor is under the front passenger seat under the floor. You can access it by removing the under body shield. Its an easy replacement. Takes about an hour. Confirm its dead though. Probably a reset needs to be done on the computer but it should attempt to re-initialize after every restart. Side note, I have a brand new compressor in my garage....Go with the arnott bags. they carry a lifetime warranty. When the compressor quits, it should get really load but will still pump the car up if the bags are not completely toast.

Thanks for this info. I took a look underneath today and I think it's the solenoid next to the compressor. It was warm to the touch while the compressor was cold.

I unplugged it from the solenoid and when I plugged it back in the compressor kicked in and inflated the rear back up.

Sprayed soapy water to the bags and did not see any leaks but shortly after the rear started sagging again like after an hour or so.

So will be ordering new bags and a solenoid and go from there.


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Ok, replaced both air bags with Arnott and a new solenoid from Arnott as well. It leveled up but the self leveling system still seems intermittent. The self leveling failure warning came up again but after bouncing on the rear it went up a little bit more and the warning went away.

When it the pump suppose to kick in? Every time I start the car or only when the rear is sagging?

I hope it's the my pump as it seems to kick in just not sure what's the trigger or steps the car takes before it decides to activate the pump?

As of right now it's working and even the OEM bags I removed didn't seem to have any signs of MAJOR wear or that it was leaking.

Honestly, It doesn't always come on. I have run into different scenarios where you would think it will come on and it doesn't, and then it comes on for no apparent reason. There are two sensors in the back that measure the level of the vehicle. They tell your compressor and distribution block what to do. I noticed after replacing my pump that it took 2 resets to get her back up to level. The pump will time out if it runs for too long.

Now, I will tell you that if some Bozo has replaced the bags before and done a half-assed job you may need to get a replacement line or a replacement end as I had to. 1st time was the bags, 2nd time was the distribution block and finally, 3rd time was the compressor. I discovered the lines after the distribution block went and replaced the ends with a kit that I bought on eBay.

I loved that I had 6 people in the old goat this weekend for an evening of cocktails and dinner and it really never missed a beat. Smooth, comfortable and controlled. (We, fortunately, have some smaller friends that were able to slide into the back.)

I have gotten into the habit of letting the compressor go through its cycle without driving off. Not to scare you but every single time I just jumped in and drove away resulted in requiring a tow home. You can hear it run and after about 20-30 seconds it clicks off. Once you notice the system, you really will appreciate it. I find myself on many occasion looking at minivans/suvs loaded to where their asses are damn near scraping the ground(headlights pointing in the air) thinking, geeze Ill never wave to deal with that again.

Do I have to change the shocks if I convert to coil springs?

No need to change the rear shocks if converting to coil springs.

I went over to springs over a year ago and have never looked back. Ride comfort is the same as airbags :thumbup:

https://www.coilspringconversions.co...conversion-kit


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