Air suspension for motorhomes
AL-KO air suspension for motorhomes
More driving comfort, more safety
A considerable rear overhang, bicycles or e-bikes on the load carrier and lots of luggage in the rear garage: the axles of motorhomes are often subjected to major challenges. Good towing properties are particularly appreciated in difficult situations such as side winds, tricky bends or when overtaking trucks or buses.
A suspension system that’s individually tailored to your motorhome offers you greater driving comfort and safer road holding. Air suspension not only effectively absorbs shocks and bumps, it also improves your motorhome’s towing properties.
Compared to products from other brands, AL-KO air suspension systems stand out for their maintenance freedom, durability and reliability. This is why they are also preferred by leading motorhome manufacturers.
See for yourself – discover air suspension from AL-KO!
Advantages of air suspension for motorhomes
Air suspension from AL-KO offers unsurpassed advantages for your motorhome:
- Greater driving comfort: shocks and vibrations on uneven roads are absorbed more effectively by a motorhome with air suspension.
- More stable road holding thanks to adaptability: variable loading conditions require reliable adaptation – for improved driving stability.
- Higher ground clearance and improved gradient angle: ideal for vehicles with a large rear overhang to prevent sinking under the load
What is air suspension, and how does it work?
In accordance with the latest findings
Motorhomes are equipped with steel springs such as leaf or torsion bar springs on the rear axle as standard. This type of suspension is robust and durable – but comfort requires something more. AL-KO takes its cue from the technology used in coaches and trucks and uses air in its suspension.
When installing the AL-KO air suspension, the steel spring components are replaced by air bellows. Their rigidity can be adapted to the respective load, the road surface, as well as special situations such as ferry crossings, courtyard entrances, tight bends, etc.
Which air suspension systems for motorhomes are available from AL-KO?
The choice is yours
AL-KO offers two specially developed types of air suspension: additional air suspension and full air suspension. Both are designed to significantly improve your motorhome driving experience.
Air Plus additional air suspension
The Air Plus additional air suspension is the ideal supplement to your motorhome’s existing steel suspension. It noticeably improves driving comfort and road holding by supporting its conventional suspension. It is installed as original equipment or retrofitted on the rear axle.
What makes the Air Plus special: In contrast to standard additional air suspension from other manufacturers, part of the steel spring is actually removed during installation to allow the air spring to develop its full effect.
Air Premium X2 and Air Premium X4 full air suspension
The Air Premium X2 and Air Premium X4 full air suspension systems offer the best possible driving comfort by mainly relying on air bellows, which reduce the number of steel springs to a minimum. Full air suspension can be installed either just on the rear axle or on both the rear and front axles as an initial or retrofit installation.
The air bellows take over most of the suspension. It is a fully automatic regulating system, but can of course also be controlled manually as well.
FAQs
Yes, almost all motorhomes with AL-KO chassis can be retrofitted with air suspension, e.g. the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroën Jumper and – with some limitations – the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
In principle, the manual additional air suspension system AL-KO Air Plus, as well as the full air suspension systems AL-KO Air Premium X2 and AL-KO Air Premium X4, are available for all motorhomes with a FIAT, Peugeot or Citroën chassis cab released from 2006 onwards.
Specifically:
- Fiat Ducato
- Peugeot Boxer
- Citroën Jumper
The AL-KO Air Premium X2 is also available for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (VS30) models from 2019 onwards.
The details for the Air Premium X4 need to be clarified for the specific vehicle. We would be happy to advise you in detail on all aspects of payload increases and air suspension.
No. Air suspension helps to improve driving comfort in a motorhome and ensures more stable road holding and greater driving safety. Installing air suspension does not increase the towable load.
The towable load is primarily determined by the chassis’ load capacity and the vehicle’s suspension bracket. It is determined by the manufacturer and is normally unchangeable.
Would you like to increase the towable load of your motorhome? In that case, please contact the manufacturer or a specialist vehicle converter to determine whether this is technically possible and what modifications are needed.
Feel free to contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions!
If you want to retrofit an air suspension system, you should pay attention to a few important points:
- Make sure that the desired air suspension is suitable for your specific vehicle model and its year of manufacture. Please refer to your vehicle data or registration documents in this regard.
- You should also invest in high-quality air suspension from a renowned manufacturer. Quality is crucial to ensuring the suspension’s performance and durability.
- Please also note that air suspension will affect your vehicle’s height. You should be able to adjust your vehicle after installing an air suspension system to achieve the height you want.
- In addition, the air suspension system must be designed for your vehicle’s weight, especially if you intend on carrying higher additional loads.
Yes, an AL-KO chassis is a prerequisite for this spring system.
Yes, there are products on the market for vans, but AL-KO does not currently offer such a system.
AL-KO air suspension systems are maintenance-free. Products from other manufacturers sometimes have to be taken to a workshop for maintenance at regular intervals (e.g. on an annual basis).
In general, AL-KO air suspension systems are made to last and very rarely malfunction, which is why almost all major motorhome manufacturers offer our products ex works.
However, if, for example, a plug-in connection becomes loose or air bellows become porous as time goes by, there is a Europe-wide network of AL-KO contractual partners available for spare parts procurement and replacement.
Manual air suspension systems are filled with air at filling stations and operated by the driver in the cab. There are two variants here:
- Single-circuit systems with compressor: Both air bellows are provided with the same air pressure at the same time.
- Two-circuit systems with compressor: The most convenient version, whereby the two air bellows are controlled and filled with air separately
- Fully automatic air suspension: The system automatically fills the air bellows with the right pressure – based on so-called deflection sensors and an intelligent control system.
Air suspension systems are usually available from AL-KO at short notice. However, as the recent past has shown, situations can always arise on the procurement market that negatively impact delivery times.
The time needed for installation depends very much on the product selected and your vehicle. For example, while an Air Plus additional air suspension system can be installed within a day, it can sometimes take two working days to install an Air Premium X4 full air suspension system on a three-axle vehicle.
Prices for an air suspension system, including installation or assembly, range from €1,500 to €15,000. The price range is so wide due to the range of motorhomes available (van to fully integrated 3-axle motorhome) and the different types of air suspension. It’s therefore best to arrange a personal consultation to find the right air suspension for your vehicle .
The staff at our AL-KO customer centres will be happy to assist you with their expertise. Contact us now!
