Helper air springs

[Snagger]

I have just been cleaning up the SII ambulance anti-roll bar to fit to my 109, and went to take measurements to fabricate some chassis mountings for the bar. The trouble is that the fuel tank is much deeper than I remembered, so the roll bar wouyld need to be mounted much, much lower than on the ambulance.

Now, the vertical links could be cut down in length to suit the new vertical displacement between the axle and bar, and the drop mountings could be made with a trapezoidal shape to ensure their stability, but I may run into problems with the rear end of the spring fouling the anti-roll bar itself on high articulation.

One possible alternative is to use helper air springs instead of an anti-roll bar. The sales staff at Matt Savage said they work reasonable well in that capacity, and they may help when heavily loaded, but I imagine they would make the ride very harsh if inflated enough to resist body roll.

Has anyone ever tried them? I'd be keen to hear independent opinions, given the near £250 price tag of the springs (without a compressor).

[Mark]

I have helper springs on my disco (OK it's coils, but the theory is the same) - The airsprings effectively increase the spring rate of the springs, so the effect would be similar to putting stiffer springs on - ie it will be harsher, as well as resisting roll more.

An Anti roll Bar however, will arrest the roll of the vehicle without affecting spring rate or comfort.

hth

Mark