HELP Suspension Air Spring Expert Needed

Joe917

Explorer
Last year I purchased my Mercedes-Benz 917AF and imported it to Canada. Plan is the Americas then Africa and Asia.
I have done a lot of refitting and upgrading, one of the last things to fix were the aging cracked air bags.
I am in Ottawa, the capital but not a large city and heavy truck suspension shops are not common, I went to one of the larger ones on a recommendation.
The original air bags were installed by the company that built the box in Italy. The truck has done 270 000 km trouble free on these bags but I was warned by a number of different mechanics they were ready to go. The bags are helpers in addition to full leaf springs.
suspension1.jpg Pirelli 1T252-2 Bag diameter 225mm,base height 127mm,base diameter approx 180mm rest height total 270mm, ride height inflated 320mm approx
The shop was instructed to find a bolt on replacement that would allow me to use one of the old bags as a spare.
Here is where things go bad. The shop owner gets very ill and goes into hospital, the son (who also works in the office) takes over. Nobody tells me about the change and nobody asks me for any info.
Unable to locate a matching set of bags they cut off the old bags (destroying them) and install a pair of 10 1/2" diameter Goodyear bags.
IMG_0002.JPG Note the rubbing on the tire.
I was not happy with the install which took 2 days instead if the promised one. When I expressed my concern about the lack of clearance I was told they would be OK. I got home(40 min drive) with two black rub marks on the inside of the tires. Back to the shop for replacements that I am told will be perfect. Firestone 6 5/8 diameter bags mounted on the original bases. More drilling on my top plates.
The bags were OK till I got home, same 40 min drive on smooth streets.As soon as I get out of the truck I hear the leak. Air escaping from between the base and base plate, so the bottom of the bag has failed. The other bag is inflated and holding air for now. I send an email to the son telling him I'll be back(he has gone home by now), he responds by sending a mechanic to fix it(fat chance). I go out to move the truck to make it easier for the mechanic, air is now leaking from the other bag which appears to have popped off the base.
IMG_0041.JPGIMG_0044.JPG Note how tight the bag is on the base.
At this piont the Garage says there is too much travel and want to put another set of the Firestones and restraining straps.
Totally unacceptable to me so the shop wants to give up. They have destroyed my old bags and drilled multiple new holes in the top plates.

So now I have to get it done.
The Pirelli bag is no longer available and Pirelli and CF Gomma the parent company are extremely unhelpful.
the Pirelli bag#1T 252-T cross references: Conti 822N
I have been unable to get availability or pricing on this bag. Searching the web probably won't help unless you are luckier than me, I've been at it a while. I need somebody in the business who knows air springs and has contacts to find a solution.
Phoenix 1E17B1 and Taurus B167 are also possibilities.
I will be heading south late October so if there is a suspension shop in the Eastern states that could help that is also a possibility.
Any advise is welcome. Joe.
 

greg334

New member
I read your posts on the MB site and here.

If you haven't yet, you should actually call Goodyear or Firestone's engineering department to get their help. They may have something that isn't in their catalogs because they make a lot of these air springs for a lot more than just trucks. I am sorry but I don't have their direct numbers but here is Firestone's NA HQ number - 1-800-247-4337 and Goodyear's NA customer service number - 888-899-6354

I had a problem with a trailer a couple years back, an obsolete number was being used in the catalogs and the shop kept getting the wrong parts, finally the owner of the shop called Firestone, talk to an applications engineer who got the right part number from the specs of the old part and they ordered the right part. I'm thinking that they can look at the specs for the original air spring and get you the right one - they have a lot of info on the competition's products.
 

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