TruckSpring Times

Hellwig Products, a company that specializes in American made, precision engineered suspension  products, has released front and rear sway bars for the 2017 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickups. If you are looking for an upgraded sway bar that will improve the handling and control during everything from daily driving to heavy duty towing and hauling, Hellwig has the answer.



The 2017 Super Duty pickups are more than just the most capable heavy-duty Ford pickups ever built. The all-new Super Duty leads the way in maximum payload, as well as in conventional and 5th-wheel , gooseneck towing. It is also the pickup with the highest gross combination weight rating. These are some of the best trucks Ford has ever made. Want to make it even better? Add a Hellwig sway bar and improve the handling and reduce body roll.

How are they better?

It’s simple. They are larger than the factory stock sway bars. The larger Hellwig front sway bar replaces the undersized factory bar and when combined with the added larger Hellwig rear sway bar, provides the ultimate improvement for daily driving and towing. They are forged from 4140 Chromoly steel, heat treated for durability, and feature a forged 3-hole adjustable end to allow you to tune the bars to your exact load and driving style. Best of all, they are made in the USA.

Easy to install?

Yes, they are bolt on and can be installed in a few hours with hand tools. They include all the parts needed to install and come with a Lifetime warranty on all the steel parts.

2017 Ford F-250, F-350 Sway Bars

Following a is list of the new Hellwig Ford sway bars. The Big Wig 1-5/16 inch diameter sway bars are designed specifically for heavy duty towing applications

Front Applications:
7712 - Front Sway Bar, 4wd, 1-5/16”

Rear Applications:
7761 - Standard Rear Sway Bar, 4wd, fits both single and dual wheel, 1-1/4”
7320 - Big Wig Rear Sway Bar, 4wd, fits both single and dual wheel, 1-5/16”
7762 - Standard Rear Sway Bar, 2wd, fits both single and dual wheel, 1-1/4”
7321 - Big Wig Rear Sway Bar, 2wd, fits both single and dual wheel, 1-5/16”





You can order online by clicking the part numbers above or call us at 1-800-358-4751. 

Nissan Titan owners, have you been looking for a rear sway bar for your 2016 truck? Hellwig has the answer with its new sway bars for stock height and lifted 2016 Nissan Titan pickups.  Hellwig sway bar 7748 fits stock height trucks and the 7847 fits Nissan Titans with a 2-4 inch lift. They fit both 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive Nissan Titan and Titan XD trucks and feature a 1 inch heat treated 4140 Chromoly sold steel bar.



The solid steel Titan sway bar is heat treated to a tensile strength of 180,000 psi to insure outstanding performance and long lasting durability under the severest conditions. The sway bar and brackets are powder coated for durability and good looks.

Nissan Titan Sway Bar Features:

• Easy installation with no drilling required
• Adjustable for desired amount of sway control and handling
• Polyurethane bushings
• Includes all necessary hardware
• Lifetime guarantee
• Made in the USA

P/N 7748 – 2016 Nissan Titan and Titan XD Rear Sway Bar (2 & 4WD) for stock height trucks. 
P/N 7847 – 2016 Nissan Titan and Titan XD Rear Sway Bar (2 & 4WD) for truck with 2-4 Inch Lift.

Hellwig Heavy Duty Sway Bars provide added sway control when hauling heavy loads or towing and greatly improve cornering traction for safer driving and better handling. So upgrade your Titan pickup today with a quality, USA made, rear sway bar from Hellwig.  Order online at TruckSpring.com or call 1-800-358-4751 to talk to one of our suspension experts.

Michigan Truck Spring is proud to carry Hellwig Air Bags. One of the latest additions to our inventory is the new line of heavy-duty air suspension kits. If you use your truck for heavy towing and hauling jobs, Hellwig Air Suspension kits will ensure your ride comfort and load safety at all times. The kits functions in domestic trucks whether they are fully loaded or unloaded.

Hellwig Air Spring Kits

Hellwig Air Springs offer better handling and control and reduce the risk of bottoming out. These kits increase stability by properly distributing the weight over the front and rear axles and provide the ability to level loads from left to right and front to rear. Each air spring is rated for 2,500 lbs. level load capacity to provide the maximize safe load carrying capacity of your vehicle up to its GVWR. Each kit offers simple installation and ease of adjustment by manual fill using a remote air supply (standard) or add in-cab controls or automatic load leveling compressor kits.

Big Wig Air Spring Kits

Designed for heavy tow and haul applications, Hellwig Big Wig Air Spring kits feature a 2,800 lb. air spring for each side and heavy-duty brackets to stand up to the most demanding loads. The Hellwig Big Wig air spring is 2 inches larger in diameter and 3 inches taller than standard 2,500 lbs. air springs and have more air volume to provide better ride quality and performance. These kits require up to 40% less air pressure then smaller 2,500 lbs. air springs to level the same load and help reduce wear and tear on the chassis. Hellwig Big Wig air springs also provide better off-highway performance by extending up to 14 inches for articulation. Covered by a limited lifetime warranty and easy installation, Hellwig Big Wig air spring kits are your best solution for heavy tow and haul applications.

If you are worried about the installation of your new Hellwig Air Suspension kit, don't fret! You can install it yourself or lean on a Michigan Truck Spring specialist for assistance. Feel free to call 1-800-358-4751 for more information or questions. We provide free tech support to our customers that purchase Hellwig products from us.

Are you thinking about getting an air compressor kit for your air bags and feeling a little overwhelmed by all the options? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Let’s take a look at the differences and answer some of the important questions you will need to ask yourself when selecting an air compressor kit for your air bags.

Which Brand of Air Compressor Kit?

Air Compressor kits are Universal. Air spring and air bag load support kits use 1/4 inch airline tubing, so the air compressors will work with other brands of air bag kits. Do you have Firestone air bags but like the features of an Air Lift compressor kit? Did you buy a truck that has Air Lift air bags or Hellwig air springs on it, but want to install a Firestone air compressor kit? No worries, one brand will work another brand of air springs. Which brand to choose is a personal preference. We have satisfied customers using Firestone, Air Lift and Viair air compressor kits. You really can't go wrong with which brand you select. Find the one that has the features your require and fits within your budget.

Wireless or Analog?

Wireless air compressors use the latest technology and allow you to inflate and deflate your air bags from inside or outside of your truck. This can come in handy when you want to level out the rear of your truck by allowing you to stand next to the back of the truck and see the change in ride height when inflating or deflating your air springs.  They do cost more, but the extra money you spend on a wireless kit can be made up in the reduced time and cost to install the system. Wireless air compressor kits do not require any lines to be run into the cab of your truck, so the install is much less time consuming than with other systems.

Pros of Wireless Air Compressors systems:

• Easy to install – no wires to run into cab
• Inflate / deflate your airbags from outside your truck
• Memory settings for air pressure

Analog air compressors install inside the cab of your truck and are controlled by a toggle switch or button and display the air pressure on a gauge with a needle. Analog systems have been around for years and typically cost less. They will take longer to install than a wireless system because you have to run lines into the cab for the gauge. If you are installing it yourself and have the extra time, it can be less expensive to run an analog system.

Pros of Analog Air Compressors

• Cost less
• Tried and True – Inflating air bags for decades
• Expandable – Allows the use of air tanks

Single or Dual Path Air Compressor?

Single path air compressors inflate both air bags at the same time with the same amount of air pressure.  This provides equal inflation and is designed for use with evenly distributed loads like travel trailers or 5th wheel trailers. If you tow anything with a trailer hitch, a single path system will work well and provide even air pressure.

Single path common uses (Even loads)

• Travel Trailers
• Boat Trailers
• 5th Wheel and Goosneck Trailers
• Utility and work trailers
• Horse trailers
  
  

Dual paths air compressor kits allow you to inflate your air bags with different air pressure amounts.  In the diagram above, the air bag with 45 psi would be on the side of your truck with a water tank or heavy tool box. With a dual path system you can do side-to-side or front-to-back leveling. They are commonly used when you have more weight on one side and need to add more air pressure to one air spring to adequately level your truck. If you have a work truck with cargo on one side or a pickup truck with a Lance slide-in truck camper with luggage and supplies on one side, a dual path system is for you.

Dual Path Common Uses (Uneven loads)

• Work trucks
• Flatbed trucks
• Motorhomes
• Slide-in Campers

Standard Duty or Heavy Duty Air Compressor?

How often you tow is the main factor in determining if you need a standard or heavy duty air compressor. If you are a holiday traveler and only tow your camper once a month during the summer, you will be fine selecting a standard duty air compressor kit. If you have a work truck that is inflating the air bags daily or want more durability and flexibility with your system, we recommend a heavy duty setup with a higher duty cycle that will allow you to run the system more frequently. A heavy duty air compressor will inflate your air springs quicker and often to a higher psi than a standard duty one. If you use your air compressor to pay the bills, have a motorhome that requires higher psi, or are frequently using your air system, we recommend investing a little more upfront for a heavy duty system.

We hope this helps you determine which air compressor system will work best for your needs. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 1-800-358-4751. We have been selling and installing air bags and air compressors in our shop for years.

New from Hellwig are two new sway bars for the 2014 Ram 2500 pickup.  The Hellwig 7306 is designed for the rear and is 1-1/4 inch in diameter and fits 2 and 4 wheel drive models with rear coil springs.

The Hellwig 7741 is designed for the front and is 1-3/8 inch in diameter and fits 4 wheel drive models with rear coil springs.  Both are made from high quality hot formed and heat treated 4140 chrome poly spring steel.

Hellwig sway bars reduce body roll so you benefit from better vehicle control and greatly improved cornering traction for safer driving and turning capabilities. They feature fast, easy, "Bolt-on" installation with simple hand tools and include polyurethane bushings. Hellwig sway bars have a greater surface area than the typical factory sway bar, which gives it better roll resistance.

Hellwig sway bars are heat formed and coined as one piece to insure they will be the most durable, strongest and that they will be the most resistant to form alteration, important factors to consider in an anti-sway bar.

So if you want better control of your 2014 Ram 2500, upgrade to a Hellwig sway bar from TruckSpring.com.

Hey Silverado and Sierra pickup owners, have you been waiting for a rear sway bar for your 2014 truck?  Hellwig has your answer: the Helllwig 7735 sway bar works on both 2WD and 4WD Silverado and Sierra trucks and features a 1-1/8 inch heat treated 4140 chromoly sold steel bar. 

The solid steel bar is heat treated to a tensile strength of 180,000 psi to insure outstanding performance and long lasting durability under the severest conditions.  Bar and brackets are powder coated for durability and good looks.

Features:

• Easy installation with no drilling required
• Adjustable for desired amount of sway control and handling
• Polyurethane bushings
• Includes all necessary hardware
• Lifetime guarantee
• Made in the USA

Hellwig Heavy Duty Sway Bars provide added sway control when hauling heavy loads or towing and greatly improves cornering traction for safer driving and better handling. So upgrade your Silverado or  Sierra pickup today with a quality rear sway bar from Hellwig.  Order online at TruckSpring.com or call 1-800-358-4751.

(Sway Bar 7735 will not work with lifted applications)

Hellwig Sway Bars are design to reduce body roll on your vehicle which will result in better control and improved cornering traction for safer driving and cornering capabilities.  Each sway bar is made from high quality 4140 chrome molly steel and powder coated to give you a durable addition to your suspension.  But have you ever wondered what gives your sway bar it’s toughness?

Every Hellwig Sway Bar is heat treated, a process used to change the crystalline structure of the steel to improve its strength, toughness, and hardness.  The heat treating process can double the tensile strength of alloy steel while still maintaining its toughness and ductility. Not all aftermarket sway bars are heat treated. They may be made from alloy steel, but unless it has been heat treated, the alloy steel is not being processed to its full potential.  This is what sets Hellwig Sway Bars apart from the competition. 

Once the ends are coined, the sway bars are heated to 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit and formed to the desired shape.

Every Hellwig sway bar is developed for a specific vehicle application.

Looking for an air bag kit for your heavy duty truck? Hellwig’s Big Wig Air Springs are designed for the heavy hauler and offer better handling and control under loaded conditions.  

 Each kit is designed to maximize safe load carrying capacity and offers simple installation for years of heavy duty control.  The larger air springs also provide better off-highway performance as the air
springs in the Big Wig kits will extend up to 15 inches for articulation that can’t be matched with smaller air bags.  With up to 3 inches more free height, these air springs have more air volume to provide ride quality and performance that can't be beat with a heavy load in the bed.  

Hellwig's Big Wig Air Kits only require 60 psi of air pressure to level the vehicle while most kits require 90 psi or more.  Lower air pressure provides a better spring rate for ride quality you can feel.  The Big Wig kits feature a 2800 lbs. air bag for each side and heavy duty brackets for a total 5,600 lbs. load capacity.

Each kit comes complete with double convoluted heavy duty air springs, brackets, airline and mounting hardware.  

So the next time you need to update your air springs, look to Hellwig Big Wig Air Springs and TruckSpring.com.  If you have any qeustions about Hellwig Big Wig Air Springs, call 1-800-358-4751.

Have you ever noticed that your truck is leaning hard to the outside of a turn when you are using your slip on truck camper or while hauling a top heavy load? Do you feel the loss of traction as that weight shifts? The answer to problems like these could be the Big Wig Sway Bar by Hellwig.

Issues like excessive body roll and loss of traction are caused by the extra weight in the back of your truck. Adding a substantial amount of weight to your truck can significantly change the way it rides, especially around corners. The key to this change in ride quality is the truck’s center of gravity. Adding a camper to the bed of your truck can add a few thousand pounds to its weight, even with the camper’s weight shifted as forward as possible, this can dramatically alter the vehicle’s center of gravity.

The change in ride quality is a result of the added weight being placed above the center of gravity. Normally a truck has its center of gravity towards the middle of the vehicle which results in a smooth even ride while taking a turn. Even under unloaded conditions, the weight of your truck shifts to the outside tires as the weight pivots on the center of gravity, much like a lever pivots on its fulcrum. Adding a sway bar, such as the Hellwig Big Wig, can help keep that weight from shifting, giving you better control around turns.

The added weight of a heavy road, like that of a camper, tends to create a combined center of gravity above and to the rear of its previous location. Adding weight to the rear of a truck essentially moves the fulcrum on the lever upward and backward. This change in ride quality occurs because the closer the force on a lever is to the fulcrum, the less force is needed to offset the weight on the opposite side. In other words, the higher the center of gravity is on your truck and camper the less force is needed before it experiences body roll during a turn. Take control of your truck’s center of gravity with the Big Wig and take corners with ease.

Body roll, aside from being uncomfortable to endure, can have some serious consequences. By shifting the weight to one side of the vehicle, weight is being shifted off of the other side. This can result in a loss in traction on that side’s tires. Hellwig Big Wig sway bars combat this loss of traction by increasing the rigidity of your truck’s body, thereby allowing for less body roll around turns.

The Hellwig Big Wig is able to reduce the body roll of a truck more than a standard sway bar because it specifically designed for vehicles with a high center of gravity, such as truck campers or other heavy hauling pick-up trucks. The Big Wig can provide more than a 20% increase in stability because it has a wider diameter and heavy duty hardware. This extra width adds much to the roll stiffness of your suspension, creating a smoother more comfortable ride, even when hauling a few thousand extra pounds in the form of a truck camper.

Hellwig Big Wig sway bars are made in the USA by Hellwig Products and are guaranteed for the life of your vehicle. Buy a Big Wig sway bar and take control of your heavy duty or super duty pickup and truck camper.

Buy Hellwig Sway Bars online at TruckSpring.com or call 1-800-358-4751 to speak with a suspension specialist. Michigan Truck Spring has been installing Hellwig sway bars at thier shop for years and is an authorized warehouse distributor for Hellwig sway bars. 

It’s kind of a no brainer that adding a sway bar to a truck without factory installed sway bars will often help reduce body roll, sway and improve handling. What about replacing factory sway bars with aftermarket sway bars, will it improve the ride? Is it worth the time and money? We decided to test it out on a 2009 Yukon 1500 XL 4x4 by replacing the factory installed sway bars with new front and rear Hellwig sway bars.

We did a little measuring to check for differences and the Hellwig sway bars are beefier than the factory installed bars. The Hellwig sway bar also looked a lot nicer, higher quality, and more durable with its powder coated finish.

We measured the diameters of the sway bars.

Front Yukon factory Sway Bar:         1.38 inch
Front Hellwig Sway Bar 7685:         1.50 inch
(8.70 % larger diameter)

Rear Yukon factory Sway bar:          1.11 inch
Rear Hellwig Sway bar 7686:          1.25 inch
(12.62 % larger diameter)

  Both sway bars are no drill installations, so the install can be done at home with simple hand tools. Basically, all you have to do in unbolt your front and rear factory sway bars, grease the bushings and bolt up the new sway bars in their place. The only problem we ran into was bolting up the D-bushings. We did have a little trouble getting the bolt holes to line up and had to use a pair of channel locks, pinch the bushing, and install the bolts. It was a minor hang up, but worth mentioning.

We had both factory sway bars removed and the new Hellwig sway bars installed in under 2 hours. We did have the advantage of working in a pit, so a safe estimate would be about 2 hours for an at home install.
 

We hit the highway after the install and were pleasantly surprised with the results. I have to admit, we were a little skeptical and weren’t sure we would be able to notice any big difference, but the sway bars turned a good ride into a great ride. The difference in body roll and sway reduction was most notable when changing lanes on the highway and the elimination of roll when getting passed by a semi going 70 mph was impressive. We look forward to testing it with a trailer and full load of gear as we think the results will be amplified.

Yes, the 2009 GMC Yukon has factory installed sway bars, but if you’re looking to further reduce body roll or sway and turn a decent ride into an excellent ride, we found that adding Hellwig sway bars is one of the quickest and most cost effective ways to do so.

You can order Hellwig sway bars by calling 1-800-358-4751.