Firestone Airide app makes air spring adjustments easy

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Smartphones and smart apps have made life easier these days. From turning on house lights at night when not at home to improving the functionality of trucks and other vehicles used for towing, smart apps are continuing to pave the way for the future.

And so is Firestone Airide.

A subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Inc., Firestone Airide recently debuted a new app in its updated Airide springs and Air Command Onboard Compressor Kits. Air Command now comes with the option to have a single- and dual-path smartphone app and wireless remote control, allowing iPhone and Android users to adjust their vehicles' Airide springs via Bluetooth connection.

Being able to quickly adjust the springs on trucks and other vehicles used for hauling and towing is important to maximize safety and comfort.

"Air Command is for anyone with air springs who uses their vehicle for towing and hauling," Firestone Airide President Justin Monaghan said in an email interview. "Air Command has been in the market for many years. This is a generational improvement for the product offering, including improved functionality and reliability. While Firestone Airide has offered wireless systems for 15 years and air accessories for 30-plus years, the remote Bluetooth dual-path controls are new for Air Command."

Live system monitoring and adjust-on-the-fly capabilities are just a screen tap away. When properly optioned with dual-path control, Air Command can inflate left- and right-hand air helper springs individually, helping to level out uneven loads.

"With remote and app-based wireless dual-path controls, and robust product offering, Airide will change the way people think about towing and hauling," said Monaghan. "We are excited for heavy-load towers and haulers to test out Air Command for themselves."

Firestone Airide debuted the technology to the off-road racing and toy-hauling enthusiast community at the 2024 King of the Hammers event in early February. The event hosts a large audience of people who are into camping, towing, ATVs, dirt bikes, rock crawlers and other vehicles. Monaghan said the event is just one of the many audiences for Airide and that the product will be showcased at many other events throughout the year.

"The standard Ride-Rite requires manual inflation using an outside air source to inflate the air-helper springs. Air Command adds onboard inflation," Monaghan said. "This is important because, whatever the capacity, a customer can change the pressure of their air helper springs anywhere—going down the road, at home, on the worksite, you name it. Furthermore, installing Air Command also adds pressure monitoring, taking the guesswork out of properly inflating the air helper springs."

Leveling out the vehicle's suspension and reducing sag while towing offers more than visual benefits. It's about safety, too.

Leveling the suspension helps increase steering control, levels headlights, enhances ride comfort, balances heavy loads, prevents cargo from bottoming out and can add trailer braking efficiency.

Air Command is designed to complement air helper springs for most 1/2-, 3/4- and 1-ton trucks, SUVs, vans and Class A RVs, whether they're hauling a camper, landscaping equipment, horse trailer, boat and other haulers.

A smartphone app was developed for multiple reasons, such as streamlining controls for users and enabling Firestone to communicate over-the-air (OTA) updates through the smartphone app.

"Firestone Airide does not currently gather any data from the app, nor do we require registration," Monaghan said. "The app is free to download and use. Another benefit of Bluetooth is that it does not need cellular service to work. Customers will need an internet connection to download the app, but not for it to function."

In addition to the primary change of adding the Bluetooth-based remote controls, the multiple standout features to the updated Air Command:

• Uses the latest Bluetooth protocol for its wireless control for a more reliable connection than the radio frequency-based controllers of the past. Firestone Airide supports over-the-air updates through the smartphone app. This creates what Firestone Airide considers a living development cycle. OTA updates allow customers to keep their Air Command system fully up to date without returning to a retailer or swapping out hardware.
• Includes an auxiliary fill port. This is designed for filling up a vehicle or trailer tire, for example. With the remote control or app, customers can wirelessly monitor the aux port, set an auto-stop pressure threshold or set an auto-stop timer.
• Can be safely submerged in water, allowing for use in instances such as pulling a boat out of the water.
• Includes maintenance-free, oil-less compressor that can be mounted in any orientation.

The updated Air Command has started shipping to retailers and customers. Three kits are app-only— 2629, 2630 and 2631. The app is free and is available for both Apple and Android. Kits 2632, 2633 and 2634 come with a rechargeable Bluetooth remote. The controls are the same as those within the app.

The Air Command kits are, according to Monaghan, easy to install.

"Weekend warriors or DIYers should breeze through the installation," he said. "Further simplifying things, we offer a no-drill option, which can be prepped on a benchtop and strapped to the frame. It requires only two electrical connections to the vehicle—the positive and negative posts on the vehicle's battery."

Airide can be installed on any vehicle used for towing and hauling, except for electric vehicles. Monaghan said that many of the EVs already have air suspension systems, making aftermarket air helper springs unnecessary for that type of vehicle.

"We are always testing new solutions and looking for ways to innovate and improve the customer experience by using their feedback to implement ongoing improvements to the product through OTA software updates and hardware changes down the road," Monaghan said.