Convoluted Style Air Spring ID Hints

Home Convoluted Style Air Spring ID Hints

Air springs built within the last seven years have individual part numbers stamped or imbedded in the components. Of significant help is the bellow and piston numbers, which if identified, can be indexed together in the back of both the Firestone & Goodyear catalogs. This will limit your search to those assemblies using those parts .
Firestone’s catalog is sorted alphanumerically using the bellows # . This makes it easier to find the correct air spring assembly using measurement. All you have to do is find the section where your bellows # listing begins and, taking into account the piston and bead plate #’s obtained earlier, you should be able to find your correct assembly.
Goodyear’s catalog is listed alphanumerically using their complete assembly number, not by bellow #. Once you find the listing for your bellows number (located in the back of the catalog) you will have to flip through the pages and see if you can find your air spring assembly taking into account the specs of both the upper & lower mounting view.
Help confirm your identification by using the Manufacturer Replacement column on the assembly drawing section. To see if it matches with the application.

Bellows (also know as the flexible) number. This number is molded into the rubber part of the air spring. Firestone’s Bellow # will begin with either a 1,2 or 3 and will be either 2 or 3 digits long (i.e. 20). The beginning number will also be the same as the number of convolutions. Don’t worry about any letters following the bellows #’s , they can be ignored and have been removed from the 2009 catalog. Goodyear’s Bellow # begin as 566-xx-x-xxx (i.e. 566-24-3-038).
Bead Plate identification. There are 2 plates attached to each convoluted style air spring. Once you have determined the correct bellows then compare the metal bead plates with other assemblies in the same bellows section of the catalog. Firestone’s 2 plates contain 8 digits of which last 4 will determine which the correct one (i.e. xxxx3215). Goodyear’s plates # will begin with 578- 9x-x-xxx (578-92-3-202).
Internal bumper identification. If more than one assembly matches up, then there is an internal bumper. To determine the size of an internal bumper remove all the air and collapse the spring to it’s minimum height then compare the measurement with those listed in the catalog.