Rear End Support for Weight.

I know there are a few of us pulling travel trailers and know we want to eliminate the infamous rear end sag.
After lots of homework, and contemplation, I decided to go with the Sumosprings by Supersprings.
Here is a visual display for those interested; Before and After pictures of the addition of the Sumosprings.
I had Firestone airbags on my '02, liked them a LOT, but decided to go with these this time for a number of reasons. Airbags, Sumosprings, extra leafs, WD systems, etc; they all have pros and cons.
The Sumosprings were easy to install. With zero cargo in the bed of the truck, the height of the bed was lifted about 3/4" directly above the axle. They also firmed the ride up noticeably, but not significantly. They also eliminated some of the 'roll' I have heard some reference. I believe it to be an improved ride.

Yes, there are many options, and I am quite sure the arguments will come out supporting WD systems, Anti sway devices, etc. Those things most likely ARE the better way to go for much of which is heavier than what I'm towing. That being said;

- The trailer in these photos in a Chalet Arrowhead hard side popup, and loaded, the trailer is roughly 2000-2200 lbs with a tongue weight between 275 and 300lbs. I typically have another couple hundred pounds in the back of the truck.
- I have pulled this exact trailer loaded like this perhaps 10,000 miles over 5 years; perhaps 85%-90% of that was behind my '02 SR5 with a 2.7 and manual transmission. On that truck I had the Firestone Airbags which I liked very much.The rest of those miles have been since January 2016 behind my '16 with the 3.5 AT.
- The trailer has pulled extremely well behind BOTH vehicles. No sway, no hop, stable as can be. With both trucks, towing is all about power management. But its no big deal. Both rigs were/are set with Tekonsha brake controllers. Both trucks performed very well; this is a light configuration. I've enjoyed every mile of those 10,000.

Feel free to ask questions if you like, either here or in PM. I'm more than happy to share what I know, and what I've experienced. It is 99.9% good news. This is the value of this forum.
Also happy to talk about the towing experience with the '16. Very satisfied, and look forward to many years of camping and traveling with this setup.

2016 Before Sumosprings

2016 After Sumosprings

2002 with Firestone Airbags


(I apologize ahead for typos, poor grammar, and other confusing wording. That's one of the reasons I encourage questions!)

 

How do they compare to the air bags? I know you are comparing two trucks/configurations, but is there noticeably different ride vs. bags. I have used bags on many rigs, so I was just wondering if the "self-adjusting" is all that. I also realize you have a pretty constant load range.

 

Which model did you go with? I see 3 versions on their website, but not much detail beyond that regarding pros/cons of each.

 

Do the bags affect the ride with no trailer or heavy load in the back?

 

For what it's worth, I tried to install SUPER springs (not sumo) on my 2016 TRD off road 4X4. Spring model SSA36. I have them on my 2003 Tacoma with no complaints. I could not get them to fit in a way that I thought would work. Main problem was interference with the exhaust but also had issues with the amount of preload.

I sent them back and got Sumo springs instead - model

$280 SSR-610-40 | SumoSprings Rear for Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Titan

SSR-610-40. I have not towed with them yet. Unloaded, the truck rides fine. I didn't really drive the truck before I put them on so I can't compare before and after.

 

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- Airbags installed: with no load, (note; 5lbs air pressure recommended minimum to prevent bag failure), the ride is like stock suspension. Put weight in/on, and you either have to add air, or you start sagging and bottoming out. So, you add air pressure to level as necessary. Lets say take it up from 5lbs to 20lbs. Now you've leveled the rig, the ride feels good (perhaps a bit stiffer, insignificantly). But as soon as you remove the trailer tongue and or cargo, your suspension really stiffens up, and the truck will show with noticeable rise in the ass end. Until you remove the air pressure again. (I kept a Viair 300P compressor with me, it was more than sufficient.)

- Sumosprings installed; with no load, with weight in the truck whether it be cargo or tongue weight from a trailer, the ride is in essence that of the stock suspension, you can perhaps feel a bit of stiffness on bumps, and and roll is damped out. (As installed, they replace the factory bump stops.) As soon as you ADD weight, the resistance increases. In other words, it is progressive. What is nice is as the weight goes up, the ride feels the same.

- What I liked about the Firestone airbags was the adjustability.
- What I like about the Sumos is the ride and basically the level is the same regardless of whether there is a load or not.

Comparing the airbags to the Sumos, in my opinion, the ride is identical, regardless of load or amount of compression. Again, choosing the Sumos over the airbags took a lot of contemplation, but ultimately, and the gain of being able to adjust the air didn't warrant at least not trying the Sumos. I can always swap the Sumos out and put airbags on.
- Frankly, I got a bit tired of measuring, eye balling, and the inflating/deflating hassle. Sounds trite, but hassle factor is there. With the Sumos, like the advertisement says; "set it and forget it."

- Oh, another thing.... ANY rubber degrades over time. At least the Sumos are not prone to 'failure', which I have personally heard accounts of. The Sumos are no brainers. (Which perhaps is one of the reasons they are great for me!)

- The kit for the 2016 Tacoma is

$280 SSR-610-40 | SumoSprings Rear for Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Titan

SSR-610-40.

 

It seems like air bags would be good if you have a relatively constant load.

In my case, as a carpenter, I might drive to the lumberyard in the morning (unloaded), pick up a load of material (loaded), unload it at the job and drive home unloaded. Or tow my tool trailer to the job, leave it there and drive home unloaded.

Adjusting the air pressure several times a day doesn't seem very practical.

 

I am interested in these, how much was the kit?

 

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Paid $226.11 though Amazon. Incidentally, Amazon posts that this does NOT work for the 2016 Tacoma. They're wrong. It IS the correct kit. Verified with Supersprings, Camarillo, California.

For me there was another up side. The purchase of a decent torque wrench and consequent U-Bolt torque verifications.

Update: I just checked Amazon. Looks like you can get them cheaper than I did.

 

Exacary! I'd have to say the Sumos IS the way to go.
Frankly, I'm pretty impressed with them.
I did like the airbags, but they do get a bit labor intensive. I managed to get my Firestones to stop a slow leak which can be a real PITA. (I'm talking a few measly pounds over weeks) But that's another issue they tend to have.

 

Thanks. My biggest question was how they affected the truck empty which it sounds like they don't significantly.

 

You said it was easy to install, do it yourself?

 

Sumo's are very easy to install. Loosen the nuts on the U bolts enough to remove the factory bump stops and insert the brackets for the Sumo Springs in their place. Tighten the nuts back up. Put some locktite (included) on the stud attached to the rubber spring and screw it into the bracket. That's about it. Recheck the torque after driving.

 

Yes. Installed at home. Pretty darn easy. Just have a decent torque wrench. Prompted me to buy a 1/2' drive.

I was hesitant at first until I verified the bump stop design. In order to install the air bags on the '02, the OEM bump stops needed to be removed with a saws all.
Not the case with the '16. Stock is a bolt on affair.

 

Not at all like overload springs which make an empty truck a hard ride. Ride remains very good whether no load therefore no resistance, or rear load weighted, resistance progressively increased so the ride pretty much remains the same.

 

Camarillo is two towns over. i may have to check this out. thanks for the tip!

 

Is this basically an add a leaf of sorts??

 

I lived in Camarillo for a few years like 1964, 65.. something like that. I bet its grown 1000%. But its still beautiful in that area

Add on leaf? No. It's a highly modified bump stop replacement which doubles as a sag limiter. Google it. Better yet, YouTube it.

 

^ Very interesting, I'll have to look into this. Does it work on trucks with a lift?

 

That is something you will have to research. But off the cuff, it sounds counter productive.