Summo vs bags for me?

TL;DR: Airbags are more expensive but worth every penny over the sumos.

Had Sumos on for a year. I hated them. The back rode like it was a welded rear end with no springs/shocks.

Put an airlift 27000 compressor/controller and firestone airbags in with daystar cradles and it rides much better, but still stiff.

I put a lift in after my rear shocks blew at 50k, 6112s in front and 5160s in the back with ELR095R leafs.

EDIT: for people saying that you have to contend with air leaks...

Yeah its possible to have air leaks, but make sure you're using DOT tubing and fittings and not just regular push to connect vinyl tubing/plastic fittings. It deals with temp swings a whole lot better. I've had 0 issues in 60k miles with my setup. I even put bulkhead fittings in that go through the bottom of the left cubby that I put the compressor in. It's all neat and tidy, all I need to do to remove the compressor is undo 2 hoses and an electrical plug I put in and the whole compartment slides out.

 

What ?
not on any instruction i have and did for my truck.
Did you READ the right install for the truck ?
Nothing about CHOP OFF anything..

https://www.supersprings.com/instructions/SSR-612-40.pdf

 

Yeah I don't know what that's about. I have my stock bump stops sitting on a shelf still, unchopped.

 

Same for me.

 

I went with airbags because of the adjustability. The simple, non-compressor AirLift kit I bought was just over $200 USD and easy to install with a few hand tools and beers.
In the past i’ve had airbags on a couple of trucks and tens of thousands of miles and never had any problems with leaks. Just make sure you buy a brand name like Firestone or AirLift.
FYI- Firestones require removing the stock bump stops and AirLift doesn’t.

 

Also 100% guarantee the "Rode like it was welded" bit is the original Sumos that constantly contacted the frame. The newer revised ones are short of the frame unloaded by about an 1" so it's gonna ride just like a normal truck at that point.

I had the long ones and like a firmer rear end myself.

 

I’ve had both and the Firestone bags are a much better setup. I tried both after reading everyone’s opinion on countless threads. I’m very happy with them.

 

Ran Fire stone air bags before with a tundra long bed and a big ass lance camper. Now I'm running sumo springs on the Tacoma pulling a NOBO 19.5, with a wdh and sway control. I prefer the sumo springs. Both work, but sumos are just dirt simple and not much could go wrong with them.

 

Uh, you don't cut your old bump stops off, this makes no sense.

Sumos are great for what they do, no regrets, no shitting rude after install.

 

That's what Timbren-Industries can help with. I had a nasty sag hauling camping equipment and towing a boat and no joke, I had Timbren-Industries SAS bump stops installed my

Airbags need maintenance, lines do crack and leak over time. Myself I'd choose Tmbren SES because of the experience gained. I'm about to buy them for our Tacoma but I already have them on our other vehicle, a Honda Pilot. The rear used to sag due to camping gear and towing a fishing boat. After Timbren from @Timbren-Industries the vehicle rode nice and flat. No more sagging and no more vehicles flashing their lights at me. Got a set for our motorhome too. Just my .2, choose wisely!

 

You have a WDH so Sumo's or Timbren's would work just fine. Sumo's are a little more geared toward towing than Timbrens.

I tow a heavy-ish pop up (2100 loaded) and installed Ride Rite air bags which work perfectly with the filler taps routed into the rear driver bed cubby. I really like them and had fun installing them - wrapped the air lines and properly sealed the fittings. They won't leak anytime soon. However, they were definitely overkill especially since I have Dakar springs and tow a relatively low weight with very little wind drag. I carry a small handheld battery operated compressor.
This one:

C P CHANTPOWER Cordless Tire Inflator Air Compressor 20V Rechargeable Battery Powered 100PSI Air Pump with Digital Pressure Gauge, 12V Car Power Adaptor for Cars, Bicycles Balls and Other Inflatables

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZTGF5BG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8
No need for an expensive on-board air compressor or hitting a gas station air pump every time.

Both would work for you. Sumo, Timbren, or spend more cash and more install time and get air bags.

 

I remembered incorrectly. A friend was helping me, I left to get some lunch and came back and he chopped them off with a sawzall.

Yeah that's on me.

 

You're friend needs smacked lol.

 

I remembered incorrectly. A friend was helping me, I left to get some lunch and came back and he chopped them off with a sawzall.

Yeah that's on me.

The original sumosprings they specified for this gen truck was the incorrect elastomer, leading the rear end to ride like a brick.

They updated them to a much smaller elastomer, should ride better than my experience.

 

You're telling me!

 

Bags. I use to run Superbumps.
Bags are easy to do, and if you offroad just add the Daystar cradles for articulation

 

Just to make a correction. Yes both 610 and 612 will fit but that doesn’t mean it’s meant for the 3rd gen
610 is 2nd gen
612 is 3rd gen

that may change depending on lift but best to reach out to them anyways. Any old reviews of sumos and firm ride are more than likely with the 610s and not the now available 612. Lots of misinformation on past threads that lead to unwanted changes.

my problem with sumos is the bracket- my u bolts don’t sit completely flat on the bracket but only makes contact on the edges. The brackets are the same width as the leafs which is the reason (stock bump brackets have a notch where the ubolt sits). This is why I haven’t installed them yet. People don’t notice or don’t care

 

My u bolts sit completely flat.

 

Such a great thread with a lot of recommendations! As mentioned by a few we have two different products that do look similar but have two completely different uses. Our SES system is the alternative to airbags. It's maintenance free, super simple to install, and has a LIFETIME warranty. Does it get much better than that?

 

But in all seriousness, are you looking down at it or at eye level. Obviously looking down at the ubolts you won’t see a gap. Here is a picture of arb/ome ubolts with the sumos (I thought I had a picture with the stock ubolts but don’t, the gap is still present with stock bolts but just not as much as the arb/ome. Maybe half of what you see in the picture)


I saw sumos for sale recently that you can clearly see (if your aware) that the ubolts made contact on the edges and most likely didn’t sit flat. You could tell by the paint chipped off on the edges… point of contact.

here https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sold-south-oc-ca-sumo-springs-ssr-610-40-160.705613/


And here’s another https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sold-mods-delete.680262/#post-23959794


here https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sold-sumosprings-less-2-months-old.565838/#post-18589996


everything I’ve read (which there wasn’t much) said ubolts most definitely should sit completely flat and nobody has said the gap I show in the pictures would be normal or ok. Hence not installing them yet. Sumo said to cut notches in the bracket (which I shouldn’t have to but if I can figure out best way to actually notch/semi circle and not hack it I will). If you compare stock bump bracket to sumo you can see the bracket is not the full width of the leafs specifically where the ubolts rest unlike sumo. My theory is the notch is there to compensate for the inner radius’s of the ubolt and sit flat.

Notch on stock bumps


ive brought this up multiple times and I’m really not getting any help, mostly those saying I have no gap. And that very well may be possible but I find it so hard to believe that I’m the only 1! I’d really love someone to go out any actually take a picture at the same level as my picture and show me no gap (and then If so the brand ubolts you bought and your setup). I don’t have anything crazy- it’s stock leaf pack with 3leaf aal, stock ubolts and currently stock bumps (the only combo the bolts seated flat) but I still want these sumos in.