Would you like a smoother ride from your Promasters Rear suspension? Well SuperSprings International would like to help you out with that with their SumoSprings Solo airless airbags.
Microcellular urethane one piece unit that replaces the factory bump stop as well as filling the gap the factory unit was leaving. Whats the point? Well they're supposed to improve ride, reduce side to side sway and abolish sudden bottoming out. Most people should actually be able to install the SumoSprings themselves using basic tools.
“With SumoSprings, ProMaster users can upgrade the stock rear suspension without having to send the vehicle to a spring shop,” said Mike Visser, president of SuperSprings International. “That way, there is no wasted time spent shuttling drivers back and forth, and the installation can be done whenever it is most convenient.”
Fit them and forget them is the motto, they won,t sag or leak like traditional airbags and there are no compressor lines. There are two choices of density to suit your typical loads, one for medium duty and the other for heavy duty.
I have to admit that I'm skeptical about adding any type of helper spring because multiple spring systems in parallel become stiffer, and unless a vehicle is overloaded it generally just makes the ride harsher. However, there are exceptions like when air bags lift the ride height enough to change the characteristics of multi-stage factory leaf springs. Not sure this example applies to PM.
One concern of mine would be a two year warranty. Unlike steel that could flex in elastic range practically for ever, I'd worry about the foam breaking down with repeated compression cycles.
I've been considering the SumoSprings for my PM. But reading the article and the list prices that were quoted, I may change my mind. Twice the price of air bags and giving up the capability of height adjustment doesn't quite do it for me. I run with about 3000 lbs on board all the time and I would be concerned that the SumoSprings will start breaking down after a couple of years. I can't believe there's anything made that would withstand compression and decompression over a period of time without losing something structurally.
Airbags themselfs are cheap in price and are easly to replace if something should
happen to them (once the system is in place) and adjustable for different weights.
For what its worth I know the Travato community has been using the above Sumos for years with pretty much universal acclaim. Say it makes the van more stable feeling
Maybe taking out the second leaf and adding this would soften the ride but keep the stock ride height. Or maybe if you wanted to lift the rear you could add those plus a spacer?
I have sumos on my light sprinter conversion. I love them. reduces side to side oscillations a bit and reduces bottoming on hard hits on the highways etc. Also keeps the van level when towing/hauling heavy loads. No downsides.
Just to reiterate, I put sumos on my Promaster Travato (9K all loaded) and the improvement is immediate. more precise steering feel, less body roll, level ride even loaded and towing, and it handles big highway speed bumps without bottoming. Pleased with the product yet again.
I have them on the rear in combination with removing the second leaf spring and have now driven 2500 miles and this combination is working great. The sumo springs are in contact with the single leaf and give it a nice feel and not too much body roll when cornering.
That said I have not driven without them in place so ymmv
Got my rear Sumo Springs (Yellow) installed today. For reference, I drive a 2107 2500 ext and my conversion weight is just short of 7000 pounds. I found that once the conversion was done, the van levelled itself without removing any leaf springs. I installed each SumoSpring with only one of the provided spacers, leaving a gap of about only 1/8 - 1/4", which engages quite quickly once the van is in motion. Dramatic improvement in stability when cornering, driving over lumpy sort of roads, and in the wind. Getting these installed is a no brainer IMO.
I look forward now to doing the front Sumo's next and then sometime in the future upgrading the shocks with Bilsteins.
I installed the front Super Springs on our Winnebago Trend and it made a big difference, took out the slamming when going on off bridges ( why do they build them like that ? ) potholes and bumps etc . . Have air bags on rear . Virtually no wind push or passing sway . Good combination , saves wear n tear on shocks too . Cool !
Hello all,
I want to use the courtesy light feed in the upfitter panel to turn on some additional lights in the cargo area when the drivers or passengers door is open.
The document for the panel says "POWER SUPPLY + FOR TIMED CEILING LIGHT 15' WITH KEY OFF (pmax 20 watt at 12 v)"
Not thinking, I...
Does anyone know how much of an issue it is to wire the bench seats instead of the single seat? I know that if you replace the bench seats with a single seat you have to deal with "fooling" the extra wiring to think that there is a third seat, but what happens when I want to do the opposite? Is...
Hello all,
I want to use the courtesy light feed in the upfitter panel to turn on some additional lights in the cargo area when the drivers or passengers door is open.
The document for the panel says "POWER SUPPLY + FOR TIMED CEILING LIGHT 15' WITH KEY OFF (pmax 20 watt at 12 v)"
Not thinking, I...
I have an interesting story about insurance pricing in Texas on new 2019 Promaster 1500 136” high top vans. I won’t divulge the insurance companies name ( big company) but thought their take on getting me a quote was puzzling. I took the VIN # of (2) new Promaster vans both 1500 136” Cargo wb...
