Community Forums

Jackofall · 11-21-2019, 06:13 PM

I bought a new Winnebago and thought it felt a little squirrelly. Read up on Sumo Springs so when I went in for some warranty work I asked the service manager what he thought of them and he said " aousome ". So I bought front and back took about 3hrs to install and it was a Huge difference. Also added a steering stabilizer which also helped. Been full-time for 3 years still working great.

Steve 716 · 11-21-2019, 07:37 PM

My RV is a pusher so I can't guarantee that my fix applies to your coach, but I think it will. My coach came with Bilsteins and I felt every bump, pothole, and bridge transition. It was like the coach was directly connected to my suspension without a shocks in between and I hated it. It was a really harsh, jarring ride.

I had my coach aligned and that helped steering effort, but not the ride. I also had my coach weighed at each corner and each side. Weights are balanced and my tires are inflated according to the Michelin charts. It helped some. Driving remained harsh however. I purchased Koni front shocks online and had a commercial tire company install them. I also had a Safe-T-Plus installed, not so much for ride improvement as to keep my coach running straight if I have a blowout. The Safe-T-Plus improve steering feel with less effort and the combination made driving much easier. The shocks almost completely eliminated the rough ride. The Koni shocks are more forgiving than the Bilsteins and the ride is a bit softer. For me, a softer ride was well worth the change. The Koni shocks were not expensive and the shop installed them for $50 each.

orit1350 · 11-21-2019, 10:43 PM

i own 2019 40' Tiffin Bus. it came with Bilstein shocks. the required tire pressure is 130 psi in the front on 315 tires.
i lowered the pressure to 115 psi. it was better but not satisfactory. i installed 2 new Konis in the rear and 2 adjustable konis in the front. the comfort ride is 100% better. the coach glides on the road.
joe p
2019 40' tiffin bus

chuckie0204 · 11-22-2019, 03:23 AM

I have sumos on the front and back of mine. The fronts were easy to put on. The back you have to drill holes for. It took me all the better part of a day to do. Greatly improved the ride. As for rough railroad track and roads, even when I had air suspension, it is still a hard ride.

Thor396 · 11-22-2019, 07:38 AM

I have a 2000, 35 foot Thor f53 chassis. I installed firestone air bags front and rear. New monroe shocks front and rear. Set tire pressure 80 psi per data chart in coach. This improved my ride 50 percent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kxbronco

I finished up a 4500 mile trip in the moho a few weeks ago. Everything went great except the rough roads. Specifically, the joints and bridge transitions rattled our teeth. It got me to thinking about how to get a better ride.

I have a 2004 W22 chassis. It has Roadmaster sway bars front and rear and Bilstein shocks that are ~5 yrs old. I do get pushed around a little by other large vehicles, but it's not to bad although I don't have anything to compare it to as this is my first moho.

My main focus is trying to soften the blow from the joints and bridge transitions. I've read tons of threads on SumoSprings, Koni FSD and Bilstein shocks and still don't feel confident in the best solution. Obviously, I don't want to spend a bunch of money and not get reasonable results. So, what do you think I should try? I'm thinking SumoSprings first because of costs.

poorfarmer · 11-22-2019, 07:44 AM

As an owner also of a 2004 w-22 here’s what i can share on this topic. I too have the roadmaster sway bars, bilstein shocks, blue ox trac bars, and i also installed the sumo springs front and back. I have weighed my coach at the 4 corners and run 85lbs front and 92 in rear. Did the sumo springs help? I would say yes. But do they smooth out the rough ride inherent to a leaf spring chassis? No. This is the reason eventually i will be going the diesel route. Would love to hear from someone who invested in the Kellerman air ride conversion and see what their results were.

Jimwsch · 11-22-2019, 07:59 AM

07 Baystar 20k lb chassis Konis Davis tru trac and Ultra program 10 years ago an never regretted the money. No more road issues very little movement in chassis and has run great. We drive from north B.C to Nevada in winter over every kind of road and passes no problems at all. Brazzells is a great place to go if your in the north west.

Kxbronco · 11-22-2019, 09:07 AM

Thanks for all the additional input. I'm going to get some SumoSprings for the front. If that doesn't help much I will try some Konis on the front.

F4Gary · 11-22-2019, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thor396

I have a 2000, 35 foot Thor f53 chassis. I installed firestone air bags front and rear. New monroe shocks front and rear. Set tire pressure 80 psi per data chart in coach. This improved my ride 50 percent.

Please expand on the Firestone air bags.
Is this the Kellerman conversion?

Thor396 · 11-23-2019, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Please expand on the Firestone air bags.
Is this the Kellerman conversion?

No, they are an aftermarket kit you can purchase and install yourself. There's different level kits. Just the bag installation to full compressor and control valve assembly. I've been running mine now for 3 years. 2 trips to Florida and one to Dollywood Smokey mountain. I live in Michigan. No problem with them.

MoCoTom · 11-24-2019, 09:40 AM

If you want add on air bag (springs) to ride better with no loss of performance you should add an air ride expansion tank (often called a ping tank) to the system. The addition of a one gallon tank for each air bag will soften the harshness often experienced with air helpers when hitting major highway imperfections. The bag is plumbed to the tank and then the tank is aired to whatever pressure you desire. The jolt felt with these small bags is due to the spike in air pressure when compressed by bumps, the smaller the bag the higher the pressure spikes. Adding the tank simply expands the air capacity of the system and therefore lowers the rapid air pressure spike.
Tom

F4Gary · 11-24-2019, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thor396

No, they are an aftermarket kit you can purchase and install yourself. There's different level kits. Just the bag installation to full compressor and control valve assembly. I've been running mine now for 3 years. 2 trips to Florida and one to Dollywood Smokey mountain. I live in Michigan. No problem with them.

OK, how about letting us in on this kit?

Thor396 · 11-25-2019, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F4Gary

OK, how about letting us in on this kit?

Google Firestone 2582 ride right air spring kit. They have different kits depending on your chassis

Thor396 · 11-25-2019, 04:19 PM

So you're saying adding an 1 gallon tank to each bag works like an accumulator? Absorbing some of the shock? Interesting. Going to put some thought into this. Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoCoTom

If you want add on air bag (springs) to ride better with no loss of performance you should add an air ride expansion tank (often called a ping tank) to the system. The addition of a one gallon tank for each air bag will soften the harshness often experienced with air helpers when hitting major highway imperfections. The bag is plumbed to the tank and then the tank is aired to whatever pressure you desire. The jolt felt with these small bags is due to the spike in air pressure when compressed by bumps, the smaller the bag the higher the pressure spikes. Adding the tank simply expands the air capacity of the system and therefore lowers the rapid air pressure spike.
Tom