What are they? What’s the difference? And what do you need?
Here’s an overview of the key differences between the steel SuperSprings helper spring and the SumoSprings airbag alternative. This will give you a better idea of what’s best for your particular application or build.
What are SuperSprings?
SuperSprings are a bolt-on steel helper spring designed to add spring rate to your existing leaf pack. This is our namesake product and it’s what we started with back in 1996 when we began our U.S. operations. This is the helper spring built as an alternative to adding a leaf to your spring pack.
The design of the SuperSprings eliminates sag and helps reduce body roll. What makes SuperSprings unique is the patented roller bolt design. This creates a self-adjusting feature for the SuperSprings and helps in situations where the weight can vary.
For example, a pest control or salt spreader truck has a heavy load at the beginning of the day. Yet, as the day goes on and the work is completed, that vehicle’s weight changes. As the weight adjusts, SuperSprings adjust with it.
Instead of breaking apart a spring pack and adding another leaf, this solution is a bolt-on, zero-maintenance, high-grade steel solution that comes with a lifetime warranty.
What are SumoSprings?
This product line is a totally different animal. SumoSprings are not rubber and they’re not airbags. This is the airbag alternative, made from microcellular polyurethane. Consequently, these suspension upgrade never requires any lines, compressors, or maintenance. This is a fit-it-and-forget-it solution that comes with a lifetime warranty.
Because SumoSprings aren’t rubber they perform differently. Unlike rubber or air suspension solutions, SumoSprings have a progressive spring rate. This upgrade installs where your factory bump stops live and is engineered to make contact with your vehicle’s frame much sooner. This design provides load support reduces body roll, and helps stop rear-end sag on your truck, SUV, or motorhome. SumoSprings have been tested to show that they reduce vibration on the vehicle by at least 68% on average.
For a more in-depth look at the SumoSprings check out the post on SumoSprings colors and SumoSprings vs airbags vs bump stops.
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SumoSprings vs SuperSprings – what should I buy?
Let’s look at some example applications of SumoSprings vs SuperSprings and where each one works best. This is what will help you decide which one is right for you, and in some cases when you might need both.
A lot of our customers are in the work truck industry – for example, Royal Truck Body builds out heavy work trucks that need constant load support. Check out the story on Royal using SuperSprings. With companies building truck fleets that add cranes, booms, and other heavy equipment there’s a need to add the SuperSprings add a leaf alternative helper spring.
It’s also the case with heavy on-sided applications, from trucks with a boom on one side or a Class A motorhome with a heavy one-sided slide out. These builds benefit greatly from the constant load support of the SuperSpring.
In most recreational situations, however, your vehicle is not constantly loaded. Whether you have an overland rig like a Tacoma, a Class B van like the Travato, a truck, and trailer for camping, or a Class A F53 motorhome, SumoSprings make the journey better.
Let’s take the example of the truck and trailer. Having Coil SumoSprings on the front, SumoSprings for towing in the rear, and Trailer SumoSprings on the trailer provides full driving support. Additionally, SumoSprings are designed to work with your factory suspension so that when your truck isn’t loaded or towing, your unloaded ride is as good as it was from the factory.
Remember to always consider constant load versus variable load. Generally speaking, SuperSprings are designed for constant load applications while SumoSprings work best in variable load applications. The negative impact of adding SuperSprings to a vehicle that’s mostly unloaded is a harsher ride.
When should I use SumoSprings and SuperSprings together?
There are a few instances where using both SumoSprings and SuperSprings together is the best solution. This is most often seen in RV applications. A couple of examples would include the RAM ProMaster and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Class B or C van builds. We’ve seen this be particularly successful with NoMadderWhereVan on their ProMaster and MathersOnTheMap on their Sprinter.
Check out this video where SSI President Adam Wesiner explains the key differences between SuperSprings vs. SumoSprings.
Use our application guide to see what we have for your vehicle.
Comments 13
Do summo springs help by putting less stress on leaf springs on a fifth wheel RV on a rough road with potholes?
Author
Yes, SumoSprings help reduce stress on the suspension by transferring some of loads directly to the chassis and by dampening and reducing the impact forces and vibrations from those rough roads and large bumps/potholes.
Is it safe to use Super Springs and Sumo Springs with both spacers on a 3500 ProMaster RV? Loaded, the Sumo’s measure approximately 5.75 inches. I’ve read a number of post about people using both spacers.
Author
Hey Mike, great question! The short answer is yes, but I’d recommend starting with no spacers on the Sumos and possibly adding 1 spacer if needed. Two spacers is too much. Feel free to reach out with any other questions.
Good morning. I have a C-Class RV on a Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2020 chassis. Should I put both on it or is SumoSprings enough? Thank you.
Pedro Garcia
Florida.
Hi there,
Thank you for your message. The SumoSprings on all four corners would be a major upgrade to the factory suspension. I can help with the part numbers if you’d like. Is it a Sprinter 2500, or 3500? Is it 4×2, or 4×4?
I have a 2016 F-150 screw 2wd with a 6” lift. The blocks in the rear have the “ears” sticking out to provide a place for the jounce pads to land since the axle is so much further away now. Can I use the SumoSprings in this application?
Hi John,
Thanks for the info! Can you please tell me how much clearance in inches there is from the frame where the bump stop is mounted to the nearest point of contact? The effectiveness of the SumoSprings will depend on the amount of clearance. Feel free to give me a call if you’d like to! You can reach me directly at (805) 881-5205.
Hi Robert,
Great question! Yes, you can use both the SuperSprings and SumoSprings on your truck. We actually recommend this combination as much as possible, as you get the best of both worlds:
SuperSprings offer the additional load-leveling ability.
SumoSprings offer the additional capacity, ride comfort, and control.
The part number I recommend to use in conjunction with the SuperSprings for your truck is the SSR-302-47.
SSR-302-47 https://www.superspringsinternational.com/shop/SSR-302-47
Let me know if you have any questions, or if you’d like me to get an order started for you!
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 4×4 with Supersprings installed. Can I also install the Sumosprings helper springs, and would it be beneficial? I have a light weight truck camper installed most of the time.
Thanks
Hi, I have Sumo SSR-123-47-2 on my Ford F-250 2010 5.4L. I had the Spring Spring Leaf too. I removed it and put only the Sumo spring. Question is, can I combine the Super Spring Leaf with the Sumo SSR-123-47-2 together? The Sumo SSR-123-47-2 is a full kit rated at 5000 lbs. Are the both compatible together? Or too firm?
Mark,
Thank you for your entry, unfortunately the SuperSprings and SumoSprings will not work in conjunction with each other on this application. The SumoSprings sit on top of the leaf pack and would not be able to be installed correctly if the SuperSprings were also installed on this application. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Mac Tackett
Sales & Service Representative
Direct: (805) 745-5751
Anyone out there have experience with a Nexus Phantom on an International chassis ?