To Sumo or not?

I have towed our Lance 2285 with several of my Tundras, my ‘19 Platinum, ‘21 Platinum and now my ‘18 SR5 DC 2WD. Although they all have squatted about 1 1/2” when loaded with the camper and gear the ‘18 does a little more bobbing on the highway and bottomed out once on a recent trip. I figured I’d go the Firestone Ride Rite route but came across Sumo Springs and Timbrens. Has anyone regretted purchasing either and wished they bought the air bags? When I called eTrailer they suggested the “blue” Sumos instead of the black ones or the Timbrens. They said they’d would be too harsh when not towing.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/air-bags-vs-sumo-springs.108147/#post-2787185
https://www.tundras.com/threads/sumo-springs.106039/
https://www.tundras.com/threads/sumosprings.102407/#post-2626797
https://www.tundras.com/threads/con...ongue-weight-should-i-get-sumo-springs.96902/

Check those threads above, those should give you lots of good info. They can be a tradeoffs with either bags or sumo as in any vehicle modification. Another option for you to check out is RAS heavy duty.

 

I had bags and moved to sumo’s. I liked the sumo better.

That said, they will not cure the problem you are talking about. Look at the link provided above.

 

Are you using a WDH and is it set up properly?

 

I'm running the blue ones...No issues with ride.

I'm running blue Sumos and RAS. Works for me.

 

Yep, Equalizer WDH with 10,000# bars. Set up by the RV dealer. It was set up for my 2019 Platinum. I then used it on the ‘21 Platinum when I bought it. The camper towed the same with both. I think the ‘18 2WD sits a tad lower in the back (not sure tho) and when I hitch up the camper I get the same amount of rear squat and front lift (1 1/2” squat, 1/2” lift) as I did on the Platinums. We camp at the same destination every time and take the same route. I noticed a little “bobbing” or porpoising on one stretch of road that I never noticed before on the Platinums. The only difference in the trucks is the ‘18 is a double cab and the tonneau cover is a heavy ass Leer trifold, probably twice as heavy as the Truxedo Sentry CT I had on the short bed Tundras. With the ‘18 I have a little more room in the bed for stuff. I maybe had 50# more stuff in the bed this time. I don’t load the inside of the camper the same every time but not a drastic difference from each trip. The bobbing isn’t scary by any means but would make me car sick if we traveled more than the 40 minutes we go to our campsite. One thing I did find out is this truck has K02s, load range D with a max inflation of 65#. They were at 35# on our last trip. After reading about these tires I took them up to 50# yesterday so we will see if that makes a difference. I know the “unloaded” ride is pretty brittle at 50# when compared to 35#.

 

I tow with my DC 2wd. My trailer is a little shorter so i have to keep a bunch of gear in my truck bed.

the bobbing was super annoying before i got the sumos. It handles better now and doesn’t bottom out like crazy. I got the lightest blue sumos, they ride like crap unloaded tho

 

You had 1/2" front end lift after the WDH was connected? Did you happen to measure the front end lift with the trailer connected but the WDH bars off?

As far as a dealer setting up the hitch, be wary of that. When I bought my trailer the dealer didn't really have a clue how to set one up properly and sold only a 10,000# as their lightest. Another thing is that these are not a once and done deal. Any significant load change requires adjustment of the WDH. and a different tow vehicle is definitely significant.

If your trailer weighs less than 8,000 pounds but more than 6,000 fully loaded you should get the 8,000# bars. You will notice a difference.

As far as front end lift, my 21 lifts about 1/8" after my 8000# bars are connected. My trailer is a smidge over 3 tons.

 

You may need to replace your factory leaf springs, check those first. After that, Roadmaster Active Suspension is your answer. I was sold on the concept, but skeptical. Then I bought and installed the HD version. Why ride around on fancy bump stops? The RAS HD helps the truck handle much better on the highway at speed, handles big bumps at speed on bad roads better, and it’s crazy how much better the truck behaves towing. Less sway, much less porpoising, no bobbing off of bump stops, and much less sag. The help with sway was cool, they talk about it on their website but I didn’t think it would work so well. No I’m not paid by them, lol.

Depending on how you set the preload on them you’ll get 1/2”-1” of a lift in the back, mine is about 1/2” on the minimum setting.