Original post by Yuko & Eric of AsoboLife
You’re here because you want to know if upgrading your transit van’s suspension with SumoSprings is worth it. If that’s the case, check out our complete SumoSprings review below where we discuss our experience with this product after 3 years on the road.
We’ll talk about what exactly SumoSprings are, how they help your suspension, and critical things to know before you’re ready to purchase.
SPOILER ALERT: SumoSprings are 100% worth it. SumoSprings drastically smooth out your ride, reduce sway, and give you more control as you drive on uneven terrain. For the price you pay, they provide fantastic value.
What are SumoSprings?
SumoSprings are essentially oversized bump stops that replace your vehicle’s factory bump stops. Above is a size comparison between the old bump stop (brown) and the SumoSpring replacement (yellow).
As you can see, SumoSprings are over twice the size.
But there is more to SumoSprings than simply their size. Where bump stops exist to prevent dangerous impact between a vehicle’s main body and its chassis, SumoSprings also improve the vehicle’s overall suspension and ride quality.
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How SumoSprings Improve Suspension
Most vans aren’t manufactured with the intent that they’ll be converted into a heavy RV and driven off-road. So you might find that your vehicle’s factory suspension system just can’t effectively support the van’s heavy payload and provide the smooth and stable ride you expect.
That’s where SumoSprings come in.
Absorbing Bumps, Shocks, & Sways Earlier
When you replace a factory bump stop with a SumoSpring, you’ll notice that there’s less air space between the vehicle’s body frame (top) and its chassis (bottom).
You can see this example in the above picture.
Exact distances will vary. Depending on the vehicle type and overall weight. In fact, SumoSprings are purposefully engineered to come into contact much sooner than a factory bump stop. This is so that the SumoSpring can begin to absorb the impact from the chassis earlier than a traditional bump stop.
The result of this effect is a vehicle that experiences:
- Less vertical movement
- Less body rolls
- Muted side-to-side sways
- Improved load support
Are SumoSprings for the Ford Transit Worth It?
Ok, you’ve made it here through the boring details and just want to know whether or not SumoSprings are worth it. And we have to say…
Absolutely. 100x YES!
SumoSprings significantly calmed our ride when driving across uneven terrain. Less side-to-side sway, smoother rides, and fewer jarring jolts.
They’ve not only helped to improve our riding comfort but they’ve also made driving off-road easier.
Life Before SumoSprings
We drove our first 30,000 miles without SumoSprings and still vividly remember the very real hesitations we had when we drove on uneven ground and bad terrain.
The long list of “bad terrain” that hampered our driving included:
- Bumpy dirt roads
- Forest roads
- Potholes (hello Oakland, CA!)
- Speed bumps
- Exiting bumpy driveways & lots
- Taking 90° turns faster than 15mph
- High wind environments
When we drove on any of the above terrains, the body of our van would experience tremendous movement. From harsh up-and-down movement to intense side-to-side sways it sometimes felt like our van was on a ship in the middle of a hurricane.
And all this movement sometimes caused our clothes and food to get thrown from their cabinets out onto the floor. It wasn’t uncommon to have a huge mess in the back when we finally arrived at our destination.
A Good Analogy? Imagine a bobblehead figure. When you shake the body, the oversized head bobbles from side to side with exaggerated movements. Imagine sitting inside the bobbling head as it sways back and forth. That’s what we felt in our camper before installing our SumoSprings.
Life After SumoSprings
With added suspension support from our SumoSprings, we are much more confident when driving on unmaintained roads.
Our rides are considerably smoother with less side-to-side sway because the SumoSprings pick up the weight of our camper and dampen its overall movement.
No longer are we weary of driving our Transit camper van off-road. We drive much more confidently and this has allowed us to get deeper into nature to enjoy a more diverse range of camping opportunities.
And for roughly $300-400 (prices vary depending on the vehicle model), SumoSprings are some of the cheapest camper van suspension upgrades you can make that have an immediate and noticeable impact on your driving experience.
No expensive installation required: We installed both the front and rear SumoSprings in less than two hours at a Walmart parking lot.
10/10 we would purchase SumoSprings again for a second camper van build.
Final Thoughts: SumoSprings Won’t Disappoint
Dollar-For-Dollar The Best Vehicle Suspension Upgrade You Can Make Right Now
For the most cost-effective camper van suspension upgrade, we think purchasing a pair of front and rear SumoSprings are the best way to go. In our opinion, SumoSprings are much more worthwhile than investing in a 4×4 camper van.
They’re not expensive, easy to self-install, and dramatically change the feel of your ride.
Whether if you’re looking to get SumoSprings for your Sprinter, Promaster, or Transit, we say just stop thinking about it and pick them up today. You won’t regret it.
These are some of the best camper suspension upgrades you can make right away to improve your ride.
We hope you enjoyed our SumoSprings review.
Happy driving!
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