SumoSprings Solo Custom Helper Springs - Rear Axle

Video Transcript for SumoSprings Solo Rear Helper Springs Review

Hey guys, this is Jake here with etrailer. Today we're gonna be talking about the density differences in the different colors of SumoSprings. More specifically, today we're gonna be talking about the blue line of SumoSprings. So just to compare each one to start with, the blue is going to be for your lighter, more frequent use. The black is going to be a more heavier duty, constant use, and then your yellow is going to be a more extreme duty, if you're constantly towing at the max capacity of the vehicle that you're using. To go over each one a little bit more and what case is best for each one, the blue one, which is why it's most popular, is going to be for frequent towing.

If you're towing like what we've got back here, a couple of buckets of salt or if you're going to the store to pick up a load of lumber or different building materials, whatever you're hauling, if you don't have a constant load on these, these are gonna be a great option. If you're wanting to put a set of SumoSprings on, say a sprinter van that's always loaded down with tools or maybe a rigging truck that's got a welder in the back, and you just want a little bit more support than what the factory suspension can supply, the black ones are gonna be a great option if they're always engaged. The yellow is going to be your most extreme option. So if you're pushing your vehicle to its max weight capacities, the yellow's probably gonna be what you're gonna want to go with because they're gonna supply the most support if you're at that max capacity. Now focusing more in on the blue set, they are going to be made out of a softer compound, which is why they're so ideal for people who are not towing all the time because the suspension on the vehicle is designed to be soft for a comfortable ride.

Well, if you go and throw a super stiff add-on spring on there, then it's gonna completely eliminate the fact that you had a softer suspension before. So when you put these on, they're going to help to absorb the shock rather than resist it like the other ones are. For when you hit bumps, this one's going to absorb it. It'll be a soft-cushion feel, whereas those are stiffer, so they're going to hit the frame, and you're gonna feel it transfer through the vehicle. Now, being made out of a urethane material, it's going to make it quiet but still harsh.

With the blue ones they are, like I said, they're gonna be much softer. If you're not towing all the time, these are gonna be a great option to add to your vehicle because you're gonna get the support when you need it and you won't even know it's there when you don't. Now, when it comes to installation, SumoSpring does a great job of making a custom install for each vehicle that you purchase these for. For example, we installed some on this 2020 Nissan Frontier, and this lower bracket is identical to the bracket that the factory jounce bumper was bolted onto. Except this one is going to be a little bit beefier, which is always a good thing.

You want the hardware to be able to support the add-on that you're putting on there. So depending on your vehicle, you can use our fit guide to find the right SumoSpring to fit your vehicle. Let's go ahead and take this over the test course and see how the suspension performs without our SumoSprings, and then we'll get them installed. Now to start off our test course, we're gonna start with just a couple of little bumps. Oh, you can feel a lot of sag in the back end of this truck because it's already compressed, so when we go over a bump there's not much more room to travel after that. When I'm hitting these bumps, the steering on the front feels very light. The steering wheel is kind of doing whatever it wants, and we're going at low speeds too, so this is not even a, not really a true example of what you might experience on the highway with high winds or anything like that to cause sway or any other problems you might have. But this is giving us a very good example of how soft the suspension is. Even with 450 pounds in the bed, that's, I mean, that's hardly nothing for what the owner of this vehicle typically hauls with it. He hauls a heavier trailer to do some side work here and there, and he's got usually about 400 pounds on the tongue or on the trailer hitch itself. So that's a lot more leverage than just in the bed of the truck directly over the axle. So in our little slalom here, driving back and forth, you can feel a little bit of body roll side to side. So hopefully those SumoSprings are gonna help out with some of that roll and help to get this suspension a little bit more dialed in and provides more support for us. Now with our SumoSprings installed in that same 450 pounds in the bed of our truck, take another measurement, we're at 34 and a half inches, so that's only a half inch of sag compared to the inch and a half we had earlier. Now with suspension enhancement, it's designed to provide some support not get it back to that factory ride. We want to have a little bit of sag because that's how we get the correct amount of weight on our ball mount or the tongue of our trailer. For when we are going over bumps is really when it's gonna count. We're not gonna have that same drop that we had in the first run. So let's go ahead and take it through and see how the support is with our SumoSprings. To start off our test course with our SumoSprings installed, we've got that same double bump. You can tell there's a lot more support in the rear now. Now these SumoSprings are still going to be relatively soft compared to a set of Timbrens or something a little bit stiffer, but you can tell, yeah, on that double bump there, it still has that softness that we want, but it's supporting it, and that's definitely what we're looking for out of this set. Now coming around a turn, we didn't have a whole lot of body roll before, but I can definitely tell it's a little bit more solid back there. I went over some small bumps in the parking lot, and I think it's handling quite a bit better than it was before. Again, we've only got about 450 pounds in the bed, so it's not a crazy heavy load, but it's definitely enough to engage our SumoSprings to really see how they work. Now the only thing is with this kit, you're not gonna have the adjustability like you would with a set of airbags, but for the example of this neighbor of ours that owns this vehicle, he doesn't need the adjustability. He's hauling the same load all the time, and it just so happens to be a decently heavy trailer that makes his truck squat a lot more than he feels comfortable with. So this set of SumoSprings is gonna work out great for him. These are gonna be made out of a microcellular urethane, which is essentially another term for foam that has tiny little air pockets in it that allow it to flex enough but also be stiff enough to provide that support. They are also going to be a progressive spring, so the more and more they compress the stiffer they get to provide that support. There are a couple options for jounce-style replacement springs on our website. I do like these a lot because there's other types out there that are much stiffer. They may be able to hold a lot more than these can, but a lot of trucks, such as the Frontier, they don't need that much support. These being rated for 1400 pounds is more than enough support for this Frontier and what it can handle. And the reason for that is, with those stiffer springs, you almost have to be loaded to half the capacity that they can carry in order for them to give you a comfortable ride. These being that softer urethane material, when you go over a speed bump or anything unloaded, you're not gonna feel a knock up against your frame because those other springs, when they engage, since it's such a hard rubber you'll feel it every time you go over a bump or anything like that. With these, you're not hardly gonna feel it because they are that softer material. These jounce-style bumpers are gonna be for the rear of your vehicle, but if you're looking for a front-end suspension enhancement, SumoSprings does make a variety of different products for different vehicles, so be sure to check out our fit guide to see what kits are available for your vehicle if you're having an issue with your front end. Hopefully this video was able to help you decide whether or not the Blue SumoSpring line is the right one for you.