Boogie bumps or Sumo springs for towing

[AH64ID]

@jetrinka is concerned about his lines and the weather because he runs the with the valve cores removed, so they intake and expel air with every bump.

They are fine exposed if you aren’t running them with the valve core removed when empty.

 

[Trash Panda]

@jetrinka is concerned about his lines and the weather because he runs the with the valve cores removed, so they intake and expel air with every bump.

They are fine exposed if you aren’t running them with the valve core removed when empty.

Yep.

I’ve always had to leave mine in, because I have yet to meet a valve core I couldn’t lose as soon as it comes out lol

 

[jetrinka]

With a little enginuity, you can run the schrader valves as your license plate mounting “studs”.

Makes filling a breeze, and it’s super clean too.

I thought of that but since I wanted to run without the valve cores in 98 percent of the time I wanted them shielded from road grime and water. It sucked getting them mounted in the Ramboxes but I like them there

 

[jetrinka]

Thanks! The airlift bags that replace your bumps or the ones that go inside the springs? And what are the daystar cradles?

Sorry for not clarifying. I can look up the part number later but Airlift has a lot of bags that has internal bump stops. The directions still say to maintain 5 PSI in them but I don’t see a point.

Daystar Cradles are more something PW owners get worrying about suspension travel. Normally the bag has its own perch secured to the axle tube. The Daystar cradle eliminates this and gives the bottom of the bag something to rest on without limiting axle articulation off road. In a truck or Jeep where excessive articulation is possible you could limit this with a bag tied to both the axle and frame or worse tear the bag.

 

[Gren71]

Sorry for not clarifying. I can look up the part number later but Airlift has a lot of bags that has internal bump stops. The directions still say to maintain 5 PSI in them but I don’t see a point.

Daystar Cradles are more something PW owners get worrying about suspension travel. Normally the bag has its own perch secured to the axle tube. The Daystar cradle eliminates this and gives the bottom of the bag something to rest on without limiting axle articulation off road. In a truck or Jeep where excessive articulation is possible you could limit this with a bag tied to both the axle and frame or worse tear the bag.

If you have the time to post a link I would love to take a look at it. Sounds like an interesting concept

 

[Gren71]

Also, for anyone following this thread.

I installed the sumo springs last week and they drive fine unloaded. I’m aware of them on some bumps but I’m so new to the 2500 suspension I honestly can’t tell if it’s the bumps or just the HD suspension.

But I am a sucker for a little trial and error so I reached out to SuperSprings and ordered a set of compatible blue foam, which are softer than the black.

Just to swap them out and see if there is a difference at all in the ride. Also to see if the soft ones will fit my need or if I prefer the black ones.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Thanks! The airlift bags that replace your bumps or the ones that go inside the springs? And what are the daystar cradles?

You want the ones that replace the bump stops. In addition to offsetting the sag that you're after, mounting them outboard increases the lateral stability immensely.

Daystar cradles "decouple" the bottom of the bag if you need extra axle articulation for offroad. Otherwise the bag can limit suspension travel (axle droop).

 

[jetrinka]

If you have the time to post a link I would love to take a look at it. Sounds like an interesting concept

Here's the link for the airbag kit I used - I searched using my truck but yours should be the same (verify first). Also just noticed they say now they can be run with 0 PSI in them.

LoadLifter 5000 Ultimate Air Spring Kit - 88289 | Air Lift Company

Air Suspension and Air Management

www.airliftcompany.com

And here is a link to the cradles.

Daystar Air Bag Cradles (Pair) - Fits most 6" Bellow Air Bags

Get the best of both worlds-off road capability with load handling by installing a set of Daystar Air Bag Cradles.

dieselpowerproducts.com

I'll post up a few pictures too of my truck in a sec.

 

[jetrinka]

Forgot I actually have some air in them right now

 

[Gren71]

Took the chance to throw the blue sumo’s in today while I was out cruising around.

Pretty significant difference in how they feel going over bumps. Enough that I was actually surprised after starting to get used to the black ones.

If the blue ones don’t do what I need them to for towing, but the Black do, my plan is to cut the blues to be a standard bump stop and just screw the black ones in as needed for towing.

If you reach out to SuperSprings the part number for the blue sumos is 511440, and you will need two of them. They cost me $103 each shipped.

 

[Gren71]

hooked up the camper for the first tow today with the blue bumps in.

Measurments:

Unloaded
Front - 40 3/4"
Rear - 42 1/2"

full tongue
Front - 41"
Rear - 41 1/4"

WDH (set for my old 1500, havent altered the setup yet)
Front - 40 7/8"
Rear - 41 1/2"

WDH after some driving and letting the suspensions settle in with the weight
Front - 40 7/8"
Rear - 41 3/8"

With the camper on the rear dropped 1", and the WDH succesfully redistributed a bit of weight to bring the front end back by half the height it went up with full tongue weight. I still need to put the golf cart into the truck to see what it does to the rear, but if it sags the rear more that 1/2" I will have to try the black sumos and see what they do. If at the end of the day the sumos, and possibly some wdh adjustments, arent able to keep the rear at least 1/2" above the front I will probably just go with the bags. I enjoy the process of trial and error and trying things out, so hopefully this helps out another owner if theyre of a similar mindset.

That all being said.

MAN! this 2500 tows so dang nice. The sumos made the loaded ride feel wonderful.

 

[Gren71]

I did the first tow with the 2500 fully loaded…. Well nearly. The Wife and kids had to drive separately.

But I was really impressed with the blue sumo Springs. This truck is night and day better than a 1500! I didn’t do measurements and in retrospect I should have… but every time I stopped and looked it seemed just about the level to me.

I know one of the photos it doesn’t look like it, I think that is just the angle. But it was the most comfortable pull I have ever had. I will try the black sumo springs at some point, but I am in no rush after how well the blue ones did and how they dont have any impact at all on my daily drive.

In driveway, before leaving


Mid way


At the camp site, 180 miles.

 

[Garvanzo]

Gren, I'm glad for your towing experience. I believe that you and I made the correct choice to move up to HD trucks after experimenting with the half tons and the upgraded springs and bags. I took my 30' travel trailer for a 75 mile ride with the new 3500 last week and found that it towed better without weight distribution connected than the half ton did with it. I am really looking forward to this summer's trip.

 

[Gren71]

I cannot describe how happy I am with this truck combined with the blue sumos

2250 pounds of mulch in the bed and it drove like a dream



Not sure why this picture keeps showing up sideways… It’s oriented appropriately on my phone.

 

[dieselscout80]

I cannot describe how happy I am with this truck combined with the blue sumos

2250 pounds of mulch in the bed and it drove like a dream

View attachment 95344

Not sure why this picture keeps showing up sideways… It’s oriented appropriately on my phone.
View attachment 95346

Nice

Do you have a picture with your truck empty that shows the clearance between the axle and the blue sumos?

 

[Gren71]

Nice

Do you have a picture with your truck empty that shows the clearance between the axle and the blue sumos?

Drivers side unloaded


Drivers side loaded 2,250lbs od mulch


Passenger side unloaded


The drivers side site a little lower with a full tank.

They are imperceptible over bumps while driving w/o a load in the bed. The black ones that come with the kit were a little (emphasis on a little) harsh but not bad at all. If my TT were heavier id have the black ones in.

For reference here it is at regular ride height


Loaded with 2,250lbs of mulch

 

[dieselscout80]

Drivers side
View attachment 95349

Passenger side
View attachment 95350

The drivers side site a little lower with a full tank.

They are imperceptible over bumps while driving w/o a load in the bed. The black ones that come with the kit were a little (emphasis on a little) harsh but not bad at all. If my TT were heavier id have the black ones in.

For reference here it is at regular ride height
View attachment 95351

Thanks

Is that a Ram specific version (with blue & black) of them and if so what part number?

 

[Gren71]

Thanks

Is that a Ram specific version (with blue & black) of them and if so what part number?

The kit from sumo comes with the black springs. After reading some other threads I decided to order a set of the blue ones that fit the Hardware but were intended to be for an F150 according to the company. They fit perfect perfectly and Work great so they are what I’m going to stick with. If they sag more with warmer weather i can always just stick the black ones in before hooking up.

You can order the ram sumo kit and then order the blue springs (item 511440) separately.

If you call sumo you could order the hardware for the 2500 and then ask for this item number (511440) to get the blue springs and just build the kick yourself for probably less than the regular kit cost costs.

2024 Ram 2500 4x4 kit

SSR-312-47 | SumoSprings Rear | SuperSprings International

SumoSprings Solo Kits are a one-piece unit attached on one side used as a replacement/upgrade to factory bump stops

superspringsinternational.com

 

[Gren71]

I edited Post 56 so you can see a comparison of the loaded versus unloaded sumo and truck