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02-25-2022, 06:12 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 33.1
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 115
THOR #26005
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Sumo Springs
Ive searched on this site and others looking to see if someone has ONLY done sumo springs front and rear or one over the other?
I called the manufacture and was told I needed :
2020 Thor ACE 33.1 with a 2019 Ford Chasis F53
Front - SSR-170-40-2
Rear - SSR-187-54-2
Trying to see is this helped at all and you stopped after or you continued to add more handling features. (steering stabilzer, safe T bars etc) I got a quote of $1350 with todays pricing. However this week they are having a flash sale and offering me 20% off. Any advice TIA
Also Timbren seems to be a little more affordable. Or is anyone running Timbrens on the their rig?
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02-25-2022, 06:49 PM
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#2
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Axis/Vegas Enthusiast
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.4
State: Michigan
Posts: 9,837
THOR #1150
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My experience probably won't be relevant because my coach is on an E-350 but: I did the front sumo's and found that I liked the results. It is likely more of a perception thing but to me the front sumos reduced lean in turns and stopped some of the front extra bounces.
The front sumo's are the only suspension mods I made to my coach.
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02-25-2022, 07:07 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: '17-Vegas 24.1
State: California
Posts: 2,222
THOR #13362
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Many with the F53 Chassis do the “Cheap Handling Fix” (CHF)
Do a search for how-to.
It’s an easy mod that many owners are pleased with.
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'17 Vegas 24.1
Fallbrook, CA
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02-25-2022, 08:01 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 31S
State: Texas
Posts: 4,157
THOR #6411
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ntrinh15
Ive searched on this site and others looking to see if someone has ONLY done sumo springs front and rear or one over the other?
I called the manufacture and was told I needed :
2020 Thor ACE 33.1 with a 2019 Ford Chasis F53
Front - SSR-170-40-2
Rear - SSR-187-54-2
Trying to see is this helped at all and you stopped after or you continued to add more handling features. (steering stabilzer, safe T bars etc) I got a quote of $1350 with todays pricing. However this week they are having a flash sale and offering me 20% off. Any advice TIA
Also Timbren seems to be a little more affordable. Or is anyone running Timbrens on the their rig?
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I found the Sumo springs front and rear, a rear track bar and 6 degrees of front caster was all my coach needed (5 years and 43,000 miles). Body roll and suspension compliance are the antithesis of each other.
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Jim & Roy Davis
2016 Hurricane 31S
1961 Rampside in tow
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02-25-2022, 09:23 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 33.1
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 115
THOR #26005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamieGeek
My experience probably won't be relevant because my coach is on an E-350 but: I did the front sumo's and found that I liked the results. It is likely more of a perception thing but to me the front sumos reduced lean in turns and stopped some of the front extra bounces.
The front sumo's are the only suspension mods I made to my coach.
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Yea but thats good to know cuz thats what i plan on doing
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02-25-2022, 09:27 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 33.1
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 115
THOR #26005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by taylorbob1
Many with the F53 Chassis do the “Cheap Handling Fix” (CHF)
Do a search for how-to.
It’s an easy mod that many owners are pleased with.
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I’ll plan on doing that as well. But these RVs are just so top-heavy. And I rather have a little more support underneath
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02-25-2022, 09:30 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 33.1
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 115
THOR #26005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beau388
I found the Sumo springs front and rear, a rear track bar and 6 degrees of front caster was all my coach needed (5 years and 43,000 miles). Body roll and suspension compliance are the antithesis of each other.
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I might just try the sumo springs this year and if it needs more I’ll do the rear sway bar
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02-25-2022, 10:25 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: challenger
State: Alabama
Posts: 27
THOR #21263
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I have sumo's on the front and timbren's in the rear.
the sumo's for the rear required drilling where as the timbren's didn't.
2012 f53 22000 lb chassis under a 2013 challenger.
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02-25-2022, 10:38 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 33.1
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 115
THOR #26005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeanluc001
I have sumo's on the front and timbren's in the rear.
the sumo's for the rear required drilling where as the timbren's didn't.
2012 f53 22000 lb chassis under a 2013 challenger.
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did you notice a difference? And did you install both at the same time or the front and than the rear? I dont mind the drilling as I dont ever plan to remove them unless they have failure. I just dont want to throw money at the rig if I dont have too.
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02-25-2022, 10:52 PM
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#10
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Junior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: challenger
State: Alabama
Posts: 27
THOR #21263
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I did the chf the sumo's and new shocks {bilstein} on the front first.
then did timbrens and tried the chf on the rear but couldn't get the bolts out.
looked to me that the timbren's did essentially the same thing that the sumo's did but without drilling and at a cheaper price.
reduced side to side roll alot. like when turning in and out of driveways.
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02-25-2022, 11:26 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 31S
State: Texas
Posts: 4,157
THOR #6411
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ntrinh15
I’ll plan on doing that as well. But these RVs are just so top-heavy. And I rather have a little more support underneath
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Actually the stock F-53 chassis in my case, the center of gravity is is about one foot above the floor. The vehicles roll center is about even with the top of the tires. This is about the same as in a full side 4 door luxury American car. The problem is the class A driver and passenger heads are located about 7 ft above the roll center and perceive a much greater body roll than is actually there in degrees. Most new class a drivers are used to a 5 to 8 degree body toll in typical 0.2 g corner. This is about the same degree of the lean in a Class A as in the car, but RV drivers head is 2.0 to 2.5 times the distance above the roll center. than found in a car so they perceive a 12 to 18 degree roll which is not there. After 230,000 miles you get use to it and it seems natural.
When I get a new coach, I take it down to a large church parking lot that is empty and practice parking between the lines, driving up to a wall or curb and backing into a parking space or up to a wall using the backup camera and side mirrors.. I check out the brake pressure to engage the anti-lock brakes. I try to see how much body roll I can tolerate in an emergency maneuver. Finally, I see how many feet it takes to stop the coach on drive pavement from 60 mph. I think you will find it is over 200 ft as compared to 110 ft in a modern car. This is to show you can never out brake a car that suddenly decided to stop completely before turning. This is the minimum necessary to safely drive an new coach.
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Jim & Roy Davis
2016 Hurricane 31S
1961 Rampside in tow
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02-25-2022, 11:39 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 33.1
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 115
THOR #26005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeanluc001
I did the chf the sumo's and new shocks {bilstein} on the front first.
then did timbrens and tried the chf on the rear but couldn't get the bolts out.
looked to me that the timbren's did essentially the same thing that the sumo's did but without drilling and at a cheaper price.
reduced side to side roll alot. like when turning in and out of driveways.
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I noticed the price difference. I really wonder if its worth the extra money for the sumo spring’s . Thats why im really interested in knowing if its worth it. I appreciate all the input I’ve received so far.
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02-26-2022, 12:52 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 31S
State: Texas
Posts: 4,157
THOR #6411
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ntrinh15
I noticed the price difference. I really wonder if its worth the extra money for the sumo spring’s . Thats why im really interested in knowing if its worth it. I appreciate all the input I’ve received so far.
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Properly installed the Sumo Maxums take about a 1,000 lbs from the leaf spring on each side of the front and 2,200 lbs each in the rear in the rear. This raises my coach about 1". As they replace the bump stops, the provide a gradual increase in stiffness rather the bang when the coach's leaf springs bottom against the stock Ford bump stops.
This different from an anti-roll bar which transfers some wheel load from the outside tire inside of a turn to the inside tire of the turn tire in to keep the coach upright. This is said to increase the roll stiffness of the coach. The increase is proportional to the bars effective length, its torsional stiffness (diameter and hardness) and the effective length of the arms attaching the bar to axle center-line.
Sumo springs can only transfer a very small wheel load as they stretch but only act a progressive additional spring adding to the leaf springs linear spring rate. The ride is somewhat different but the effect is the same if the Sumo and anti-roll bar stiffness is selected to suit the coach's owner.
Your results may vary!
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Jim & Roy Davis
2016 Hurricane 31S
1961 Rampside in tow
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02-26-2022, 02:15 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Miramar 37.1
State: California
Posts: 2,460
THOR #12698
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I don't have your coach but on my Sprinter, I installed Sumos on the front and rear at the same time. It stopped the terrible side to side motion when we drove into/out of driveways. It also eliminated the side sway when passing or being passed by large trucks. The Sumos filled the gap between the frame and axle where the factory bumps stops had a large gap(space) between the frame and axle.
Paul
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02-26-2022, 02:28 AM
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#15
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Windsport 29m
State: Virginia
Posts: 46
THOR #25276
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We recently installed sumos all around and safe t steer … made a huge difference on our 22 Windsport 29m. Much tighter ride. A lot less sway and slop. I bet Thor could install all this for 1000… aftermarket it’s a few thousand with labor.
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Bud & Trisha Leary
Suffolk, VA
‘22 Windsport 29m, 4 Sumo Shocks, Safe T Plus Stabilizer. Koni FSDs, Rear Track Bar. (World of Diff !) Godzilla 8 Cyl.
'21 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Sky One Touch, 3.6L, 2.5” lift, Demco Brakes, Blue Ox A2.
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02-26-2022, 03:52 AM
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#16
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Windsport 29M
State: Arizona
Posts: 78
THOR #21314
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I had timbrens installed 2 years ago on our windsport 29M. It really helped the swaying going around curves on mountain roads and with bumps. And I also installed a front roadmaster sway bar. That helped allot too. If the speed limit said 40 around a curve I had to go 35 or less, now it's not a problem with the speed listed.
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02-26-2022, 04:44 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 33.1
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 115
THOR #26005
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QUOTE=Rclbud;336211]We recently installed sumos all around and safe t steer … made a huge difference on our 22 Windsport 29m. Much tighter ride. A lot less sway and slop. I bet Thor could install all this for 1000… aftermarket it’s a few thousand with labor.[/QUOTE]
Prices are up. Sumps alone all around are $1350. I would do the install but still. Plus the safe t steer is at least another $550.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulerider
I had timbrens installed 2 years ago on our windsport 29M. It really helped the swaying going around curves on mountain roads and with bumps. And I also installed a front roadmaster sway bar. That helped allot too. If the speed limit said 40 around a curve I had to go 35 or less, now it's not a problem with the speed listed.
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Thats they main thing is the sway. I would like to be able to drive and not worry about the semi’s or cross winds
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03-02-2022, 08:45 PM
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#18
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Junior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 29.2
State: Virginia
Posts: 25
THOR #9819
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Sumo Springs
In Dec. 2017, we installed Sumo Springs both front and rear on our 2012 Thor ACE 29.2, V10 Ford F-53 chassis. The ride was immediately, noticeably smoother and somewhat quieter. The parts were $1246 and labor $319. Computer World Raleigh, NC did the work. $1718 total with tax.
We also had the entire bottom of the RV spray coated with sound-proofing which is really just extra thick undercoating. We installed new Bilstein extra heavy duty shock absorbers all around, and wrapped the exhaust pipe to the muffler with high-temp fiberglass. Next we replaced the Continental tires with Michelin, and that made the ride smoother and a few decibels quieter. We installed an Ultra Power SCT Tuner to lower the engine RPM when downshifting going up moderate inclines. High engine revs are quite noisy. It also gave us about 1-2 mpg better mileage.
When we first started out, the MH was measuring about 78-80 decibels on our phone app at 55 mph. The undercoat brought the average decibel reading down to 70-72, the Sumo Springs lowered it another few decibels to about 68. The exhaust fiberglass wrap brought it down to about 65. The tires down to about 62. The goal is 58 decibels at highway speeds, which is about normal conversation level, and would be quite good for a front engine gas RV, though to be honest it's still about 62-64, i.e. not as quiet as we'd like and there aren't many changes left we can make. Hard to hold conversations between driver and passenger seats at normal volumes. A large part of that is the fact that the engine is up front. If it were in the back, like a diesel, it would probably make all the difference.
Of course, the measurements are with a smart phone app, so these are "relatively" close figures at best.
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03-02-2022, 09:52 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Vegas 25.5 / Keystone Mon
State: Arkansas
Posts: 149
THOR #20441
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2019 Vegas on a E450 (now you have a different platform)
Sumo's on the front.
Hellwig rear swaybar.
Tire pressure check.
Ride improved for relatively cheap. Only couple hours one afternoon under the unit.
Pleased.
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03-02-2022, 11:18 PM
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#20
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: California
Posts: 59
THOR #12125
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So, are the Timbren’s on par with the Sumos performance wise?
Hoping so, in which case cheaper and easier self install, I may try to do this myself.
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2016 Hurricane 29M & 2016 Jeep Wrangler
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