Thor Forums

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by brucev

Some say that Sumo Springs help but be careful as the one that replaces the bump stop won't do much. I have heard that the other style (more expensive) will raise the coach an inch or so, creating a softer ride. If I were doing it again, I would probably start with Sumo springs , but there are mixed reviews depending on who you listen to and what product they bought. I am just tired of throwing money at and getting minor improvements. Good luck and if you find a solution, please pass it on.

I put Sumo Maxims front and rear some 12,000 miles ago. Good improvement overall but not perfect. The coach is always fully loaded - 11,420 rear and 6,400 front. With the big bumps from broken pavement, there was a hard landing hitting the stock bump stops. Here the Sumos made the ride much better. The Sumos also help with sway. You got to be careful in the installation so that the are always under quite a bit of static compression. The installation instructions tell you how. This does increase the total spring rate but does away with harsh bump stops and reduces sway quite a bit. Personally I don't notice the coach wandering or moving around in heavy traffic, but again the only weight the coach has behind the rear axle is the outside kitchen and the fuel tank.

It is true that Thor Motorcoach does not modify the Ford chassis (actually the chassis is built by Detroit Chassis under contract and not at the Ford heavy truck plant in Louisville, KY). Thor contracts with Lippert Components to modify the chassis for a house of Thor's design. For the 31S chassis, Lippert expends 11 man hours welding on the chassis rails. The modified chassis are delivered to plant 750 on 45 ft goose-neck, low-boy trailer (12 a day). A trip through the plants will cure a great many misconceptions.