Comparing Air Springs And SumoSprings For A Motorhome

Updated 04/11/2024 | Published 04/08/2024

Question:

Do you have any comparisons for Gas Motorhomes Between using Sumo Springs compared to Airlift Airbags? Looking for some advice which better.

asked by: Dave E

Expert Reply:

Hey Dave,

Air Springs and SumoSprings both fall under the same category with the main goal to help prevent sag but offer different styles of solutions. Air springs offer the adjustability to help level your ride back out, which can make a huge difference with heavy motorhomes. This can majorly help with your overall handling and help prevent side to side sway, but isn't always the most comfortable ride and requires a lot of "maintenance/testing" to find the right psi levels for your motorhome.

SumoSprings can help reduce sagging and provide better cushioning for a much smoother ride quality, but they have zero adjustability so you still could see some sagging. These require zero maintenance so once installed you'll all good to go and won't have to play around with psi levels to get it feeling right. These also act independently to help reduce side to side sway as well.

In our shop SumoSprings are the most common aftermarket installation for a motorhome's suspension so personally I'd go with SumoSprings, but it really depends on what kind of issues you're facing. If one side of your motorhome body is heavier than the other and it sags real bad on one side then air springs would be my choice to help correct the lean and get you level. If ride quality and a bit of sag is more so the issue then SumoSprings would be the right choice.

What kind of issues are you facing and what is the year/make/model of your motorhome so I can make a more informed decision on the right solution for you?

expert reply by: Kevin C

Dave E.

4/9/2024

Hi Kevin, Thanks for the response. I have heard great reviews on Sumo springs but was not sure if its my solution. We have 2020 Fleetwood flair Stock suspension and rides really rough. it came standard with the bilsten Steering stabilizer. We get a lot of side to side sway and feels like its riding on bricks, going over any type of bridge you can Feel everything. Its a bearable ride but not for long periods of time. Just looking to see if any solution will make a dramatic effect on its ride.

Kevin C.

4/9/2024

@DaveE Having driven around numerous motorhomes I know exactly what you're experiencing. SumoSprings are going to be the better choice to help with terrible ride quality since they actually cushion the suspension instead of just pushing the axle away from the frame, like air springs do. From there if you're still having issues then you'll want to either add in or replace your current anti-sway bars with thicker ones. If you can tell me the sub model/floorplan number for your motorhome I'd be happy to look up the correct components for your motorhome.

Dave E.

4/9/2024

@KevinC we have 29m. I did do the “cheap fix” on the sway bars. That did help some. Just been frustrated by the build of the motor home. We like the layout just seems low quality when comes to driving comfort. Is this typical for all the v10 f53 chassis?

Kevin C.

4/10/2024

@DaveE This is typical with like 99% of motorhomes so I understand the frustration. Motorhome manufacturers are seeing the rise in aftermarket parts though and starting add on some suspension enhancement at the factory or giving consumers add-on packages if they're having the RV built. I'm not quite sure how the price of those packages would compare to aftermarket options though. The best anti-sway bars we can offer for your 2020 Fleetwood Flair 29M are the Roadmaster Front # RM-1139-148 (1-3/4" thick) and Rear # RM-1139-146 (1-1/2" thick). The thicker the bar the better the support so if you find your current bars are less than these you could swap them out to help with the swaying a bit more.

Helpful Links

tv-install-roadmaster-front-anti-sway-bar-2015-ford-f-53-rm-1139-148.aspx

tv-install-roadmaster-rear-anti-sway-bar-2016-ford-f-53-rm-1139-146.aspx