timbren or sumo

I thought this would be a common question and searched, and there seems to be literally nothing on the topic.

Having had older toyota trucks I am well aware that they are always undersprung in the rear, and my 2015 is no different. I have 400 pounds of sand in the back and it leveled my truck. with an atv or bike in the back it will look like I'm overloaded, and when I tow my boat trailer (8000 pounds) it may actually be dangerous. Ive used old fashioned add a leaf before, on the T100 I added a helwig spring healper, both of which helped the sag, but both of which had drawbacks I'd rather avoid. The sumo/timbren solution looks to be up my alley, but which one? they are similarly priced, and similarly easy to install, I guess my question is which one engages sooner? I dont want to be bumping onto it with very little load, I think if it could engage right about when the truck is level, so like 400 pounds would be perfect...does anybody have experience with either of these on a tundra?

 

I can’t tell you which one is better but, for what it’s worth, the timbrens are made to help provide a better ride as well as load control. It really wouldn’t be a bad thing if you are engaging it a lot even unloaded.
Timbrens have good warranty and customer service. I have no experience with Sumo.

 

Timbrens dont do anything when unloaded...thats one of the things thats nice about them. both sumo and timbrens are essentially a big bump stop, so unloaded its totally stock, but when you load up the bakc of the truck, eventually the truck sits down and the timbrens or sumos start taking up some weight. I just want to know from people with experience if I put a couple of lawn mowers or something in the bakc of the truck if its going ot be bouncing off the timbren/sumo, of if they require more of a squat to engage...to make a short story long I want to know how much squat till the truck sits down on them.

 

Some good info

https://youtu.be/gGbTbSisBd4

 

I have the SumoSprings and so far so good. I would say they are softer and more forgiving than the Timbren. I tow a 5000k pound boat and the rear handling and control feels good while under a load. I also do not notice they are there when unloaded.

 

How much weight can your truck have in the back before it sits down on the sumo? What colour sumo did you get?

 

I would say they contact the frame with about 350-400 pounds. I got the blue SumoSprings.

 

I have timbrens and you can’t tell they are on there until you put a load on it. I have a pondtoon weights 5200 and camper about 5000. They work great. The only time I notice them is when you hit a speed bump fast and you can feel it then. @Mnorris1206 has some also.

 

Can’t answer what weight they engage but Timbrens are solid hard bumpers. If you’re not hauling lots or have a high tongue wt such that you permanently ride on them, they don’t feel good lifting off smacking them again on a bounce.

Sumos come in different ratings but the light duty ones act more like accordions. And since they compress, will be more forgiving if you smack them unloaded, like when going over a speed bump or hitting a pothole.

I have Timbrens but I use spacers to account for my 1.5” shackles. So when I don’t tow our trailer, I take the spacers out and there’s plenty of room before the frame hits the Timbrens driving unloaded.

Mine (with spacers on):



I should add with Sumos and greater compression, there’s potential for more sag with heavy loads over Timbrens. Of course this is less sag than no support. If you get the higher rated Sumos that don’t compress as much, I think they will act like Timbrens in theory.

 

Thanks. I think I may consider the mid level sumos. 350 pounds before engagement isn’t too bad, and I presume with my regular cab it may be a bit higher

 

I got Timbren based on 2 different experienced installers. One recommended SuperSprings or Timbrens, proving he wasn’t basing his recommendation on brand and was aware of both brands.
I haven’t loaded them yet, but I have appreciated the bottom out resistance provided by Timbren on larger bumps.
I honestly think you’ll be happy either way. steered away from airbags due to maintenance requirements.

 

So with the timbrens going over big bumps it does make contact?

I want one of these over air bags for the same reason I want a truck with a v8 with no start stop no cylinder deactivation no turbos...its a simple tool, that’s what I want. Thanks for all yours help guys

 

I bought the yellow (heaviest duty)

$303 SSR-610-47 | SumoSprings Rear for Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Titan

SSR-610-47 sumosprings because they were on sale just last week. Looking forward to trying them out when hauling. Got sick of the bagged look after putting a 2” level kit in.

 

Yes it does make contact, it is basically an oversized bumpstop.

 

I’ve had Timbrens on my work trucks in the past... they honestly feel best when they’re in use. As others have said, the truck will slap off of them when you’re driving unloaded. That said, I never had a single problem with them through a lot of abuse and a lot of road salt. At this point though, I just use the headlight adjustment on my 2019 (use it to tow and haul a lot) and don’t worry about the sag.

 

If you hit a speed bump fast yes. Where the road meets the bridge no.

 

Depends how fast and how big (what she said)

There’s not much space between the top of the Timbren and the frame. A member here switches out his Timbrens with shorter Superbumps when not towing. It’s the same boot so it doesn’t take long.

Some members here have posted they don’t like the shudder of Timbrens at all and decide not to use them. I left my spacers in once between camping trips, I smacked sometimes but not often. It was mainly over big speed bumps in our suburbs and me trying to break my record at the street sign that measures your speed (jking).

 

How well do the sumosprings work with add-a-leaf and shackle kits? Can you add spacers?

 

SumoSprings made me a custom set to accommodate my 1.5 inch rear lift. If you call them they can customize to your needs.

 

Why do you keep 400 pounds of Sand in the back?

 

becasue regular cab long box trucks have zero weight in the back. In wintertime they become unsafe and frustrating to drive without added weight. I have 4x4 but I can’t drive around in 4x4 all the time. My last truck went off the road and got destroyed because i hit black ice and the truck went into a spin.

 

I’ve read that the Timbren can be unscrewed, leaving the cradle in place, a Superbump can be screwed in place. This will give you your articulation back when the extra load is absent.

 

Cats, the man has a lot of cats.....

 

Timbren will contact with 400 lbs. I just installed it, the whole thing is around 5-½ inches tall.

 

Thanks.

 

This sounds like a description of what it was like when I was dating fat chicks in highschool

 

oh! and i got the
TTORTUN4

 

Installed my Sumosprings, they sit flush unloaded but after a 200kms drive I’m definitely saying they make the ride ALOT rougher

 

Well they were returned within 24hrs, wife said it was Far to rough and I agreed, felt like their was virtually zero rear suspension. Might try the blue Sumosprings but we will see once spring hits and camping season starts again.

 

I wonder why they sat flush on your truck? I can’t imagine your suspension already sagging that much