Interstate Mods - I'll go First

[amirm]

Haasman, thanks so much for the information. All this time I thought they replaced the stock springs/suspension. I didn't realize they just replace the bump stops.

Question: is the ride any harsher? It seems that given that they are longer, it will make the suspension firmer. No?

[BurntAsphalt]

I have the front and rear Sumos. The fronts are easy to install. The rears are very difficult. The ride is not much different but there is definitely a more stable feeling when turning into a curbed driveway (less rocking). I had installed them to help with crosswind handling but they did not solve that problem by themselves.

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by BurntAsphalt

I have the front and rear Sumos. The fronts are easy to install. The rears are very difficult. The ride is not much different but there is definitely a more stable feeling when turning into a curbed driveway (less rocking). I had installed them to help with crosswind handling but they did not solve that problem by themselves.

What made the rear hard to install? I haven’t crawled up under there to see what it looks like.

[Titus]

I jacked mine up a bit to give more clearance between the axle and frame.

The front edge of the Sumo gets angled up into the slot then the rear of it is forced into the slot (or vice versa). Length of Sumo is nearly the same as the distance between slots. If the Sumo was flexible you could bow it a bit to 'shorten' its length - but it is too stiff to bow. I ended up cutting the Sumo a little - to make it shorter. It went in easier and hasn't fallen out after many years and miles. WD 40 made it slip into the slot easier - but it also allows the pry bar to slip off easier - so it is not net gain.

[BurntAsphalt]

+1 to what Titus said. In addition, with the Sprinter jacking points unreachable due to Airstream modifications, it becomes a tenuous proposition to work under the vehicle when its jacked up. There are few (if any) safe locations to secure the jack and jack stands.

[amirm]

Here is a nice video I found on their installation, albeit not an Airstream but stock Sprinter 3500:

[video]

[amirm]

I purchased my set and my current thinking is to pay someone to do the job. Any risk that could damage something by jacking it wrong and such?

[BurntAsphalt]

For your own safety (and also to save tons of effort and frustration) I recommend finding a local shop that has a lift big enough for the AI (I'm a DIYer kind of guy so it hurts to say that!)

[rmkrum]

Agree. One slip or error jacking anything big, and you can easily end up a ‘late’ DIYer. Some things are not worth the risk

[Haasman]

amirm-

Sumo Springs do not make the ride harsher. Instead, firmer in a good way. I have them in several vehicles (Interstate and a Tacoma 4X4). A friend commented on how comfortable the ride was and wondered what brought about the change. (less tippy feeling and an increased feeling of being more planted on the road).

Our Sprinter‘s chassis were designed to accomplish a task: Carrying a load in the back. BTW, an empty Sprinter van is fun to drive, especially a brand new one. Luckily they were designed by Mercedes (Daimler) and have good handling and brakes.

But they are still delivery vehicles and not designed for comfortable rides. Our rigs carry the higher level of their permissible load amounts because of the “house components” and that influences the vehicle.

The modifications I’ve done to ours was to improve ride and handling. After replacing the shocks with Bilstein B6 series, add Sumo’s front and rear and Helwigg rear sway bars I found that I had to do a 10 hour drive in weather ranging from light rain, very heavy rain and ultimately snow

The enhanced feeling of confidence in driving qualities from the modifications was very evident. . I thoroughly enjoyed the drive even though the weather was demanding.

But the rear ride quality can be rough. The Sumos help with that but it is still a delivery truck rear suspension. That is why the air bag rear suspension is the way to go for further improved rear ride quality. After all one is riding on inflated pillows of air. It is my understanding that to retrofit a late model Interestate ranges from $7k from $10k depending on who installs it. That made us pause. A lot of money. But I heard several times that the air bag system really transforms the ride quality of Interstates.

Even if we were to trade out 2016 for a 2018 with the air bag suspension, I would change the shocks to B6's and see how Sumos would fit with the new rear suspension. They are both that good.

If you rarely carrying someone in the back, I wouldn't worry about it.

Haasman

[amirm]

Thanks a bunch Haasman. Our only issue with the rides is the side to side rocking that can get quite violent. So Sumo springs seems the way to go.

We only have bunk beds in the back and my wife and two dogs ride in the front so no issue with rear suspension.

[amirm]

Originally Posted by BurntAsphalt

For your own safety (and also to save tons of effort and frustration) I recommend finding a local shop that has a lift big enough for the AI (I'm a DIYer kind of guy so it hurts to say that!)

Who has such lifts? I know our local Mercedes dealership just got these but I assume they are not a good target for this application given their high cost and probably reluctance to do this kind of work.

[Titus]

I was able to get the Sprinter jack installed in the correct place on both sides of the rear. Fitting it on the drives side was a bit tricky (propane tank), but it worked. I only needed to raise it a couple of inches to give the extra clearance I needed. When having my tires rotated or replaced the tire shop used a floor jack under the differential housing. I cringed to see that (and the Sprinter manual says not to) but realistically I could not see a good alternative. Using two floor jacks, one near the outer edge on each side would have halved the load, but it seemed to be putting it in a less-sturdy place.

Regarding how the Sumos work - we seldom ride in the back while traveling. There is a severe side-to-side rocking when (too) closely following a semi at highway speeds. Rear Sumos helped that a bit. Side to side rocking when going over something at an angle improved a bit too. But going slower helps with that too,

[BurntAsphalt]

Originally Posted by amirm

Who has such lifts? I know our local Mercedes dealership just got these but I assume they are not a good target for this application given their high cost and probably reluctance to do this kind of work.

We have several tire shops in our area that have lifts big enough for Sprinters. That would probably be your best bet. Most shops don't let you go into the work area but, if possible, take the opportunity to inspect the rig while it's on the lift.

[Lotus54]

Originally Posted by bugsbunny

Lotus54 - If handy, could you tell me the brand and model for your TV.... I am looking for the 12V+DVD combo... Thanks!

Supersonic TV

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[amirm]

Originally Posted by BurntAsphalt

We have several tire shops in our area that have lifts big enough for Sprinters. That would probably be your best bet. Most shops don't let you go into the work area but, if possible, take the opportunity to inspect the rig while it's on the lift.

Thanks. I have done plenty of "inspections" of the unit while under my back in previous work. Hence the reason I want to have someone else do it.

[txntravlr]

So does anyone here have Sumos on a 4x4 AI?

[Pahaska]

With my twin bed mod, I have quite a bit of storage space in the back. Unfortunately, much of the area is hard-to-use vertical space. Even with my patio rug and window coverings stored vertically, there is a lot of empty space. That got me thinking about adding a shelf in the rear. It will be an especially great place to stow throw pillows and bedspreads at night.

I bought a sheet of Asian Sand laminate from HD. When sprayed with two coats of crystal clear enamel, it is indistinguishable from the gloss laminate in the balance of the coach.

I used leftover plywood to make a 14" wide shelf, with the top one foot down from the overhead cabinet. There are 3" edges front and rear to keep things from sliding off. I kept the shelf fairly high and narrow because I didn't want the shelf to make the beds feel cramped.

I was unexpectedly invited to go to Washington with the veteran's Honor Flight over Armed Forces Day, so the project was delayed a few days. I finally had the time and the AI at home today to install the shelf. It took a lot of cut and fit since nothing back there is perfectly square.

The shelf is hung on two 12" x 13" pieces of 3/4" plywood. I used Kreg pocket screws to attach the plywood hanger. There are 7 Kreg screws at the top pointing outward on each side into the overhead cabinet. At the bottom, there are 4 Kreg screws on each side, 4 pointing inward and four pointing outward into the shelf. I wanted to make very sure that the shelf will withstand road impacts.

The shelf is trimmed in black self-adhesive edging and lined with black marine bunker padding. My AI has black upholstery, so the black looks appropriate.

The photos here are before I install any trim pieces. There will be triangles of laminate at each side and then the vertical hangers will be covered with the marine bunker cladding, attached with spray adhesive and stapled at the corners.

I ordered one of the neat clothes hangers that are on the recent AIs to install on the bottom of the shelf. I need to make a run to the marine store for some more bunker padding to finish up.

[Lily&Me]

Nice job.

Maggie

[Air99]

Very clever and if there’s a way to slide it up when empty to ease rear access that would be awesome since the beauty of rear twin layout is easy pass through.