Better shocks for bad roads ??

[Trigger_Happy]

I'm wondering if new shocks would help with the rough roads. Seems like every highway bridge has a big bump, some more then others, and rough roads in general create a less then pleasant driving experience.

My coach (2012 Discovery 40X) has 45k miles now and if I thought I could smooth out the bumps I would consider new shocks.

I run the right tire pressures in the Mich. XRV 22.5, and air bags are at factory spec.

I don't see any sign of my shocks leaking, not sure brand they are I assume Bilstein.

Anyone get any real improvement by replacing or upgrading?

[Chum_lee]

Trigger Happy wrote:
I'm wondering if new shocks would help with the rough roads. Anyone get any real improvement by replacing or upgrading?

Quick answer. No! While some may disagree, shocks whether new or old do not smooth out a rough road and were never intended to. Shocks dampen suspension/body oscillations which helps minimize porpoising and help stabilize body roll however they do not prevent it. Some high performance shocks can actually increase ride harshness because they react more quickly keeping the tires more firmly planted on the ground which is what you want if you're racing. Generally that's not the goal in a motor home.

It is true that some shocks appear to ride smoother than others because they control the suspension rebound rates differently which affects the perceived ride quality.

If the goal is to reduce the harshness of rough roads IMO you'll have better success with altering (usually reducing) tire pressures or using a different tire manufacturer because tire construction and rubber compounds vary. On some vehicles, replacing (if worn) rubber suspension/subframe bushings can substantially improve ride quality including harshness and noise. Changing the spring rates and increasing the unsprung weight can also help smooth out roads and give the limousine effect if that's what you really want.

Chum lee

[LVJ58]

x 2 for the Koni FSD's great shock. Greatly improved ride comfort on our 2000 gas coach.

[oldave]

Your coach would actually ride smoother with no shocks but
it would bounce so much it would probably make you sea sick .
With that in mind a really good shock just may give you a really
harsh ride .
I don't believe you will improve the ride with new shocks but you
can reduce porpoising / bounce if that's a problem .

[Ivylog]

My “ new ride” has adjustable shocks...soft and sport. I cannot tell any appreciable difference in the the shock from bridge approaches, small potholes, or expansion joints but I can tell that sport decreases the amount of porpoising. Proposing is not a problem with a tag axle coach but sport does seem to stop it to almost none. Cannot tell any difference in leaning in curves because with the outboard airbags there is very little. Shocks cannot stop leaning, they can only slow it down slightly.

About the only way to decrease the shocks transferred is to run lower air pressure in larger tires... not always practical.

[ScottG]

Get a mono-tube shock that's gas charged like those suggested above. They are bigger internally than the cheap-to-design twin-tube and the gas keeps the oil from getting aerated with repeated cycling like common shocks suffer from.

[rgatijnet1]

sourdoughben wrote:
Roadking shocks are made by King and are a very good option because of their larger valve size. Larger RV's need more than small valved Kong's or Bilstein's and Monroe's which wear out very quickly. BTW, your shocks are shot at 45,000 miles. Check out Roadking.

I believe RoadKing shocks are warranted for 12 months. The Koni FSD and Bilstein shocks are warranted for life.

[sourdoughben]

Roadking shocks are made by King and are a very good option because of their larger valve size. Larger RV's need more than small valved Kong's or Bilstein's and Monroe's which wear out very quickly. BTW, your shocks are shot at 45,000 miles. Check out Roadking.

[rgatijnet1]

I liked the Koni FSD shocks because they ARE NOT gas charged. This means that they start absorbing the small road bumps as soon as contact is made.
The Bilsteins I replaced, and the Monroe shocks, are all gas charged, which means that there is quite a bit of resistance from the shock that is transferred back to the coach frame. I did not notice any difference between the shocks on large bumps.
One problem I had with some concrete interstate bridges/overpasses were that the different poured sections could create a "porposing effect" with the coach, which was probably a function of wheelbase length. My shocks would tone it down, and stop it once we got off of the bridge but while on it for that short time, we did tend to bounce a bit. I had this happen on different coaches so it was just something that I accepted on some shorter bridges.

[DutchmenSport]

I think there is a risk in having too good shocks that virtually eliminate all the bumps in the road. You may get the vehicle to ride smooth as glass. But then you are going to run even faster. What about those tires? They are the ones taking all the pounding and beating. Go faster, hit harder! Go even faster, hit even harder. But you, the occupant inside, don't feel a thing, until a tire goes flat due to a sudden blow-out.

Now, feeling those bumps and hard surfaces are not necessarily a bad thing (although we all hate them ... I absolutely agree!). By feeling those hard hits, it causes the driver to drive a bit slower and maintain better control of their vehicle.

Hitting the same bump at 50 mph may be a hard bump, but the driver may be able to keep good control of the vehicle. That same vehicle hitting the same bump at 75 mph, well, the bump may be so hard on the tires it could damage them immediately, causing the semi-concious driver in a semi-concious state driving to suddenly veir off the road without warning.

Basically, what I'm saying is... when we don't feel the bumps, we (all) drive much faster. But the tires can sure take it tough.

Not saying don't get new shocks, just trying to make you aware, it doesn't change the impact on the tires! In fact, speed may cause even greater impacts, which in time, destroy tires faster.

It's just a thought!

[SidecarFlip]

Just because they are not leaking don't mean they aren't shot and the only way to tell is pull one from either the top or bottom mount and extend and retract it manually and see if there is resistance and how much.

I'd say at 45K, they are done anyway.